Our members always have interesting things to say, but we have heard from less than 100 members on the Follow Up Survey On Flexible Work Arrangements – Union of Rutgers Administrators so far. It is especially important to report if you are encountering resistance or interference with your Flexible Work Arrangement in your department or have been discouraged from even applying. We need to collectively maintain vigilance to protect our rights under the contract:
- Has your input been considered in drafting the Departmental Needs Analysis and Team Agreement?
- Did you know that everyone an apply for a Flexible Work Arrangementand any denial must be provided in writing?
- Has your supervisor or department threatened or made plans to scale back a Flexible Work Arrangement?
The ‘Bad’
To investigate possible violations of the Flexible Work Arrangements contract article, any problems with implementation or attempts to weaken the provision must be noted. From one member: “Was always working 2 days remote and now he wants it changed, as all hands need to be on deck. I am back in office and do not deal with students.” Pro Tip: A changed arrangement might be reasonable, but not if it’s based on a supervisor’s preference only. A Needs Assessment prepared the right way allows us to scrutinize, and possibly challenge, a decision based on a position’s suitability and department’s operations. Get together with colleagues, inform your supervisor and a union representative (through the survey) of the violation.
Complete: Follow Up Survey On Flexible Work Arrangements
Further, if managers are making up their own variations of the process such as routinely denying Flexible Work Arrangements to new workers, threatening to take away remote days or being inflexible or arbitrary in their decisions, we need to share the information in order to take appropriate action. Overall, many of the threats rumored on campus have not materialized, but there are always those who want to flex their managerial muscles despite the mutually beneficial nature of the arrangements.
The ‘Could Be Better’
Members continue to share ways the program could be enhanced.
From a member working two remote days per week: “Other units within same division have greater flexibility which includes more days work-at-home than we do. Would appreciate certain times of the year that we had more work-at-home days during periods of down time.” Pro Tip: Let your Supervisor Know: Dear Supervisor: You Can Approve Seasonal Flexible Work Arrangements.
From another member: “If for a good reason you would like to switch one of your remote days you can, rather than having to take a paid day off.” Pro Tip: “Your supervisor can be flexible with Flexible Work Arrangements as long as it is done fairly. “Flexible” is right there in the name and the program’s guidelines do not require changes entered into the system unless there is a change going beyond what is considered “Ad Hoc,” which can be up to 20 days.
From surveys and discussions, it’s clear members would like more remote days. “I would love to see more opportunities for being able to work remote 3 days on a weekly basis. While it’s nice that our Flex Work agreement is allowing us to do an alternating 3 day in office, 2 day in office per week. Our flex work agreement says certain positions, like IT, are able to work remotely for up to 3 days on a weekly basis, which doesn’t seem fair to other positions in my department.” Pro Tip: Can you and your co-workers collaborate to build a convincing argument for more time remote? Perhaps your supervisor would be open to testing out more remote days on an Ad Hoc basis to see how it goes and make a determination for a permanent arrangement based on that?
The ‘Good’
According to UHR, “Flexible work options can help us achieve many objectives: enhancing the student and patient experience and employee work-life balance and well-being; supporting the recruitment and retention of top talent and environmental sustainability efforts; achieving greater administrative efficiency, improving employee productivity and performance, and supporting business continuity plans” according to FlexWork@RU Pilot Program Guidelines | uhr.rutgers.edu
If things are going well, we need to note that and promote it to advocate for the many mutual benefits of the program. Are you happy with your arrangement and want to broadcast that to preserve and protect the practice for the future?
Flexible Work Arrangements can help mitigate traffic and parking problems: “Dealing with overcrowded parking can add a lot of additional time to my commute, potentially making me late for meetings (which almost always have a Zoom component or can easily be converted to a Zoom meeting). Providing more remote days during time periods when entire parking decks are unavailable can help to alleviate the crowding issue.”
Collaboration and efficiency: “The 3 day in-person baseline is a working great for now and I was able to get my preferred Flex Work approved by our department head and cabinet officer, but I think being flexible based on departmental needs could be more accessible approach for all involved in the future.”
Public health benefits to mitigate transmission of illness including colds and flu: “The option to switch to remote for that day instead of calling out sick.”
Please share your good, bad or mixed experiences with the Flexible Work Arrangements article of our contract so we can enforce the minimum requirements, help expand the benefits and mitigate problems with implementation by completing the Follow Up Survey On Flexible Work Arrangements – Union of Rutgers Administrators
