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Information for Approvers

This page provides an overview and FAQ for those reviewing and approving hybrid working requests. Approvers can be a Line Manager or Head of School / Unit.

Considering Requests

Approvers are required to consider requests in an objective, fair and reasonable manner in accordance with the policy and Criteria & Eligibility Guidelines, which include: 

  • University needs;
  • Student needs;
  • Role suitability;
  • Employee needs and suitability; 
  • Designated workspace requirements; and 
  • The requirements of the WRC Code of Practice (Right to Request Remote Work).

An approver who receives a request must respond as soon as is reasonably  practicable, however all requests must be responded to within 4 weeks.

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).  

Line Manager Responsibilities

What are line manager responsibilities as per the Hybrid working Policy?

  • Consider applications fairly and according to policy.
  • Provide clear guidance and support.
  • Address performance issues promptly.
  • Ensure an inclusive working environment.
  • Manage office space efficiently.
  • Discuss and assist with the necessary measures identified by the employee in the Home Working Risk Assessment Checklist.

Hybrid Working Approval Process

3ColSpotPay Approving Hybrid Working Requests
Information for those approving Hybrid Working requests.
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Information for those approving hybrid working arrangements for Faculty

Criteria and Eligibility Guidelines

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.

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 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?

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:

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).  



Criteria & Eligibility (print version) PDF | 174KB

Frequently Asked Questions

There is no service requirement (i.e. minimum period of continuous service) to request a hybrid working arrangement. 

Where exceptional requests for remote work are approved, six months’ continuous service is required before the working arrangement can commence.

Yes, they can. However, due to the nature of probation, managers may not be able to facilitate hybrid working during certain periods to ensure adequate support, training, and engagement.

Where hybrid working is approved for a part-time role, an appropriate pro-rata amount of time to be spent working on-campus will be agreed between the employee and approver.

All employees who wish to avail of hybrid working, must request it via InfoHub.

Note: Faculty are requested to complete the online request form via InfoHub to complete the health and safety requirements and remote work location. 

University employees are required under health and safety legislation to take reasonable care to protect their own safety and health and that of any other person who may be affected by their actions at work, and this extends to when colleagues are engaged in homeworking and similar arrangements. 

Employees also have an obligation to co-operate with their employer in matters of health and safety. To that end it is therefore imperative that colleagues applying for a hybrid working arrangement complete the necessary safety training, read the relevant safety guidance materials, and complete their home-working risk assessment accurately. 

UCD as an employer has an obligation to provide employees with a safe place of work and safe equipment, and this extends to providing the necessary equipment as identified by the home working risk assessment as being necessary to allow employees to work safely.

Yes, employees who wish to avail of a Hybrid arrangement must complete both the Home Working Safely Training video and the Home Working Risk Assessment checklist, which are part of  the application process. The risk assessment should be signed and dated by the employee and the Line Manager. 

If additional equipment is required as part of the risk assessment,  this should be discussed with the Line Manager.

Please visit  Home Working Risk Assessment website for further information. 

A hybrid work request cannot be approved until these steps are confirmed as completed.

As part of the Home Working Risk Assessment Checklist employees should assess the suitability of their home working equipment. If additional equipment is required then the employee should contact their Line Manager. 

More detailed guidance on setting up a home workstation is provided in Appendix 2 of the (opens in a new window)Home Working Guidelines and in the Home Working Safely Training.

The SIRC Office can carry out virtual ergonomic assessments of an employees'  home working setup as required. Employees who may be at higher risk during home working, for example due to a pre-existing musculoskeletal injury or other conditions, are strongly advised to utilise a virtual ergonomic assessment.  Contact (opens in a new window)sirc@ucd.ie to arrange.

While working remotely under a hybrid working arrangement, employees are considered to be at work. All accidents and incidents related to home working must be reported to the employees' line manager immediately and also to the UCD SIRC Office using an official Incident Report Form. Incident report forms are available on SIRC Website.

The Work Life Balance and Miscellaneous Provisions Act, 2023 introduced the statutory right for all workers to request remote working. 

The Hybrid Working Policy outlines the provisions related to hybrid working and remote working in UCD. 

Any request for a remote working arrangement, whether full or partial, that deviates from the approved University hybrid working policy (i.e. minimum of three days on-campus per week) are categorised as an 'exceptional request for remote work’.

Approval of the direct line manager and authorisation by Head of School/Unit and a relevant UMT member is required.

This request can be submitted through InfoHub.

Members of UMT, Heads of School/Unit/Line Managers or nominees have the authority to review and consider hybrid working requests and arrangements on an ongoing basis. 

Heads of School/Unit/Line managers can approve hybrid working requests (where eligible) for a minimum of three days per week on-campus.  

Approval of the direct line manager and authorisation by Head of School/Unit and a relevant UMT member is required.

An approver who receives a request must respond as soon as is reasonably  practicable, but not later than 4 weeks after receiving the request. 

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).  

It is best practice to respond to a request as soon as possible, however all requests must be responded to within 4 weeks.

There will be no change to terms and conditions of employment as part of a hybrid working arrangement, except that the employee will be facilitated to work remotely as agreed with their line manager and in line with the key principles of the Hybrid Working Policy.

In accordance with the policy, section 4.2 Types of Hybrid Working Arrangements,  

there is no ‘one way’ for hybrid working arrangements. The working arrangement should be discussed and agreed between the individual and their line manager in the context of service needs and role requirements

It is acknowledged that from time to time, occasional adjustments to the weekly on-campus pattern may be agreed while upholding the policy's emphasis of being a campus based organisation.

No, a new request will need to be considered by the relevant approver.

Approved hybrid working requests, while normally continuous, are not an indefinite arrangement. Hybrid working arrangements should be considered as part of annual staff planning or more frequently as required, to ensure that the arrangement is working successfully for both the University and the employee.

Yes, the employee and line manager can agree in writing to changes, including postponing, curtailing, or varying the arrangement, so long as the change does not deviate from the approved hybrid working policy.

The employee should discuss concerns with their Head of School/Unit/Line Manager, with HR support if needed.

If unresolved, employees should refer to the UCD Grievance Policy and Procedure for more information.

An application for Hybrid working expenses can be made to Revenue by completing an Income Tax return. Employees can complete this form on the Revenue website as follows:

  • sign into (opens in a new window)revenue.myaccount
  • click on 'Review your tax' link in PAYE Services
  • select the Income Tax return for the relevant tax year
  • select 'Other PAYE Expenses' in the 'Tax Credits and Reliefs' page and insert the amount of expense at the 'Amount Claimed' section

As a claim may be selected for future examination, all documentation relating to a claim should be retained by the employee for a period of six years from the end of the tax year to which the claim relates.  Please check the (opens in a new window)revenue website  for details on how such relief is calculated.

Employees cannot claim travel expenses for travelling to the University on their scheduled off-campus days. The University is considered the normal place of work.

Eligible employees, working 100% of their time on campus will be entitled to accrue flexi-time, subject to the operating requirements and approval of the Head of School/Unit.

If an employee is  sick, they should should follow the Sick leave and Managing Absenteeism Policy.

UCD Human Resources

Roebuck Offices, University College Dublin, Belfield, Dublin 4, Ireland.
T: +353 1 716 4900 | E: hrhelpdesk@ucd.ie | Location Map(opens in a new window)