Flexible work options

Blended work

What it is:

At Royal Roads we embrace a blended (online and in-person) approach to education. We're extending this to our employees too. Blended work allows you to spend some of your time working physically on campus and some of your time working off campus.

If you work on campus less than 60 per cent of your regular worked time, you will typically not have a fixed/assigned workspace on campus. You'll work with your manager to ensure you have access to an appropriate space when you are on campus.

This option is suitable if you value a combination of in-person collaboration and flexibility. This arrangement allows you to work on-campus and off-campus on certain days. It is designed to balance the benefits of in-person interaction, and the flexibility to accommodate personal needs. With this option, you can maintain the advantages of face-to-face collaboration while enjoying the convenience and work-life balance offered by off-campus work on select days.

Advantages:

• Improves engagement, retention and autonomy, and reduces absenteeism.
• Higher performance for employees who may be challenged in a traditional office setting.
• Enables operational continuity in disaster situations that prevent employees from coming into the office.
• Can expand the talent pool.
• Reduced carbon emissions.
• Potential savings from the reduction or elimination of office space.

Disadvantages:

• While communication technologies can help, employees may feel heightened levels of social isolation from their team and organizational culture.
• Isolation among employees can result in disengagement.
• Employees may need to come into the office for the portions of teamwork or projects that require a high degree of collaboration.
• Managers may find it difficult to assess performance and potential, impacting promotions.
• Feelings of unequal treatment among employees if different work units are given different hybrid working options while others are required to be onsite.
• Employees may face increased burnout due to blurred work-life boundaries. 
• Can be more complex to implement as meetings and events need to be modified to support employees working both onsite and from home.

Fully remote work

What it is:

Extraordinary circumstances require flexibility that doesn't fit our typical arrangements. A fully remote work arrangement allows you to work at an approved off-campus workspace for 95 to 100 per cent of your time under extraordinary circumstances.

This option must be approved by the Vice-President or President of your unit, and is granted on an exceptional basis for a defined period of time.

Advantages:

• Allows employees to continue to work under exceptional circumstances.
• May improve engagement, retention, and autonomy, and reduces absenteeism.
• Higher performance for employees who don't succeed in a traditional office setting.
• Enables operational continuity in disaster situations that prevent employees from coming into the office.
• Significantly expands the talent pool.
• Reduced carbon emissions.
• Potential savings from the reduction or elimination of office space.

Disadvantages

• While communication technologies can help, employees may feel heightened levels of social isolation from their team and organizational culture.
• Employees may need to come into the office for the portions of teamwork or projects that require a high degree of collaboration.
• Isolation among employees can result in disengagement.
• Difficulty building coworker relationships and a sense of belonging, especially for new hires.
• Managers may find it difficult to assess performance and potential, impacting promotions.
• Employees may face increased burnout due to blurred work-life boundaries. 
• Can be more complex to implement as meetings and events need to be modified to support employees working both onsite and from home.

Compressed work week

What it is:

This option offers you the flexibility to work longer hours on some days of the week, so that you can enjoy time off on another day of the week. This way, you can balance your work and personal commitments without losing any work hours.

Advantages:

• Higher productivity during extra hours because the office is quieter.
• Improved work/life balance and higher engagement for employees who value time away from work and can commute outside of rush hour.
• Reduced absenteeism as employees have the ability to schedule appointments on off days.
• Extended business hours coverage, which can be extra beneficial for those serving clients in other time zones.
• May allow employees to commute outside of rush hour.

Disadvantages:

• If all employees need to be present on the same day (e.g. for an in-person, team meeting), you'll need to coordinate schedules.
• Longer work days may increase fatigue or stress, resulting in lower productivity.
• Less supervision during non-core hours can be a challenge for any employees that require more direction.

Note:

• When working a compressed work week, it's recommended that units implement core work hours.
• Regularly scheduled days away from work must be taken as scheduled, and not saved up for an extended period of absence. 
• Employee's on an extended leave of absence (beyond one week), revert back to a regular schedule.

Variable hours

What it is:

Life doesn't always fit into a nine-to-five mold. A variable hour flex allows you to work a regular workday, but with start and end times that are altered.

This option allows you flexibility outside of any core work hours established by your team. A variable hour FWA allows you to start and finish work on your own schedule - pending you're available during core hours and that you still fulfill a regular work day. 

Advantages:

• Reduced absenteeism and lateness as employees can adapt their schedule to appointments during work hours.
• Higher engagement from employees increased autonomy.
• Has been shown to be a strong driver of retention.
• Minimal change is required when core hours are established.

Disadvantages:

• Requires stronger scheduling and tracking of hours worked by employees.
• Requires increased calendar awareness and functionality (e.g. indicating core hours in everyone’s calendars, caution when booking outside of core hours, indicating planned hours).
• If output cannot be accurately measured and managers have low trust in employees, it can be a challenge.
• Direct reports might lack guidance when their manager is not present.

Job sharing

What it is:

Job sharing allows you and a colleague to both work fewer hours by splitting a full-time job - holding both of you responsible for the success of the total job.

Job sharing may be suitable for you on a temporary or permanent basis if you need to balance work with demands outside of work. This option may also benefit you if you're returning to school or transitioning into retirement.

Advantages:

• Increased retention as it provides another option to employees who would like to work less but don't want to resign entirely.
• Expanded talent pool to draw from.
• Increases job satisfaction if employees want to work part-time.
• Phased work supports the training of successors.

Disadvantages:

• May require job redesign
• Can make knowledge transfer difficult, since it's harder to get employees in the same room.
• Scheduling may be more difficult in general.
• It can be difficult to match employees successfully in job sharing.
• Bias towards full-time employees may limit part-time employees' promotion potential.

Reduced work week

What it is:

A reduced work week allows you to work fewer hours than the traditional regular workday or regular worked time while receiving proportional reductions in pay.

Use this option if:

Driven by the needs of your work unit, your position may allow for reduced hours on an on-going or temporary basis. If your position and unit is less busy during a certain time of year, you and your manager can agree to reduce your position's FTE for the duration of that period. 

Advantages:

• Increased productivity.
• Enhanced well-being and job satisfaction.
• Improved work-life balance.
• Beneficial for units that experience 'slow' times throughout the year.

Disadvantages:

• If all employees in your unit need to be present on the same day (e.g. for an in-person, team meeting), you'll need to coordinate schedules.
• Reduced income and benefits based on the reduction in FTE.
• Condensing the workload into fewer hours may increase the pressure to accomplish the same tasks within a shorter timeframe.

Note: 

• Salary, benefits, and other employment terms may change depending on the reduction in hours.