FlexWork Policy

Ref. No.	Executive sponsor	Policy steward	Approval authority	First approved	Last reviewed	Effective date	Next review
45.31	Vice President, College Services and Strategy	Director, Organizational Development	Executive Council	Mar. 8, 2022		May. 1, 2022	2023

Purpose
1. Nova Scotia Community College recognizes the positive impact flexible working arrangements have in:
  1. Improving business efficiency and productivity.
  2. Improving the balance between life and work.
  3. Creating a positive and inclusive environment.
  4. Creating an engaged and healthy workforce.
2. The purpose of this policy is to describe:
  1. The flexible work options available to employees.
  2. The framework they are administered within.

Scope
1. This Policy applies to all regular, probationary, term and auxiliary status employees.
2. Bargaining unit employees should consult their respective Collective Agreements for information on certain flexible options, eligibility, terms/conditions and other details that may apply.
3. Exceptions:
  1. This Policy does not apply to employee workplace accommodation(s) for medical reasons. The Employee Workplace Accommodation Policy applies to all requests for medical accommodation.
  2. Employees with casual status are not generally eligible as they are typically hired for specific hours and timeframe, however, flexible work may be considered if the arrangement supports the needs of the College.

Definitions

None.

Policy
1. NSCC Commitments
  1. We will create sustainable and engaging work models to support current and future working and learning innovation.
  2. We believe that flexible and innovative workplaces have a competitive advantage and can differentiate us in attracting and retaining talent.
  3. We trust our employees, we empower them, and we know we can count on them to deliver on NSCC’s mission.
  4. We know that work outcomes matter and will be achieved by organizing our work in different ways.
  5. We value high performing teams that are connected, inclusive and integrated in both culture and work practice.
2. Guiding Principles
  1. We are a learning organization and will approach our transition to a more flexible workplace as an iterative, continuous improvement process.
  2. We support flexible work arrangements that are of mutual benefit to the employee and the NSCC.
  3. We recognize that some NSCC jobs can be performed from a variety of locations including onsite at a campus or NSCC location, fully offsite and a mix of in person onsite and offsite work.
  4. We minimize duplication of resources to ensure we leverage technology, space and public funds responsibly in support of learning.
  5. We promote consistency where possible, however, the requirements of the role, needs of the individual and the operations may result in differing arrangements.
  6. We leverage technology as a key enabler of communication and teamwork to facilitate meaningful and purposeful interaction.
3. FlexWork Arrangements
  1. FlexWork arrangements must always be job-appropriate, operationally viable and align with the applicable policy or Collective Agreement.
  2. Where maintaining or enhancing service delivery and employee engagement are achievable through a FlexWork arrangement, the employee and manager share a mutual responsibility for identifying and maintaining a workable solution.
  3. Probationary Periods
    1. To ensure the effective onboarding and orientation, it is recommended that new employees will have demonstrated successful progression and proficiency in their position to best support productive work offsite in a hybrid or remote arrangement.
    2. Employees hired specifically to work exclusively or primarily remotely may perform their full probationary period remotely.
  4. Types of FlexWork
    There are three types of FlexWork options, full details can be found in Appendix A:
    1. FlexPlace offers the opportunity to work at a pre-approved site other than a designated NSCC campus or location.
    2. FlexTime involves working a set number of hours with the starting and finishing times chosen within agreed limits by the employee and manager.
    3. FlexFuture provides employees with the option to take future time or pay for pensionable service by modifying work conditions such as hours or salary.
4. FlexWork Arrangement Requests and Approvals
  1. Requests for consideration of flexible work arrangement must be made by the employee following the application process outlined in the procedures and/or, when specified, the process outlined for bargaining employees in their respective Collective Agreements.
  2. Approval is at management discretion and can be ended with a minimum of four weeks-notice depending upon operational and individual circumstances.

Policy Supports

45.32 FlexWork Arrangement Procedure (login required)
FlexWork FAQ for Managers and Employees
FlexWork Request and Agreement form
FlexTime Request form
42.01 Employee Code of Conduct
42.11 Conflict of Interest and Commitment Policy

Faculty Collective Agreement
Management Confidential Employment Guidelines
Operational Support Collective Agreement
Professional Support Collective Agreement

Appendix A: FlexWork Arrangements

FlexWork Arrangements	FlexWork Arrangements offer alternative approaches to getting work done through non-traditional means. Within this policy, FlexWork arrangement opportunities available are FlexPlace, FlexTime and FlexFuture.
FlexPlace	Within a campus-based community such as NSCC, physical presence will always be required for certain roles; and for many roles at certain times. FlexPlace is a flexible work option available to employees that offers the opportunity to work at a pre-approved site other than an NSCC campus or location. FlexPlace options include:
Ad Hoc Flex	Work is primarily campus based with the potential for Ad Hoc, or occasional flexibility so long as operationally feasible and service delivery is not adversely impacted.
Hybrid Flex	Employees who work partially from home/remotely and partially on campus are working in a hybrid arrangement, although their place of work is still campus based. Hybrid positions allow for a lot of variation. Examples include working half days for 5 days week or full days 2 or 3 days a week. Hybrid Flex positions can be primarily on or off site: a. Hybrid Onsite (60% or more) refers to a consistent mix (e.g. fixed days/hours) of working onsite at a designated NSCC campus or location for 60% or more of the work week and working offsite from an approved location for the remainder of the week. OR, b. Hybrid Offsite (60% or more) refers to a consistent mix (e.g. fixed days/hours) of working offsite from an approved location for 60% or more of the work week and working onsite at a designated NSCC campus or location for the remainder of the week.
Remote Flex	An approved work arrangement whereby an employee fulfils their job responsibilities primarily at an approved offsite location and is required to periodically come onto a designated NSCC campus or location for meetings and other activities.
FlexTime	Involves working a set number of hours with the starting and finishing times chosen within agreed limits by the employee and manager. FlexTime generally means the employee works hours/days other than the traditional 5 days per week, 8am-6pm. FlexTime options include:
Compressed Work Schedule	Means employees compress a full-time workload, completing all job responsibilities, into fewer than 10 days over two weeks (usually completing two weeks work in nine days (known as a 9/10 schedule).
Cyclical Flex	To be responsive to the needs of students, faculty and/or the college community, some functions are required to be onsite, within fixed hours during peak periods. Flexibility can occur during non-peak periods including, but not limited to, summer (Hybrid, compressed workweek, summer flex, etc.)
Job Sharing	A job share arrangement is a full-time job split between two individuals, each with responsibility for the success of the total job.
Summer Flex	A flexible work arrangement available any time from June through mid-August (e.g. includes a compressed work week or remote work for positions that are not eligible for flexible arrangements during the Academic year OR for employees interested in flexibility for the summer months only).
Variable Work Hours	Employees work a full day, but they can vary their working hours. These arrangements may include specific guidelines so that a "core" working day exists. Hours are agreed upon and a set range of start/finish times established. Total hours of work are not usually affected by the arrangement.
FlexFuture	Provides employees with the option to plan for life events and opportunities by modifying work conditions such as hours or salary. FlexPlan options include:
Deferred Salary Leave Plan	Provides the opportunity to take a leave and to finance this leave through a deferral of a portion of the bi-weekly salary in the years immediately prior to the leave period. When the leave starts, the deferred portion of salary is repaid to the employee on a bi-weekly basis.
Flexible Pension (TPP Members)	The option to reduce hours of work but contribute to the Plan based on the equivalent salary for the previous year's position and to accrue the same amount of pensionable service as the previous year.