Flexible Work at Dartmouth

Flexible Work Policy

While most work at Dartmouth is performed on campus, non-faculty employees are able to request a flexible work arrangement. Employees and Supervisors interested in a flexible work arrangement should first review the Flexible Work policy. This policy provides fundamental information about eligibility for flexible work and the process for initiating and evaluating staff requests.

Policies to Review

Forms & Resources

Core Principles

The process for evaluating flexible work requests is equitable and appropriate for the position.

  • The process for making decisions regarding when, where, and how work gets done should always be equitable. This does not mean the resulting decisions will be equal, as there are many variables which can differ from situation to situation. Not all types of flexible work will be suitable for every position. Some positions require an on-campus presence to serve students or other clients and customers or perform supervisory responsibilities, require the ability to work with others on campus at specific times and shifts, and/or involve tools, or equipment that need to remain on campus.
  • Relevant evaluation criteria include but are not limited to: the requirements of the position, the priorities of the department, the individual’s ability to successfully perform the work in general and likelihood of success in the requested flexible work arrangement, and the potential impacts of the flexible work arrangement on students, colleagues, clients and customers, and the overall department. 
  • The key to equity is a fair assessment process which is consistent and transparent and as such, divisions/schools/departments are encouraged to follow a consistent evaluation process. Supervisors should read and follow the process outlined on the Evaluating Flexible Work Arrangement Requests page when determining a position’s suitability for flexible work.

The flexible work arrangement will have either a beneficial or net-neutral impact.

  • For flexible work arrangements to be approved, they should either enhance or maintain the individual’s impact on the educational, research and outreach missions of Dartmouth and the priorities and goals of their respective division/school/department. Arrangements should not result in additional ongoing expenses for a division/school/department.

Flexible work decisions are at the discretion of a division/school/department's leadership and are not grievable.

  • Although Dartmouth has many positions which are similar in their basic responsibilities, there can be great variance in priorities, services, customers, and environments across the institution. Given this reality, those best to make the determination about what level of flexibility a position can support are those directly responsible for the day-to-day management of the position.  

Flexible work decisions are made without bias or favoritism.

  • Each flexible work decisions should be evaluated based on business merit and free from any personal biases or preferences. One of the best strategies to avoid bias is to include more than one person, such as both the manager and the HR Business Partner in evaluating all requests. It is also helpful to regularly review decisions across a work unit to ensure consistency in the criteria used, the decision-making process and resulting outcomes.

A flexible work arrangement will not cause an ongoing net hardship or a lesser experience for colleagues, students, etc.

  • A flexible work arrangement should not have an ongoing negative downstream impact on another person or area. This includes situations such as when a remote arrangement creates an ongoing increase in workload for others located onsite or when a customer would realize greater benefit from an in-person rather than virtual interaction. As always, departments can rearrange work responsibilities, either temporarily or on an ongoing basis, to accommodate flexible work arrangements, where it makes sense.

Approved flexible work arrangements should be documented.

  • Once approved, the employee and supervisor will document the agreement using the appropriate format.

A flexible work arrangement can be changed or discontinued at any time.

  • Flexible work arrangements are entered into because they meet both the individual and organizational needs at the time they are proposed. Sometimes these needs will no longer be aligned and thus the arrangement will no longer be viable. It is best practice that at least one month’s notice is provided if a department decides to discontinue a flexible work arrangement to provide an employee with ample time to make any personal arrangements needed to adjust to the change.
  • Employees and supervisors should contact their HR Business Partner at any time with questions about a flexible work arrangement request, its evaluation, or its implementation. 
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