The number of proposals submitted depends on the preference of the supervisor of the overall unit or department. For example, some of the schools within the university include several large departments, while others have no departments—but several centers. The deans of the schools can decide whether they want to submit one proposal for the entire school, or permit each area to submit a separate proposal. For administrative units, the supervisor may choose to submit different proposals for areas that perform distinct duties (e.g., academic areas versus student ones versus financial ones).
Regardless of whether the supervisor opts for one large or several separate proposals, the dean or vice president still must sign each proposal before submission
If at least some of the part-time employee’s duties can be completed off-campus, then the supervisor has the option to permit the part-time employee to work off-campus.
For consistency with the university’s approach to full-time employees participating in the hybrid work program (i.e., no more than two days per five-day week, or 40 percent of weekly work time), up to 40 percent of the part-time employee’s weekly work time may be conducted remotely.
Contractors and temporary employees complete duties for the university, but are not Case Western Reserve employees. When engaging a contractor or temporary employer, CWRU supervisors should discuss worksite location options and preferences with the contractor/staffing company, but their work location should ultimately be managed and controlled by the rules and policies of the employer of record (if an outside entity). For example, Kelly Services would determine if a requested assignment with 2 days of remote work should be permitted for those individuals working for the university through Kelly.
Yes. Roles where duties can only be completed on-campus and/or cannot be completed independently with limited supervision are not eligible for the hybrid work model, but will receive up to three (3) comp (flex) days per fiscal year. Supervisors may consider a compressed work week in lieu of hybrid remote work, i.e., four (4) 10-hour workdays.
Previously approved telecommuting, remote work arrangements, and alternative work arrangements other than flexible work schedules were discontinued, and requests for such arrangements must be re-submitted for approval using the department request and/or exceptions request forms within the Staff Hybrid Remote Work Program process. Information about pre-existing arrangements can be included within your request(s).
Ultimately, department hybrid work arrangements must be conducive to department operations. That said, hybrid work arrangements must generally be consistent to meet department and business needs, while providing some flexibility where or when possible. All campus offices must have adequate staff presence on-campus throughout the week during normal working hours whenever the university is open. If the responsibilities of an office during certain times of year merit having everyone working on-campus during those weeks, then supervisors can require it. In other words, offices can have reduced on-campus staffing during certain times to “balance out” the weeks when everyone has to work on-campus the entire week.
Supervisors are expected to provide their employees ample advance notice of such schedule variations.
So long as their dean or vice president concurs, supervisors have discretion regarding whether to submit a hybrid remote work proposal for their department - and, if submitting one, the structure of the proposal itself.
In a circumstance like the one described in this question, the Hybrid Committee recommends that the supervisor discuss all options and implications with the dean or vice president before (a) deciding whether to submit a proposal and (b) if submitting one, how to approach the distinctions in responsibilities among employees within that unit.
The answer to this question depends largely on the rationale for the differential treatment. In the situation described in the question above (Are certain positions ineligible for inclusion in hybrid work models?), some people in a unit have duties that must be completed entirely on-campus, while others’ responsibilities may allow for greater flexibility. In such instances, a supervisor could justify allowing the latter group to fulfill some of their responsibilities at home.
Conversely, if all employees within a unit have responsibilities that can be completed off-campus, but the hybrid work proposal only allows some of them to participate, the supervisor will be expected to provide specific operational reasons for the disparate approach.
Ultimately the supervisor, in consultation with the respective dean or vice president, makes the final determination regarding whether to apply for a hybrid remote work model. If employees in such a department strongly prefer a hybrid work arrangement, they can ask the supervisor to consider an alternative work arrangement, or seek employment in another unit within the university that does provide the hybrid remote work option.
Fully Remote Work is an exception to the 2-day remote work allowance based on exceptional and unique circumstances. Some may also have accommodations due to medical reasons. The majority of requests will not be approved.
Compressed work week proposals should be discussed with your supervisor, who may submit a request for a compressed work week as part of the Department's Hybrid Work Proposal.
No. Only employees who are ineligible for hybrid work may participate in the comp day option.
New employees must work full-time on-campus during their orientation period, which typically lasts 3 months.
If the position was previously approved for hybrid remote work and the Compensation Office was informed at the time of the job posting so it was included in the Job Description, the new employee becomes eligible after the successful completion of orientation.
Prior to starting remote work, the supervisor must email the hybrid committee alias, hybrid@case.edu, with the employee's name, Employee ID, date of hire, position, number of days remote, and the name of the former employee who was approved for hybrid work in the same position.
If it is a new position or the position was not previously approved for hybrid remote work, the supervisor must submit a revised Hybrid Department Staff Work Proposal Form.
Generally, hybrid work schedules should be consistent. However, with supervisor approval, an employee may work from home on different days within different weeks, so long as the employee continues to work on-campus at least three days a week.
Compressed work weeks are an alternative to hybrid remote work. Therefore, If an employee is working on an approved compressed work week, they cannot also work remotely.
Employees working from home as part of a hybrid work plan should fulfill the responsibilities of their role. Unit operations should run relatively the same whether in-person or remote, including completing tasks, answering calls and emails, attending meetings, etc. As part of developing the hybrid work proposal, supervisors and employees should discuss expectations.
In some instances (i.e., shared phone lines), an employee will concentrate on the specific duties of their position that are best completed without interruption during at-home days, while a colleague on-campus answers telephone inquiries to the office. In other instances, the nature of a person’s role is such that they need to be available to answer the phone at all times - whether on- or off-campus. In the latter instance, staff should forward their work phone to a line that the individual can answer directly (e.g., home or mobile phone).
Generally, an employee should be working at home in their home locality in a setting that meets privacy/security requirements and expectations for respective units.
As when they are working on campus, non-exempt employees working off campus may not work overtime without express written approval from their supervisors.
The employee’s direct supervisor knows the specific requirements of the position better than someone within another unit or department. As a result, the supervisor should determine whether the individual’s online access is sufficient for the duties the individual is completing off-campus.
If an individual's home internet is not working, the supervisor may request that they come to work at their on-campus worksite, or the individual may be required to use vacation time.
Staff must use the appropriate TRC Codes in HCM to reflect their on-campus and hybrid remote work schedule. To reflect on-campus work days, i.e. days staff worked on-campus, staff should use the TRC Code “REG.” To accurately reflect approved remote work days, staff should choose the appropriate remote work TRC Code, i.e. “REGEH” (Exempt) or “REGWH” (Non-exempt). For one-off situations, i.e. out of the ordinary circumstances where staff may need to use a remote day beyond the standard 2 days, the following applies: staff who are approved for hybrid should use the applicable remote work code; and staff who are not approved for hybrid should use the regular code. In either case, add a note to HCM explaining the one-off.
[U]Tech's HCM Knowledge Base provides helpful documents for various HCM components, including information on Employee Self Service Time Reporting and Manager Self Service Time Entry (Approval).
For information specifically on entering Hybrid Remote Work, under Employee Self Service the Employee Salary Time Sheet for Hybrid Work Program (exempt staff) and Employee Hourly Time Sheet for Hybrid Work Program (non-exempt staff) for guidance on how remote work should be recorded.
For information for supervisors approving time, including Hybrid Remote Work, under Manager Self Service, see Employee Time Approval for guidance regarding the manager’s role in approving remote work time.
U]Tech's HCM Knowledge Base provides helpful documents for various HCM components, including information time reporting for comp (flex) days.
Guidance for staff entering comp (flex) time can be found under Employee Self Service, the Employee Salary Time Sheet for Hybrid Work Program at p. 5 for exempt staff or the Employee Hourly Time Sheet for Hybrid Work Program at pgs. 5-6 for non-exempt staff.
Information for supervisors approving comp (flex) time can be found under Manager Self Service, see Employee Time Approval on pg. 12.
No. Flex time is time an employee was off and not working. Only time actually worked is considered when calculating overtime.
As noted in the university's overtime policy, "Overtime is based on time worked in the week. For purposes of calculating overtime, any paid time off such as holidays, sick, vacation, take 2 time, winter recess, and emergency close, or any unpaid time off will not be included in calculating overtime. Hours will be paid to the nearest quarter hour (i.e., 15-minutes increments)." (emphasis added).
It depends. Prior approvals do not transfer with you. If the position you are moving to was previously approved for hybrid remote work, you are eligible for hybrid remote work only after successfully completing the first month of your orientation period.
If the position you are moving to was not previously approved for hybrid remote work, you cannot work a hybrid remote schedule unless the department submits a new or revised department proposal that includes you.
If you had an exception for hybrid remote work that was more than two (2) days a week, then unless it was an accommodation approved by the Office of Equity, the new department must submit an exception request on your behalf.
No. New and returning employees are not eligible for hybrid remote work until they successfully complete their orientation period, or have an approved accommodation through the Office of Equity.
Working occasionally outside Ohio - for example, while traveling on university business - is permissible and should be recorded as if working on-campus (i.e., leaving as REG in HCM).
Working part- or full-time outside Ohio can raise significant tax and regulatory issues depending on the state in which the employee lives when working off-campus. In some instances, the requirements of the university to accommodate such work are too complex and/or resource-intensive to be feasible.
If supervisors have employees who live outside Ohio and work primarily from those other states, they must complete an Exception Staff Proposal Form as part of the overall hybrid work proposal.
Please note that such requests will only be granted for exceptional circumstances. Departments who retain such employees must pay for outside counsel in that state prior to approval and as part of an annual review. The Department will be responsible for implementing and funding a compliance plan to meet the other states' regulatory requirements.
Those with additional questions about these employees may email hybrid@case.edu with the subject line “Out-of-State Employee,” and pose them within that email.
As of the Aug. 31, 2022 pay date, the university began basing local withholding taxes on the work schedule outlined in the Staff Hybrid Work Plan. Per an agreement with the local tax agencies, the distribution of salaries will be done on a percentage basis rather than actual hours worked. For example, one remote day per week is 20% to the resident city and 80% to Cleveland, two remote days per week is 40% to the resident city and 60% to Cleveland, etc. The resident city will be based on the home address listed in HCM.
Employees should ensure their home address listed in HCM is current and notify the Payroll Office at payroll@case.edu if there are any changes.
See the 9/1/2022 Daily article, or contact the Payroll Office at payroll@case.edu or 216-368-4290 with any additional questions about local tax withholdings.
Department Hybrid Remote Work Proposal Form
Department Staff Hybrid Work Schedules
Hybrid Remote Exception Staff Proposal Form (if applicable)
In addition, supervisors should ensure employees approved for Hybrid Remote Work complete the Staff Member Hybrid Remote Work Checklist Certification Form and maintain a copy of the completed forms within the department/unit.
Staff are expected to communicate with their department, other departments, and external partners in nearly the same way as when working full-time, on-campus. These methods of communication may include, but are not limited to, phone, email, Zoom/Microsoft Teams, Google chat, and Slack. Other methods of communication, such as text messaging, may be utilized as deemed appropriate by supervisors and colleagues. Employees “not available” because it is their remote date is not acceptable and may result in their approval being withdrawn.
It depends. If supervisors submitted department requests in December 2021 or January 2022, and since that time, there have been no major changes to department work arrangements, i.e. no new employees, no requests for compressed work week, no loss of employees, then no new request is needed. However, if departments want major changes to department work arrangements such as approval for new hires or newly added positions not previously included for approval, requests for exceptions (3+ remote days), requests for compressed work weeks, etc., then you must submit a revised request to the Hybrid Work Committee at hybrid@case.edu.
Please email the following information to hybrid@case.edu - the new hire’s name, employee ID, date of hire, position, and number of days remote, along with the name of the former employee previously approved in the same position.
This must be done and approval must be given prior to the employee beginning to work a hybrid remote work schedule.
If your department was previously approved to work hybrid, you should submit a revised Department Hybrid Remote Work Proposal Form along with an updated Department Staff Hybrid Work Schedule spreadsheet that includes the new hire.
Note that this is the same process and forms (Department Hybrid Remote Work Proposal Form and Department Staff Hybrid Work Schedule) for new proposals (though "new" should be checked instead of "revised").
Training materials for supervisors and staff can be found on the Staff Hybrid Remote Work Program webpage at https://case.edu/hr/worklife/staff-hybrid-remote-work-program/hybrid-remote-work-program-training.
Single-sign on authentication is required to view the training materials.
For staff approved to work hybrid: If a “one-off,” or out of the ordinary, situation comes up that may require the staff person to work from home on a different day than scheduled or for an extra day in that particular week, then with supervisor approval, the employee may utilize a remote day to deal with their one-off situation and use the appropriate TRC remote code (REGEH for exempt staff or REGWH for non-exempt staff).
Examples:
1. Staff Member John Doeis approved to work 2 remote days per week. John Doe generally works remotely on Tuesdays and Thursdays. John Doe worked remotely on Tuesday. However, on Wednesday the plumber is coming by John Doe’s house and needs access. Supervisor may approve John Doe to work switch his remote day to Wednesday, instead of Thursday, as his second remote day that week with the expectation that John Doe works on-campus the remainder of the week.
2. Same facts as above except John Doe already worked both of his usual remote days on Tuesday and Thursday, but on Friday morning he asks for an additional remote day to have a plumber come to his home to fix a leaking hot water tank. With supervisor approval, he may utilize an additional remote day on Friday, enter the appropriate remote code, and insert a brief note in HCM regarding the reason for a 3rd remote day that week.
Supervisors must complete a Hybrid Remote Exception Staff Proposal Form for each staff member proposed for approval to work a remote arrangement beyond the standard 2-days. The Exception Request form asks for supervisors to explain the unique and exceptional circumstances that may warrant an exception.
Please note that the following are not unique and exceptional circumstances warranting approval for a staff member to work remotely beyond the standard 2-days per week: commuting distance, length of service at the University, or the mere fact that all of the staff member’s tasks/duties can be completed remotely.
The Hybrid Remote Exception Staff Proposal Form, along with a Department Hybrid Remote Work Proposal Form and Department Staff Hybrid Work Schedules must be submitted to the Hybrid Committee at hybrid@case.edu.
Hybrid Remote Work is a combination of working from both an on-campus (including satellite campus locations or facilities) and off-campus worksite (typically the employee’s residence) that generally consists of 2 remote days and 3 on-campus days.
A Compressed Work Week is an adjusted on-campus only schedule of (4) 10-hour days per week in lieu of hybrid remote work and is generally based on a supervisor’s determination that the use of remote work is not appropriate for a staff member given the nature of their individual tasks or overall department operations.
Yes. All departments— including departments that began participating in the Hybrid Program in early 2022—that wish to participate in the updated Hybrid Remote Work and Fully Remote Work Program that opened on September 1, 2022, must complete metrics on the form provided to you by the Hybrid Work Committee.
The form can be found on the Staff Hybrid Remote Work Program webpage at https://case.edu/hr/worklife/staff-hybrid-remote-work-program/department-metrics-staff-hybrid-remote-work.
Yes. Please review the full Hybrid Remote Work and Fully Remote Work Program Framework for expectations and requirements as well as the and Staff Hybrid Remote Work Website to find the appropriate forms for Department Requests, Exception Requests, Trainings, and Staff Certification/Checklists.
Assuming the position has been approved for hybrid work (i.e., the appropriate request was submitted and approved), hybrid work begins after the successful completion of orientation.
Please note that internal transfers into a different position within the University are eligible for remote work upon the successful completion of the first 30-days of orientation (again, assuming the position is approved for hybrid).
Prior to the employee beginning to work a hybrid remote work schedule, the supervisor must email the Hybrid Committee at hybrid@case.edu with the new hire’s name, employee ID, date of hire, position, and number of days remote, along with the name of the former employee previously approved in the same position.
The hybrid remote work schedule can begin upon the Hybrid Work Committee's approval.
No, not without prior approval by the Hybrid Work Committee, which can only be implemented after a compliance review to determine what the requirements are to have an employee in the other proposed state and a written plan by the employing department as to how the department will ensure those requirements are met by the department. The supervisor must submit the appropriate request and receive a determination by the Hybrid Committee.
This scenario should not happen. A position should be approved for hybrid work or an out of state exception PRIOR to the posting of the position and PRIOR to extending an offer. The details of any approved work arrangement should also be included in the offer letter.
The staff member no longer meets the eligibility criteria for hybrid remote work, and is not eligible to work off campus over the next twelve months.
The supervisor must email the Hybrid Committee (hybrid@case.edu) that the employee received a below successful Annual Performance Review and the date of the review.
After expiration of the twelve month period, and if the staff member has received a successful or above rating on the new Annual Performance Review, the employee is eligible for hybrid remote work again. At that point, the supervisor must email the Hybrid Committee alias (hybrid@case.edu) with the employee’s name, Employee ID, and the interest in resuming the hybrid remote work schedule.
The hybrid remote work schedule can resume upon the Hybrid Work Committee's approval.
The staff member no longer meets the eligibility criteria for hybrid remote work, and is not eligible to work off campus over the next twelve months.
The supervisor must email the Hybrid Committee that the employee received a PCA and the date of the PCA.
After expiration of the twelve month period, when the employee is eligible for hybrid remote work again, the supervisor must email the Hybrid Committee alias (hybrid@case.edu) with the employee’s name, ID, and the interest in resuming the hybrid remote work schedule.
The hybrid remote work schedule can resume upon the Hybrid Work Committee's approval.