Overview

We are a residential teaching and research community supporting the success of nearly 3,000 students. On campus and in-person interaction and collaboration among faculty, staff, and students are essential to our research, teaching, and service mission. We believe this experience cannot be replicated in virtual or online contexts. However, we also recognize the benefits of remote work and flexible work schedules for our employees.

Flexible work arrangements, including teleworking, are permitted by UT Austin, as long as they are in the best interest of the University and will enhance the productivity of the employee, and followed according to university rules, procedures and policies. All flexible work arrangements require prior supervisor’s approval.

University’s Guidance on Flexible Work Arrangements - Staff

The university has established the following policies and guidelines around Flexible Work Arrangements (FWA) and Telework:

• Staff Work Arrangements

• ISO Security Guidance for Working Remotely

Our College will comply with university and Board of Regents policy, and local, state, and federal law.

Types of flexible work arrangements

• Teleworking: routinely working one or more days per week at a location that is not the regularly assigned place of employment.

• Flex-time: varying an employee’s schedule on a regular or non-regular basis while still completing the required 40 hours per week (typically scheduling hours between 7:00 am – 6pm) provided that all offices shall be open during the hours of 8:00 am – 5:00 pm Monday - Friday.

• Compressed work week: working more hours on some days of the week to complete the required 40 hours/week in fewer than five 8-hour days.

COE FWA Policy and Process

• Employees should live in a geographically close/commutable distance from UT, with the ability to travel to a primary campus location within a few hours.

• Prior to offering or approving work locations outside the state of Texas, supervisors must review the work location with their HR Partner, who will consult with central HR’s Strategic Workforce Solutions (SWS), Director of HR and the Dean for approval. See tab "Out-of-state work requests" on this page.

• If an employee will work remotely and/or flex their work time, they must complete a UT Flexible Work Arrangement Request Form (PDF). The form must be uploaded to the employee's worker profile in Workday. In the event of any change the FWA form must be updated to reflect that change.

• FWA agreement at the minimum should be revisited annually at the time of performance appraisal. Any changes must be documented in the form.

• FWA agreements are subject to change based on the business needs and/or employee’s performance.

Notes

• Business reasons may include the completion of tasks requiring uninterrupted concentration (writing and editing, data analysis, coding, or other complex or detail-oriented work, or reducing space/noise issues in shared offices). Business reasons should not include childcare needs, commute time, illness, slow periods at work, or other personal reasons.

• "Requested Schedule" should specify actual, regular work hours (e.g. 8am-5pm), and include at least 30 minutes for a lunch break.

• A typical response for "Describe how and when this agreement will be evaluated" could be something like, “Supervisor expects employee to maintain the same level of performance while telecommuting. Feedback to be provided as needed and in annual performance reviews.”

• A fixed term trial period is recommended for new telework agreements, with regular reviews to assess job performance. 

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Out-of-state and international work locations

See HR: Out of State and International Work.

Out-of-state work location

If out-of-state duration will be fewer than 90 days (temporary)...

• 1-15 days (temporary): Manager approval is required.

• 16-89 days (temporary): Manager and Dean approvals are required. 

If out-of-state duration will be more than 90 days (long-term)...

In some circumstances, an employee (new hire or current) not residing in Texas may be approved for a long-term remote-work arrangement. Direct supervisors of such employees should obtain required approvals by following the process below:

1. Review HR: Out of State and International Work > Out of State Remote Work

2. Supervisor contacts the COE Director of HR at COE-HR@austin.utexas.edu to discuss the proposed arrangement. For requests for faculty, also cc COE-FacultyAffairs@austin.utexas.edu.

3. If the Director of HR supports the arrangement, they will report high-level job and worker information to internationaloutofstate@austin.utexas.edu for review.

4. Central HR will review the form to make sure the proposed arrangement meets University and state guidelines and will evaluate employment details against state-specific wage, hour, and employment laws.

5. If there are concerns, next steps will be provided.

6. If request is approved, the approved form and any other relevant documentation must be uploaded to the worker profile in Workday.

International work location

1. Review the guidance at HR: Out of State and International Work > International Remote Work

2. Supervisor contacts the COE Director of HR at COE-HR@austin.utexas.edu to discuss the proposed arrangement. For requests for faculty, also cc COE-FacultyAffairs@austin.utexas.edu.

3. Next steps will be provided by the COE Director of HR. 

4. For faculty, EVPP Faculty Affairs and Provost approval are required.

Notes:

• Temporary arrangements to UT restricted regions require IOC submittal and approval before starting work, even when UT is not paying for the travel.

• Follow international information security guidance.

• For university-related international travel, follow the instructions at Texas Global: Faculty and Staff Travel.

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