Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs) about Flexible Work

Campus Flex is about providing flexibility around hours of work and scheduling for those who must work on campus. 

Depending on whether you belong to a bargaining unit (and which one) and your department’s operational requirements, flexible options for those who work full-time on campus can vary.  Options that exist in some (but not all) Collective Agreements include:

• Flexible hours – the ability to start/end the workday at non-standard times. This allows staff to avoid peak travel periods, take advantage of transit or carpooling options, and manage family responsibilities.
• Flexible work breaks – the ability to extend the scheduled workday to work the same hours with additional or longer break periods to meet personal goals, which might include exercise, appointments, or personal time during the day.
• Modified Work Weeks – some collective agreements include this option where a small amount of additional time worked each day accumulates for a scheduled paid day off.
• Workload averaging – The averaging of weekly hours over a set period of time, so that some weeks will be more hours and some fewer hours without the accrual of overtime. This option may be limited by collective agreements.
• Compensatory Time Off (CTO) – the accrual of additional hours worked to be taken off at a later, agreed to date at regular rates of pay (not overtime). This option is currently only available to PEA employees.
• Voluntary reduction in workload – A temporary or ongoing reduction in workload to a part time schedule could allow employees to continue working while managing personal or family obligations.
• Leave without pay –To supplement other leave entitlements such as taking an extended vacation employees can take a personal leave without pay.
• Job Share – when two part-time staff members share a full-time job. This is different than a single employee reducing to part time because the role remains a full-time role.

Review your Collective Agreement or Terms and Conditions of employment to see what options might be limited by collective agreement language and complete a Flexibility Framework request form.  Discuss your request with your supervisor, who can seek assistance from Human Resources.

Professional Employee’s Association (PEA)
Article 10 – Work scheduling
Article 14 – Personal leave

CUPE 917
Article 18 - Hours of work and shifts
Article 24 – Leave of absence
 
CUPE 951
Article 18 – Hours of work and shift differentials
Article 24 – Leave of absence
 
CUPE 4163 Comp 1 and 2
Article 17 Leave
TA Appendix section 14
Non-Student Appendix section 14
ELC and FLP Appendix section 14
Cultural Assistants Appendix section 27.01
Resident Life Appendix section 14 and 17
 
CUPE 4163 Comp 3 – N/A
 

Hybrid Flex is when an individual works a combination of time on campus and remotely in a home office.  The schedule of remote work may be fixed or flexible, and the amount of time spent on campus is determined at the departmental level based on operational requirements.

Anyone may request Hybrid Flex.  Hybrid Flex is not intended to apply to Faculty roles.

The approval is at the discretion of the departmental supervisor or manager.

Disagreements related to Hybrid Flex requests may be reviewed by the Senior Management Excluded leader in the faculty, program, or division (Dean, Director or higher).

UVic seeks to provide a vibrant on-campus experience and responsive suite of services for our students, faculty, employees and community. Connection to campus, students, clients and colleagues is necessary to some degree in all roles and is a condition of employment at UVic. Each department will determine how much on-campus presence is necessary.  

Commuting distance may vary with the nature of work performed and reasons for attending campus. For example, some roles may be required to attend campus for pre-planned meetings or events a few times a month, and some roles may be required to attend campus more frequently for regular meetings, events, client service or peak work periods. Some roles require attendance on short notice for emergencies or staff coverage. What determines a reasonable commuting distance will be decided on a case-by-case basis at the departmental level, based on the nature of the work and the time required to travel to campus. Employees are responsible for ensuring they can get to campus within the necessary timelines for these planned or emergent workplace requirements and are responsible for associated travel and parking costs.

Departments may establish criteria for Hybrid Flex that is consistent with UVic’s flexibility principles.  This includes, but is not limited to, the types of roles appropriate for hybrid work, number of requests approved at any one time, duration and review periods, hybrid work schedules, work assignments when working remotely, and team communications norms or standards to ensure effective communication and collaboration. Supervisors may find this guide for developing departmental criteria helpful.

Yes.  An occasional, ad hoc remote work day may be approved by the supervisor to address situations such as needing to be home for a service person, working at home when experiencing mild symptoms that prevent attendance on campus but don’t interfere with work, or to focus on a specific task without interruptions.  Any regularly occurring remote work is subject to a Hybrid Flex agreement.

All Hybrid Flex agreements are deemed to be temporary and will have an end date that may be renewed upon review. Departments may want to experiment with shorter durations (3-8 months) to try different practices and engage in open, honest discussions to ensure the arrangement meets everyone’s needs. Once established Hybrid Flex agreements should be reviewed at least annually. They may be cancelled with reasonable notice by either party (normally 30 days) they may be adjusted based on feedback or they may be renewed for another period of time.

Remote Flex is a rare and exceptional circumstance where the staff member lives outside of commuting distance from campus and works remotely on a full-time basis, with no intention to relocate or return to work on campus.  Remote Flex must be agreed to in advance and has special employment considerations that must be addressed in a separate Working Out of Province Agreement.    Short term, temporary remote work (up to six months) where the employee intends to return or relocate to within commuting distance of campus can be considered Hybrid Flex.  

Unless a Remote Flex agreement has been signed, an employee who moves out of commuting distance is still expected to attend campus as a condition of their employment.  This travel will be at their own expense.

Remote Flex should be considered with an abundance of caution and as a rare occurrence. Department leaders should contact their Human Resources Consultant if out of province remote work is under active consideration. Remote work outside of Canada will not be approved by UVic.

Discuss your request with your manager who will consult with Human Resources.  Working out of Province has a number of employment implications to be considered by both the individual and the employer and will only be approved in rare and exceptional circumstances.