Flex-Work @ PSU Expectations

Setting expectations can be both challenging and rewarding. In order to maintain a successful and cohesive team, it is important to understand your department or division's strategic objectives and goals. Understanding how these connect to the work of your team, you can accurately determine your staffing needs. By answering the questions below, you can better determine where your priorities lay and where best to place expectations for Flex-Work.

Services

What services does your area offer? What do you do? (regardless of location)
Which of your services must be provided on-site and which can be done remotely?
What services must be provided during regular business hours?
Who does your area serve? (students, employees, the public)
How and when do your customers access your services?
What flexibility/technology do you already have access to that can support a Flex-Work environment? (e.g. live chat, extended hours, offering programming virtually, etc.)
Do you plan to remove, add new, or revise any services?

Staffing

How many employees will you require on site at any given time?
Do you need to staff a walk-in or service desk model?
Do you have employees with accommodations or FMLA/OFLA leaves impacting your area’s Flex-Work arrangements? (Consult HR’s Leaves team leaves@pdx.edu for ADA accommodations and Leaves support as needed)
Does your unit allow remote work?
Does your unit allow flexible scheduling?
Who will be on campus and when?
Do you know the specific concerns of your employees?
How will you conduct 1:1 conversations with your direct reports?

Employees should know

When they are expected to be on campus;
When they are expected to be working regardless of work location;
How you will evaluate their Flex-Work performance/whether it's working out or not;
How they can contact you and/or team members;
What duties (if any) may be changing;
How to access important information about their rights and responsibilities under applicable policies, procedures, or Collective Bargaining Agreements.

View Collective Bargaining Agreements

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Your Responsibilities in Managing Flex-Work

Managing team performance is about setting expectations and measuring performance outcomes in relation to those expectations. Empowering and managing Flex-Work requires additional insight and planning.

Communicating

Communication within teams is at the core of all successful Flex-Work @ PSU arrangements. A communication plan is important and will include not only technology considerations, but also address:

accessibility/inclusivity,
formal and informal communications,
expectations of team members and mutual accountability,
evaluating communications success,
any existing ADA accommodation,
any existing religious accommodation,
and making sure employees do not feel pressured to be constantly working or available.

Additionally, be aware and check in with your Flex-Work employees to ensure they don’t feel "out of the loop" and aren’t overlooked when it comes to various kinds of workplace opportunities. A key component of this is intentional communication. Be sure to include it as an element of the agreement rather than an afterthought. Be specific about your expectations regarding communication for any employee with a Flex-Work agreement.

Measuring Success

Flex-Work is most successful when goals and strategic objectives are clearly defined, prioritized, and communicated. You should consider whether the quantity, quality, and timeliness of work has been maintained, enhanced, or diminished with the introduction of Flex-Work. You should also consider how Flex-Work has affected stakeholders, impacted processes, and whether Flex-Work has led to new opportunities.

The following questions can guide you in making decisions about how to manage Flex-Work:

How often, and in what ways you will check in and gather employee input and feedback?
How will work be assigned and tasks distributed?
How will you determine productivity levels among all employees in your area, and whether they are positively or negatively impacted?
How will you measure whether expectations are met around collaboration and group projects?
How will you evaluate communication efforts between the employee and students, staff and/or community members?
How will you gather feedback from stakeholders and customers about the effectiveness of flexible work schedules?
How will shared expectations be reviewed, and how often will the reviews occur?

Next: Determining Flex-Work Arrangements →

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