Tips and tools

opportunity : Flexible Workplace :
Tips and tools

Tips and Tools

Model administrative arrangements: flexi-place

Model administrative arrangements:
flexible working hours

Tips for working at home

MODEL administrative arrangements:
FLEXI-PLACE

The following guidelines are intended only to be a model rather than a firm and comprehensive plan. We recommend that they not be adopted until the Center has checked every paragraph in detail for acceptability and feasibility. There may be important local considerations not reflected in this model that should be incorporated into the final arrangements.

Centers may add these administrative arrangements to their basic policy statement in their Personnel Policy Manual (preferably as an appendix) or they may issue administrative instructions in the form of a circular to staff or intranet posting at the duty station concerned. Either is acceptable.

Administrative Arrangements:
FLEXI-PLACE (WORKING FROM HOME/ALTERNATIVE LOCATION)
1 Subject to the agreement of their supervisor, and with the approval of the Regional Director (or equivalent), staff members may elect to work for a specific period from home or an alternative location to the <Center> site, provided that:

the work proposed for this period can be undertaken effectively from home/alternative location, and
working from home/alternative location will not impair the staff members’ other work obligations, particularly communication/interaction with colleagues and partners.

2 Working from home/alternative location may be considered when:

the nature of the task requires considerable concentration in an environment that will allow uninterrupted work;
a staff member needs to accommodate a short-term personal/family need;
a staff member needs to accommodate a long-term personal/family need;
a staff member is physically unable to get to work, e.g. because of accident or injury (but nevertheless is medically fit for work);
a staff member is undertaking a return-to-work program following medical treatment; and
a staff member’s absence from her/his normal workplace (except in the case of accident/injury or return-to-work program) will not unduly affect productivity.

3 Working from home/alternative location will not be approved if medical opinion determines that the person is unfit for work.

4 Several options exist for working from home/alternative location. These include:

working at home/alternative location for an agreed part of every day for a specified period;
working at home/alternative location all day for a specified period; and
working at home/alternative location for an agreed part of each week on an ongoing basis.

Typically the specified period will be a number of days or weeks as appropriate. Consideration will also be given to other options, depending on feasibility and reason/s for the request.

5 The needs of the Center and the service provided will be the determining factor in any agreement to working from home/alternative location. Objectives for the work to be undertaken from home/alternative location must be mutually agreed between the staff member and her/his supervisor. Working arrangements must be robust, allow for measurable targets to be set and for regular feedback on performance to occur. There shall also be clear criteria established for reviewing the effectiveness of the arrangements.

6 Particular attention will be focused on availability of adequate communication with the staff member at home/alternative location and the implications for quality of interaction with team colleagues or partners. Thus, when the staff member is working from home or an alternate location:

in the same time zone as her/his usual site – it should be possible for <Center> management, colleagues and partners to contact the staff member at any time during agreed working hours; or
in a different time zone from her/his usual site, it should be possible for <Center> management, colleagues and partners to contact the staff member at any time during agreed working hours at the alternative location.

7 If the period of working from home/alternative location exceeds two weeks, the effectiveness of the arrangement will be monitored periodically. An agreement to review and evaluate the arrangement must detail the date for such a review and the subjects that will be covered in the review/s.

8 Security and confidentiality rules (cross-refer to section in Center’s personnel management manual or equivalent dealing with security and confidentiality), continue to apply to all business conducted on behalf of <Center>, irrespective of the staff member’s location. Breaches will be dealt with under disciplinary rules or other relevant <Center> policies and procedures.

9 Where good reason exists, arrangements for working from home/alternative location may be terminated at any time by the Regional Director (or equivalent), divisional head, supervisor or the staff member.

Implementation
Staff member
10 Any staff member considering an arrangement to work from home/alternative location should discuss the proposal with:

colleagues likely to be affected, and
relevant supervisor(s)

In order to reach consensus that the proposed arrangements will not impede workgroup effectiveness or relationships with partners.

Staff member and supervisor/s
11 The staff member and line supervisor will consider:

the nature of the staff member's work and its suitability for being undertaken from home/alternative location;
the staff member's demonstrated ability to work without direct supervision; and
the staff member's demonstrated ability to meet deadlines (track record).

12 If both parties agree that the proposal to work from home/alternative location appears feasible, they will work jointly to prepare a recommendation for management’s approval. The recommendation will address all of the following issues:
(a) the proposed period for working from home/alternative location;
(b) the project/s to be undertaken and the specific outputs from the period spent working from home/alternative location;
(c) the reason/s for the proposal;
(d) their assessment of the suitability of undertaking the work from home/alternative location;
(e) the supervisor’s endorsement that the staff member is likely to be effective working from home/alternative location;
(f) risk implications for colleagues/teams/partners – particularly those managed by the staff member (e.g. coordination difficulties, communications difficulties);
(g) proposed solutions for any adverse implications (e.g. message-taking, fax, phone, e-mail);
(h) communication details (e.g. telephone numbers, contactable hours);
(i) relevant health and safety issues for Center and staff member;
(j) security and confidentiality issues; and
(k) arrangements for periodic review and evaluation of arrangements and work progress against agreed targets (if exceeding 2 weeks).

Regional Director/ Director (or equivalent)
13 The decision on whether or not to allow working from home will rest with the respective Regional Director (or equivalent). The Regional Director must be satisfied with the arrangements agreed between the staff member and her/his supervisor.

14 The Regional Director will forward a copy of the approved arrangements to the head of HR, who will provide a quarterly summary of such arrangements to the Management Committee.