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Alternative Work Arrangements Policy

Title: Alternative Work Arrangements
Approved by: 
Date Approved:
Effective Date: 11/30/2021
Responsible Official: Vice President of Human Resources
Responsible University Office: HR Employee Relations
Revision History: 01/01/2002; 01/01/2008; 06/03/2019 07/29/2019
Related Legislation and University policies: Flexible Work Schedule Procedure; Alternative Work Arrangement Request Form, Work Week and Pay Systems; Overtime Policy; Family Medical Leave Act (FMLA) Absences and Leave Policy; Additional Medical Leaves of Absences (non-FMLA) Policy
Review Period: 5 years
Date of Last Review: 
Relates to: executive staff, senior staff, and staff
Exclusions: None

Policy Statement

Please note: Compressed Work Week and Telecommuting must be submitted as part of the Staff Hybrid Remote Work Program. They are not appropriate as an Alternative Work Arrangement Request.

The university will consider alternative work arrangements that allow employees to balance work and personal commitments while ensuring the operational/business needs of the department, management center, and/or school are met.

Alternative work arrangements may include, but are not limited to:

The supervisor and Employee Relations must approve all alternative work arrangement option prior to implementation. An alternative work arrangement will be permitted when it mutually serves the best interest of the university, department, management center/school, and the employee.

Alternative work arrangements approved by Employee Relations do not include any reasonable accommodations provided through the Office of Equity, which are separate from this policy.

Employees interested in being considered for an alternative work arrangement should first discuss the options with their supervisor. If the supervisor is agreeable, they should complete an Alternative Work Arrangement Request Form and submit it to Employee Relations at AskHR@case.edu. Alternative work arrangements cannot be granted automatically but will be considered on a case-by-case basis, based on job-related factors such as the nature of the employee’s job, departmental work flow, and customer service needs. Because working an alternative work arrangement is considered a privilege, to be eligible for consideration for an alternative work arrangement option, the employee must meet all three (3) of the following criteria:

  • Have been employed in their current position for a minimum of three (3) months and successfully completed their orientation period (new hires and transfers); 
  • The most recent Annual Review is average or above; and
  • Not currently in Positive Corrective Action.

Employees who meet all three (3) criteria must complete and sign an Alternative Work Arrangement Option Request Form and submit the request to the supervisor to initiate the approval process. The supervisor, in consultation with Employee Relations, will review the request and either: (1) approve; (2) make recommendations; or (3) deny the alternative work arrangement request. If approved, the request will be forwarded to the Department Chair or Vice President of the department for final approval. The alternative work arrangement cannot commence until the approval process has been completed in its entirety.

If, after being approved to an Alternative Work Arrangement, an employee no longer meets the criteria or the department needs change, the Alternative Work Arrangement will be re-evaluated and denied.