“Members called for getting Flexible Work Arrangements into our binding contract so our negotiating team crafted a mutually-beneficial agreement that supports the university’s mission efficiently and collaboratively,” said URA President Christine O’Connell. While the contract is permanent, members are reporting confusion about the continuance of the agreement as the end date of the pilot program approaches. “To be clear: the Flexible Work Arrangements article in our contract is not impacted whether or not the pilot program is extended,” said O’Connell.
A majority of URA members already follow an approved hybrid remote schedule or other flexible arrangement. Those ongoing arrangements will continue past September 1, and they were never at risk of automatically ending. Supervisors do not need Human Resources to extend the program for your current arrangements to continue.
As the process for Flexible Work Arrangements continues to evolve, you may be asked to upload your schedule in your MyRutgers portal. This may offer an opportunity to engage with your colleagues and recommend improvements to your supervisor to the Work Agreement portion of the Departmental Needs Analysis, such as changing or expanding remote days or other tweaks that your experience thus far suggests would be beneficial.
While the program does not automatically end, changes to current arrangements can still occur according to Article 59 procedures. “Temporary changes will not be uploaded into the portal, but I recommend you maintain clear communication from supervisors,” says O’Connell. Temporary or seasonal changes should be clearly identified with a defined start and end date. Non-temporary changes require a reasonable explanation in writing and 14 days minimum advance notice.
For more, see Flexible Work Arrangements Agreement: What Does It Mean?
