Hybrid Schedules are Here to Stay

Can you believe it? It’s been two years of working remotely, but some folks are getting tired of their home offices and want to get back to campus. However, not every campus is back to pre-pandemic workplace traffic.

I imagine that on your campus, faculty and staff were working remotely out of necessity during the COVID-19 pandemic while pre-pandemic working from home was done on an ad hoc basis. Now, it appears that remote work has become a permanent part of work schedule options. Essentially, hybrid work schedules are arrangements where folks work a combination of work from home some days and other days are on campus.

If your campus chooses the hybrid model, it should be done with intention that takes into consideration that the arrangements need to be monitored and adjusted as the work evolves and folks’ personal needs change. The traditional campus work life won’t and shouldn’t go away. Simply, the hybrid schedules supplement it.

What’s amazing about this hybrid workforce model is that it challenges our assumptions about our campus spaces and what collaboration looks and feels like. We’ve all gained virtual work skills during the pandemic even if we have never worked remotely before. We’ve relied heavily on our WiFi and our IT colleagues. So, it is critical that your IT function be included in the strategizing as various tools are needed for calendaring, chatting, e-signing, managing projects, payroll access, and document sharing. Ha! And, we’ve all come to love videoconferencing in the form of Zoom or something like it. 

As a human resources professional, my observation is that folks often underestimate how much of their work is virtual, even when they are on campus. In many cases, we conduct much of our business through email exchanges with folks we may rarely have face-to-face meetings or connections. In my view, it is critical that social and interpersonal skills are components of any workplace strategy and culture. Clearly, the COVID-19 pandemic has reshaped the way we work and to adapt necessary changes are needed to strengthen our campus work cultures. For obvious reasons, your campus will need to think through role-specific criteria for hybrid work schedules, but arrangements will also be driven by the employee’s personal circumstances. Supervisors of teams with full or hybrid schedules should seek out support from HR. Employee engagement and connection is important for collegial, high performing team collaborations. HR can assist with crafting activities, training, and other interventions to create inclusive experiences for all employees. Whether folks have chosen to be on campus or not, we must recognize that all of our constituencies are looking for assistance to maintain a healthy work and family life.

Complicated, but has a Positive Impact

The summer of 2020 was tumultuous for many reasons. Our campuses were trying to respond to increased racial tensions, managing the pandemic, and we were working hard to make changes as a result of the new Title IX regulations that would keep our campuses compliant.

The Title IX regulations that took effect on August 14, 2020, had a significant impact on the manner in which our campuses investigate and address claims of sex discrimination and harassment. Until now, there have been no binding federal regulations related to sexual harassment under Title IX, only administrative guidance issued by the Department of Education’s Office for Civil Rights.

The new regulations expanded the requirements for Title IX grievance procedures, which required significant policy and procedure revisions, and training. Below are a few of the 2020 changes:

• Narrowed the definition of sexual assault under Title IX
• Limited the obligation to investigate complaints only to conduct that occurred in the college’s program or activity (and not to unrelated off-campus conduct)
• Mandated response obligations of colleges (i.e., providing supportive measures)
• Provided more detailed grievance procedures
• Made hearings optional
• Allowed colleges to choose what standard of evidence to use (e.g., the preponderance of evidence v. clear and convincing)
• Required colleges to offer both parties an appeal from a determination regarding responsibility
• Implemented an evaluative/vetting process to ensure that the Title IX Coordinator, investigator, decision-maker, or any person designated by a recipient to facilitate an informal resolution process does not have a conflict of interest or bias for or against complainants or respondents generally or an individual complainant or respondent
• Required training for Title IX Coordinators, investigators, decision-makers, and any person who facilitates an informal resolution process

These changes were greeted with much consternation and controversy on many campuses. We have been operating under the new regulations for one year now while still navigating a global pandemic. If, for a moment, we review the Title IX guidelines through a historical lens, there is a complicated but positive impact. When you look around our campuses today, you will see a very different view than what you would have seen in the early 20th century. American society had a definite idea of what a woman's life should look like: wife, mother, homemaker. Women were generally not considered equals. They were expected to marry and raise children, not go to college. Those who did go to college were only allowed to participate in certain fields, such as teaching, nursing, home economics, child development, or social work.

Fast forward to 1972, as part of the Education Amendments of 1972, Title IX effectively leveled the playing field. Title IX prevents discrimination based on sex, ensuring that no person in the United States will be excluded from participation or from receiving benefits while pursuing an education in any program receiving federal financial assistance. In a historical context, Title IX became a triumph for women and girls who faced more gender barriers and restrictions than men. However, it is a common misconception that Title IX is for girls and women. The law actually benefits everyone, because it effectively eliminates discrimination based on gender--female, male, transgender and gender nonconforming.

It is crucial to understand different perspectives of what the August 14, 2020, regulations mean for students and the changes that campuses had to make. As stewards of education, we must ensure the best experience possible for our students, faculty, and staff. In the coming weeks, as we start the new academic year, please remain dedicated to learning about Title IX and brushing up on regulations periodically so that you can provide a safe and equitable learning environment for all who seek it. Our chapter in history depends on it.

Get to know new members of the Policy Matters team

ACUPA’s professional blog, Policy Matters, began as a quarterly newsletter in 2013 and transitioned to the blog format in 2018 to reflect changing methods of communication. Read on to learn more about new members of the Policy Matters editorial team in their own words.

Gina Kennedy

Governance Practitioner, Policy Wonk, disAbility Advocate, Good listener-Hear differently #cochlear bionic (ear) 2020 and gifted napper.

After 16 years in the university corporate governance sector, I want to “rumble with vulnerability,” so when I saw the call out to be a member of this committee, I thought this was an excellent way to start a longstanding desire on my endless list of ”must do”! I also asked myself, if I was new to the sector or to the board, where would I start? A blog is a great way to share knowledge, insight and try something new.

Rosalynn Feagins

Rosalynn Feagins from Texas here. Currently serving the University of Denver as assistant treasurer and formerly a banking professional. My first love is traveling, using unusual words and learning something new every day! I’m excited to share and add to my policy knowledge.

Dr. Lisa Biagas

I am the current Senior Vice President of Human Resources at the Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts (PAFA). A strategic and hands-on leader, I have proven experience developing and executing impactful people strategies and DEIB programs. I am a thought partner, a change agent, and a consensus builder.

On a personal note, I am grandmother to 6-year-old, Cassidy, and her dog, Taco. When not losing to Cassidy in a marathon game of Uno, I spend my Saturdays as an amateur landscape architect. I get great joy in planning the design, then toiling the soil and planting new trees and shrubs. When not in the yard, I can be found reading a mystery novel, specifically crime fiction and thrillers, and watching British detective TV shows.

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