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Flexible Scheduling

Policy No.: 8-17 This policy applies to:
Policy Name: Flexible Scheduling

Non-exempt staff
Effective Date: 07/19/21

Exempt staff
Revised:     Faculty

Policy

Our campus community thrives on being a place where our students come to know our faculty and staff individually. A large part of this is a community-based, student-centric campus experience for our students. This involves all of us in a committed mission to serve our students.

Flexible schedules are an alternative to the standard on-campus work schedule of the university. Flex time may include remote work schedules and/or specific flexible start and end times for employees where it does not adversely impact our work and community.

Positions or departments that require specific customer service, office hours, or 24/7 coverage, including required presence on campus, may not be able to support flex time scheduling requests. Some departments or positions may only have limited flexible scheduling available.

Flexible schedules may be changed or modified based upon university or departmental needs at any time. Flexible schedule employee agreements are not an employment contract or change the at-will status of employment.

General Information & Requirements

The university typically has a standard business work day of 7.5 hours. The business day begins at 8:30 a.m and ends at 4:45 p.m. with a 45 minute lunch break. Lunch breaks are generally taken between 11:00 a.m. and 1:00 p.m.

Employees utilizing flexible scheduling will be required to work during the core business hours of 9 a.m. and 3 p.m. Departments and individuals should plan to schedule meetings requiring attendance during these hours.

All flexible scheduling requests must be made on an individual basis utilizing the form below.

Possible flexible schedules need to be discussed with an employee’s manager before a formal request is considered.

Prior to final approval, employees will be required to complete an employee agreement regarding their flexible schedule that certifies their understanding and agreeing to the specifics of the flexible schedule, flexible schedule guidelines, and university policies.

Either Human Resources or managers may deny, change, adjust, or terminate flexible scheduling request if a department or the university would be adversely affected by the flexible work schedule.

All new flexible schedules will have a 90 day trial period to determine how well the agreement is working based upon job performance and departmental needs. Changes to flexible schedules may be subject to an additional 90 day trial period. All flexible schedules will be reviewed at least annually.

A two week preparation and transition period should be planned at the beginning of the flexible schedule change. This transition period may include increased administrative and technical needs and issues as an employee settles into their flexible schedule.

Employees utilizing flexible scheduling are required to maintain satisfactory job performance and effectively and efficiently complete their job duties. Employees are required to respond to their supervisor in a timely manner as if they were on campus during their scheduled work hours. Employees are expected to coordinate and collaborate with their coworkers. Supervisors will establish communication protocols for their departments.

As some departments may have employees with a variety of flexible schedules, employees may receive communications outside their work schedules with the understanding that immediate response is not required. Non-exempt employees with an approved flexible schedule should not be working outside their scheduled time unless pre-approved by their manager, per University Policy 3-4 - Overtime.

Flexible start and end times

Approved flexible start and end time schedules will take into consideration the requirement to work core business hours and any required scheduling within departments. Available flexible start times include 7 a.m., 7:30 a.m., 8 a.m., or 9 a.m. for a standard 7.5 hour work day.

Remote work

Employees requesting a fully remote or hybrid remote work schedule will have their position reviewed based on the expected remote work location, department needs, and job performance requirements.

Prior to final approval, employees requesting a flexible schedule that includes remote work will be required to complete an employee agreement and remote location safety checklist. All remote work locations must be pre-approved to ensure all appropriate university policies and federal, state, and local laws and regulations have been considered prior to approval.

If an injury to an employee occurs at the remote work site, the employee is responsible for notifying their manager of the injury in accordance with Loyola’s workers’ compensation policy and reporting the injury at injury.loyno.edu. The university assumes no liability for injuries occurring in an employee’s home outside of work hours. The University is not responsible for any injuries sustained by visitors to the remote work location, and the employee must not schedule any business or work related meetings at the remote work location. Loyola is not responsible for home office maintenance, utilities, insurance, supplies, property damages, etc.

All employees utilizing hybrid or fully remote scheduling as part of the flexible schedule are required to comply with all necessary and required security protocols. These protocols may include, but are not limited to, maintaining the confidentiality of student records or other protected documents, only using university encrypted electronic devices, using university VPN, and securing their electronic devices at all times when not actively in use for university business. Employees utilizing university IT resources will comply with the Policy on Responsible Use of University Computing Resources. Employees will not allow other individuals access to university devices, information, or other university assets. Employees are required to use university technical support services for university devices and access.

Procedures

Request process

  1. Employees should consider whether a flexible schedule will adversely affect their ability to complete their job duties, affect the workflow and collaboration of their department or other areas of the university.
  2. Employee should discuss their proposed flexible schedule, and any challenges and opportunities posed by the request, with their manager to determine/ensure that a suitable resolution is in place.
  3. Employee will submit the flexible schedule request form to their manager.
  4. For remote work in an approved location, employee will complete the remote work safety checklist. A copy will be emailed to the employee, manager, and Human Resources.

Approval process

  1. Prior to approval, managers will consult with HR for any remote work request outside the states of LA, TX, and MS. Human Resources will review remote work requests based on the expected location for legal and regulatory compliance matters.
  2. For those requests within the guidelines of the policy that do not require further review and consultation, managers are able to approve or deny flex time schedule requests.
  3. Managers will review and assess employee requests individually and in the context of their department needs to determine feasibility, solutions to challenges, and technical support requirements. This includes employee job duties, student facing responsibilities, technical and communication concerns, and department collaboration and needs.
  4. Consult with your executive leadership & executive leadership stakeholders in other departments regarding the impact to business continuity and customer service levels for this position.
  5. Employee and manager will complete the employee agreement for flexible scheduling and any other required forms and processes. A copy will be emailed to the employee, manager, and Human Resources.
  6. Approval or denial of flexible requests will be sent to employees as soon as possible after the review process. Approvals will include a date to which the flexible schedule will begin.

End of flex time notification and process

The university may change, adjust, or end flexible schedules at any time. The employee agreement is not a guarantee of flexible scheduling availability. Should job performance, department operations, or the university be adversely affected by the use of flexible scheduling, HR or the department manager may end the flexible schedule for their employee.

  • Managers will consult with Human Resources regarding the modification or end of flexible schedules because of performance or behavioral concerns.
  • Managers will notify the employee by email two weeks in advance of the end of the flexible schedule and the return to the regular, on-campus work schedule, when possible. Managers will coordinate this process with Human Resources.
  • A copy of that notification will be emailed to the employee, manager, and Human Resources.

Forms

Request for Flexible Scheduling Form (Employee)

Remote work safety checklist (Employee)

Employee Agreement (Supervisor)

Supervisor Checklist - for position review - revised April 2023

Supervisor Staffing and Health & Safety Considerations (Fall 2021)