The School of Public Health aims to foster a community that nurtures science and scholarship and supports students. To that end, our expectation is that most work in the school, most of the time, will be carried out on site.
However, staff may be permitted to engage in remote work, whether partially or fully, in accordance with WashU’s Flexible Work Arrangement Policy. Fundamentally, remote work consideration and approval must be in accordance with School of Public Health business needs. Supervisors also should have an eye toward equity among staff in the department or unit. Supervisors may approve or deny a remote work or flexible schedule request to meet work requirements. Approved flexible work schedules are those that sustain or enhance employees’ ability to complete the functions of their jobs without presenting an undue inconvenience to the School of Public Health, its clients, or the employees’ departments. If approved to work remotely, employees are expected to be responsive via email, available for phone calls and meetings, and actively participating in work, particularly during core hours. It is expected that a remote environment where an employee chooses to conduct work is conducive to supporting the employee’s daily activities in support of business operations. If an employee is mostly unavailable when working remotely, the appropriate supervisor will be required to issue a verbal warning to the employee, and if the issue persists, subsequently consider terminating the agreement to work from home. The arrangement may be reviewed and changed at any time.
Further information regarding remote work at WashU may be accessed here. A playbook has been developed for employees and managers on handling remote work requests, and includes tips on becoming successful at remote work, and setting up a remote workspace. To be considered for remote work at the School of Public Health, an employee first should discuss plans with their direct supervisor, and then complete a Remote Work Arrangement form. The form should be submitted to the associate dean for administration, who will review. We note that an Out of State Employee Handbook Supplement has been developed regarding remote work locations in Illinois.
Requirements for a remote work agreement may be altered during extraordinary circumstances such as a pandemic. In such situations, managers will communicate accordingly with employees to advise them of applicable policies and practices.
The School of Public Health does not fund the purchase of any durable goods or services or cover fees to equip employees’ home offices. Working remotely is a personal choice rather than a mandate by SPH. As such the school will not purchase additional equipment beyond what is necessary to conduct work on School of Public Health premises.