Policy on Flexible Work Arrangements

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Policy Category: Human Resources

Effective Date: 4/1/2026

Responsible Officer: Vice President, CHRO

History: New Policy  

Responsible Office: Human Resources

Location: https://wit.edu/about/policies/flexible-work

Purpose

This policy is intended to provide guidance related to flexible work arrangements while balancing Wentworth Institute of Technology (university) needs.

Scope/Applicability

This policy applies to benefits-eligible staff who are not otherwise covered by a collective bargaining agreement.  

This policy does not apply to student workers and Co-Op students.  

Legal

N/A 

Policy

Wentworth recognizes the importance of a vibrant campus community, on balance with employee wellbeing and engagement, and considers flexible work a potential option when both the employee and position are suited to such an arrangement. Flexible work arrangements are based on the needs of the individual divisions, departments, and job functions. It is expected that employees who have significant student, faculty, or public-facing positions, or who rely on resources best accessed on campus, will work on campus, in some capacity, to complete their duties and responsibilities. Of primary importance and informing our decisions regarding staff work options is Wentworth’s strategic pillar to provide a student-centered residential experience. As a result, how individual positions impact students’ living and learning experiences must be a guiding principle for how and where staff complete their work. At the same time, it is recognized that some university departments can effectively support the academic, student, and operational experience without being on campus 100% of the time.

Flexible work may be appropriate for some employees and positions but not for others. Flexible work is not an entitlement and not all employees who request flexible work will have their requests approved.

Procedures for fully remote work will primarily apply to exempt staff. Flexible work schedules may be more applicable to select non-exempt positions. Additionally, working remotely (either hybrid or fully remote) is limited to work from within the United States and within states approved by Human Resources in advance. Certain states have restrictive employment requirements that may exclude employees from working from a place other than the Wentworth campus or require special handling. Therefore, all remote or hybrid work requests will be reviewed on a case-by-case basis and there will be additional considerations regarding these arrangements for employees who live in states other than Massachusetts. Generally, remote work is not applicable for temporary workers, contingent workers, or work study students.  

The university will provide one set of standard technology package (typically one computer, two monitors, a keyboard, a mouse, and a docking station) for the employee’s primary work location which in the case of hybrid work arrangement will continue to be the on-campus work location. It will be the employee’s responsibility to arrange for any and all additional equipment or services (including printers, phones, phone service, internet service, etc.) necessary to facilitate working from a remote workspace. The university will not provide any technical support or reimbursement for printing, phone, internet or furniture for off-campus work location and all costs, whether relating to the initial set-up or the maintenance of an off-campus work location. All direct and indirect costs for maintaining a remote workspace will be borne by the employee. 

Eligibility

Not all employees, nor all positions, are eligible for flexible work arrangements.         Managers will determine eligibility using this and other criteria:

Employee work performance: Generally, an employee must be in good standing and     without performance issues to be eligible for a flexible work arrangement. The following     non-exhaustive list may be considered when determining an employee’s standing:

  • Is the employee on a Performance Improvement Plan?
  • Has the employee received verbal or written disciplinary action within the last 6 months?
  • Was the employee rated “consistently meets” or better in the most recent performance evaluation?
  • Has the employee demonstrated self-motivation with a demonstrated ability to work productively and independently without daily/weekly managerial oversight?

Work type: Generally, positions whose essential duties require on campus work during standard business hours are not eligible for flexible work arrangements.

  • When face-to-face contact with students, faculty, and staff on Wentworth property is a regular and integral part of the duties, the position is likely ineligible for a flexible work arrangement.  
  • If equipment, materials, and electronic and paper files can only be accessed fully and securely on Wentworth property, the position is likely ineligible for remote work.
  • If the business needs of the department are not served by the flexible work arrangement, the position is likely ineligible for a flexible work arrangement.

Regardless of the eligibility of an employee or the position for flexible work, Wentworth managers must also ensure sufficient on-campus staffing levels during scheduled/ regular business hours to provide appropriate service levels to the campus community.  

Definitions

On-Campus (Full Time): A work arrangement where the essential functions of a position can only be met successfully and effectively by being performed on Wentworth’s campus. Standard can be Monday – Friday or the standard schedule of the position. There are some, but very few, jobs that require modified schedules that best meet the needs of the department as well as the university. An example would be a lab technician position that requires 4 days onsite and some evenings to mirror the academic schedule. These types of arrangements will be made based on the needs of the department.

Hybrid work: A type of work arrangement that allows an employee to work both from their designated office space on the Wentworth campus as well as from a remote location outside of the Wentworth campus. The blend of remote and on-campus work will be guided primarily by the various state employment requirements and the needs of the position, department, and university. As a result, they are subject to change as appropriate. Employees who work a hybrid schedule may be designated a shared office space.  

It is important to note that a work schedule can change depending upon the work of the position and campus-based days may vary at times. Examples include but are not limited to Admissions, Institutional Advancement, Digital Technology Services (DTS), or other positions where a set weekly schedule may not always be applicable.

Remote Work (Full Time): A type of work arrangement that allows an employee to work permanently from a remote location outside of Wentworth's campus. Remote work is only available when the essential functions of the positions can be met and where the position can effectively support the academic, student and operational experience without being on-campus. Some remote work arrangements may have additional considerations such as the need to attend occasional in-person meetings.  

Remote workspace: The place away from campus in which employees perform their job duties. 

Procedure(s)

General Information

  1. Positions whose essential functions require interaction with students, positions whose operational needs can only be done from campus, or who rely on resources best accessed on campus will be required to work on campus.  
  2. All requests for remote or hybrid work must be pre-approved and documented by employees and their managers and reviewed and finalized by Human Resources) in Workday. The request will include important information such as days and hours the employee is expected to be remote and one campus, how the employee is reachable at the remote site and method of contact (i.e., phone, Teams, email), location of the remote site, time, and frequency of contact with a manager during remote hours.
  3. Remote work and hybrid work may be appropriate and effective for some positions and employees, but not for others. Supervisors, working with Human Resources will determine the appropriate work arrangement for positions on a case-by-case basis.  
  4. All employees must inform their supervisor and Human Resources if they have a change of address by going into Workday and opening a case.  
  5. Remote or hybrid work is limited to work performed within the United States unless it is contract work.
  6. Supervisors should utilize the work style definitions to evaluate a position’s suitability for on-campus, hybrid, or remote.  
  7. Hybrid and remote work schedules must support business needs and are reviewed on an individual position basis to ensure that both the employee and Wentworth will benefit from remote work. Requests must be supported by the employee’s supervisor with review and approval by Human Resources.  
  8. Hybrid and remote  work schedules suitability assessments for positions by supervisors are based on business needs of the position and are different and distinct from individual requests for remote work by staff members for a religious accommodation or an ADA accommodation (due to a physical or mental impairment that substantially limits one or more major life activities that results in the inability to effectively perform the essential duties of a position). Such requests should be forwarded to the Office of Institutional Equity.  
  9. Hybrid and remote schedule arrangements are a privilege made available by the university in its sole discretion, or upon request by the employee and can be changed or discontinued at any time. Efforts will be made to provide advance notice where possible to allow for transition time.  
  10. Supervisors are encouraged to utilize designated collaboration days once a week.  
  11. In emergency situations, Wentworth may direct employees, including essential service employees who are not physically needed on campus, to work remotely. In those instances, employees will be informed of the start and end time of the remote work assignment by their manager.  
  12. Because successful hybrid and remote schedule arrangements require support and commitment from both the employer and the employee, key responsibilities of both parties are outlined below:

Employee Responsibilities

  1. Absent the relevant technology, resources, and tools to perform job duties remotely provided by the employer, employees are solely responsible for the configuration of, and all the expenses and services associated with a remote workspace. This includes ensuring and maintaining an appropriate and safe remote workspace. The employee should establish an appropriate remote workspace within their home for work purposes that is appropriately quiet and distraction-free. The university will not be responsible for costs associated with the setup of the employee's remote workspace such as remodeling, lighting, equipment, furniture, or the cost of utilities.  
  2. Meet expectations of the job while working in a remote workspace. The essential functions of the job must be adequately performed for the hybrid, remote, or flexible work schedule arrangement to be successful and continue.  
  3. Maintain communication and accessibility to colleagues and customers in a similar manner to that of an on-campus office employee. For example, forwarding office phone and voicemail, being responsive to email and other outreach; utilizing videoconferencing for meetings; etc.  
  4. Maintain regular communication with the supervisor as instructed.  
  5. Follow established working hours as determined by the supervisor in accordance with business needs. In instances where time zones do not align, the employee may be required to attend to work obligations during Eastern Standard Time (EST). Employees may also need to ensure that their schedules overlap with those of their team members for as long as is necessary to complete their job duties effectively.  
  6. Use university-owned equipment (typically a laptop, power cord, and mouse) only for legitimate university purposes. Protect university-owned equipment from theft, damage, and unauthorized use. The employee is responsible for obtaining and effectively using any other equipment needed in a remote workspace.
  7. Set up and maintain a reliable and secure internet connection that allows for the following: the ability to communicate electronically (email, videoconference, instant message) and transmit documents and work deliverables in a timely manner.  
  8. Employees must safeguard university information, including confidential information used or accessed while working remotely or hybrid, in accordance with Wentworth’s Appropriate Use Policy and other applicable information technology policies.  
  9. Upon separation or the end of a hybrid or remote, schedule arrangement, the employee is responsible for returning all university equipment.  
  10. Ensure that non-work-related events and activities do not disrupt or interfere with work at the remote workspace. Hybrid and remote, staff are expected to achieve outcomes and productivity expectations and provide the same level of service in a similar manner to that of an on-campus employee.  
  11. Employees who are non-exempt must abide by the overtime requirements of the Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA) and will be required to accurately record all hours worked in ADP/Workday. Hours worked in excess of those scheduled per day and per workweek require the advance approval of the remote employee’s supervisor in accordance with university guidelines. Failure to record all time worked may result in disciplinary action up to and including separation.  
  12. Adhere to designated lunch, break, or other defined schedules for productive or nonproductive time as determined by the supervisor.  
  13. Request, record, and take absences for vacation, sick and other benefit time in compliance with department and university guidelines.  
  14. Comply with the Wentworth Policy and Procedure Guide, Hours of Work policies, and other applicable university, division and department policies, procedures, or guidelines in the same manner as employees who work from campus. This includes FMLA, ADA, or other leaves of absence.  
  15. Understand applicable requirements to travel to campus as determined by your supervisor. Supervisors may require employees to report to Wentworth for work-related meetings or other events as needed to discuss work progress or other work-related issues. Any required travel that ordinarily would be considered as normal commuting to and from work will not be reimbursed. Required travel elsewhere may be reimbursed per Wentworth travel policies.  
  16. Follow payroll guidelines regarding when an employee needs to update and designate a work address indicating a remote workspace as it relates to tax implications for the employee and the university.  
  17. Follow appropriate steps for reporting work-related accidents or injuries. Workers' compensation coverage is limited to designated work areas in employees' homes or remote work locations. Employees must practice the same safety habits they would use to maintain safe conditions in their remote workspace as they would in an on-campus office.  
  18. Permanent remote work or hybrid work schedules are not to be used for regular childcare, elder care, or other family care situations. However, these work options may be available per the Family Medical Leave Act, Policy on Pregnancy, Parenting and Caregiving, or other applicable laws or policies.  
  19. Assume responsibility for injuries occurring in the employee's remote workspace outside the agreed upon work hours or for injuries that occur during working hours but do not arise out of and in the course of employment. The employee also assumes liability for damages to the employee's real or personal property resulting from work occurring at the remote workspace. The employee remains liable for injuries to third persons and/or members of the employee’s family occurring on the employee’s premises.  

Employer Responsibilities

  1. Set clear expectations related to job responsibilities and performance and determine measures of success.  
  2. Modify supervisory and leadership skills appropriate for a remote or hybrid work schedule arrangements. Remote leadership recognizes that if expectations are met, precisely how/where the work is conducted is not as critical as effective outcomes.  
  3. Establish regular meetings with the hybrid, and remote, schedule employee.  
  4. Provide the standard, resources, and tools to perform job duties remotely as stated above.  
  5. Plan meetings, trainings, events, etc. in a manner that effectively includes hybrid, remote, work schedule employees as well as on-campus staff.  
  6. Complete relevant steps to document remote, hybrid work schedule arrangements.  
  7. Work with campus colleagues such as DTS to allocate resources and equipment in a manner that does not duplicate resources between the on-campus workspace and the remote workspace.
  8. Clarify and communicate schedules, expectations for designated lunch break or other productive and non-productive time.  
  9. Review and discuss with the employee all relevant policies including hours of work, FLSA, and others as appropriate.  
  10. Documentation should always indicate that any remote or hybrid, work schedules will only be in place as long as Wentworth business needs allow.  
  11. Identify strategies to maintain a productive, involved team where some members will not be in person.

Additional Information & Related Documents

Interpretation & Revision

Any questions of interpretation regarding this policy shall be referred to Human Resources. They will be the final authority regarding the interpretation of this policy.  

This policy shall be reviewed every three years; however, minor updates and changes can be made at any time.    

The university will typically apply the policy in place at the time it receives a report concerning the respected policy.  

Additionally, in instances where two or more policies are implicated, a case-by-case determination will be made to determine what policy will be used.  

Review and Revision History

This policy was drafted by representatives from Human Resources. It was reviewed by Cabinet

This is a new policy.