UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. — Penn State’s new staff flexible work arrangements policy, HR107, is now live. The policy provides guidance for units, colleges and campuses to integrate flexible work for staff into their overall recruitment, retention and diversity strategies.
In response to the recommendations drafted by the Remote Work Task Force in 2021, Penn State leadership committed to establishing staff flexible work opportunities within overall workforce operations. The new policy formalizes that commitment and offers leaders across the institution the information they need to determine how staff flexible work will be incorporated in their respective areas.
“Penn State’s new staff flexible work policy is an important step forward for our staff community,” said Penn State President Neeli Bendapudi. “I want to acknowledge all the work it took to implement this policy, from the excellent research of the Remote Work Task Force to the dedication of the flexible work implementation team and steering committee to make this policy a reality. I also want to acknowledge that this is a culture change, and it will take time for many areas of the University to implement a flexible work philosophy that works for our students, customers and community. However, I invite leaders and managers to see the great opportunities the new policy provides.”
Development of the policy and its implementation plan is sponsored by Nick Jones, executive vice president and provost, and Jennifer Wilkes, interim vice president for human resources and chief human resources officer.
“It is wonderful to see the new staff flexible work arrangements policy go live. This work helps retain Penn State’s identity as a modern employer of choice,” said Jones. “Areas across the University may be in very different stages of planning how flexible work will be applied within their teams. This new policy is meant to guide leaders and managers no matter where they are in the process of implementing a staff flexible work philosophy.”
The new policy supports the continuation of arrangements that already meet the needs of staff members and their departments. Unit, college and campus leaders, in conversation with managers and HR strategic partners, will continue to make decisions about how to apply flexible work arrangements within their areas. Not all staff roles will be eligible for flexible work arrangements.
“Given the uncertainty of the pandemic and related staffing challenges, Penn State’s approach to staff flexible work up to this point has been piecemeal and uncertain,” said Wilkes. “With this new policy, we take a confident step forward in establishing flexibility that works for our shared mission as a part of our everyday operations. We appreciate leaders’ efforts to look for opportunities to increase flexibility in support of the Penn State staff community.”
Resources for managers and staff members
New web content on the HR website is also available to help managers and staff members understand the new policy and its impact. New web pages include:
- Principles and criteria – foundational information on flexible work, including University-wide principles and criteria, examples of flexible work arrangements, and decision guides
- Employee and manager flexible work decision guides
- Request and approval process – overview of the process staff should take when requesting a new flexible work arrangement and an introduction to the Workday request and approval system
- Training and resources – training materials on business skills, health and well-being, and technology and workspace
- Frequently asked questions
Additional information will be added to the HR website on an as-needed basis.
Workday request and approval process
As part of the new policy, all flexible work arrangements, including previously approved and ongoing arrangements, must be documented within Workday for compliance and facilities planning purposes. With their unit, college or campus philosophy as a foundation, managers should work with staff who have a flexible work arrangement to enter their information in the system. Existing arrangements and requests for new arrangements are reviewed by managers, unit HR representatives, and a unit leader reporting to the University president.
Areas across the University may also have supplemental requirements for the request and approval process. All staff members and managers must follow additional request and approval steps established by their unit leaders.
The Workday system allows employees, managers or unit HR representatives to begin the process of documenting current flexible work arrangements and entering new requests for formal approval. Some units may prefer managers to initiate requests on behalf of their employees. Expectations for using the Workday system should be set and communicated at the unit level.
Managers of staff members can expect an email from human resources with guidance on how to begin documenting existing flexible work arrangements and how to address new requests. Directions on how to use the Workday request and approval process are available on the WorkLion Knowledge Base, including a job aid for employees and for managers. An introductory article on flexible work arrangements also is available on the Knowledge Base.
New flexible work arrangements
Staff members who are interested in requesting a new flexible work arrangement should take the following steps:
1. Review the University’s flexible work principles and criteria, as well as the employee flexible work decision guide to ensure their request meets all University-wide requirements.
2. Discuss the flexible work request with their manager. Do not enter requests into Workday before receiving preliminary manager approval.
3. If the manager permits, submit the flexible work request in the Workday system. In some cases, managers may prefer to enter new requests into Workday on behalf of their staff.
Please note that many areas of the University may still be planning their overall staff flexible work philosophy. As unit leadership establishes their flexible work parameters specific to their areas, individuals may see a delay in approval of any new formal flexible work arrangements requested in Workday.