Alternative Work Arrangement Policy for Staff Positions

PURPOSE

The Vanderbilt University School of Medicine Basic Sciences (VBS) confirms its commitment to assisting employees in developing work-life integration by supporting the use of alternative work arrangements, flexible scheduling and/or remote work, when reasonable and practical. VBS permits the use of alternative work arrangements when such arrangements are pre-approved, meet full operational needs and/or job requirements and continue to maintain a high level of service for the school and university constituents. This policy relates to hybrid and remote alternative work arrangements.

ELIGIBILITY

Any regular, full-time staff employee may work with their supervisor to arrange a hybrid or remote schedule. To be considered for a hybrid or remote schedule, employees need to meet workplace expectations and currently not be under any disciplinary action.

Work units are responsible for determining if positions are eligible for a hybrid or remote schedule based on the position's requirements and specific operational and business needs. Employees must be able to complete their assigned job duties when working remotely. A remote employee's duties should not be reassigned to an on-campus staff without the consent of the supervisor.

Employees who are required to be in a lab, have student-facing roles, are responsible for facilities operations, are involved in organizing and facilitating on-campus events, or have position duties that require them to be on campus may not be eligible for a hybrid or remote work agreement.

A hybrid or remote work schedule is not a right of employment. If the job duties or requirements change, the position may no longer be eligible for a hybrid or remote schedule.

Employees must consult with their supervisor about hybrid and remote work options for their specific position.

HYBRID AND REMOTE ARRANGEMENT DEFINITIONS

Hybrid work schedule: A hybrid work arrangement allows eligible employees to work from an alternative work location, such as their home, on specified days during the regular work week. The specifics of the hybrid schedule are determined between the employee and their supervisor at the time the hybrid and remote request is submitted. The agreed upon schedule may change from time to time, based on the operational needs of the work unit, requiring the employee to work in person on campus in addition to the standard days.

Example: Employee works two days (Tuesday and Thursday) in person on campus and three days (Monday, Wednesday and Friday) at the designated remote location.

Mostly remote work schedule: A mostly remote work arrangement allows eligible employees to work remotely for five business days per week while requiring some on-campus presence as requested by the supervisor. Frequency of anticipated on-campus presence will be determined by the supervisor when the hybrid and remote work request is submitted and might be subject to change based on the operational needs of the unit.

Example: Employee works from the designated remote location five days a week and is expected to come on campus for the Quarterly Administrative Staff Gathering and for two meetings per month.

100% remote work schedule: A 100% remote work arrangement does not require an on-campus presence. 100% remote should be a condition of employment and be included when the position is advertised and in correspondence offering employment.

PERFORMANCE EXPECTATIONS

Job performance must not be negatively impacted by working at a remote location. A remote or hybrid staff member's terms and conditions of employment are the same as those of on-campus staff, including required compliance with all university policies and applicable federal and state law while working off campus unless explicitly agreed to in writing.

An employee's standard on campus days as stated in the hybrid and remote work agreement need to be clearly communicated to those with whom they work. For example, employees may choose to include a note in their email signature stating on campus days and/or this could be published on the work unit's website.

A hybrid and remote work agreement is subject to ongoing and periodic review. At a minimum, the agreement should be reviewed at six-month intervals to ensure the individual's quality of work, efficiency, and productivity are not compromised by the hybrid and remote arrangement. These reviews will consider feedback provided by faculty and staff with whom the employee works regularly. Reviews will be saved as part of the employee's personnel file. In addition, the employee should continue to receive regular performance evaluations in accordance with business or work unit policies. Subsequent renewal of the agreement will be contingent upon the annual review, feedback and progress towards goals.

If the hybrid agreement is negatively impacting the employee's ability to perform their position duties in a manner satisfactory to their supervisor and stakeholders, the supervisor will communicate the inadequacies to the employee. If the performance expectations do not return to an acceptable level, the hybrid and remote agreement may be changed or terminated.

INFORMATION SECURITY AND TECHNOLOGY

Staff working remotely are required to ensure the protection of university information according to Vanderbilt's policies and expectations of information security. All requirements, procedures and expectations for technology use must be discussed and agreed upon in advance of a hybrid or remote work agreement.

• Technology and Security Protocols: Employees working remotely are required to use reliable internet and maintain appropriate methods for securing the storage or transmission of confidential information.
• Standard IT Services: IT Services are the responsibility of the university. These services include central management of the laptop or other computer workstation, patching, anti-malware, firewall, and host-based security features. Services that require in-person assistance from IT Service Delivery must take place on campus.
• Equipment: The work unit will provide a computer and other necessary equipment required to perform essential job functions.
• Device Security: Consistent with Vanderbilt's policies and expectations of device and information security for staff working on campus, staff working off-campus are expected to ensure the protection of university devices and the information contained within.
• The cost of internet service is the employee's responsibility. Employees must confirm they have adequate internet service and workspace in their remote work location. Employee also needs to commit to finding alternatives (like working on campus or going to another venue) when there are connection problems, etc. at their remote location.

OUT-OF-STATE EMPLOYEES

Staff members working from out of state, including internationally, may be subject to additional wage, employment, reporting and taxation requirements. Business or work units may incur additional costs related to the employment of out-of-state and international staff and must work proactively with human resources when considering hiring someone who lives outside of Tennessee or permitting a staff member to move outside of Tennessee and work remotely.

REQUESTING A HYBRID OR REMOTE WORK SCHEDULE

1. The employee first meets with their supervisor regarding expectations, schedules and responsibilities related to a hybrid or remote work schedule.
2. The employee and supervisor evaluate the suitability of such an arrangement and complete the VBS-approved Hybrid and Remote Work Agreement request form.

• The hybrid and remote work agreement will document work schedule details, expectations for work assignments, check-ins, and any other parameters related to supporting the use of an alternative schedule.
• Hybrid and remote work agreement request forms need to be submitted and approved before the arrangement start date. Already-existing agreements should be updated with a new form, and are subject to review, change, and discontinuance consistent with the parameters set in this policy.

3. The request is reviewed and approved by the unit head (pod leader, department chair, center or program director, associate dean, etc.).

• When evaluating a hybrid or remote schedule request, unit leaders will consider specific position requirements, needs of the team, any existing performance concerns, and whether the staff member can optimally perform the position's job duties while working off campus.

4. A copy of the executed hybrid and remote work agreement is sent to the VBS Director of Human Resources for placement in the personnel

Approval of the VBS Hybrid and Remote Work agreement will be communicated to appropriate colleagues by the unit head.

TERMINATING OR CHANGING A HYBRID AND REMOTE WORK AGREEMENT

A hybrid or remote work schedule is not a right of employment. It is established at the discretion of the employee's supervisor and the designated approvers. If at any time the agreement is not in the best interests of VBS, it can be discontinued at VBS's discretion.

1. When the work unit requires a change or cancellation to the hybrid or remote agreement, the supervisor meets with the VBS Director of HR to discuss and determine the following items:
   • The length of reasonable notice to be given before the effective date of the change or termination to ensure consistency and appropriateness of notification lengths.
   • Cases of alleged misconduct or an emergency will be reviewed to determine if immediately termination of the agreement is needed.
2. The supervisor meets with the employee regarding the change or termination of the agreement during which time the length of notification and effective date will be communicated.
3. If changing the hybrid or remote agreement conditions, the employee and supervisor will complete a new request form following the steps listed above.

If terminating the agreement, the supervisor will send the employee an email, copying the VBS HR Director, regarding the termination including the effective date and request the employee acknowledges in writing their understanding of the change.

RELATED POLICES

VBS adheres to Vanderbilt's established employment policies. In cases where VBS guidelines differ from university policy, it is expected that the more restrictive policy takes precedence.

For additional information regarding university policies, please review the links below:

Remote and Hybrid Work Policy for Staff

Hours of Work Policy

Equal Opportunity and Access

Computing Privileges and Responsibilities/Acceptable Use Policy

Remote and Hybrid Toolkit

Alternative Workplace Arrangements Toolkit & Guidelines for Success

Violation of University policies may result in disciplinary action, up to and including termination of employment.

Contact your VBS HR Administrator with questions.

EFFECTIVE DATE: July 1, 2023

Last revised: May 8, 2023