Alternate Work Arrangements

The College recognizes that flexibility in determining where administrative work is performed can have a positive effect on employee retention, recruitment, and efficient utilization of space. Alternative work arrangements are available to eligible College faculty and staff and are subject to the College’s operational needs, and as such, are not a right or entitlement. Job duties are the primary factor that will be considered when making determinations on alternate work arrangements. Alternate work arrangements can be modified or rescinded by management. The employee’s supervisor will have the unilateral authority to make changes to alternative work arrangements of employees based on operational needs.

Below is a summary of the alternate work arrangements available in the Alternate Work Arrangements Policy:

• Hybrid Remote Work

The FSC Telecommuting Policy outlines the guidelines and procedures for the alternative work program for hybrid remote work. The College will not approve a hybrid remote schedule of more than two (2) days per work week or a Friday/Monday combination. Those participating in a hybrid remote work schedule will be considered for shared office space. Employees participating in hybrid remote work must live in the NYC Tri-states region and be expected to reside within commuting distance to their assigned FSC work location, unless otherwise approved by the College. This program is not widely applicable for Faculty who are expected to teach in person. The SUNY Telecommuting Policy can be found here.

• Occasional Remote Work

On occasion it may be appropriate for an employee to work from a remote work location for a brief period of time. This program is designed to allow the College to maintain business continuity while allowing the employee to perform their professional obligation from a remote location. Occasional Remote Work is limited in duration and not regularly scheduled. For example, an employee may request to work one day in a month to work from home while awaiting furniture delivery.

Occasional alternate work locations can allow employees to continue to perform work during workplace disruptions and other rare circumstances, including suspended operations and construction related building closures. Unless directed otherwise by management (i.e. workplace disruption), if an employee using occasional remote work more than 2 times per month the manager should consider utilizing the SUNY Hybrid Telecommuting Policy.

• Fully Remote Work

If there is an operational need, fully remote alternate work arrangements for current positions may be requested through supervisors. Fully remote alternate work arrangements will be granted in very limited circumstances. This program will permit the employee to work from a remote location while the College maintains business continuity. Fully remote work arrangements require employees live within a commuting distance to Farmingdale State College in order to appear on campus as needed and in the possible instance the alternate work arrangement is modified or rescinded.

Department heads will have the opportunity to consider posting new and vacant positions as fully remote to meet operational needs. Such decisions should be discussed and approved by the area Vice President and Human Resources prior to posting. Positions posted and searched by the College with the expectation of fully remote work are subject to the College’s search procedures and are excluded from the procedures detailed in this policy.

• Flex/Compressed Work Schedules (FCWS)

Flex and compressed work schedules allow employees the opportunity to alter their work schedules to meet the College’s operational needs and maintain business continuity. With flex schedules, arrival and departure times can be altered while maintaining the required number of hours worked per week. Compressed work schedules may increase the hours worked per day to allow for reduced or no hours on other workday(s), while maintaining the required number of hours per pay period. These options differ from the Voluntary Reduction in Work Schedule which is a reduction in work hours and pay received.

Employees participating in FCWS are required to take meal breaks; they cannot use meal breaks or rest periods to shorten their workday. FCWS work schedules may be more difficult in one-person operations with one employee, but employees may enlist others in a similar title to develop creative solutions to provide adequate coverage. When more than one employee from an office is seeking the same FCWS work schedule, the person with the most seniority will be awarded their first preference of FCWS work schedule if all else is equal and conducive to operational needs. Employees’ schedules are fixed for the duration of their selected FCWS (i.e., arrival & departure times; same day off each week or each pay period in the case of compressed workweeks). Employees can choose to return to their normal workday/workweek with two weeks’ notice; the return to regular schedule may need to be the beginning of a pay period.

• Exclusions

Applications for Alternate Work and Telecommuting applications will not be approved if job duties require a physical presence at the College including roles commonly providing services and support to students, faculty, and/or staff. Positions primarily considered forward-facing are excluded from hybrid and fully remote arrangements. Clerical positions are generally excluded from consideration for remote work arrangements due to the nature of the work performed and level of supervision required. However, each request will be considered on a case by case basis and will depend upon the specific situation and operating needs of the College.

Due to operational needs, Facilities (Grounds, Trades, Heating Plant, Moving & Trucking) and Construction Management staff are not eligible for any of the Alternate Work Programs and faculty members are not eligible for the Flex/Compressed Work Schedule (FCWS) program.