Key Contacts

If you have questions, please contact your Department Human Resources Representative.

Applicability

All staff.

Policy Purpose and Description

In 2021-2022, the University of Iowa piloted a “Future of Work” initiative, where staff employees could request flexible work arrangements that balanced workplace flexibility with a robust student experience. Through the pilot, we learned:

• Providing select services online (with remote or on-campus staffing) expands options for students and opportunities to engage with communities across Iowa.
• Saving space and funds through flexible work will allow the university to reinvest resources in student-facing priorities.
• Offering mission-driven flexible work helps the university recruit and retain talent and can improve employee performance and engagement.
• Studying the impact of flexible work practices on the culture will provide information to determine the most effective strategies for promoting engagement, inclusivity, and success.

Based on these lessons, the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences has created guidelines for flexible work that will support the mission of the university and the guidelines brought forth by University HR. For more information on the Future of Work pilot, visit https://hr.uiowa.edu/administrative-services/current-initiatives/future-workiowa/future-work-pilot-and-final-report

Key Principles include:

• Maintain a residential-campus experience
• Provide business rationales to ensure flexible work supports the university’s core missions
• Ensure engagement, inclusivity, and well-being
• Allow for intermittent flexibility that helps employees meet day-to-day needs
• Designate on-campus priority days
• Look for opportunities for improved space utilization, including the use of shared workspaces when employees are on campus

Definitions

Hybrid: a set schedule of days that the employee will be either on campus or working remotely. The guideline for CLAS is an average of 60% on-campus/40% remote schedule. Other arrangements may be considered on a case-by-case basis. Hybrid work arrangements may result in shared office space.

Flexible: an employee may have different remote workdays from week to week, or the employee’s work hours falls outside regular departmental work hours.

Remote: employee work is performed entirely off campus. The employee will not have a dedicated workspace on campus.

Procedure

Considerations:

• Alternative short-term work arrangement changes should be managed at the departmental level. If changes will exceed 30 days, a new flexible work arrangement should be submitted, to be managed at the departmental level.
• Employees should be engaged in work and available during their scheduled hours. They may still use paid time off time and vacation, as needed.
• Flexible work arrangements should be reviewed annually, at the individual, departmental, and college level. These reviews should be done during the performance review period and should include 360-degree feedback as well as other customer feedback.

Process:

• Each employee must submit a new work arrangement request in employee self-service at My Careers – Career & Performance – Work Arrangements. The employee should discuss this request with their supervisor prior to submission.
• Remote work from locations outside Iowa requires expanded review and approval at the university level.

Forms

Work Arrangements form (https://hris.uiowa.edu/fwa/)

Frequently Asked Questions

N/A

Related Information

Future of Work Pilot and Final Report

Revision History

Last Updated 10/03/22