UC Berkeley offers a wide array of work arrangements. Our People and Culture team provides a campus Flexible Work Arrangement Guide as a resource to explore the possibilities.  Within Haas, the standard is that staff who have a full-time, 40-hour appointment will work on campus at least three days a week.

This standard is based on a review of research that supports the efficiency of this schedule in many roles.  Hybrid work is most effective when employees can dedicate remote days to focused, independent work and use in-person days for collaboration, relationship building, and activities that benefit from face-to-face interaction.  To the degree that operational needs allow for this, we encourage unit managers to work with their teams to structure work in ways that achieve these outcomes.  That said, we acknowledge that not every role lends itself to assignments done away from campus.

Read below for process and details, including the process for requesting exceptions to that standard.

Process

All Haas staff who wish to work on campus for less than 100% of their appointment must:

  • Engage in conversation with their manager, including approval of a schedule that meets operational needs.
  • Complete the Flexible Work Agreement form. (Log in with CalNet ID)

Working on campus less than three days a week is discouraged, as research does show that hybrid schedules are the most beneficial for both belonging and for career growth.  For those who do wish to work less than three days on campus, a request for an exception to the Haas hybrid work standard should be first approved by the unit manager, then by the Personnel Committee.  The unit manager is responsible for submitting a Flexible Work Agreement Exception Request IF they approve the proposed remote schedule.  If the exception request is approved, the unit manager will be informed, and then the Flexible Work Agreement form that is linked above will also need to be completed and signed.  Changes to a work arrangement must follow the same process of approval and documentation.

Fundamentals of Flexible Work at Haas

Berkeley Haas strives for consistency across the school for flexible work practices.

  1. All staff must have a flexible work agreement on file.
  2. Flexible work is a privilege and not a right. So, for example, if meetings occur on a day when someone is usually remote day and they need to attend in person, there is no automatic “replacement” of the day.  Similarly, while some individuals and teams may be primarily remote, this is considered an “as needed” schedule in that they may need to come to campus – at their own expense – as needed (and with reasonable notice).

Our intent in supporting flexible work schedules is to align our policy with our mission at Haas and UC Berkeley, which includes coming together to foster collaboration, collegiality, respect, and trust. Our top-ranked Haas programs create a high-touch, high-quality, and highly curated transformative experience for our students to become future principled business leaders. An important way we achieve this is by working closely together with colleagues within and across teams to provide creative and responsive solutions that meet the expectations of our students, faculty, staff, and alumni. Our distinctive culture, which is strengthened through strong interpersonal relationships, makes Haas special.

Note that:

  • Unit leaders have the autonomy to allow for additional flexibility within their units with short-term fluctuations in hybrid work schedules.  As long as these are short-term fluctuations (a few weeks at max and not involving closure of student-facing offices), these do not require approval and are at the discretion of the respective unit heads.
  • Employees who wish to change their schedules, even temporarily, need to request this of their supervisor.  Remote work flexibility needs to be balanced with operational needs via coordination with and approval from each individual’s supervisor.  Employees who have a medical reason for working remotely are required to follow the process for requesting an accommodation and should start by contacting Haas Staff HR at [email protected].
  • Proposals to be in the office less than three days a week are reviewed by and require the approval of the Personnel Committee.  Approvals consider Haas’ overall support for a three-day in-person schedule, operational needs, student-facing responsibilities, on-site support needs, coverage of normal business hours, and impact on work outcomes.
  • In setting unit schedules, unit managers are responsible for articulating a plan for collaborating within and across teams and making adjustments to that plan as group needs evolve.
  • We strongly encourage all teams to come to campus during Town Halls and other community activities (e.g. Engage events) and to intentionally schedule time in person together for regular collaborative work.
  • Remote work does not automatically mean flexible schedules.  Schedules should be coordinated by supervisors so that there is a common understanding within a unit as to when each individual is working and shared expectations for reasonable response/ collaboration times, both for remote and on campus work days. To help ensure a productive remote work environment, employees should have childcare arrangements in place during remote work hours, just as they would on an in-office workday.  We encourage use of various types of paid time off (PTO) when needed to achieve the flexibility that can be essential to work life balance.
  • Staff with less than a 100% appointment can pro-rate the three-day-a-week standard, working on campus 60% of their appointment time.
  • Performance expectations and hours should be the same for remote/on campus work days unless an occasional exception has been approved by a supervisor/unit manager.
  • NOTE:  UC Berkeley Haas staff are not permitted to work remotely from outside the United States.
  • Staff who work less than three full days on-site may not have a dedicated on-site workspace assigned; instead, there will be “hoteling” spaces set up for reservation and use.

We believe that this model ensures that we protect and strengthen Haas’ distinctive culture, deliver a transformational experience for our students, and retain the benefits of flexible work for our employees.