Workplace Flexibility

  1. Issued:July 15, 2021
  2. Revised:December 5, 2022
  3. Last Reviewed:December 5, 2022
  4. Policy Number: HR-87
  5. Responsible Office:Illinois Human Resources
  6. Policy Contact: Labor and Employee Relations
    217-333-3105
  8. Print Policy

Purpose

The University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign recognizes the value of workplace flexibility, including remote and hybrid work, as part of our strategy to recruit and retain a diverse and high-performing workforce. Workplace flexibility provides a way to successfully manage people, time, space, and workload. Workplace flexibility is an effective approach for using resources most efficiently and providing the best environment for talent. This policy attempts to modernize the university workforce flexible options knowing one size does not fit all, and to continue to deliver high-quality service at all levels while also providing increased options for work-life management.

Scope

This policy applies to all eligible academic professional and civil service employees on the Urbana-Champaign campus.

Authority

Illinois Human Resources

Policy

All staff are eligible to request flexible work arrangements, however, not all positions lend themselves to flexible work.  While the university strives to support workplace flexibility, it is neither an entitlement nor a university-wide benefit and does not change the university’s expectations regarding employee performance.

A staff member’s first responsibility is to fulfill their job responsibilities. Performance expectations for staff members remain the same regardless of work schedule or location and supervisors have a responsibility for managing employee performance.

Supervisors are encouraged to look for ways to implement flexible work within their units as part of the employee value proposition for working at University of Illinois.

Remote and hybrid work decisions will be made on a case-by-case basis considering the mission and business needs of the university and the respective unit.

Unit senior leadership (Deans, Institute Directors, Vice Chancellors, Vice Provosts) may establish and communicate a remote and hybrid work strategy for their unit(s) consistent with this policy and the companion Illinois Human Resources (“IHR”) guidelines and will make sure that all relevant policies and guidelines are consistently applied within the unit.

The decision to offer a specific remote or hybrid work arrangement shall be within the authority and discretion of the respective campus unit managing supervisor in consultation with unit human resources and unit senior leadership.

The employee must complete a university Remote and Hybrid Work Agreement before remote and hybrid work may begin. The employee’s supervisor, unit head and unit human resources also must sign the agreement in approval. Agreements in which an employee intends to work remotely three or more days per week require approval by the Dean, Institute Director, Vice Chancellor, Associate Chancellor, or designee.   For example, a Dean may delegate these approvals to each unit head in their college.

Campus units, with approval from IHR, may terminate any individual Remote and Hybrid Work Agreement at any time. Units must also consult with IHR when considering a change in the eligibility of remote and hybrid work for the unit.

This policy does not affect remote, hybrid, or flexible work accommodations as covered by CAM HR-67, Reasonable Accommodations Under the Americans with Disabilities Act. Employees and supervisors should engage the reasonable accommodation process in cases where remote, hybrid, or flexible work is requested due to a disability, medical condition, or other reason covered by CAM HR-67.

Employees working remotely are expected to:

  • Be available during work hours in accordance with supervisor and department expectations, e.g. logging into Teams or other university used communication platforms, participating in meetings, answering calls
  • Remote and Hybrid Work Agreements shall have a term not to exceed 12 months, after which a new agreement must be submitted and approved.   Generally these agreements should cycle August to August for ease of administration and to minimize tracking multiple renewal periods
  • Work calendars shall be shared, maintained and up to date
  • If unavailable for any reason, notification to supervisor and colleagues is appropriate in the same manner as when working in office.

Flexibility Options

The following options are available for departments to implement:

  • Hybrid-generally three or more days on campus and two or less days remote
  • Fully Remote—100% off-site, although may have occasional requirement to attend on-campus meeting
  • FlexPlace-occasional or sporadic work from anywhere
  • FlexTime-start and end times vary
  • Compressed Work Week-shorter weeks, longer days
  • Reduced Appointments (part-time/<100%)

Definitions

Remote or Hybrid Work are arrangements where an employee regularly performs some or all assigned job duties at an off-site work location. Remote or hybrid work may be used for a short-term project or a longer-term arrangement.

Hybrid is a work schedule at UIUC that will generally be defined as three days or more on-site and other days working remotely.

Fully Remote is a work schedule in which the employee is 100% off-site, although may occasionally be required to attend on-campus meetings or events.

FlexPlace, or remote, refers to arrangements that allow an employee to work at home or another off-site location, often sporadically and/or for a pre-determined duration.

Flex Time allows for flexible scheduling arrangements that permit variations in starting and departure times,but does not alter the total number of hours worked in a workweek.

Examples of flex time arrangements include the following:

  • Fixed starting and departure times that are different from normal business hours of the department.  Agreed-upon starting and departure times continue for a specified period with the same number of hours worked each day.
  • Pre-approved starting and departure times that may vary daily.  With such a personalized work schedule, an employee may arrive at work and leave at a different time each day, provided the number of hours worked each day remains the same.

The Compressed Work Week allows a staff member to work a traditional 37.5 or 40-hour workweek in less than the traditional number of workdays.

Examples of compressed workweek arrangements include the following:

  • A full-time employee scheduled for 40 hours per week could work four 10-hour days instead of five 8-hour days.  Or four 9-hour days and one 4-hour day.
    • Please note units must consult with IHR prior to agreeing to these alternate schedules for civil service employees.
  • The length of the workday could vary, but the majority of the work hours must remain within the core hours of the operation.
  • At no time should the workweek result in a schedule that is in excess of the applicable normal 37.5 or 40-hour workweek or require the use of overtime.
  • Reporting of vacation and sick leave usage must be reported in the compressed full-day increment.

Reduced appointments less than 100%

  • Where mutually beneficial, a unit may restructure a position to be less than full-time. It is important to note that such arrangements will have implications for the employee in areas such as benefits and employment rights.  The employee should carefully consider the personal impacts before reducing their appointment percentage.

Remote and Hybrid Work Agreement is a university form document that describes the terms of a specific remote and hybrid work arrangement between the university and an individual employee.

Processes/Procedures/Guidelines

Remote and Hybrid Work Agreement

Workplace Flexibility Guidelines

Workplace Flexibility Glossary of Terms

Classifications that Cannot Perform Remote Work

Related Laws, Regulations, Statutes, and Policies:

Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA) https://www.dol.gov/agencies/whd/flsa

Workers Compensation laws: (will vary if the employee is working remotely from a state other than Illinois): https://www2.illinois.gov/sites/iwcc/Documents/act.pdf

Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) and the ADA Amendments Act: https://www.eeoc.gov/statutes/americans-disabilities-act-amendments-act-2008

Contact

Questions regarding this policy should be directed to the Labor and Employee Relations section of Illinois Human Resources, (217) 333-3105.

  1. Issued:July 15, 2021
  2. Revised:December 5, 2022
  3. Last Reviewed:December 5, 2022
  4. Policy Number: HR-87
  5. Responsible Office:Illinois Human Resources
  6. Policy Contact: Labor and Employee Relations
    217-333-3105
  8. Print Policy
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