National-Louis University, Chicago, IL
April 2009

Communicating the Development and Implementation of a “Flexible Work Options” Policy

National-Louis University (NLU) developed a “Flexible Work Options” policy with support from the president of the university, as well as with input from various staff and administrative representatives. The memo below written by NLU’s Vice President of Human Resources Thomas R. Bergman, unveils the new policy to staff, explains how the policy was developed, provides the specific flexible arrangements that are offered and how employees can be considered if they wish to work flexibly. Finally, the memo links to full policy. Here is the memo in its entirety:

“To All Non-Faculty Staff,

At the suggestion of the Staff Council, and with the support and recommendation of the President, a task force was convened and charged with exploring “flexible work options” for staff members.  We are pleased to announce that National-Louis University now offers “Flexible Work Options” to full and part time staff. 

Several months ago, Dr. Pappas charged a Flexible Work Options Task Force with drafting a policy suitable to the unique needs of NLU.  The Task Force, made up of 9 staff and administrative representatives from throughout the University, considered several types of flexible work arrangements, as well as their benefits and implications for University operations.  Additionally, careful consideration was given to developing a Flexible Work Options policy that could be implemented in a fair and equitable manner, could be adapted to the needs of departments throughout the University, and would allow for the ongoing enhancement of our service excellence initiatives. 

Some of the highlights of the new Flexible Work Options Policy include:

• Flextime, Telecommuting, Job Sharing and Home Office definitions, including eligibility requirements for each.
• Specific items that need to be considered by both the employee and the supervisor related to meeting the ongoing needs to the University and specific department(s).
• A step-by-step flex time application and approval procedure.
• An easy to follow Flexible Work Options Application Form with space for detailed explanations of proposals, as well as space for comments or suggestions from both the immediate supervisor and the department Vice President or Dean.

The application procedure will require employees to apply for a particular option as well as address any potential issues that could arise from a change to their schedule.  Once an employee has completed the required application form, their flexible work arrangement will require the approval of both their immediate supervisor and department Vice President or Dean.  Upon approval by both the immediate supervisor and department Vice President or Dean, the application will then need to be sent to the Office of Human Resources for an agreement to  be issued, which the employee will be required to sign and return within 5 business days, at which point their flexible work arrangement will become effective.

The full policy can be found attached to this email, as well as on the Policies and Procedures page of NLU’s community website at http://community.nl.edu, under the heading of Recruitment and Employment policies.

A similar email was sent to all managers and supervisors yesterday.  We encourage you to talk with your supervisor if you are interested in exploring potential options for yourself or to contact the Office of Human Resources at ext. 5275 with any questions or concerns.”

(Special thanks to Region V, Women’s Bureau, U.S. Department of Labor, for submitting this employer Best Practice in workplace flexibility.)