Flexible Work Arrangements Definitions

Flexible Work Arrangements include hybrid work, fully remote work, and modified work schedules. Flexible work arrangements may be allowed on an ongoing basis, a seasonal basis (e.g., for periods outside the fall and spring semesters), or for other specific time periods based on school, college, and department needs.

Hybrid, Seasonal Hybrid, and Fully Remote Work

Hybrid work allows a staff member to work a portion of the workweek on campus and a portion of the workweek remotely (i.e., off-campus at a remote location). Hybrid work generally involves up to two days of remote work per week. Three or four days of remote work per week is allowed in special situations.

Seasonal hybrid work allows a staff member to work a portion of the workweek on campus and a portion of the workweek remotely on a seasonal basis.  Seasonal hybrid work arrangements may not exceed two days of remote work per week.

Fully remote work is when a staff member does not come to campus at all except for occasional on-campus meetings or events. It is allowed when a dean or vice president determines that there are exceptional circumstances warranting fully remote work.

Within regular hours of operation, a staff member may work their regular weekly hours on either a standard work schedule or a modified work schedule.

Regular hours of operation are those hours of work designed to provide service coverage for the school, college, or department and are in many cases greater than the number of hours in any particular staff member’s assigned workweek. Managers will determine the regular hours of operation for their units with the approval of the dean or vice president. For example, a manager may designate a unit’s regular hours of operation as 8 am to 7 pm Monday through Friday.

Regular weekly hours are the number of hours in a staff member’s assigned workweek. In accordance with the Employee Handbook, full-time staff are assigned a workweek that is thirty-five (35) hours, thirty-seven-and-one-half (37 1/2) hours, or forty (40) hours as established by each school, college, or department and approved by the dean or vice president.

The standard work schedule is a staff member’s assigned work schedule, as set forth in their offer letter or a subsequent assignment from their school, college, or department. A staff member’s standard work schedule may be different than a school, college, or department’s regular hours of operation. For example, a staff member’s standard work schedule may be 9 am to 5 pm Monday through Friday, but the department’s regular hours of operation may be 8 am to 7 pm Monday through Friday.

A modified work schedule allows a staff member to perform their regular weekly hours on a schedule other than their standard work schedule. The modified work schedule must be fully within the regular hours of operation at a school, college, or department.

For example, if a staff member has a standard work schedule of 9 am to 5 pm Monday through Friday, and the department’s regular hours of operation are 8 am to 7 pm, the following are examples of potential modified work schedules:

1. 8 am – 4 pm Monday through Friday;
2. 10 am – 6 pm Monday through Friday;
3. 9 am – 7 pm Monday through Thursday, and zero hours on Friday;
4. 8 am – 5 pm Tuesday through Friday, and 8 am – 12 pm on Monday.

Modified work schedules are described further in Section 4 below.

A seasonal modified work schedule allows a staff member to work a modified work schedule on a seasonal basis (e.g., a change from a 5-day-per-week schedule during semesters to a 4-day-per-week compressed work schedule during the break between semesters).  Seasonal modified work schedules are described further in Section 5 below.

Modified Work Schedules

As described above, modified work schedules adjust a staff member’s work hours within their school, college, or department’s regular hours of operation. A modified work schedule may not reduce or increase a staff member’s regular weekly hours. All modified work schedules must comply with Section 201 of the Employee Handbook – Hours of Work and applicable law.

Per the Employee Handbook, the assigned workweek represents the minimum number of hours that an exempt staff member is expected to work. Exempt staff are expected to work the hours necessary to complete their job duties, even if such hours are beyond their regular weekly hours or modified work schedule. Likewise, per the Employee Handbook, non-exempt employees may be required to work overtime in excess of their regular weekly hours as required by the University’s operational needs. Such overtime hours are in addition to any modified work schedule.

Seasonal Modified Work Schedules

As described above, a seasonal modified work schedule is a temporary change in a staff member’s work schedule

on seasonal basis. Seasonal modified work schedules do not typically change a school, college, or department’s regular hours of operation for providing services to faculty, staff, students, prospective students, alumni, vendors, and other stakeholders. Deans and vice presidents may approve a seasonal change in regular hours of operation if it is clear from historical demand that the change will have no material impact on stakeholder service.

Eligibility

Staff members who meet the following job performance criteria are eligible to request flexible work arrangements: (1) no active corrective action; (2) an overall performance rating of 3 (successful) or above on the most recent performance evaluation, if applicable; and (3) compliance with all University health and safety policies and protocols (e.g., proof of any applicable vaccination requirements). New staff members who have not yet received a performance evaluation may request flexible work arrangements. However, it is strongly recommended that any hybrid work arrangements for newly hired employees commence after a minimum of 90 workdays of employment has been completed and an initial performance discussion has been held.

Request and Approval Procedures

Hybrid and Fully Remote Work Arrangements – Requests and Approvals

To request a hybrid or fully remote work arrangement, a staff member must submit an online Remote Work Request Form. Managers may also require that staff members provide additional information relevant to the staff member’s position, job duties, or the needs of the department. 

A hybrid or fully remote work arrangement must be approved by the staff member’s manager and the appropriate dean or vice president (or a designee of the dean or vice president). If the staff member’s remote work location is outside Massachusetts, the arrangement must also be approved by the vice president for human resources, as described in Section 12 below.

A hybrid or fully remote work arrangement may not begin until a Remote Work Request Form is complete, with all required approvals. The staff member will complete the form which will be automatically routed to their manager for additional information and first-level approval. The form will then be routed to the appropriate dean, vice president, or designee (and for out-of-state work, the vice president for human resources) for additional approval. The completed document will be returned to the staff member and manager.

Modified Work Schedules – Requests and Approvals

To request a modified work schedule, a staff member must submit a written request to their manager identifying the proposed schedule. Staff should discuss modified work schedules with their managers before making requests. 

A modified work schedule must be approved in writing by the staff member’s manager. If the staff member’s regular or remote work location is outside of Massachusetts, the manager must also obtain the approval of the vice president for human resources before allowing a modified work schedule.

If a modified work schedule changes the number of hours a staff member works per day (e.g., a compressed work schedule of four ten-hour days), the manager must ensure that the work schedule is entered into SAP through an Employee Position Update by the department’s payroll coordinator. Further detail on entering the modified work schedule into SAP is available in the “Updates During Employment” section on the HR Systems website. 

Requests for Reconsideration

A staff member whose request for a flexible work arrangement is denied may seek reconsideration of the decision using the reconsideration process described in Section 10 below.

Management Discretion

Decisions regarding flexible work arrangements, including decisions on requests for reconsideration, are at the discretion of management and not subject to the employee grievance process in the Employee Handbook.