Flex Work Responsibilities

Please click on the section below to better understand your responsibilities with regard to flexible work.

FLEX WORK FORM

Flex Work Agreements must be approved and signed by the employee, the direct supervisor, and the department's VP. Completed Flex Work Agreements should be submitted to HR at human.resources@unco.edu. 

• Employee

  A successful flexible work arrangement must work for both the department and the employee. Employees should realistically assess their ability to accomplish work outside traditional work schedules and/or locations. Your duties and responsibilities, personal work style, and interactions with colleagues and customers are factors that you need to consider when determining whether or not you can meet your performance goals and the missions of the department and university.

  Flexible Work policy:

  1. Employees working offsite must comply with all state and University policies, practices, and guidelines.  They must notify their supervisors immediately of any situation that interferes with their ability to perform their jobs.
  2. Employees working offsite are responsible for the security and confidentiality of any information, documents, records, or equipment in their possession.  When the offsite work involves remote access of the University’s computer network, remote users must abide by the University’s security standards relating to remote access.  All remote access involving data stored on the University network requires encryption.  The University will provide the encryption mechanism that is appropriate for the level of access and the data involved.  Sensitive data should not be included in email messages unless there is some form of encryption being used.  
  3. While performing official duties, employees need an environment where they can maintain an effective working relationship with coworkers. For those working at an approved alternative site (outside of UNC’s campus), tele/remote workers are expected to have dependent care arrangements in place when tele/remote working.
     **UNC also recognizes that temporary circumstances may arise (e.g., an unscheduled telework day in which schools are closed) when telework may be an appropriate short-term workplace flexibility for employees with caregiving responsibilities. These short-term temporary circumstances should represent the exception and not the rule.
  4. Employees must certify that the offsite work environment is safe and they must practice the same safety habits they would use on-site at UNC.
  5. All flexible work arrangements should be re-evaluated annually as a part of the conversation related to the employee's performance evaluation. 
  6. Employees must meet minimum evaluation standards (satisfactory on performance evaluations) to qualify for tele/remote work options. Please see the Remote Work Checklist for guidelines. 
  7. Employees may meet minimum evaluation standards and still be denied a flexible work agreement even if another employee in the department, with similar job duties, is engaged in flexible work. Flexible work arrangements are at the discretion of the supervisors. Flexible work denials cannot be appealed. 
  8. Supervisors may require employees to report to a campus location as needed for work-related meetings or other events or may meet with the employee in the Alternate Work Site as needed to discuss work progress or other work-related issues.
  9. Prior supervisory approval for overtime or compensatory time is required.
  10. Employees who are working from an Alternate Work Site must not take restricted access materials from the office without the written consent of their supervisor.
  11. Flexible work agreements must be approved and signed by the employee, the direct supervisor, and the department's VP.

  Please note:  The flexible work policy does not provide for every contingency that may arise.  Supervisors and employees entering into Flexible Work arrangements based upon this policy should endeavor to work together to resolve any unforeseen situation that may arise.  Employees and supervisors may start, modify, or end a Flexible Work Agreement at any time unless such agreement was a condition of employment. 

• Supervisor

  Flexible Work policy:

  Heads of Departments, Offices, and Activities are responsible for assuring approved flexible work arrangements are within the scope of this policy and establishing the following terms and conditions, where applicable.

  1. While UNC encourages supervisors to work with their employees to create optimal work-life balance, supervisors may deny employees flexible work options if flexible work will impact team/department operations or place an undue burden on the supervisors or other team/department members. 
  2. Work performed offsite is considered official state business; therefore all work objectives and tasks will be clearly defined with measurable results for the flexible work position. The manager/supervisor will monitor deadlines and work produced and will measure and evaluate offsite work performance.
  3. The flexible work position (particularly but not exclusively Telework and Remote Work positions) should require minimal supervision or contact with customers.  The employee should demonstrate work habits and performance suited to successful flexible work.
  4. Alternate Work Schedules, such as rotating shifts or a Compressed Work Schedule may be developed to allow departments to provide services outside traditional hours of work or to meet employee needs.  Schedule adjustments will not result in an employee working more or less than his/her prescribed hours during a pay period. Flextime arrangements will not necessarily result in compensatory time or overtime pay. The manager or supervisor will establish clear procedures to track time worked and to document hours worked by employees covered under FLSA.
  5. Flexible work arrangements should be re-evaluated annually as a part of the employee's performance evaluation conversation. 
  6. Annual performance evaluations of employees who engage in flexible work arrangements must indicate performance at a level of at minimum a Satisfactory level on performance evaluation to qualify for tele/remote work options.
  7. Employees may meet minimum evaluation standards and still be denied a flexible work agreement even if another employee in the department, with similar job duties, is engaged in flexible work. Please see the Remote Work Checklist for guidelines. Flexible work arrangements are at the discretion of the supervisors. Flexible work denials cannot be appealed. 
  8. Flexible work duties will be arranged so as neither to alter the essential job responsibilities nor to compromise the level of service provided to the customer, either by the employee or the department.
  9. Teleworkers and Remote Workers must adhere to all University and Department of Human Resource Management policies, rules, practices, and instructions as well as state and federal laws.
  10. The approval of a position for telework or remote work does not mean that any employee who later may fill that same position would be authorized to work at alternate work sites.
  11. Employees working from home during a university closing are expected to continue working unless it is not possible due to power outages or other conditions that prevent them from working.  Employees teleworking or remote working from home during an authorized closing do not receive compensatory time off.
  12. Employees’ classification, compensation, benefits, and conditions of employment will not change upon their acceptance of any flexible work agreement.
  13. Subject to supervisor and HR director approval telework may be used as an opportunity for partial or full return to work, if appropriate, in cases of short-term disability, workers’ compensation, family and medical leave, and illness (this includes tele/remote work related to COVID).  ADA/FMLA requests need to be submitted via HR before beginning a flexible work agreement. Telework is not intended to be used in place of leave taken for these reasons. - Refer to UNC's information on ADA or FMLA requestsfor more information. 
  14. Supervisors will ensure that employees who are working from an alternate work-site do not take restricted access materials from the office without the written consent of their supervisor.
  15. During the Summer Flex period, employees, with supervisor and department head approval, may try out a flexible work option.  Departments may shorten the length of Summer Flex or not participate if it poses operational issues.
  16. Flexible work agreements must be approved and signed by the employee, the direct supervisor, and the department's VP. 

  Please note:  The flexible work policy does not provide for every contingency that may arise.  Supervisors and employees entering into Flexible Work arrangements based upon this policy should endeavor to work together to resolve any unforeseen situation that may arise.  Employees and supervisors may start, modify, or end a Flexible Work Agreement at any time unless such agreement was a condition of employment.

• HR/Payroll

  Final forms should be submitted to HR at human.resources@unco.edu. Human Resources and Payroll may audit records of flexible work agreements and Telework/Remote Work Agreements, to ensure compliance with all University and Department of Human Resource Management policies, as well as state and federal laws.  Human Resources may also provide training and guidance on the application of the flexible work.