Guidance When Considering Alternative Work Arrangements:

The purpose of our alternative work procedures is to provide the rules and processes under which Weber State University (“University”) may permit supervisors to grant employees, that they supervise, the permission to have alternative work arrangements. In all decisions, please remember our mission at Weber State is to provide transformative educational experiences for our students, and we should ensure this is the case no matter what work environment our employees have.

Department/ Supervisor Questions to Answer:

• How will the performance of the covered employee in an alternative work arrangement be measured?
  • Are you comfortable with scheduling and enforcing expected work hours?
  • Are you comfortable and effective in setting and enforcing goals and expectations for employees regardless of their work environment?
  • How will you communicate work expectations and deadlines? Departments should apply the same performance standards to employees regardless of work location.
  • How will daily and weekly progress on goals and projects be communicated and measured?
• Before you decide on alternative work arrangements in your area, create a list of non-negotiables related to services and tasks that must be met related to your department mission in order to have and sustain alternative work arrangements in your area. Then, consider:
  • How are you measuring department success and progress? 
  • Will there be adequate team coverage in the workplace, especially during peak service or demand times?
  • How will you measure employee satisfaction and morale in your department?
  • Have you, the supervisor, taken into account intermittent job demands that may make it necessary for specific workers to be in the workplace at certain times, for certain tasks, meetings, events, or projects?
    • Requirements for in-person attendance can override regular telework work schedules. Supervisors should discuss such instances with the employee (e.g., hands-on training).
  • Will you be able to maintain a collegial environment with opportunities for department or unit members to have shared hours and constructive interactions?
  • How will employees both in office and with alternative work arrangements be included in office assignments, meetings, and informal events to ensure the department culture and team environment is preserved.
• Will the overall department’s performance, job satisfaction, and morale be sustained or improved by implementing alternative work arrangements?

Position:

Supervisors and HR may consider a number of factors when determining whether a position is compatible with an alternative work schedule. This analysis is based on the work to be done, not on the employee. Some of these considerations include whether:

• the positions require the employees to perform daily, hands-on or in-person services for others;
• the positions require the employees to be physically on campus to perform their tasks;
  • Jobs that require physical presence or constant interaction with clients and coworkers to perform effectively are normally not suitable for remote work.
• the positions require the employees to perform their work during certain hours; 
• the positions require the employees to handle sensitive materials/specialized equipment not compatible with alternative work arrangement; or
• other people in similar positions have successfully performed their work tasks while in similar alternative work arrangements;
• the work should involve clearly defined tasks and well understood outcomes. The focus in alternative work arrangements must be on measurable results; 
  • The supervisor/department head shall communicate in advance what assignments are appropriate to be performed at the remote site 
• absence from the office will be detrimental to productivity or work quality of other employees;
• portions of the workload can be performed away from the office without diminishing the quality of customer service;
• the needs of internal and external customers (co-workers, faculty/staff/students, etc.) can be satisfied without adverse impact on the unit. 

Employee:

To determine employee eligibility, supervisors will consider whether the employees have sufficient work history, which shows a high likelihood that the employees will successfully perform their work responsibilities in the proposed alternative work arrangements. Supervisors should consider whether the employees: 

• have consistently met or exceeded the expectations of their position;
• have documented performance which is satisfactory or whose performance rating on their last performance evaluation (PREP) is at least satisfactory;
  • The employee should not have received corrective or disciplinary action in the last year.
• are exempt or nonexempt (The requirements of the FLSA as they relate to non-exempt (including hourly) employees must be met);
• have a full understanding of the operations of their department;
• are able to establish priorities and have demonstrated effective time management habits by completing assignments on time;
• can maintain a safe and ergonomically sound home work area, free from distractions;
• have successfully completed their probationary period;
• work effectively with minimal supervision; and
• communicate effectively and respond promptly to emails, video calls, and telephone calls during assigned work hours;
• demonstrate highly competent utilization of technology for communication and the ability to learn new technology remotely;
• demonstrate effective use of technology to ensure integrity, confidentiality, and security of data;
• have a proposed alternative work in a location that allows for adequate privacy and security