- Effective: Jan. 24, 2022
- Applies to: Classified and University Staff, College of Engineering and Applied Science
- Guidance contact: Alisha Bennett Stewart, CEAS Director of Human Resources
Table of Contents
Hybrid Work Guidelines
Guidance for Supervisors & Unit Leaders
Equipment Provided
Requests for Fully Remote/Out-of-State Work
Space
Related Policies, Procedures, Forms & Guidelines
Definitions
Concerns/Grievance Process
Questions?
Introduction
The College of Engineering and Applied Science encourages a culture that enhances the student experience, increases engagement and retention, supports the health and wellness of our community, builds trust and productivity, and maintains responsible stewardship of resources.
Given the changing demographics of the workforce and the increased competition for qualified employees, it has become increasingly important to the college to continue to find alternative ways to compete in today’s labor market. Alternate schedules and work-at-home arrangements can enhance the existing salary and benefit package, fulfill business needs, assist with recruitment and retention, improve productivity and creativity, and accommodate a changing workforce.
The College of Engineering and Applied Science is redefining our working arrangement options to ensure optimization of role-specific duties, while also meeting the needs of employees and units.
College of Engineering & Applied Science Guiding Principles
The CEAS return-to-campus plan has been shaped by the following principles, which we believe will help the entire engineering community enjoy continued success when in-person learning and work resume in January.
Hybrid Work Guidelines
There are many individual variables that may dictate each staff member’s work situation. The following are guidelines to set reasonable expectations and help employees, supervisors and CEAS HR find workable solutions for staff.
The majority of our staff live in the state of Colorado and will be eligible to work remotely up to 24 hours, or three days, per week (prorated for part-time appointments). Please work with your supervisors to develop and/or update appropriate remote work plans.
Scheduling must take into account that offices need to be staffed Monday through Friday with an adequate number of professionals on site.
As we formally adopt a hybrid work model, it is important that we continue to promote a sense of community within CEAS. In-person student interactions are requisite to our success. Employees in student facing positions will conduct in-person business with students. In addition to these guidelines, unit supervisors should strive to have all their staff on site together at least one day per week for collaboration, teamwork, and engagement.
We recognize that some staff may have special requests with respect to working arrangements and we will do our best to accommodate those requests. To ensure equity, all health-related requests must go through ADA/FMLA. If any employee needs further information about submitting an ADA/FMLA request, please connect with the CEAS HR team.
An employee’s hybrid work arrangement cannot adversely affect the ability of other staff to perform their jobs.
Staff members may be required to come into the office for an unforeseen business circumstance, within reason and with advanced notice.
College Hybrid Work Policy Hybrid Work Policy FAQ
Guidance for Supervisors and Unit Leadership
Equipment Provided
CEAS may provide all staff with one set of the following IT equipment based on role. These items may be taken home on remote workdays:
Furniture will only be provided for your CU on-campus workstation. Download a list of available home office furniture selections from Canter that can be purchased independently. To place an order, please contact Brie Gill at bgill@ccanter.com.
Supplies such as pens and paper will be available in your individual units.
Requests for Fully Remote Work and/or Out-of-State Work
Fully remote work arrangements for university staff may be requested and must be approved by the immediate supervisor, the unit lead, CEAS human resources and the dean. Classified staff are required by Colorado’s Constitution to reside in the state of Colorado but may work remotely from other states temporarily. To request a fully remote work arrangement please email a justification of how your role can meet the guiding principles of the campus and college while maintaining engagement and meeting the unit business need, to the CEAS HR Director (approval must have already been given by the immediate supervisor and the unit lead). Each request will be reviewed on a case-by-case basis and should only be made when there is a significant business reason for an individual to perform services fully remotely or outside of Colorado.
Work Space
Space allocation across the Boulder campus is governed by campus space guidelines. The guiding principles for space allocation are the following:
To abide by these principles and to operate within the campus space guidelines, CEAS allocated space will be tied to remote work schedules. Currently, the majority of staff share offices, per the Campus Space Guidelines. Going forward, staff who choose to work more than 20% remotely (more than one day per week at an off-site location) may be subject to sharing or hoteling, based on college space needs and availability. For employees who have been approved to work fully remote, they will be allocated a hoteling space, or a shared workstation in a shared office, when working on-site. Further guidance around space allocation and its connection to remote work may be given by the Campus Space Office, at which point CEAS will update our policy to abide by campus standards.
Parking
Please visit the Parking and Transportation website for information about activating a parking permit, purchasing day passes, alternate means of transportation, permit costs and more.
Related Policies, Procedures, Forms, Guidelines and other Resources
Definitions
- Alternate work schedule: An alternate work schedule refers to any one of a variety of work arrangements different from traditional schedules. For example, different from Monday-Friday, 8 a.m. – 5 p.m., on-site work.
- On-campus work: Job functions that must be completed or are most effectively completed at an on-campus location. Employees have an assigned workspace at an on-campus site.
- Hybrid: For the purpose of these guidelines, is any employee who has access to a campus workspace and works from a hybrid of home and campus offices.
- Remote: for the purpose of these guidelines is defined as an employee working full-time from a location other than UCB.
- Local: For the purpose of these guidelines, defined as within driving distance.
- Standard work hours: CU Boulder standard hours are 8 a.m. – 5 p.m. during the academic year (August-May) and 7:30 a.m. – 4:30 p.m. during the summer (June-July).
Concerns/Grievance Process
If you would like to discuss any concerns related to hybrid work, please email CEASHR@colorado.edu. Based on the information provided, the HR director will schedule a meeting with you to understand the concerns. This conversation will guide next steps as appropriate.
Questions
If you have any questions or concerns regarding CEAS guidelines, please follow up with your supervisor or with HR at CEASHR@colorado.edu. Additionally, CEASFutureofWork@colorado.edu has been set up to collect your feedback and input. We will be seeking feedback through a survey as well, but please reach out at any time to supply feedback.
Visit the Campus HR website for more information about CU Boulder’s Spring 2022 transition policies.