The Hybrid Work Agreement can be found in your Employee Records Account in PeopleAdmin.This agreement allows employees to telecommute up to 2 days per week, and must be reviewed and renewed at least annually. Agreements must be approved by the direct supervisor, Division Head (or designee), and Vice President. Prior to approving a Hybrid Work Agreement, it is critical that supervisors have a robust conversation with each employee regarding any particular questions or points below as well as all of the sections contained within the Agreement itself.
Once an employee has worked at Saint Joseph's University for at least six months and has successfully passed their initial probation period, they can request this schedule option. There are many things supervisors should consider when approving these requests: things regarding your own leadership and management, things regarding the office as a whole, and things about each employee individually.
This is just a guide and contains only a sample of things that are important to consider. All specific decisions about hybrid work agreements are up to each individual supervisor, the Division Head, and Vice President
Considerations for Leaders
- Will everyone be in the office at the same time at any point?
- How will meetings, committees, and collaborations be conducted?
- Be clear that sometimes employees may have to come to campus for meetings or other special events regardless of hybrid schedules, and make sure to give employees ample notice should this kind of meeting/event come up.
- How will you manage hybrid workers to ensure cohesion, inclusion, and continuity of work/conversation?
- How will you communicate with remote employees? How can they best access/communicate with you while out of the office?
- How should they communicate with you in the event of any changes that impact the telecommuting/hybrid arrangement? (e.g., loss of power, loss of internet or phone connection, and other significant changes to working conditions)
- Make sure to set these expectations of communication throughout the entire office.
- How will you maintain equity and transparency regarding hybrid schedules?
- For example, those who ask first should not be the only ones entitled to a hybrid schedule. It’s important to be clear on your expectations as a manager as well as the needs of the office and each job/role prior to approving any hybrid schedule requests. As requests continue to come in and/or change throughout the year, be clear with your team about how you plan to navigate the schedule and any changes that may need to be made.
- How and when will you evaluate and re-evaluate these schedules and requests?
- Per policy, hybrid/telecommuting arrangements should be reviewed at least annually by the department leader and HR, however other situations may arise throughout the year that require you to re-evaluate arrangements and/or schedules. At least two weeks’ notice should be provided if the schedule/arrangements change (whenever possible).
- Be clear with your team!
Considerations for the Office
Prior to approving any remote/hybrid work schedules, there are a few things that must be determined about the office and its functions. This list is meant to begin this conversation within an office, and is not an exhaustive list:
- What is the maximum number of employees in the unit who can work at home at the same time?
- How will having employees work from home impact the day-to-day services of the office and personnel availability for stakeholders? (E.g. student drop-in hours, in-person questions)
- How will the department maintain the excellent, expected quantity and quality of work?
Considerations Regarding the Individual Employee
After determining your expectations as a leader and the office needs, each employee’s request will need to be considered individually. A determination about each request will rely on questions that fall into two categories – the responsibilities of the job/role and the employee themselves.
Job questions:
- Can this job be done from another location (provided that the necessary equipment/technology is available)?
- If the job requires the employee’s physical presence, a hybrid arrangement is not appropriate.
- Will this impact your ability to track the employees’ hours? (Eg for non-exempt employees)
- Does the employee’s current assignment require frequent supervision, direction, or input from others who are on-site, or requires that they provide the same to other employees who are on-site?
Employee questions:
- Does the employee have at least 6 months with the University?
- Has the employee received disciplinary action within the past year or have a demonstrated attendance problem?
- Are the employee’s observed productivity levels problematic or inconsistent?
- Has the employee demonstrated sustained high performance and/or the ability to work independently and communicate effectively?