Policy

Remote work principles and guidelines

Updated June 17, 2024

The Media School fully acknowledges the vital importance and necessity of an on-campus presence for students, visitors, faculty, and staff. At the same time, we do recognize that remote work arrangements (RWA), when successfully implemented, can allow employees to meet job-related expectations while offering an effective alternative to on-campus work.

Under university policy HR 06-08, The Media School offers the possibility of limited remote work, with supervisor approval, to staff members who hold positions that allow such accommodation. The following guidelines are designed to set clear expectations for directors, supervisors, and their staff remote work arrangements within The Media School. 

Guidelines

Per University Human Resources, remote work is not a right of employment and may not be available to all employees. Some positions, such as some student-facing or facility-dependent roles, may require a 100% on-campus presence and will not be eligible for a remote work arrangement. In addition, the work, structure, or size of some teams may limit the number of remote days available to eligible employees.

A balance of in-person and remote work is required to ensure that the fundamental in-person character of the university is maintained. Remote work is an arranged privilege, and it is not subject to grievance procedures. Media School staff are not obligated to pursue a remote work arrangement, but eligible staff may have the option to request 1-2 remote days per week, depending on their role and team need.

Approval of a remote work arrangement is at the discretion of the supervisor, pending approval from school administration. Supervisors are responsible for ensuring sufficient coverage by their teams, implementing a system to ensure coverage when staff are out of the office or positions are vacant, using good judgement regarding what work is and isn’t appropriate for remote work, and determining how many(if any) remote days are appropriate for a particular role. School administration may also be involved in making these decisions.

A fixed remote work schedule should be set so that the employee’s remote workday is the same each week. A “floating” remote workday is not an allowable arrangement. Supervisors can plan hybrid or online team meetings to continue organizational training, staff development, and engagement opportunities but staff are expected to work on campus when the need arises and are asked to keep week-by-week remote schedule changes to a minimum.

IU will not fully replicate workspaces at both on-campus and off-campus locations and staff who do not have access to consistent internet service, the necessary technology, and a quiet workspace will not be eligible for remote work. Employees are expected to use IU-provided technology on campus and when working remotely. Staff eligible for remote work who do not yet have an IU-provided laptop or similar device may use a CITO-approved personal technology to connect to IU systems, safely and securely. Participating staff are required to submit an IU Remote Work Agreement and acknowledge all remote work requirements, and any changes to the remote work plan must be documented.

The continuation of remote work is subject to change at any time per Media School leadership. If a remote work arrangement will be ended, the employee will be given at least two weeks of notice prior to that change, unless the arrangement is so problematic that an immediate change is required. 

Remote work arrangement procedure

Staff who are interested in an ongoing remote work arrangement should first discuss their plan and potential schedule with their supervisor. Rebecca Stanze, associate director of administration & human resources manager, can serve as a resource to think through any issues or challenges related to a particular position.

Once an agreement has been reached with the supervisor, staff are invited to complete the Remote Work Arrangement with IUHR. The RWA will route to the supervisor and the school’s human resources manager for approval.

Additional scheduling and operational considerations

• Some staff report to two supervisors. Both supervisors should be involved in the planning conversation and should be asked to approve the RWA.
• RWA schedules may be temporarily discontinued to address high-priority needs, such as peak operational periods, special events or projects; while performance concerns are addressed; or if additional coverage is required due to staff absences or vacancies. Adequate notice and lead time will be provided if possible but last-minute changes may occur and should be anticipated when choosing the location for remote work.
• Remote days cannot always be avoided when scheduling events, meetings, interviews, etc. and staff are expected to come to campus for such events when they occur. If necessary, an alternate remote day can be scheduled but the hope is that remote schedule changes will be kept to a minimum.
• New employees are required to work 100% on campus during the training/evaluation period to be determined by supervisor. New IU employees are required to work on campus during their evaluation periods.
• Whenever possible, staff should schedule their remote workday Tuesday through Thursday. If Friday is chosen as a regular remote day, staff are still encouraged to attend monthly staff meetings in person.
• Staff are expected to work standard office hours on their remote day(s).
• Staff working remotely should not ask on-campus staff to complete tasks on their behalf. If a position requires a presence on campus to complete tasks, that staff member should be present all week and would not be eligible for an RWA.
• Staff are expected to communicate regarding their continued availability during a remote day.
  • Remote schedules should be posted on the shared MSCH-Staff calendar.
  • The “working elsewhere” function should be used on your Outlook calendar to indicate remote days.
  • Signage at your workstation/office should be used to indicate you are still reachable by those on campus.
  • If staff working remotely cannot be reached as needed during the business day, via email, phone, or Teams chat, that staff member’s remote work arrangement can be revoked at the discretion of their supervisor and school administration.

Learn more about remote work at IU

Short-term remote work

Staff who are not interested in or do not qualify for an RWA may still encounter situations where working remotely in the short term can allow them to continue to make valuable contributions while also addressing personal needs. Staff with an RWA in place may also encounter challenges outside the days they are scheduled to work remotely. The RWA guiding principles above also apply to short-term or emergency remote work arrangements, primarily:

• Short-term remote work may never be an option for some staff positions, due to their role and responsibilities. IU provides a generous supply of time off that ideally would cover the time needed away from the office.
• Previous remote work approval does not mean that future requests will be approved.
• When working remotely, it is expected that work should be completed with the usual expectation of high-quality results, the employee should be as available and responsive, and hours should be worked on the same schedule as work done on-campus.

Short-term remote work procedures

Requests for short-term remote work should be made in advance, if possible, but as soon as the need arises. Requests should be emailed to supervisors and supervisors are authorized to approve or decline the request, although Rebecca can serve as a resource to discuss any issues. The accommodation of a sudden need to work remotely can provide the flexibility for staff to address unexpected life circumstances, but it is not intended to be a frequent request.

Before approving a request, supervisors should consider the employee's ability to:

• Meet the requirements listed above.
• Focus on work sufficiently despite minor illness or other home-related distractions.
• Continue to successfully meet the objectives and requirements of their standard work responsibilities.

Some scenarios appropriate for short-term remote work are:

• Household emergencies that require the staff person's presence but little attention.
• Sudden, brief interruption of childcare or eldercare.

Scenarios not appropriate for short-term remote work include:

• Prolonged or continued need to stay home for childcare or elder care.
• Out-of-town travel without extenuating, urgent circumstances.