C-350.1 Flexible Work Options

Flexible work options help the College create a supportive and inclusive environment. Workplace flexibility allows Employees to balance their family, work, and personal commitments while supporting the College's Mission and operational needs. Flexible work options do not modify the College’s regular hours of operations or minimize a supervisor’s authority to schedule and establish work schedules that provide coverage within their department. Flexible work requests are evaluated case-by-case and approved by college leadership.

Flexible work options can include:

 Flexible work options should be equitable, clearly understood, and mutually beneficial for the department, Employee, and college. Employees must be willing and able to alternate their work hours as requested by the supervisor to meet operational and customer needs.

Flexible work should not negatively affect the workload or productivity of coworkers by either shifting work or creating delays or additional steps within the workflow.

RESPONSIBILITIES

Remote work does not change the terms and conditions of employment or the requirement to comply with college policies, procedures, or work rules.

Tax and other legal implications may be incurred by business use of the Employee’s home based on IRS and state local government restrictions. Responsibility for fulfilling all obligations in this area rests solely on the Employee.

REMOTE WORK AND CHILD/ELDERCARE

Employees are required to maintain a professional work environment when working remotely.

Workplace flexibility arrangements are not a substitute for dependent care (child or elder) during working hours. Although working schedules can be arranged to accommodate care, the focus of the arrangement should be on job performance and the needs of the College. When working remotely, it is essential to minimize distractions such as pets, TV, radio, etc. The work environment must provide the ability to communicate professionally with internal and external customers.

At times, Employees need to take paid time off to focus on dependent care needs. When Employees cannot prioritize work assignments from a remote location, they should use paid time off, such as sick time, personal time, or vacation time. Utilizing paid time off allows an Employee to step away and focus on dependent care as necessary.

HOURS WORKED

Use the Flexible Work Request Form to establish a work schedule between the Employee and supervisor. Employees need to record all hours worked in a way consistent with college policies. For hourly, non-exempt Employees covered under the Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA), hours worked over those specified per day/week will require advance approval of the supervisor. If the standard work schedule is modified for any reason, changes need to be communicated and approved by the supervisor before the modified schedule.

HOLIDAY PAY

Employees eligible for holiday pay (based on Employee classification) are still eligible for the eight (8) hours of holiday pay regardless of whether the holiday falls on a regularly scheduled workday. Supervisors and Employees should make necessary arrangements to modify the established work schedule before a holiday week to minimize overtime/comp time earned or the potential for an Employee to be short hours within a week. Non-exempt Employees are eligible for overtime/comp time for hours worked over forty (40) within a given week. Exempt Employees are not paid by the hour and are not eligible to earn overtime/comp time. Examples:

• A non-exempt Employee works a compressed schedule Monday – Thursday, resulting in four (4) workdays and ten (10) hours daily. When a holiday falls on a Monday, the Employee would have eight (8) hours of holiday pay on Monday and then thirty (30) hours of regular work (Tuesday – Thursday), resulting in the Employee being two (2) hours short. Employees could modify their schedule or take earned comp time to make up the additional hours. These situations should be reviewed, and arrangements should be made before the holiday week.

• A non-exempt Employee is usually scheduled to work Monday, Tuesday, Thursday, and Friday. A holiday falls on Wednesday. Based on the regular schedule, the Employee would work forty (40) hours and earn eight (8) hours of holiday pay. Supervisor and Employee should adjust the Employee’s schedule to minimize hours over forty (40).

• An exempt Employee works Tuesday through Saturday. When a holiday falls on Monday, the Employee should arrange to take an alternative day off to recognize the holiday. Since Monday is part of their “normal weekend,” they may work Wednesday through Saturday that week and observe their holiday on Tuesday.

INFORMATION SECURITY

Employees working remotely must guarantee the protection of College Resources and confidential information such as Student or Employee information.

EQUIPMENT NEEDS

The College will provide Employees with a laptop (or the ability to check out a laptop from Information Technology) for use when working remotely. The College will not purchase or reimburse Employees for the cost of their internet provider, internet use, or phone expenses. The College will not reimburse for office furniture purchases to establish a home office. Remote work arrangements should create no additional cost for the College.

WORKERS’ COMPENSATION

Injuries sustained by the Employee while at their remote work location and in conjunction with regular work duties are usually covered by the College’s workers’ compensation policy. Remote Employees are responsible for notifying the College of work-related injuries or illnesses per the workers’ compensation procedure. In the event of an alleged work-related injury that results in an indemnity claim, the “home office’ will be visited to conduct a claims investigation.

The College’s liability insurance coverage does not extend to the Employee’s home or premises. The Employee must obtain personal insurance to include coverage for the College-owned equipment (incidental business coverage endorsement). Employees should contact their insurance carrier to ensure ample coverage for business use of their home.

TRIAL PERIOD AND REVIEW

All flexible work options have a 60-day trial period. This allows the Employee and the College to evaluate the effectiveness of the work arrangement. During the 60-day trial period, Employees and supervisors should communicate regularly regarding the work arrangement to address any barriers to its success. For a flexible work option to continue past the initial trial period, supervisors must notify Human Resources that the work arrangement has been approved on an ongoing basis.

Supervisors will review flexible work options at least annually. Human Resources will maintain Flexible Work Request Forms and review them periodically as needed.

TERMINATION OF FLEXIBLE WORK OPTIONS

The supervisor or the Employee can discontinue the flexible work option. Every effort will be made to provide advance notice of a change to the flexible work option. The supervisor has the right to terminate the flexible work option in case of unanticipated circumstances regarding the Employee’s performance or college operational needs.

PROCEDURE

Submitting a Flexible Work Request

Employees requesting a flexible work option should complete the Flexible Work Request Form and submit it to their supervisor. Supervisors should review the request and the impact on college operations and approve or deny the request. For remote work requests, supervisors should complete the Evaluating a Position for Remote Work Determination Guide for Supervisors. The Flexible Work Request Form and the Determination Guide (if applicable) should be forwarded to additional supervisory levels and Human Resources for approval. Flexible work should not begin until Human Resources approves the Flexible Work Request Form.