Guidance – A&A Staff Flexible Work Arrangements

Aug 4, 2022 | All-College, Info for Staff, Resources + Guidance

Fall 2022: In-person, hybrid, and remote work guidance for A&A staff

On July 25, 2022, the University issued HR107, Flexible Work Arrangements (FWA). The College of Arts and Architecture supports flexible work arrangements where appropriate to achieve our workplace goals and to advance our strategic plan. While the college is supportive of flexible work arrangements, it is important to recognize not all positions are suitable for FWA due to the nature of their interactions with students, visitors, and customers. With this perspective in mind, and in line with the University guidance, the College has established the following general guidelines to support flexible work arrangements while also maintaining core hours of conducting business. Nothing within these general guidelines will supersede HR107.

General Principles

  • Any flexible work arrangement must support the mission, goals, and functional role of the employee, department, and college. Flexible work arrangements must be position-appropriate.
  • A flexible work arrangement will have either a beneficial or net neutral impact on co-workers, students, and customers. Flexible work arrangements for any individual in a unit must be evaluated in terms of the impact the request will have on the whole team.
  • Flexible work arrangements should not result in additional ongoing expenses for the college.
  • A staff employee’s reason for wanting flexibility will not be a determining factor unless required by law as a reasonable accommodation.
  • Unless otherwise noted in the employment offer letter, employees must be in good standing/meeting job expectations to request a flexible work arrangement other than the traditional 8 a.m. – 5 p.m. Monday through Friday work week. Flexible work arrangements are not appropriate for all staff employee positions.
  • Flexibility should be applied creatively. Flexible work arrangement requests must be evaluated equitably, without bias or favoritism. To be equitable, relevant evaluation criteria include, but are not limited to, the requirements of the position, the priorities of the department/school/unit, the individual’s ability to perform their work in general and the likelihood of success, and the potential impact of the flexible work arrangement on co-workers, customers, and the overall department/school/unit.
  • Flexible work arrangements must not cause an ongoing net hardship or a negative impact for colleagues, students, and/or customers. Negative impact includes but is not limited to situations such as when a remote arrangement creates an ongoing increase in workload for others located onsite, or when a customer would realize greater benefit from in-person rather than virtual interaction.
  • Flexible work arrangements can be short-term or long-term. All flexible work arrangements must be documented and reviewed at least every four months. Flexible work arrangements are implemented because they meet both the staff employee’s needs and organizational needs at the time they are proposed. Sometimes, these needs will no longer be aligned and thus the arrangement will no longer be viable. A flexible work arrangement can be altered or discontinued at any time with a suggested notice period of no less than two weeks.
  • It is possible that an employee may be required to come to campus to attend to an urgent matter, event, deadline, etc. on very short notice (generally with 24 hours of notice provided). It is important to remember a staff flexible work arrangement is not a substitute for personal time.
  • Employees who are participating in flexible work arrangements should take into consideration their colleagues when scheduling vacations or prescheduling sick time.
  • Flexible work arrangements must be approved by the department head/school director/unit head.
  • All administrative, shared, and private offices must display signage on the exterior door that includes staff member(s) and their work schedules (including remote and in-person days/hours). All offices must provide the Dean’s office with staff office hours as part of their FWA plan.

Full-Time Staff Scheduling Expectations

As noted in HR 107, Penn State recognizes the opportunity for flexible work arrangements and the desire for staff employees to create a more balanced working environment. Flexible work arrangements are encouraged if the work needs of the unit can still be met, and the arrangement does not inhibit the University’s essential need for a robust university workspace or on-campus experience.

It is the expectation for full-time staff within the College of Arts & Architecture, whether in person, working a flexible schedule, or working remotely, to adhere to the core working hours of 9:00 a.m. – 3:00 p.m. Eastern Time. All full-time staff must be reachable and available during core hours unless using paid time off. Full-time staff are required to work 40 hours/week. Flexibility for hours worked outside of core hours should be discussed with the employee’s direct supervisor/department head/school director/unit head. All administrative offices serving students and patrons (including Dean’s office, departments and schools, CPA, and Palmer) must be staffed in person between 8 a.m. and 5 p.m., Monday through Friday. Staff may need to pick up extra time in the office to help when other staff members are on vacation or out sick—switching days/extra days may be needed so the office has an in-person presence 8 a.m.- 5 p.m., Monday through Friday.

For more information on flexible work arrangements, please see https://policy.psu.edu/policies/hr107

Approval Process

Employee completes the College’s FWA Request Form after discussion with their supervisor. The form will be routed through the college approval process outside of Workday. The approval process includes the supervisor, department head/school director, dean, and College HR.

Once the College internal process is complete, the requesting employee will be notified to submit the information into Workday’s Flexible Work Arrangement worklet.

Remote Site Equipment

The College will provide equipment in accordance with each employee’s responsibilities as if they are working onsite. This usually will consist of a laptop computer, monitor, mouse, keyboard, headset, and University telephone number. Printers, copiers, scanners, fax machines, shredders, white boards, office chairs, and other traditional office supplies will be available onsite. Employees approved for a flexible work arrangement and who wish to have these items at their remote site will need to purchase them with their own resources, unless a special situation is approved by their unit head, the Financial Officer, and the Dean.

Workstations for Employees on Flexible Work Schedules

Employees approved for flexible work arrangements might not have an assigned office or dedicated workspace. Instead, touch-down/hoteling space may be made available for in-office workdays for employees who are on campus fewer than three days each week.

If there are any questions regarding the HR107 or FWA, please contact:
Jerry Henry
A&A HR Strategic Partner
(814) 865-2593
gkh2@psu.edu