To: Wellesley College Administrative Staff
From: Carolyn Slaboden, Chief Human Resources Officer
Re: Update on the Administrative Staff Flexwork Framework
Date: December 10, 2021
I am writing to provide an update on the College’s Administrative Staff Flexwork Framework.
When we launched the framework this past summer, we indicated that we would revisit it in December, as it was new for us and we were rolling it out after a lengthy period of fully remote work. We called it a pilot, not because we viewed it as temporary, but rather because we knew the framework would need to be iterative to be truly successful.
Given that we are still in a pandemic and our in-person interactions with one another remain necessarily limited, it is difficult to determine how our campus work life should be structured after the pandemic is finally over.
What we do know is that flexwork is here to stay. We are going to build on our success from this fall by implementing some new flexwork options starting immediately and continuing in the spring semester.
- Employees who foresee that their flexwork arrangements will require a schedule adjustment in a given week may ask their managers for a schedule change. Managers will have discretion to determine whether to permit such an adjustment.
- Employees who would benefit from working remotely on a specific project for a finite period of time may also ask their managers for a schedule adjustment. Managers will have discretion to determine whether to permit such a change.
- All requirements for working in one of the approved states (Mass., N.H., Vt., Conn., R.I., and Maine) apply.
January 2022
To support all administrative staff, including those who are normally on campus when students are here, we will allow for greater remote work flexibility in January. Administrative staff members should meet with their managers to determine what degree of on-campus work will be necessary during that time.
Spring 2022
For the spring semester, division heads and managers will determine which administrative roles could continue to be effective with one to two remote work days per week and which could be predominantly remote (three to five days per week). For example, some positions focused on technology/data analytics, research, fund-raising, and finance are well-suited to being predominantly remote. This list is not exhaustive, nor does it mean that all roles in these categories will move to being predominantly remote. The manager in each area will have discretion to make these decisions in conjunction with division heads. We expect that all staff will be on campus regularly, even if not weekly. Requirements for working in one of the approved states will apply.
My senior leadership colleagues and I are eager to learn more about your experience with flexwork, and we’d like to hear your suggestions about the future of the program at Wellesley. The Compensation and Personnel Policy Advisory Committee (CPPAC ) will be working with Human Resources to administer a survey to ask for your feedback. Your responses will inform our post-pandemic flexwork plan.
I’d like to take this opportunity to thank each of you for all of your efforts. I know that you are all navigating different complexities in your lives while managing your roles at the College. I’m grateful for the ongoing support you have been offering to one another and to our students during this challenging time.
