Why your institution needs an up-to-date flexible work policy
January 20, 2023
Blogs
Why your institution needs an up-to-date flexible work policy
By Kamaria View
January 20, 2023 3 min read
Remote and hybrid work is here to stay, and effective flexible work arrangements can help your institution attract and retain top talent, improve productivity, and conserve space and energy. Yet many university leaders struggle to institutionalize flexible work and establish formal policies and procedures that clarify eligibility and approval processes and that align with broader institutional goals.
Facilities leaders play a critical role in designing and deploying successful remote and hybrid work arrangements but can easily feel overwhelmed by the process and not know where to start.
Click on the statement that best describes where you are in your journey towards flexible work to connect with resources that will accelerate your progress:
Early
My institution currently has no formal flexible work policy or has not revised an existing policy following the COVID-19 pandemic but is interested in taking the first steps.
Eager
My institution is in the process of creating or revising a flexible work policy and needs to better understand space and talent management considerations in order to make informed decisions.
Expert
My institution has created a formalized flexible work policy that we’re ready to deploy.
Exemplar
My institution has an up-to-date flexible work policy in place.
Early
Your institution, like many, has yet to make a formal decision about its approach to remote and hybrid work. Before you begin creating an official policy, ensure you’ve considered the following:
4 takeaways for navigating flexible work policies and space utilization in higher ed
To effectively make decisions about flexible work, ensure you first understand stakeholder preferences, equity concerns, space redesign options, and regulatory requirements.
How universities are planning return-to-work policies and guidelines
Understanding the status quo can prepare you to design a flexible work policy that is in line with current higher ed trends.
Next step: Begin drafting your institution’s policy.
Eager
Although your institution may already have a policy in place, it is important to make intentional decisions that actualize the cost savings, talent retention, and productivity benefits of flexible work. See the following resources to know how different decisions can impact success:
Strategies to support remote work in higher ed
Make choices about in-person work requirements, renovations, and technology upgrades that are directly linked to lowered costs, securing talent, and supporting employee success.
Working with Academic Leaders to Improve Space Utilization
Leverage effective space management techniques to inflect behavior change and improve space utilization rates.
Next step: Assess your institution’s current policy and how it supports the benefits of remote work.
Expert
If you have a comprehensive flexible work policy in place, the next step is understanding how it compares to industry best practices. Submit your policy for review:
Remote Work Policy Audit
Use the remote work policy audit to compare your institution’s policy to best practices across a wide spectrum of employers and data-driven research, and receive concrete suggestions to improve your policy that are specifically tailored to higher education. All you need to do is email your remote work policy document to [email protected]. Partners can expect to receive a customized report, scoring rubric, and specific recommendations roughly six weeks from the date they submit materials for review.
Next step: Implement the recommended changes and schedule a call with one of our experts for support.
Exemplar
If your institution already has a comprehensive policy in place or has already completed a policy audit, Facilities leaders need to effectively communicate this policy to campus leaders and continue to collect data to measure the policy’s success. The following tools can help you launch and maintain a successful approach to flexible work:
Facilities Communication Toolkit
Senior Facilities officers (SFOs) increasingly recognize the need to better communicate with campus constituents. To support institutions in these efforts, this toolkit offers seven tools that provide detailed, step-by-step instructions.
Enhancing Space Data Collection and Validation
Calculating the cost savings related to remote and hybrid work requires an accurate understanding of space utilization. Learn about three approaches for collecting space data to improve Facilities decision-making.
Remote Work Policy Audit
Attract and retain the best talent, improve productivity, and conserve space and energy with an up-to-date remote work policy.
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