Flexible Work Overview
As a residential campus and close-knit community that is built on a foundation of collaboration, mentoring and opportunities to gather for events and celebrations, Elon is committed to maintaining the personal and professional connections that support our active and dynamic environment. This means that much of our work necessarily takes place in person. With that in mind, please be aware that this policy will not be appropriate in all circumstances or for all positions or employees, particularly in areas with significant student-facing or public-facing roles. In addition, employees who are eligible for alternative work schedules or hybrid telework must be available to come to campus if requested.
Staff members may request to participate in a flexible work arrangement. Eligibility for a flexible work arrangement is position-based, as it relates to the position responsibilities and community interaction. Successful flexible work arrangements focus on the community and team needs and are characterized by frequent, effective communication and performance management.
The updated seasonal flexible work policy described below is effective June 3, 2024. Under this updated policy, full time and part time employees will be able to request an alternative work schedule or hybrid telework schedule during times when students are primarily away from campus.
Implementation Guidelines
Policy
The Flexible Work Arrangement Policy may be found here.
Effective Dates
The specific dates for implementation will vary depending on the academic calendar for your unit and when the students are away. The overall dates for 2024-2025 implementation are as follows:
Position Analysis
Supervisors and the division Vice president will decide whether a position is suitable for a flexible work arrangement.
In reaching a decision, supervisors, in consultation with their Vice presidents and Human Resources as needed, will consider factors including, but not limited to, (a) the operational needs of the Eligible Staff member’s department; (b) impacts on the Eligible Staff member’s team; (c) the requirements of the Eligible Staff member’s position as reflected in the position’s job description; (d) the extent to which the position is student- and/or public-facing; and (e) potential impacts to other departments.
The decision whether a position is suitable for a flexible work arrangement lies in the sole discretion of the supervisor and the division Vice president, in consultation with Human Resources as needed.
Current Staff Member Performance
For current Eligible Staff members, supervisors and the division vice president will decide whether the Eligible Staff member is a suitable candidate for a flexible work arrangement based on past and current job performance.
In reaching a decision, supervisors, in consultation with their vice presidents and Human Resources as needed, will consider factors including, but not limited to, whether the Eligible Staff member has (a) demonstrated the ability to work independently with minimal supervision; (b) demonstrated a high level of productivity; (c) consistently met deadlines; (d) a high level of knowledge regarding the position’s requirements and the operating procedures of the department; and (e) a reliable work history, including, for hourly Eligible Staff members, a history of accurately tracking and recording hours worked.
The decision whether an Eligible Staff member is a suitable candidate for a flexible work arrangement lies in the sole discretion of the supervisor and the division vice president, in consultation with Human Resources as needed.
Employees must be past their probationary period of employment in order to be considered an Eligible Employee.
Options for Flexible Work Agreements
Alternate Schedule
Either modify the starting and ending times of their regular daily hours (i.e., arrive later/ leave later, arrive early/leave early) or compress their work week in fewer days (i.e. work four 10-hour days);
OR
Hybrid Telework
Employees may request hybrid telework up to two days per regular workweek.
Employees seeking a seasonal flexible work arrangement will be able to request either an alternative work schedule or a hybrid telework schedule but not both. This can be completed by submitting the appropriate request form, found below.
Resources for Supervisors:
Request Forms
Frequently Asked Questions
Supervisors and the division vice president will decide whether a position is suitable for a flexible work arrangement.
In reaching a decision, supervisors, in consultation with their vice president and Human Resources as needed, will consider factors including, but not limited to, (a) the operational needs of the Eligible Staff member’s department; (b) impacts on the Eligible Staff member’s team; (c) the requirements of the Eligible Staff member’s position as reflected in the position’s job description; (d) the extent to which the position is student- and/or public-facing; (e) potential impacts to other departments, and (f) current job performance.
The decision whether a position is suitable for a flexible work arrangement lies in the sole discretion of the supervisor and the division vice president, in consultation with Human Resources as needed.
Both types of employees are eligible for flexible work arrangements. Supervisors need to keep the Fair Labor Standards Act in mind when considering or implementing seasonal flexible work arrangements for non-exempt (hourly) employees since they are eligible for overtime if they work more than 40 hours in a workweek.
No, the flexible work agreement policy permits you to use one or the other, but not both.
The specific dates will be adjusted each calendar year.
In support of our commitment to maintaining the personal and professional connections that support our active and engaged educational environment, flexible work arrangements will be implemented during the times of the year when students are primarily away from campus (i.e., summer, thanksgiving, winter break, spring break, etc…). Alternatives to this timing may be appropriate and approved by your divisional Vice President in conversation with Human Resources.
For more details review the dates section of the main webpage.
No; the policy has not changed, and as such once a request has been approved, meaning the position was assessed and deemed as reasonable to be hybrid telework or flexible arrangement, there is no need to reassess/re-approve.
Exceptions to that could be:
- Switching options (hybrid telework to alternative work schedule or vice-versa).
- Material changes to the essential functions of a position that would no longer work for the type of flexible work arrangement requested.
- Supervisors must be aware that if an employee’s essential duties have changed, it could affect their eligibility and have that conversation with the employee.
Everyone will receive an email from Adobe Sign to verify their email address regardless of it they have done so already.
- If you have verified your email address within Adobe Sign before, you should see a red banner at the top of the screen and a message saying “You have already verified this signature”, once that banner and message appear, the form will successfully submit; there is no need to hit submit again.
- If you have not verified your email before, the software will require your to verify your email address prior to being able to submit fully. Once the form is filled out, you will receive an email from Adobe Sign requesting you to verify your email, then you will be able to hit submit.
Once you complete all required fields on the form and click to submit, you will be prompted to enter the name and email of those required to approve your form. The first requested field is for your immediate supervisor, the next for their supervisors, etc… until you reach the Vice President/Provost over your area.
Note: Please carefully enter the email addresses for the approvers.
This may vary slightly department to department, however generally this is between 8:00 a.m. and 5:00 p.m. while classes are in session. If you believe your departments core hours are different (expanded hours) from this, please consult with your supervisor.
Supervisors will evaluate staff members’ performance in the same manner as they would if they were onsite. Supervisors will be asked to focus on communicating clear expectations, setting goals, and reviewing outcomes.
Elon University is committed to promoting equity and fairness in the administration of this policy. This does not mean that all situations will be treated in precisely the same way, as the unique needs of a given department or unit may require differing approaches.
The employee and the employee’s new supervisor should discuss the situation and determine if the employee’s current flexible work arrangement option is appropriate for the new position and department. The employee would have to complete a new flexible work option request form and have it approved by the new supervisor and approval chain.
That will depend on a number of factors, including type of arrangement, the school/ department’s operational needs, the frequency of requests, the success of current arrangements, etc. The intent of the policy is to provide flexibility when warranted for both the university, the department and the employee.
It is important to remember that the work of the university and the department must not suffer as a result of employees using a flexible work arrangement. There will be events or meetings that cannot be scheduled around your flexible work arrangement. The employee and supervisor would need to discuss and determine how it will be handled. In some cases, the employee may have to adjust and be present on campus for that responsibility. The schedule for non-exempt employees would have to be adjusted so that overtime would be avoided.
Your first step is to talk with your supervisor. It is up to the two of you to work out the details. If there are issues, contact HR. For seasonal flexible work arrangement issues, call 336-278-5560 or email hr@elon.edu; for issues within the Hybrid Telework option, please call 336-278-5560 or email employeerelations@elon.edu.
Decisions for approving or denying flexible work agreement should be based on organizational needs, as well as the needs of the employee. Objective criteria, special skills, or office needs should be considered. You may need to get all the requestors together to figure out how to handle it. And if possible, equitability should be a point of focus in developing the seasonal flexible work arrangement. This may mean a rotating schedule.
No, you are required to take a lunch break. You may modify your lunch break to 30 minutes and leave at the end of your 8-hour day.
A staff member on an alternative work schedule will deduct the number of hours scheduled to work on the day(s) off for vacation and/or sick time. For example, 10 hours of vacation time would be deducted if a staff member uses a vacation day with 10 scheduled work hours.
Holidays are based on an eight-hour day. For employees participating in a compressed work week and a holiday falls on a regular work day which is longer than eight hours, the employee is credited with eight hours of holiday time. The employee will need to take vacation time for the additional hours. For example, if an employee is working four 10-hour days and a holiday falls on one of those days, 2 hours of vacation time will need to be used in addition to the 8-hour holiday pay to ensure 10 hours are recorded for the day.
There are many options for addressing communications while teleworking or off due to an alternative schedule. Communicating early, effectively, and often is what is most important. Some best practices include utilizing an out of office message when appropriate, forwarding phones, updating a common calendar so it is clear when you are teleworking or off, and identifying a backup person for addressing things that arise that require an in-person or quick response.
A professional setting is required, especially when engaging with community members via virtual meetings; this means you should be able to focus with minimal distraction, as you would via your on-campus location.
If a hybrid telework staff member incurs a work-related injury while working, they must notify the supervisor immediately and complete all necessary and/or management-requested documents regarding the injury. These forms are located here on the Insurance and Risk Management website.