Hybrid Working in UCD

These guidelines have been developed in accordance with the Hybrid Working Policy (the Policy) and the Code of Practice for Employers and Employees, Right to Request Remote Work (the Code of Practice). 

The approver should consider each of the criteria listed below and determine if the application is eligible for hybrid working.

Hybrid Working 
Hybrid working is a type of flexible working arrangement where employees spend a proportion of their working hours or days at their contractual place of work and some of their time working remotely.

This is the requested working arrangement to be agreed between the employee and manager. (ie. number of working days to be spent on campus and days to be spent working remotely) 

Remote Working Location 
In the context of UCD, the remote working location will be a location other than the campus and associated sites, typically the employee’s home, based on an expressed agreement between the employee and their manager.

The needs and objectives of the University are given priority over requests for hybrid working, given the critical national and global mission universities fulfil for society. Accordingly, many roles within the University will not be suitable for hybrid working.

Considerations include;

• The type of working arrangement that has been requested (ie. number of days per week) should be considered from the perspective of both the individual role and overall team/unit and how this might impact the University needs and student needs.  
• Productivity standards and performance levels at the individual, team and organisational levels should not be compromised to facilitate hybrid working.
• The ability to meet the needs of the role, individual school / unit and maintain a sustainable cost base (for example,  duplicate technologies, underutilised facilities and office space)
• Supporting the University’s needs to deliver efficient, high-quality services is essential as there is a requirement to maintain required service levels, team performance and collaboration. Student-facing services on campus should not be compromised, be open and available for all of the working week.
• Hybrid working should not impact the ability to effectively respond to operational issues and other university-related needs.

When assessing the suitability of the role for remote working, the following (non-exhaustive) questions can be taken into consideration. It is acknowledged that some roles within the University are bespoke in nature, requiring each request to be considered on a case by case basis

Approvers must possess a thorough understanding of the key responsibilities, functions, and duties associated with the role, as well as how these can be effectively carried out as part of a hybrid working arrangement. 

• Can a proportion of the role's functions be fully performed remotely, while maintaining team cohesion and service delivery?
• What are the key duties of the role and what impact would remote working have on them? 
• Does the role require a high degree of manual work, if so, remote working may not be suitable.  
• Are there tasks that must be performed or are more efficiently performed on campus/on-site?
• Does the role require access to equipment/technologies or data that are only available on campus/ on-site? 
• Does the role require in-person engagement with students, colleagues or UCD community members on-site or at other locations, and if so, what impact would hybrid or remote working have on this engagement?
• What proportion of duties which make up the role, can be undertaken remotely? 
• Would remote working affect the service quality or unit operations, taking into account the number of employees currently on approved leave and/or on approved hybrid working arrangements?

Employee Suitability 

The employee’s suitability for hybrid working  will be taken into consideration. It is important for approvers to be fair and transparent in their assessment of an employee’s suitability. In cases where a hybrid working request is not approved due to the unsuitability of an employee, the reasons for this decision must be clearly outlined on the application response form and the decision must be based on evidential information.

Considerations include:

• Employees carrying out the role can meet the obligations, principles and responsibilities set out in the policy and criteria guidelines. 
• Employees are available to consistently communicate and collaborate effectively with their colleagues, line manager, leadership teams and the wider University community, whilst working remotely, using the tools mandated by the University.
• Confirmation that performance standards and delivery of results will be achieved using established line management planning, performance management and development as appropriate and satisfies the requirement for hybrid and remote working. When assessing performance standards, the following can be taken into consideration: 
  • does the employee understand their role and require minimal supervision?
  • does the employee have the necessary IT skills to complete their required job functions outside of the campus?
  • does the employee meet the performance standards and requirements for the role?
  • has the employee demonstrated an ability to meet deadlines?
  • is the employee subject to an active performance improvement plan?

Employee Needs 

Requests for Hybrid working may  include the reason for the request. It is up to the employee to include their own reasons, should they wish to do so.

In cases where an employee provides a reason, approvers should take the employee's needs (reasons) into account as part of the overall assessment and decision-making process

Please note, recommendations for hybrid or fully remote working arrangements based on reasonable accommodation for an employee with a disability is outside the scope of this policy and will be dealt with under the reasonable accommodation and disability support process.

When considering hybrid working requests, approvers should consider the UCD Space Policy. Colleges, Schools, Units, Institutes and other groups allocated space are responsible for the efficient and effective use of this space. 

The employee is responsible for meeting the following requirements to create a suitable remote workspace. This confirmation should be included via InfoHub online request process; 

• Ensure good quality, reliable internet connection when working remotely. 
• The employee has the necessary skills  to use the university’s core communication tools
• Confirm that the remote workspace facilitates compliance with GDPR, data security and applicable confidentiality standards. It is the duty of everyone in UCD, who processes personal data on behalf of UCD, to know and apply data protection.

The employee has confirmed they have:

• Completed the(opens in a new window) Home/Remote Working Risk Assessment for their workspace, 
• Watched the (opens in a new window)Home/Remote Working Safely training video and
• Confirmed they have read and understand the (opens in a new window)UCD Home/Remote Working Safety guidelines.

As set out at the start of this guidelines document, the policy and eligibility criteria have been developed in accordance with the WRC Code of Practice for Employers and Employees, Right to Request Remote Work (the Code of Practice).

Approvers must consider the request in regard to the criteria a) to d) as outlined above. 

The Code of Practice sets out that approvers should consider requests in an objective, fair and reasonable manner and in accordance with the hybrid working requests and approval procedures.  

In addition, it s important to be aware that an approver who receives a request must respond as soon as is reasonably practicable, but not later than 4 weeks after receiving the request, as per the code of practice. 

The University has a statutory obligation to comply with the timelines as set out in the Work Life Balance and Miscellaneous Act 2023 and The Code of Practice for Employers and Employees, Right to Request Remote Work (the Code of Practice).