This section provides an overview of many benefits available to faculty and staff. In the event of conflict between the overview provided in this handbook and the plan document or insurance plan, the plan document or insurance plan will govern. Complete descriptions are not possible in the handbook; employees should contact Human Resources for specific plan details. The Labor Agreement governs in the case of Union employees in all aspects of this section. Regular non-union employees who have a schedule involving a (.46) FTE or above, and Union employees who have a (.50) FTE or above are eligible to participate in the College’s benefit programs.

Carleton College will comply with all applicable laws such as ACA, FMLA, federal, state, and any applicable regulations.

Employment & Benefits

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FlexWork Policy

As a residential, liberal arts college, the workplace culture of Carleton is rooted in a shared academic mission, collaboration, providing exceptional service, and continued discourse. This culture depends upon the regular, in-person interactions between staff, faculty, and students and the opportunities for spontaneous discussions, collective input, and relationships across campus.

While these experiences remain vital to retaining our sense of community, Carleton also recognizes that the implementation of flexible work arrangements can often optimize the needs of the College and our staff while maintaining our workplace culture. Carleton supports FlexWork arrangements that help staff accomplish their work while promoting wellbeing, staff engagement and retention, and the overall sense of personal empowerment. The availability of FlexWork arrangements varies by department, division, and position based on business and operational needs; the approval, denial, or revocation of a FlexWork request is at the College’s discretion.

All FlexWork arrangements must be documented and approved in Workday; the flexible work arrangement request will be routed to the departmental leadership, the divisional vice president, and human resources for approval before implementation. The FlexWork policy is subject revision or revocation at any point.

This Policy is based upon the following core principles:

FlexWork supports and should not diminish Carleton’s collaborative and inclusive culture.  Maintaining Carleton’s culture built on in-person connections with students, colleagues, and the broader Carleton community is paramount.  Although FlexWork arrangements may be a different way of working, all employees will continue to contribute to a collaborative, inclusive, residential community. 

FlexWork is not suitable for all positions.  While many positions may be amenable to FlexWork arrangements, roles that are primarily student- or customer-facing or are supervisory in nature may not be eligible as those positions require in-person interactions to be most effective.  Other jobs can only be performed on campus or during normal business hours.   

FlexWork arrangements fully align with job duties. FlexWork arrangements must allow employees to fulfill all of the responsibilities of their position without transferring duties to or creating a burden for others.

FlexWork promotes positive work experiences.  Alternative work arrangements should promote employee engagement, Carleton’s ability to recruit and retain top talent, and healthy work-life integration.

FlexWork arrangements maintain or increase performance results. Successful FlexWork arrangements will maintain or increase service, quality of work, and productivity standards.

FlexWork depends on training, technology and supervisor support.  Training, technology and supervisor support are key elements of successful FlexWork arrangements and should be considered while developing a FlexWork agreement.

FlexWork decisions are equitable. It is crucial that personal bias and favoritism are removed from all FlexWork decisions and that the process for making decisions about where and when work is done is equitable. All FlexWork requests should be evaluated considering operational needs of the department first. The multi-level review process has been established to help standardize FlexWork arrangements for like positions from different departments or divisions.

Eligibility for FlexWork:

• Employees must be able to maintain performance and productivity standards.
• Employees must be fully accessible during their scheduled approved work hours. This includes attending virtual meetings and answering phone calls.
• Employees must be able to return to campus, as required, for on-campus meetings, events, and duties, sometimes with limited notice. – In-person attendance is required for specific meetings or events (i.e., departmental or divisional meetings, The President’s Quarterly Meeting, campus-wide events etc.)
• The employee’s department must maintain the quality of their services to campus community members, visitors, customers, etc.
• A flexible work agreement (FWA) must be completed and fully executed in Workday before FlexWork begins.

The types of FlexWork Arrangements available include:

Flextime (flexible scheduling) is an arrangement that provides flexibility when establishing an employee’s work schedule. Under a flextime agreement, employees are required to work during the department’s established standard core hours (i.e. 9:00am to 2:00pm), but may work the remaining hours at any point during the day. Flextime does not reduce the total number of hours worked in a given workweek.

Job Share is an arrangement that allows two or more employees to combine and share the responsibilities assigned to their roles, allowing for cross coverage and more individual flexibility. Job sharing does not alter an employee’s FTE and only similarly graded roles can be shared.

Hybrid is an arrangement that allows eligible staff members who have demonstrated the ability to perform productively to split their time working both on-campus and from a remote location. Hybrid arrangements may be situational, limited to specific time periods (academic breaks, during off-peak periods, etc.) or year-round.

Remote Work is an arrangement that allows eligible staff members who have demonstrated the ability to perform productively to work from a remote location. Remote work employees will likely be required to periodically attend meetings or events on campus.

Supervisors are encouraged to work with staff, direct supervisor, and divisional vice presidents to develop effective FlexWork plans that support the functions of the department, division, and College. The Office of Human Resources will partner with departments to coach and guide supervisors as well as eligible staff through the process.

General Expectations for FlexWork Arrangements:

• Employees must comply with all Carleton policies, procedures, and guidelines as well as all applicable city, state, and federal laws. Including, but is not limited to, Family Educational Rights Act (FERPA), Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA), the Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA) and Occupational Safety and Health Act (OSHA), Data Privacy and Retention, and Information Technology policies.
• Employees must safeguard college information used or accessed during remote work and abide by the Responsible Use of Technology Agreement. Employees should only access college data while using Carleton’s Virtual Private Network (VPN).
• Employees are expected to be fully accessible during their scheduled and approved work hours. This includes attending scheduled virtual meetings and answering phone calls.
• Hourly employees must adhere to required rest and meal breaks, to report their work hours accurately and timely, and to obtain prior approval before working any overtime. All hours worked must be carefully documented to ensure compliance with the Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA) and overtime regulations.
• This policy is not to be used to address the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) or other workplace accommodation requests. All accommodation requests must be sent immediately to Human Resources.
• Off-campus work arrangements are not intended to permit staff to have time to work at other jobs, provide dependent care or care for others during work hours, or run their own businesses.
• Remote employees must perform work in Minnesota or another state where Carleton is established as an employer. Regular international remote work is not allowed.
• Employees are responsible for maintaining a safe work environment and providing ergonomic office furnishings for their off-campus work location at their own expense.
• Out-of-pocket expenses for supplies, equipment, or technology available through the staff employee’s department will not normally be reimbursed. Therefore, when considering the implementation of a flexible work arrangement, supervisors must determine in advance, what resources the employee would require to perform their functions off-campus, and confer with Human Resources on whether and how to meet those resource needs, in order to ensure compliance with applicable state and federal regulations covering work-related reimbursement.  Supervisors should also consider any other applicable additional costs or liability in remote working from locations other than Carleton’s campus when considering the implementation of a flexible work arrangement.
• Carleton assumes no responsibility for liability or damages to an employee’s real or personal property resulting from their FlexWork Agreement.
• Workers’ compensation coverage is limited to designated work areas and applies only during the employee’s agreed-upon work hours. Employees agree to practice the same safety habits they would use if on-campus and to maintain safe conditions while working remotely. Employees must follow normal procedures for reporting illness or injury.
• The efficacy of any approved FlexWork arrangement will be incorporated into the performance appraisal process.
• FlexWork agreements must be reviewed by the supervisor and employee annually.

Last Revised: August 12, 2021

For: Staff

Last Reviewed: February 5, 2024

Maintained by: Human Resources

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