The new Customized Work Arrangement (CWA), Dress for your Day, and revised University Closings, Delays, and Class Cancellations policies were posted for review and comment. That posting period has now closed. Thank you to those who offered comments and questions. Overall, we received 17 comments—7 on the University Closure policy, 6 on the Dress for Your Day policy, and 4 on the CWA policy.

The task force will be going back to each of those policies to make some additional edits based on your feedback. This is exactly why we have a policy review and comment period. When you are working on a policy it is easy to get lost in the details and having fresh sets of eyes consider the drafts can be immensely beneficial. The policies will end up being stronger and clearer based on the feedback provided. Thank you!

On November 10, we offered a one-hour BUILD session on Moving Forward: Discussing Drake’s Updated Customized Work Arrangement Policies and Practices. We had over forty people attend, which is a great turn-out. That training was recorded and you can access the recording here. On November 17, we will offer another one-hour BUILD session, Supervisor Spotlight: Thinking Through Flexible Work Arrangements—Key Variables & Considerations. As the title implies, we are hoping for people in supervisory positions will consider attending this session. This training will largely be scenario-based. If you plan on attending the November 17 session but did not attend the November 10 training, please watch the recording in advance.

Throughout the rest of November and December, we’ll be finalizing the policies—which will likely take effect in January. We are also working diligently on a detailed guide that will be a great resource for managers and staff alike. We plan to roll out the draft guide in December, so we have a chance to receive some feedback on it before the policies go live.

We will be offering managers additional guidance on reviewing position descriptions, which is part of any CWA request process. Additionally, we will offer guidance on how CWAs will be folded into the annual performance evaluation process. More training and guidance to come!

If you have any questions about CWAs, the process, or timeline, you can reach HR and the task force by emailing drakehr@drake.edu using the subject line “CWA Question.” We’ll get back to you!

— Maureen De Armond, Human Resources