Flexible Work Arrangements (Procedure 2.0010)

Authority:F.S. 1001.64(18)
Date Adopted:4/21
Related Policy:2.001

Purpose:

The purpose of this procedure is to describe the types of flexible work arrangements that may be available to certain non-bargaining College employees, the process for evaluating a request for a flexible work arrangement and the approval process for such a request. Seminole State College provides its supervisors and departments the option to consider flexible work arrangements when appropriate for an individual employee and the College.  The work arrangement should focus on performance results, with the understanding that many types of work require an employee’s on-campus presence on a predictable, and sometimes standard, schedule.  Eligibility for this procedure applies to non-bargaining part-time and full-time employees. 

Flexible work arrangements can benefit not only the employee but also the supervisor, the team and the College in general. Flexible work arrangements often improve job satisfaction by increasing job flexibility, allowing the College to retain valued employees who might otherwise change jobs. It can also reduce commute trips and address space restrictions.

These work arrangements are not an entitlement, and do not change the terms and conditions of working for the College. Work arrangements are the complete discretion of the College.   Agreements may be revoked or changed at any time by the College. 

I.  Flexible Work Arrangements Criteria:

To be eligible to participate in flexible work arrangements the following shall apply:

  1. An operational benefit to the College

  2. Nature and responsibilities of the job lend itself to the arrangements

  3. Employee scored a Meets Expectations on the latest performance appraisal and has no pending corrective action or in lieu of no performance appraisal on record, the work must be deemed satisfactory from the supervisor

II.  Types of Flexible Work Arrangements:

There are several types of flexible work arrangements. Employees and supervisors should carefully consider each arrangement to decide what will work best for the department/division. Options include:

  1. Compressed work week: A program designed to allow eligible full-time staff members to work longer scheduled days of work.  In a compressed schedule, the normal number of weekly hours required for the position are worked over the course of fewer days than normal (e.g. a 37.5‐hour schedule worked over four days instead of five.)  Compressed schedules will not be a possibility for some positions due to work demands that require standard office hours.  Regular, year‐round, compressed work schedules will not be approved unless specific College needs require such a schedule.   
  2. Flextime:  A program designed to allow staff to work “core hours” with either an earlier or later beginning/ending of the typical workday. A flex schedule does not alter the required number of work hours within a work week according to College policy and procedure. 
  3. Job Sharing:   A program in which two part-time people share a position, each working part of the week.
  4. Telecommuting:  A program designed to allow staff to work either a portion of the employee’s workday or work week, or all of it from home or another location away from the usual workplace. 
    1. Some positions, responsibilities and projects are more suitable for working from home than others and may be appropriate to maintain work continuity in the event of an emergency, or as part of a flexible work arrangement. Also, responsibilities that do not require face-to-face interaction, require minimal supervision, involve the extensive use of computers and/or telephones, and have clearly defined and easily measurable tasks are more appropriate for a work-at-home arrangement. Supervisors must examine the distinct activities, functions and tasks to determine whether a flexible work arrangement is appropriate. 
    2. To participate in remote work, employees must among other things:  (1) have portable job duties; (2) have a work site and equipment (telephone, Internet, supplies, etc.) suitable for working at home; and (3) be able to work independently and productively.
    3. Employees who are unable to work at their regular location due to their own or family member’s illness or injury should generally use sick time for this purpose. Telework should not be used to provide active care for a child or other individual.

III.  Process

  1. Regular Flexible Work Arrangements
    1. Either the Supervisor or employee will initiate the process with the Flexible Work Plan Form.  The Supervisor will initiate a request after consulting with their employee to accommodate business needs, educational needs, employee personal needs or responsibilities.   In implementing flexible schedules, supervisors and vice presidents should ensure that service to students, constituents  and co‐workers is not adversely affected, that work can be adequately supervised, that productivity and performance can be effectively measured, and that the schedule does not create inequity in work distribution or limit time off for other team members.  An employee is also able to request a flexible work arrangement and bring that forward to their supervisor for review. 
    2. The flexible work arrangement will be reviewed by all levels of leadership up to and including the division Vice President and the Office of Human Resources.  Approvals must be provided before work arrangements will be implemented. 
    3. Once reviewed by HR and approved, the schedule will be placed in the employee’s record and provided to the payroll office. 
    4. If questions exist about the potential effectiveness of the arrangement, a supervisor may consider allowing the employee to work on a pilot basis. A supervisor should establish a review period after which a decision can be made about ongoing flexible work arrangements.
    5. There may be circumstances in which a request for flexible work arrangements cannot be approved. In order to demonstrate consistency and equity within the unit, it is important the denial is explained to the employee and based upon impact on the department, and/or the employee’s work record.
    6. The flexible work arrangement should be reviewed formally at least twice annually (or at some other reasonable interval given the schedule).  
    7. If a supervisor determines at any point that the alternative schedules within his or her group are adversely affecting the ability of the group or department to accomplish the work efficiently and to provide appropriate service to students, constituents, and other departments, the supervisor and employee will meet and any necessary changes to the schedule will be made, including potentially returning the employee to a schedule that meets the needs of the operation.
  2. Temporary Flexible Work Arrangements
    1. This is a temporary occasional change to an employee work schedule or location based on operational need initiated by the supervisor, or at the request of the employee.
    2. The duration is less than 30 days and this change requires only supervisory and department leader approval.  Approvals should be documented in writing including via email.
    3. Examples for occasional schedule change or telework may include (not all inclusive):
      1. The department is hosting a student enrollment event and needs employees to stay later one day of their work week, so the daily schedule is adjusted to coming in two hours later and staying two hours later than usual.
      2. The employee has a personal need at home such as an emergency service technician visit that cannot be performed outside work hours.  The employee can work remote for the day.
      3. The workplace has a temporary disruption such as office remodel or power outage.

 IV.  Flexible Work Arrangements for Medical Reasons

  1. Some requests for alternative schedules may be related to medical needs or a request for an accommodation under the Americans with Disabilities Act Amendments Act (ADAAA).  Such requests will require appropriate documentation and will be reviewed under the procedures established for these types of requests. 
Recommended by:Executive Team/CACDate4/20/2021
Signed by:President Georgia LorenzDate5/4/2021

Contact