| Approved by: | The President | |
| History: | Issued -- February 7, 2022 | |
| Revised -- | ||
| Last Reviewed -- | ||
| Related Policies: | ||
| Additional References: | FlexTime Procedures; Work from Home Procedures | |
| Responsible Official: | Chief Human Resources Officer, tel. (202) 319-5050 | |
Employees of Catholic University perform their duties primarily on-site (e.g., the Brookland campus, the Alexandria, Virginia or Tucson, Arizona sites) in support of the University's teaching, research, service and all supporting operations. The University recognizes that flexible work arrangements offer advantages for both the University and its employees where such arrangements are operationally appropriate. To that end, and in recognition of the critical role all staff play in the success of the University's mission, this policy enables and describes Flexible Work Arrangements (FWA) that may be available to staff, subject to limitations described herein.
A FWA is a formal, limited-term arrangement developed by the supervisor and employee that must be memorialized in writing, recommended by the Office of Human Resources for approval by the area's Vice President. It must comply with all legal and University policy/procedure requirements. Employees working under FWA are required to satisfactorily perform all job duties and to comply with all applicable University policies to remain eligible for those arrangements. FWA may include flexibility associated with work locations and/or schedules and are further defined in independent procedure documents (e.g., Work From Home Procedures, FlexTime Procedures). These procedures may be updated from time to time at the discretion of the University.
Supervisors ultimately are responsible for managing their teams' efforts to meet the business needs and objectives of their areas. To that end, supervisors may utilize FWA as one of many tools that map the efforts of their teams to the needs of their area. Care should be taken to ensure that FWA arrangements, practices, and processes do not degrade overall productivity levels or unfairly distribute work to individuals or other teams.
Governing Principles
All FWA are governed by the following principles:
- FWA are Discretionary – They are modifiable arrangements between supervisor and employee, and as such are not, under any circumstance, a right of employment. FWA may neither be a condition of hire, nor codified in any employment contract or offer of employment.
- FWA are Earned – They may be available only after the employee has demonstrated ability to meet the expectations of her/his position and following a minimum of six months of satisfactory performance in the role. They may be available only to those who continue to meet supervisor expectations of their position. Eligibility requirement includes a current Performance Evaluation on file with a minimum of “Meets Expectations.”
- FWA Expire and are Renewable – FWA must be reconsidered at least every 12 months, to ensure periodic re-evaluation of the suitability of the arrangement.
- FWA are Context Dependent – Appropriate flexibility is highly dependent on the specific context under consideration. Some positions support different degrees of flexibility regarding factors such as work location and/or scheduled hours. When reviewing a request for FWA, employees and supervisors need to consider the needs of the specific position to meet their area's business objectives. FWA must accommodate regulatory requirements and Catholic University's seasonal business needs.
All of these principles, taken together, must be honored in individual FWA documents and implementation procedures.