Flexible work arrangements

The ASU community has demonstrated it can adapt and respond quickly to change — even during a pandemic — from different learning modes to remote work to ensure students and university employees can thrive.

Though our community may deliver support services virtually, in-person, or both, we place a premium on physical proximity to students to fulfill our charter. We consider the primary worksite an ASU campus or location.

We understand flexible work arrangements can offer benefits for employers and employees, such as workforce retention, sustainability and work-life balance.

Per SPP 306: Flexible Work Arrangements, department leadership may offer standard or alternative schedules, hybrid or full remote work schedules that best meet the service and work needs of their respective areas. It is up to deans and vice presidents, working with their leadership teams, to consider flexible work arrangements that work for their departments.

Department leaders should evaluate whether a position is suitable for a flexible work arrangement based on the nature of the work and the needs of the university and department operations. Flexible work arrangements are not guaranteed even if the position is conducive to an alternative schedule.

When reviewing a flexible work arrangement, consider the following operations criteria of the department or the university:

The university or department can maintain productivity and quality of service for students, faculty and other university community members.
The arrangement will not negatively impact the university or department’s culture, objectives, goals or workforce and leadership development activities.
The employee has demonstrated sustained high performance, and when the supervisor believes the employee can maintain the expected quantity and quality of work while working remotely.

Employees who have approved ADA accommodations are also eligible for flexible work arrangements. However, an employee requesting a flexible work arrangement to address disability-related needs should first refer to the ADA accommodation process before requesting a flexible work arrangement.

Flexible work arrangement options

ASU offers these types of flexible work arrangements.

Four 10-hour days: An employee works four 10-hour days with one day off each workweek. This schedule also is known as a four-day workweek or a compressed workweek.
- Vacation leave, health leave, and holiday time for employees on an alternative schedule will be reported and accounted for based on the alternative schedule. For example, an employee who works a schedule of four days per week, 10 hours per day, takes a day away from the office for vacation or health leave, should report using 10 hours of leave time. Similarly, when a university holiday falls on a day that an employee is scheduled to work more than eight hours, such as a 10-hour workday, that employee must either work the remaining two hours, make that time up on another day, or report two hours of vacation time.

Nine-day, 80-hour work schedule — exempt only: This arrangement is a two-week schedule that divides 80 working hours into nine days. Typically, it consists of eight nine-hour days, one eight-hour day, and one day off. Hours can be arranged for a full day off every other week or a four-hour day every week.

Staggered start and stop time: Start and end times vary to meet work and personal commitments.

Working weekends or evenings: Employees may work weekends or evenings based on department needs or personal commitments.

Working during second or third shifts: Work outside regular operating hours established by the department.

Working shifts with shortened lunch periods: Employees work through their lunch or take a shortened lunch period for personal reasons.

Hybrid or full remote work: A hybrid or full remote work schedule is an arrangement in which some or all of the work performed is at a site different from the employee’s regular ASU work location. Senior leaders, such as those on the University Management Team, are expected to maintain a highly visible physical presence on campus and should continue to work with their vice president or dean to determine the level of remote work appropriate to their responsibilities at the university.
- Hybrid work: When an employee spends a minimum of 60% of their regular workweek at their primary ASU work location.
  - Dean or vice president approval required.
  - Nonexempt employees who work remotely are required to report their work hours and take required rest breaks and meal periods as applicable.
- Full remote work: When an employee spends every workday or regularly scheduled workdays working at a site different from the regularly assigned ASU work location.
  - Executive vice president approval is required.
  - Full remote work arrangements should be the exception. These should be only granted when the university has a space constraint, the employee has a unique or rare skill set, a demonstrated retention challenge exists, or other unique circumstances where both the university and the employee share an interest in the arrangement.

Flexible work arrangement requests

Follow the steps below to request a flexible work arrangement.

Employees

Review SPP 306: Flexible Work Arrangements.
Meet with your supervisor to discuss a flexible work arrangement.
An employee must complete this flexible work arrangement request form. Send the completed request to your supervisor for review and approval.

Supervisors

The supervisor encouraged to complete a flexible work arrangement summary form or provide all request forms to leadership for review.
Department leadership reviews requests for approval with their dean or vice president. Additional approval may be required from the executive vice president.
The department should retain a copy of the approved arrangement and provide a copy to the employee.
Follow instructions in the flexible work arrangement request form for requests outside of the region of the employee's primary ASU work location.
A flexible work arrangement tracking tool is available for supervisors to help manage schedules.

Reporting will be done twice per year and will be initiated by the OHR Business Partners.

Disclaimer

A department may discontinue, temporarily suspend or alter the arrangement when business needs change. Departmental needs, customer service, productivity, and quality always take precedence. It is the university’s exclusive decision to provide flexible work arrangements—the decision is not subject to the grievance procedure.

Supervisor guidelines

Supervisors should establish methods to evaluate employees who have flexible work arrangements and hold the employee accountable for the productivity and quality of work.

The supervisor and employee will meet at regular intervals to review the employee’s work performance to ensure job standards are met. ASU policies, rules and practices shall apply at the remote worksite. Failure to follow policy, rules and procedures may result in termination of the flexible work arrangement.

Contact your internal HR representative or your OHR Business Partner for additional assistance. Before approving a flexible work arrangement, consider the possible expenses:

Courier services to deliver supplies or documents to a remote worker.
Equipment or supplies such as a laptop an employee can use in multiple locations.
Reallocation of work to other employees on days that the employee is not in the primary work location.
Special costs are associated with work performed remotely from another state or country.

Examples

Transportation or travel costs if required.
State-law requirements—employment taxes, additional workers’ compensation insurance, salary requirements or local requirements to provide equipment or supplies.

Tips for managing employees on a hybrid or full remote work schedule:

As needed, you may adjust a flexible work arrangement based on departmental needs, i.e., in-person meetings, and require employees to be in the office.
Be aware of burnout. For example, virtual meetings are convenient, but too many meetings leave less time for work. Remote work can also blur the lines between home and work-life, causing employees to always be connected, i.e., email responses.
Communicate availability expectations. For example, the employee should be reachable via telephone or email within reason during agreed work hours.
Determine which communication platform to use and when — for example, Slack, Zoom, Jabber, Teams, etc. Confirm expectation of use. Encourage employees to turn on their cameras for Zoom or Teams meetings and use the screen share function to display relevant data or materials.
Ensure employees manage their day-to-day Outlook calendar and share access with their supervisor.
Establish trust. Assume positive intent and begin with believing that your employee is working hard and devoting the required amount of time to their assigned tasks. Allow metrics and results to speak for the employee’s productivity.
Evaluate the flexible work arrangement to ensure effectiveness and determine if changes are needed during quarterly EDGE Conversations.
Observe employee reactions. Watch for nonverbal cues such as crossed arms, shoulder shrugging, lack of eye contact, and the tone of their voice. These reactions are not as easy to spot in a virtual working environment as in the office. Staying aware of these actions will help you navigate when to ask clarifying questions and deepen the conversation.
Require employees working remotely to notify the office and supervisor if they leave the agreed-upon remote work location, as they would working in the office.