- Flexible Working Arrangements
1.1 All staff members may apply to their Formal Leader for flexible working arrangements at any time and there is no limit to the number of requests that staff can make. Formal Leaders are responsible for approving individual requests after due consideration and, when appropriate, consultation with the team. The Formal Leader is also responsible for maintaining records relating to such decisions.
Heads of College/Directors/or equivalent ultimately have oversight of all requests and must be informed of all decisions reached. In their oversight role, the Head of Colleges/Directors/or equivalent are responsible for monitoring the fair and consistent use of this policy and ensuring that the principles are being observed in good faith.
1.2 Staff members can ask at any time for flexibility regarding:
- hours of work (over a day or week),
- days of work,
- place of work,
- how work is done and managed in the workplace,
- how starting and ending work are to be managed.
1.3 Requests for flexible working can be made verbally or in writing, and any approved arrangements must be documented. Documentation may be via email or using the template Flexible Working Arrangement Agreement (refer to Appendix 2).
1.4 Requests for flexible working are not normally approved as permanent, and instead would normally be for a fixed term/defined period of up to a maximum of twelve (12) months, which includes a review date (or dates, depending on the length of time the flexible working arrangements are approved for).
1.5 Requests for flexible working arrangements must be considered in relation to the following core principles:
- Service to customers (learners, other staff, and the community) must not be negatively impacted.
- Health, safety, and well-being requirements must be met.
- There must be no additional costs to Otago Polytechnic Business Division as a result.
- The request from a staff member to work from home or work flexible hours must be discussed with their team to determine the potential impact on the team as a whole and to be captured in the team’s plan. This is particularly important for incumbents of roles that have high levels of customer-facing activity.
- Remote Work
2.1 As per clause 1 of this policy, staff members can request flexibility in relation to where they undertake their work. This most commonly applies to requests to work from home.
2.2 Otago Polytechnic Business Division can also request staff members to work from home or from another site at any time if there are valid reasons for doing so (e.g., health and safety concerns or renovations occurring at their usual place of work).
2.3 Otago Polytechnic Business Division does not support working from home in situations where a staff member is sick or injured. Sick leave must be used in those situations.
2.4 Otago Polytechnic Business Division does not generally support working from home in situations where someone dependent on a staff member requires regular, long-term care (e.g., pre-school aged children where alternative care is not available). The exception to this is one-off or very short-term instances due to illness or injury.
2.5 Staff members working from home are required to comply with all of Otago Polytechnic Business Division’s policies, procedures, and directions, are expected to be as productive as when they are on-campus, and must be available to attend meetings, answer phone calls and respond to emails etc.
- Health and Safety
3.1. Staff members must ensure that they comply with their obligations under the Health and Safety at Work Act 2015, and all subsequent amendments, as well as all relevant OPBD policies, procedures, and directions. They must also take all reasonably practicable steps to ensure that in the performance of their duties, they do not undermine their own health and safety or the health and safety of any other person, regardless of work location. Further information is available on Tūhono, Protocols for Working from Home.
3.2. Staff members who work from home are required to ensure that:
- They take all reasonably practicable steps to ensure their health and safety while working from home. This includes identifying, managing, eliminating, and/or minimising potential hazards, and immediately reporting such actual/potential hazards to their Formal Leader and entering them into the OPBD Health and Safety Management System, Vault.
- The workspace available to them is appropriate and sufficient for the safe and effective performance of their duties, and any potential health and safety risks in this respect are immediately notified to the Formal Leader.
- They manage their working time effectively, including taking appropriate rest and meal breaks.
- Any sickness or injury or work-related health issues are immediately reported to OPBD as if the staff member were working on-campus.
- They immediately communicate any concerns or problems in relation to working from home in general, with their Formal Leader and/or Health and Safety representative.
- Work Location and Home Office Equipment, Utilities and Travel
4.1. Otago Polytechnic Business Division and the staff member will agree on what will be considered to constitute the workstation for the purposes of the performance of the staff member’s work duties, and for the purposes of the Accident Compensation Commission (ACC) and occupational health and safety considerations (e.g., ‘home office’ or ‘dining room’). Areas not covered by that agreement will be deemed not a workplace for the purposes of any ACC claim and/or occupational health and safety considerations. Support for the physical and technical setup of a staff member’s workstation at home will be provided remotely by OPBD. Information is available on Tūhuno.
4.2. The workspace the staff member intends using needs to be initially approved by OPBD and may be inspected in rare circumstances, to ensure it is suitable for the effective and safe performance of the staff member’s duties. Staff members are expected to consent to such reasonable inspections.
4.3. The staff member must immediately notify OPBD of any change to the home office setup, address and contact details that may adversely affect their ability to perform their duties effectively and safely.
4.4. If a staff member is granted permission to work from home in terms of this policy, it is their responsibility to ensure that they have the relevant equipment and connectivity to be able to execute their duties and to be contactable during agreed working hours. They are also responsible for ensuring that they have access to OPBD applications and programmes to allow them to fulfil their role without having to ask or rely on other staff member/s. Any technical support for setting up necessary access is available from the OPBD Service Desk.
4.5 Unless expressly agreed otherwise, OPBD will not be responsible for meeting or contributing to any costs associated with the setting up, maintenance and operation of a home office (for example, furniture, computer equipment, internet/power bills). Staff members who regularly work from home will not have a campus-based office provided with additional IT equipment (e.g., keyboards, monitors, computer mouse etc.). If the OPBD provides any such equipment, the staff member must take all reasonable steps to keep the provided equipment safe and in working order.
4.6. Unless expressly agreed otherwise, any costs associated with travelling to campus on a day that would otherwise be deemed a staff member’s regular ‘off-site workday’ will not be covered by OPBD.
4.7 Notwithstanding any agreement reached regarding working from home, the staff member must be available to attend meetings in person if required (i.e., they cannot use ‘I am working from home’ as an excuse not to attend face-to-face meetings or otherwise be present on campus if instructed by their Formal Leader, Programme Head/Team Leader/Head of College/Director/or equivalent).
- Security Considerations
5.1. All OPBD policies, procedures, and directions regarding the protection of confidential business information continue to apply in the context of any working-from-home arrangement. Business/work-related information and data are to be kept secure, either in locked storage or by restricting access to work-related files on computers (for example, by using passwords, etc.).
5.2. Staff members will safeguard all business/work-related information and documentation from access by other members of the household and/or visitors.
- Risk Management When Working from Home
6.1. For insurance purposes, both OPBD and the staff member must be able to distinguish between work and personal time in the home. The hours to be worked at home should be agreed upon in writing.
6.2. To prevent liability on the part of OPBD and maintain appropriate professionalism, meetings at their home are to be avoided where practicable.
6.3. Staff members with a regularly agreed schedule of working at home should maintain appropriate levels of homeowner's or renter’s insurance coverage to protect personal and OPBD assets.
6.4. Staff members must ensure that they do not have other commitments outside of OPBD’s business at the time they are working from home (for example, it is not appropriate to combine home-based work with caring for dependents during work hours).
