CAS Remote Flexspace Policy

College of Arts and Sciences
College Remote/Flex Work Policy 

Effective immediately 

 

The CAS Flexplace and Remote Work Policy provides additional college policy for staff and their supervisors working in The College of Arts and Sciences. This policy aims to  promote maximum productivity of the college while meeting the in-person accessibility needs  of faculty, staff and students. These guidelines are in addition to those outlined in the University Flex Work Policy.  

Campus has returned to full in-person operations for the Fall 2021 semester. Considering most CAS staff support the daily needs of faculty, staff colleagues, students, visitors/deliveries and the  maintenance of office/lab facilities, staff work should be performed on campus, in person, during normal business hours. Therefore, default working schedules will return to each units’ practices  prior to the Covid-19 pandemic. Forward-facing positions, positions that greet visitors and  vendors, collaborate with other staff members, field faculty and student questions, are expected  to work in-person Monday through Friday.  

For positions that are not forward facing and tend to work solo, or behind the scenes with little  to no interactions, the college leadership realizes that there are few staff positions for which  limited flexibility in work hours and remote work can improve job performance and service.  Therefore, this policy allows for supervisors to recommend that such qualifying staff members  may request up to one business day per week (8 hours) of regularly scheduled remote work. In  these cases, the remote work request must adhere to the University procedures, with justification communicated in writing, recommended at the discretion of the supervisor, and  approved by the dean. Any exceptions to the CAS Flexplace and Remote Work Policy must be  justified in a written request approved by the Dean.  
  

All requests must go through the proper HR channels for approval and abide by the following,  additional conditions, as applicable: 

  • There must be a sound business reason for working remotely, including a clear justification of why the remote work is advantageous to the department, program, college.  

  • Forward-facing positions will not be considered at this time. 

  • The remote assignment must follow a regular schedule, which does not change and  is clearly communicated to all team members. 

  • The remote work should be scheduled on Tue/Wed/Thu (not Mon/Fri) to ensure maximum business continuity is maintained around the weekends.

  • The staff member must be fully accessible during remote work. For example, phones should be forwarded and email should be read and responded to regularly. Contact  information must be clearly available and communicated to all team members. 

  • The on-campus department or program office must be adequately staffed during regular  campus business hours of 8:15- 4:45 daily. Supervisors have the right to occasionally  change a remote schedule, with advanced notice, to provide coverage during others’ paid time away from work, for important meeting attendance, or unexpected illness or other  

  • unforeseen situations.  

  • Remote work during high-demand periods should be reviewed in advance, so that all  staff members are present to meet the enhanced operational needs. Examples include (but are not limited to) registration periods, semester starts, and department/program/college events/functions. 

  • Remote office space must be professional, approved Lehigh equipment must be used with working cameras/microphones, and free of distractions. Business attire is required. 

  • Clear success metrics for remote work must be defined, reviewed, and documented as an  expectation between the supervisor and employee. 

During the academic year, staff may occasionally (approximately 1-3 times per academic year)  request to work remotely or flex their regular schedule on an ad-hoc basis with prior supervisor approval. This ad-hoc basis includes situations such as inclement weather, sick, but not too sick  to work, waiting for a home repair or delivery, etc.  

After the fall trial period, this policy will be re-evaluated. At this time, it is possible that  scheduled remote/flex work may be permitted during summer and winter terms with the understanding that staff are responsible for coordinating a schedule that provides complete in person coverage for all CAS office units during normal business hours of M-F, 8:15 a.m. to 4:45  p.m. If this plan proceeds, proposed summer and winter term work schedules must be approved by the Director of Administration and the Dean and should not exceed two days per week which  cannot fall on a Friday or Monday. 

Last updated: September 10, 2021