Flexible Work Arrangements

Workplace Flexibility is a driver of employee well-being and performance.

At UC Davis Flexible Work Arrangements (FWA) help to reduce turnover, lower absenteeism and increase job satisfaction. FWAs promote diversity and inclusion, cross-training, and have a positive impact on workplace culture, morale and employee recruitment, engagement and retention.
Read "Benefits of Flex Work"

Flexible Work Arrangements supports three campus initiatives:   

Step 1: Get Educated & Develop Strategy

Learn about Flexible Work Arrangement Options:

    • Flex Schedule

    • Compressed Workweek: an arrangement which condenses one or more standard workweeks into fewer, longer days. The most common types of compressed workweek are:

      • 4/10 schedule (four 10-hour days per week)
      • 9/80 schedule (80 hours in a two-week period worked over nine days instead of ten)
       Flextime: an arrangement that allows an employee to alter the starting and/or end time of their workday, or the days they work each week. Employees still work the same number of scheduled hours as they would under a traditional schedule. Flextime does not reduce the total number of hours worked in a given week, just rearranges those hours. 
    • Flex Place
    • Remote (& Hybrid-remote) Work: an arrangement in which an employee regularly performs work at a remote worksite (such as home, library or business center) for a specified portion of the workweek.

  • Download: Flexible Work Definitions, Options, and Considerations 

Consult the Flexible Work Planning Guide for Staff Departments/Units, which includes:

  • Recommended steps for flexible work planning
  • Required planning and reporting actions
  • Guiding principles and critical considerations, such as:
    • Approving or denying requests for flexible work
    • Establishing team and business standards
    • Planning off-site workspaces

Step 2: Assess Positions for Flexible Work Arrangements (FWA)

Supervisors/Managers
Determine if positions and tasks –not the employee- are FWA compatible by completing the
Remote-ability Assessment

Employees
Determine whether a FWA is desired, acceptable and sustainable by completing the
Remote-ability Self-Assessment

Flexible Work Models

Flexible Work Models Graphic with horizontal double-sided arrow ranging from less time onsite to more time onsite. Onsite employees defined as in the office frequently (4-5 days/week) and/or having critical job requirements that require personalized dedicated space. Hybrid-remote employees defined as working part time in the office (2-3 days/week) to perform job tasks that require on-campus engagement and part time working remotely. Remote employees as defined in the office only sporadically (a couple days/

Select image to open larger PDF.

Step 3: Communicate and Roll Out A Plan

  • Consult with each individual employee regarding their experience with flexible work, lessons learned thus far, challenges (and resulting solutions) and preferences moving forward.
  • Ideally, have a team meeting specifically regarding how to make Flex work, work, for everyone.  Consider each team member as a part of the whole working apparatus.
  • Test out the proposed Flexible Work Arrangement to identify challenges and successes and make any adjustments. Place a time limit on individual agreements so you have a structured time to readdress to see what is working for both the individual and the team, what needs to be adjusted to better meet all needs, and what just organically evolves through normal changes and adaptations to work demands.

Step 4: Formalize Flexible Work Arrangement (FWA)
 

  • Part I.  Finalize the Flexible Work Schedule
    • The Flexible Work Schedule should be completed by the supervisor in collaboration with the employee.
    • The standard UC Davis Flexible Work Schedule and a general process overview can be found on the Formalizing Flexible Work Arrangements web page.
    • Check with your Supervisor or your Flexible Work Liaison for details on the process for your unit. 
  • Part II. Complete and sign the Flexible Work Agreement
    • Flexible Work Agreements describe the terms and conditions for a remote or hybrid-remote work arrangement at UC Davis.
    • Flexible Work Agreements will be completed via DocuSign.
    • This agreement should be completed AFTER a schedule is agreed upon (See above: Part 1).
  • Part III. Complete the Remote Use of University Resources Agreement
    • Remote Use of University Resources Agreement describes the terms and conditions regarding equipment used in an off-site workspace.
    • To help plan and optimize Flexible Work Arrangements check out the following resources: 

 

Off-Site Work

Black laptop computer on brown wooden table

Technology needs, IT security and reimburseable expenses are a few areas departments should consider.

Off-site Planning

On- Site Work

Three people chatting at desk working

It's important to plan ahead and consider space and storage, meeting protocols and flexible workstations.

On-site Planning