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• Hybrid working must not negatively impact the delivery of an individual’s role. 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.
• It is expected that employees engaging in hybrid working will attend the campus when required to do so with reasonable notice provided.
• While working off-campus as part of a hybrid arrangement, employees will be available by phone and email throughout working hours just as if they were working on-campus.
• All employees will adhere to the UCD core meeting hours policy and remain cognisant of the right to disconnect outside working hours. 
• Employees must be within a reasonable commutable distance of campus.

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.

No, recommendations for partial  or fully remote working arrangements based on reasonable accommodation for an employee with a disability, is outside the scope of the Hybrid Working Policy and will be dealt with under the reasonable accommodation and disability support process.

Further information can be found here Reasonable Accommodation - Equality, Diversity and Inclusion

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.

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.

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.

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.

Yes, the line manager can terminate the arrangement in certain circumstances, as outlined in the "Eligibility for Hybrid Working Procedure and Guidance" document. Fair process and reasonable notice will be provided.

• Perform in their role and responsibilities to the very best of their ability
• Comply with University policies, procedures and statutes
• Ensure access to good quality and reliable internet connection
• To be available by phone / email throughout working hours just as if they were working on-campus.

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.