UCL Manager Guidelines
Manager’s Guidelines for Alternative Work Arrangements
UCL Philosophy on Alternative Work Arrangements
Alternative work arrangements can benefit both UCL and the individual employee by promoting an effective work/life balance, increasing space utilization, reducing impact on the environment, and increasing employee recruitment and retention. Alternative work arrangements (hybrid/full-time remote) are neither a university employee right nor a universal employee benefit and may be modified or discontinued at any time in accordance with University of Utah policy. It is the manager’s responsibility and discretion to determine the work location schedule for their team members based on business needs.
General UCL Expectations for Alternative Work Arrangements
All employees regardless of ongoing alternative work arrangements will attend identified in-person events throughout the year. Absences at in-person events must be by exception only and approved in advance by the manager.
A signed telecommuting agreement (located at bottom of this page) with the employee and manager is required for all alternative work arrangements. Telecommuting agreements should be reviewed on at least an annual basis.
Before offering or approving ongoing alternative work arrangements outside the state of Utah, managers will need approval from the Executive Leadership Team and through all other required University approval processes.
Employees approved for alternative work arrangements may no longer expect a dedicated space in the office and may be required to share space in the office with other employees with alternative work arrangements. Further guidance for desk sharing is provided in a separate document.
Managers will maintain a general schedule for their team members regardless of work arrangement and will share this information with the leadership team. A member of the Senior Leadership Team will need to approve team plans.
UCL Manager Guidance for Determining Alternative Work Arrangements
Considerations for a hybrid work arrangement are role-specific, based on the purpose of the position within UCL and should be considered on a non-discriminatory, case-by-case basis. As such, it is possible that some positions within UCL may be appropriate for a hybrid arrangement while others are not. The following will be considered:
The key “customers” of the work, where/how they interact with the role (e.g., on-campus? or virtual?), and how the work is most effectively delivered.
The relational/interpersonal requirements of the role (e.g., independent? interactive/collaborative? supervises the work of others who work on-site?); the degree to which interpersonal interactions include problem-solving, innovating, coaching, etc.; and customer preferences for interactions.
The physical/spatial requirements of the role (e.g., required physical presence on-campus for in-person staffing or access to campus-based resources including facilities, equipment, technology) to most effectively perform the job.
Managers are responsible for checking with their own managers to ensure their team plans work within a team of teams.
Managers are responsible for developing productivity and accountability measures to evaluate the performance of employees who telecommute, just as they do for employees working in the office. The University of Utah Performance Management (UUPM) system will be the tool to record these measures.
Resources:
University Telecommuting Guidelines 5-140a
Telecommuting Plan and Agreement form