Revised: 2021 July 1
Effective: 2021 August 2

The policy for remote work for staff members within the Rossin College is, first and foremost, designed to facilitate maximum productivity of the college and its units (departments, etc.).

Most staff members in the college support the ongoing needs of their unit’s constituents (primarily  faculty members and students), facilities, and programs. As such, default working arrangements will return to standard practice prior to the COVID-19 pandemic: staff members should perform their work on campus during normal business hours, to ensure that they are maximally accessible to their constituents.

The college leadership realizes that there are staff positions for which some flexibility in work hours and remote work can improve job performance and improve service to their unit and its constituents. As such, this policy allows for department chairs, IRI directors, and other senior supervisors to recommend that such staff members engage in up to one business day per week of regularly scheduled remote work. In these cases, the remote work request and justification must be communicated in writing, recommended by the senior supervisor, and approved by the dean.

Associated with requests for remote work, the following conditions (as applicable) must be addressed in the written request and followed in practice:

  • There must be a sound business reason for working remotely, including a clear justification of why the remote work is advantageous to the unit.
  • The remote assignment must follow a regular schedule, which is clearly posted and communicated to all constituents.
  • The remote work should be scheduled on Tue/Wed/Thu (not Mon/Fri) to make sure that maximum business continuity is maintained around the weekends.
  • The remote day is a full day of work.  The remote work day cannot be split (half day on campus/half day remote is not allowed.) 
  • The staff member must be fully accessible during remote work. For example, telephones should be forwarded and email should be read regularly.  Associated contact information must be clearly posted and communicated to all constituents.
  • The department (unit) office must be staffed during business hours. Remote assignments may need to change to provide coverage during others’ paid time away from work.
  • Remote work during high-demand periods should be curtailed, such that all staff members are present to meet the enhanced operational needs. Examples include (but are not limited to) registration periods, semester starts, and unit events/functions.
  • Clear success metrics for remote work must be defined, reviewed, and documented.

Remote work approval for the position must be in writing.  In addition to the Rossin College policy, the University flexplace policy procedures must be adhered to in order to establish remote work.