Reuniting Campus for Fall 2021: Work Arrangement Guidance

It’s who we are as CSU Rams. As we transition away from the need to work remotely to protect our community from the virus, and back into the routine of in-person operations and academics, we are defining a new normal.

President Joyce McConnell

Welcome back, everyone! I am so excited to reunite our Colorado State University community in anticipation of Fall 2021. And I know many of you are eager to get back to your offices, classrooms, studios, and labs, and to see both students and colleagues face to face.

As we transition back to in-person operations, I want to assure you that the health and safety of our community will remain paramount. 

The Pandemic Preparedness Team, campus and local public health experts, and our new Chief Resilience Officer have worked all spring and summer to make our physical spaces safe for all and to plan for contingencies that may arise. Meanwhile, our CSU leadership and HR team have listened to all our employees and worked together to set clear, humane expectations for how you all conduct your work, including as much flexibility as is feasible. We know there will be hurdles, and we will adjust and respond quickly to those. What I do ask of all of you is patience with the incredibly hard-working colleagues who are here to facilitate your work.

We’ve learned a lot over the past year, about the strength of our community and about how creative and resourceful we can be in responding to incredible challenges. Looking forward, we will use what we’ve learned to better carry out our mission. So we’re not “returning to normal,” but creating a new and better normal, enriched with innovations and flexibility. This coming academic year will be a kind of pilot, as we simultaneously reunite and build the strategic transformation plan for CSU’s future.

This webpage will be your guide to the upcoming year, so please do consult it for answers to any questions you have—and bookmark it on your computer. We appreciate your patience and partnership as we work to make Colorado State an even better place to work and learn.

I look forward to 2021-22 being an exciting and rewarding year for the entire Ram Family!

Warmly,
Joyce McConnell
President

Flexible Work Options


The university’s diverse and complex work force and activities do not lend themselves to a “one size fits all” solution for employee work arrangements. The new telework policy provides options for managers and employees to consider flexibility in the workspace.

  • Apply to all employees, depending upon job functions and employee performance
  • Differences among units and departments are considered when flexible work arrangements are determined
  • Supervisors and employees are empowered to create arrangements that work for their units and job functions

Physical Workspace Options

Fully in Office

Performs a job function requires in-person coverage of office, such as providing important services to the university community that cannot be replicated with quality in a virtual experience.

  • Department provides workspace.
  • Works primarily during university scheduled hours
  • Attends in-person meetings at university site
  • May occasionally work from home or remotely, as allowed under flexible work arrangements, if their job function allows for this option
  • Follows leave policies

Hybrid

Provides a job function that can accommodate some remote work. May be required to or want to participate in some work activities face-to-face.

  • Regularly scheduled times in remote office and university office
  • Will be required to have a memorandum of understanding with their department or unit that outlines details of arrangement
  • May or may not have an assigned work space, depending upon arrangement with supervisor as outlined in memorandum
  • University or employee responsibility for providing office supplies, work equipment (such as laptop, etc) will be outlined in memorandum of understanding
  • Is not working remotely as a replacement for childcare or elder care
  • Follows leave policies
  • May not hold in-person meetings at remote work site (such as in their home)
  • Maintains a safe worksite according to university policy
  • Remote area must consider ergonomics, equipment, sufficient space, noise and interruption factors

Fully Remote

Performs a job function that can be entirely or almost entirely performed from a remote location, and participates in meetings and other work tasks virtually.

  • Will be required to have a memorandum of understanding with their department or unit that outlines details of arrangement
  • Memorandum will provide details about whether employee or university is responsible for providing specific work equipment (such as laptop) and office supplies
  • Will not have a workspace on university grounds, but may be able to access shared work spaces on campuses if needed for occasional in-person visits
  • Is limited to working from specific states and countries due to employment law
  • Is not working remotely as a replacement for childcare or elder care
  • Follows leave policies
  • May not hold in-person meetings at remote work site (such as in their home)
  • Maintains a safe worksite according to university policy
  • Remote area must consider ergonomics, equipment, sufficient space, noise and interruption factors

Training and Resources

For Supervisors

For Faculty and Staff

FAQs

Teleworking Application and Memorandum of Understanding (MOU)

  • Telework Process
  • Example Memorandums of Understanding between employees and units – coming mid-July
  • Memorandums of Understanding process flow chart – coming mid-July

Telework (remote or hybrid work) Policy

  • Telework policy – coming mid-July

Parking

Still Have Questions?