Flexible Work Agreements
Baylor University and the Division of Student Life are committed to excellence by supporting the total wellbeing of faculty, staff, and their families, including offering tools and resources that can guide Flexible Work Agreements (FWAs) where appropriate. When used thoughtfully, these options can foster health, equity, and connection while ensuring high-quality student services and affirming that people have value beyond productivity.
Establishing and/or renewing FWAs is a process initiated by each employee. Not every staff member needs or will have an FWA. Each employee wishing to request an FWA must follow the process outlined below.
Flexible Work Agreement Definitions
Ongoing
Available after serving 12 months in a role. Continues in perpetuity until canceled by the employee or supervisor. Effectiveness and modification conversations should take place during performance evaluations in March/April.
Temporary
For temporary or seasonal needs (i.e., summer). Limited to 4–10 weeks and requires a new agreement to extend. Requests for timeframes less than three (3) weeks should be considered flex-time and agreed upon informally by employees and their supervisor.
Primarily Onsite (division default)
An employee works regularly and primarily onsite in a designated Baylor space, but allows for use of flex-time as needed and approved by direct supervisor. All Baylor Student Life Employees are to work primarily onsite unless otherwise noted in an agreed upon FWA or job description.
Example: holds regular working hours, but flexes time due to events outside of regular working hours (e.g., coming in later after a late night event, taking time during the week due to a weekend event).
Hybrid
An employee works partly onsite and partly remote. Employee’s onsite and remote work schedule may fluctuate.
Example: remote work on different day(s) of the week according to office/area needs.
Compressed
A work week in which the traditional 40-hours are worked in less than five workdays.
Example: a full-time employee working four 10-hour days instead of five 8-hour days.
Fully Remote
An employee who regularly works completely or primarily off site, but may come to campus for meetings (this is an exceedingly rate arrangement).
Example: a temporary employee who does primarily administrative or project-based work that has no student/staff/office facing responsibilities.
Flexible Work Agreement Process
The documents below help to outline the FWA process and expectations, but the process can be largely framed as:
Practices
A compendium of definitions and helpful actions. Steps 1A and 1B also cover the practices of current and new employees, respectively.
Considerations Checklist
Because every role and its responsibilities are unique, flexible work arrangements will look different for each employee. Employees and their supervisors should use the considerations checklist to help determine what works best for the role and the department.
Before submitting a request, supervisors and employees must have a conversation using the Conversation Prompt to ensure any Flexible Work Agreement (FWA) is thoughtfully aligned with job responsibilities, departmental needs, and the university's standards for service and excellence.
Employees and their supervisors should agree upon a Flexible Work Agreement (FWA) that serves both the employee and department as and if possible.
Employees should download, complete, retrieve appropriate signatures for, and submit a detailed FWA Form that expounds upon the agreed upon FWA. This is a fillable form that can be completed without printing if needed.
Equity & Unit-Wide Review
FWA decisions must be applied equitably within a unit. A denied request should not be based solely on the existence of another employee's active FWA. When a new FWA request is submitted, supervisors and directors are encouraged to conduct a holistic review of all existing arrangements in the unit to ensure that collectively they continue to support departmental effectiveness and do not create inequitable working conditions.
Appeals & Further Action
Student Life is committed to ensuring that FWA decisions are made consistently, equitably, and transparently across all units. In the event that an FWA request cannot be agreed upon between an employee and their supervisor, or an employee believes a denial was inequitable, the following options are available:
Revisit with Supervisor
An employee may request an additional conversation with their supervisor to revisit the request. Both parties are encouraged to use the FWA Conversation Guide to identify any unaddressed concerns or possible modifications that may make the arrangement workable.Appeal to Director or Dean
If a resolution cannot be reached at the supervisory level, the employee may formally appeal the decision to the Director over their department. If the supervisor is the Director, the appeal may be escalated to the Dean over that area. The Director or Dean will review the request, consider the needs of the unit, and render a decision. Their decision is final within the Division.Consult the Staff Ombuds
At any point in this process, an employee may confidentially consult Baylor’s Staff Ombudsperson for informal guidance, coaching, and support. The Staff Ombuds serves as a neutral resource and does not advocate for any party, but can help employees understand their options and navigate the process.