The task force that was assembled to consider the future of remote work and flexible schedules for staff is finalizing its general recommendation and will soon be soliciting the feedback of University leadership.

The task force first met on June 29 and has been diligently working to consider how Drake may best take the lessons learned from the pandemic to rethink and modernize its policies and practices guiding when, where, and how staff work.

“Following the valuable feedback received from campus, the task force has been focused on bringing a more modern look and feel to the proposed policies and guidance. We are working toward building a framework that will stimulate workplace culture and be sustainable for the future,” said task force member Heather Travis, associate chief financial officer/controller.

Once the President’s Council has had the opportunity to review and consider the task force’s recommendations, the task force will schedule a virtual “Task Force Debrief,” where staff can learn more about the collaborative process the task force applied to its work, including the importance of the feedback provided in the staff survey. This would also be a good opportunity to hear ideas and suggestions on where the task force approach may work in other policy, operational, and strategy spaces.

The task force will share additional details with campus about its recommendations and outline next steps once it is clear which recommendations are being adopted. It is possible the President’s Council will have some suggestions that will require an additional round of work by the task force. In short, we want to be transparent with campus, but we also want to be sure that the final versions of recommendations are shared to avoid confusion or the circulation of outdated drafts.

The task force does want to share now that the approach it is recommending is to consolidate remote work and flexible work options into one holistic policy, a Customized Work Arrangement Policy. If that policy moves forward, it will undergo Drake’s normal policy review process, where it will be posted for comment for at least 15 days. Any staff member with a question, comment, or suggestion will be empowered to share their thoughts through the existing policy review process.

The task force is excited to be wrapping up this stage of the work and is looking forward to next steps.

— Maureen De Armond, Human Resources