Options & Toolkit
Departments may use Flexible Work Options to address
- Changing Departmental Needs
- Recruitment of Challenging or Market Competitive Positions
- Effort Due to Program Requirement
- Special Circumstances
- Benefits, Challenges and Solutions
Staff may request
- Short-Term and Daily Flexibility
- Long-Term Changes to the Work Schedule
- Benefits, Challenges and Solutions
Templates
Changing Departmental Need
Staffing patterns other than the 8:00 am to 5:00 pm may be a better strategy to fulfill the mission of the University and department, and to use resources efficiently. Examples of changing needs are:
- customer expectations
- University initiatives such as sustainability
- changing demographics
- allocation of space
Prior to pursuing this approach, contact your Senior Human Resource Representative for consultation.
Dick See, richard-see@uiowa.edu, Consultant, Workplace Consultation/Redesign, http://www.uiowa.edu/hr/workconsult/, and staff of the Family Services Office, familyservices@uiowa.edu can be resources to you.
Recruitment of Challenging or
Market Competitive Positions
Offering variable scheduling is one solution to enhance the competitive edge of the University when recruiting difficult to fill positions.
A recommended process follows:
- Identify the position(s) as well as the challenges to recruit and retain staff.
- Involve and gain support of department leadership.
- Consult with your Senior Human Resource Representative to identify potential contract, benefit or payroll issues.
- Benchmark with others in the industry and explore what is occurring in the community.
- Seek input from Workplace Redesign, OE.
- Design and develop solutions.
- Prior to implementation, review the strategy with your Senior Human Resource Representative.
Effort Due to Program Requirements
Within your department, are there professional and scientific positions that require work effort during the usual work week plus regularly scheduled, ongoing evening and/or weekend work?
Before answering, first define what this type of work means. If there are positions in your department, is it feasible and appropriate to build attendance flexibility during the usual work week?
If yes, the supervisor works with the unit leadership and Senior Human Resource Representative,
- to identify professional scientific positions meeting established criteria.
- to identify the service and/or program and the program hours.
- to determine what workplace flexibility is possible.
Staff assigned to the positions are recognized for effort and are informed about flexibility.
To access workplace flexibility, the staff member contacts the supervisor and includes in the request:
- the name of the staff member,
- the date/time of the workplace flexibility
- implications for the staff member’s work assignments
- implications for other staff members
Notification to the supervisor is given at least three days in advance. If due to business reasons, a request cannot be granted, the supervisor works with the staff member to achieve an alternative.
Special Circumstances
Flexible Work Options may be a resource to:
- provide for a health condition/disability accommodation - When a department or an employee believes that a flexible work option may be an accommodation for a health condition/disability, contact Faculty and Staff Disability Services at 335-2660, fsds@uiowa.edu or www.uiowa.edu/hr/fsds/contact.html.
- address a business need while the staff member is taking FMLA or Family Caregiving Leave – If the staff member is amenable and willing to voluntarily assist, the department may be able to coordinate work time and the leave. Prior to approving the request, seek input from the Senior Human Resource Representative.
- modify or extend an FMLA event or Family Caregiving Leave at the request of the staff member – There may be circumstances when an FMLA event or Family Caregiving Leave can be coordinated with a Flexible Work Option request, thus extending the Leave by mutual agreement. Prior to approving the request, consult with the Senior Human Resource Representative.
Short-term and Daily Flexibility
(referenced in the Operations Manual as Flexible Work Arrangements, Chapter 24)
A staff member seeks a change to his/her work schedule for less than a month, often for only one day.
To be approved, the re-scheduled work and the task must occur near to the time missed; the same day or week.
To request flexibility, the staff member contacts the supervisor with the following information:
- name of the staff member
- the date/time of the work absence and date/time/location the staff member will re-schedule the work
- the work tasks or assignments to be re-scheduled
- implications for other staff members if any
It is recommended that the request to the supervisor be made as soon as possible. Examples are:
- At the beginning of a work day when due to an unforeseen event, such as poor weather conditions, home repair, or illness.
- One day in advance for a known one day change to the work schedule.
- Two weeks in advance if the change is known and if it is for more than one day but less than a month.
If approved and the staff member does NOT fulfill the expectations as agreed upon, the employee will be paid for the time if paid leave is accrued, and the supervisor and the Senior Human Resource representative will address how the absence is recorded.
PLEASE NOTE: while the department can require use of sick leave for personal or family illness, flexibility provides another option.
Long-term Changes to the Work Schedule
(referenced in the Operations Manual as Flexible Work Arrangements, Chapter 24)
A staff member seeks a change to his/her work schedule lasting at least one month.
Critical to the Decision Making Process/Definitions of Long-term Changes to the Work Schedule/ Request by Employee, including Screening Tools/Reason for the Request/Response By Unit or Department to a Request by a Staff Member/Tracking Flexible Work Arrangements /On-going Supervision and Monitoring/Toolkit (form templates)
Critical to the Decision Making Process
When developing a process, include guidelines that (1) insure that the goals and services of the department are achieved, (2) foster good decision making, and (3) minimize personal bias.
Questions for developing guidelines are:
- What are the fundamental criteria that must be met? Examples are: (a) the request must be cost neutral; in-home technology costs are at the employee’s expense, or (b) during targeted student orientation times, staff are available weekdays, 8:00 am to 5:00 pm, or (c) to insure safety, two staff minimally must be present in a lab.
- What factors will be used to consider a request? specific job duties, past performance or the staff member’s abilities, etc.
- Who will review and/or approve the request?
Definitions of Long-term Changes to the Work Schedule
Flextime
- individualized start and end times that remain constant each work day;
- individualized start and end times that vary daily, however, the same number of hours are worked every day;
- individualized start and end times with varied daily hours but consistency in the total number of hours worked every week; mandatory core-time with individualized start and end times with varied daily hours but consistency in the total number of hours worked every week; or extended lunch times offset by additional hours at the beginning and/or end of the day.
Flextime does not reduce the number of hours or total effort worked in a given week by an employee.
Compressed Work Week
- a full work week that is condensed into fewer than five days; or
- two full-time work weeks compressed into nine or nine and one-half days.
Telecommuting
- refers to fulfilling a portion of work/job responsibilities at an alternative work site on a regular basis, as agreed upon between the individual and The University of Iowa for a specified period of time, normally 8 hours per week.
Job Sharing
- refers to the practice in which two staff members share the responsibility of one full-time position. Job responsibilities/tasks and hours may be split evenly or unevenly between the two individuals. Reducing hours worked may affect salary, benefit levels, and accrual rates of vacation, sick, and holiday leave.
Reduced Hours/Part Time
- refers to the practice of decreasing the number of regular hours worked to less than a full-time position. Reducing hours worked may affect salary, benefit levels, and accrual rates of vacation, sick, and holiday leave.
Request by Employee, including Screening Tools
The process begins by the staff member submitting a request. By having the staff member take responsibility during this phase of the process, the staff member is demonstrating initiative and sense of responsibility to the unit/department.
See Toolkit for forms the staff member can use to submit a request.
The reason for the request is not one of the variables used to determine feasibility.
If a request is approved based on the employee's needs and not on feasibility, other problems or issues may result for the staff member and unit.
If a request is denied based on preconceived notions as to what is or is not a valid reason, the process may be seen as questionable and biased.
Response by a Unit/Department to a Request by a Staff Member
When a request is received, there are several variables used to determine feasibility.
- The unit’s programs/projects, including deadlines
- The staff members’ area of responsibility and job description
- The staff member’s performance history, problem solving abilities, sense of collaboration and fit with the request
- The fit of the request to the mission of the unit, staffing needs and resources
If you wish to approve but have concerns, share them (if appropriate) with the staff member. Try a pilot lasting one month to determine feasibility.
Place the approval in writing. The toolkit contains approval form letters.
If a request is not approved, provide a written denial with the rationale. Denial is based upon objective criteria such as the staff member’s past performance, poor fit to the position, financially not viable or the needs of the unit are not compatible with the request. The toolkit contains a denial letter.
PLEASE NOTE: Approving a request is at the discretion of the unit/department. When a change in the schedule is not possible, other support services may be appropriate. Several resources are available through University Human Resources at http://www.uiowa.edu/hr/.
Tracking Flexible Work Arrangements
Tracking approved flexible work options is required. Use Employee Self Service/ Administration/ HR Online Update and HR Reports.
If a Division or College wishes to self track,
identify who will track the information and how. Include in the tracking: the name of the staff member, the type of arrangement, the beginning date, length of the arrangement, the review dates and the department. If an arrangement is ended, record the reason.
On-going Supervision
To assess the job performance of the staff member who has a flexible work option, continue to use the job performance review system currently in place for your unit/department.
If you do not have a performance review template, use the signed approval form and the forms found at the following web site. http://www.uiowa.edu/learn/perm/index.html#forms
- Request letter – the letter the staff member submits to request a change in his/her work schedule.
- Overall Screening Tool (flex-screen) – a series of questions for the staff member to review prior to discussing the request with his/her supervisor.
- Telecommuting Compatibility Tool (telecomm-char) – a form assessing the fit of a position and staff member.
- Telecommuting Screening Tool (telecomm-screen) – a tool addressing the expectations of working off site
- Approval Letter for Flextime, Compressed Work Week, Reduced Hours/Part-Time and Job Sharing
- Approval Letter for Telecommuting
- Denial Letter (flex-denial)
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