Work Schedules

Hours of Work

When an AWL arrangement is approved, established work hours for the department based on the job responsibilities, availability of others or resources, and team arrangements must be taken into consideration.  The employee is expected to maintain the same level of availability, levels of production, and quality of work as though the employee were working at the primary duty station. Working hours cannot coincide or overlap with any other type of employment (including external employment). The manager or unit head may require the employee to report to the primary duty station with reasonable notice if business needs require it.

Departments must schedule personnel to enable appropriate levels of customer service for students, faculty, staff, co-workers and external constituents.  The employee must have an approved work schedule adopted in accordance with university and departmental policy. Management must ensure proper compliance and documentation of work hours, in particular ensuring compliance with the Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA) and overtime policies and procedures. 

Should circumstances arise whereby the employee cannot work at the AWL, the employee must contact his or her manager and may be required to report to the primary duty station, a different designated and approved AWL, or appropriate leave may be required. 

An employee may work overtime only with supervisory approval in accordance with University and FLSA policy. An AWL arrangement may be canceled for an employee who works unapproved overtime. The manager must monitor work hours to ensure overtime hours are being requested before the work commences.

Use of Leave

An AWL arrangement may not be used in place of paid or unpaid leave. If at any time an employee is unable to perform official duties, the employee must utilize the appropriate leave category to record the absence. A request to use leave must be approved in accordance with Texas A&M Rules/SAPs. 

• Texas A&M Leave Rules/SAPs
• Texas A&M Leave Policies
• Texas A&M Types of Paid and Unpaid Leave

Scheduling Considerations:

Coordinate time in the office

• Partially Remote AWL arrangements are most effective when employees can still collaborate face-to-face. That way, teams get the best of both environments—the distraction-free focus of remote work plus the engagement and interpersonal connection of in-office work. However, this balance requires some coordination. 
• The solution? Synchronize time in the office. Instead of letting employees choose their own location each day, set a common schedule with the team to ensure everyone is in the office on the same days. Survey employees to collect information about which days team members prefer for in-person vs. remote work. Then, use that information to create a partially remote AWL schedule that fits the team’s unique needs and ultimately provides for business continuity and customer satisfaction. 

Manager Considerations

Partially Remote schedules allow teams to work according to how they’re most productive, but they also mean managers won’t see coworkers in person every day. For times when staff are physically distant, transparency and trust are essential to help teams stay connected. Managers need to know what the  team members are working on and how to communicate with them—but  also need to trust that everyone is working, even if they can’t be seen doing it. 

Here are some ways to foster transparency and trust in team: 

• Make managers' calendars public and block off time for focus and personal appointments. That way, the team knows when the managers may be slower to respond. Plus, sharing calendars prevents people from scheduling meetings when a manager is unavailable. 
• Managers should share communication preferences with the team and let them know when they typically answer messages. For example, let the team know if email is preferred email over MS Teams messages, and set expectations for respond times. Set statuses in calendars or in messaging apps to indicate availability. 
• Set (and communicate) clear start and finish times for daily work. Setting these boundaries is especially important because it encourages employees to completely disconnect when they’re off the clock. When team members know when they’re expected to be working, they’re less likely to suffer from burnout and overwork. 
• Avoid micromanaging. As a manager, it’s important to trust that the team is doing their best, even if you can’t see them in person. Once you set guidelines for remote work, trust the team to follow them and avoid checking up on how and where they’re working. This hands-off approach can be hard, but it’s backed by data—people at high-trust companies report 74% less stress, 50% higher productivity, and 76% more engagement than employees at low-trust companies. 

Identify requirements and resources:

Determine when your team should be working

• Does the team operate within business hours in a single time zone, or does the team span different time zones? If the latter, schedule meetings during specific times to accommodate time differences. 
• Is someone on call outside regular business hours?  Does the team operate outside normal business hours? 
• What type of work demand is expected at different times of day, year, or month?  Does the team need to meet in person, or can they work independently? If in person meeting time is needed, what are the ideal hours to meet? Determine “core hours” for the team. 

Account for changes

• Life happens—people get sick, have family emergencies, and take well-deserved vacations. As such, it’s important to plan for changes to the team’s work schedule when unexpected events occur. 
• Consider the following when creating the team's work schedule: 
  1. Sick days: Decide what happens when someone needs a last-minute day off. For example, managers may need to find a replacement or designate a point person to handle any urgent requests or questions. Or, allow team members to swap shifts with each other if needed. 
  2. Planned time off: Create clear guidelines for how employees should request time off. Consider how far in advance they should let managers know—for example, managers may need more significant notice if someone will be out for a week or more, and less notice for single days off.
  3. Backup availability: Document the team’s backup availability in advance and designate secondary points of contact for specific business or project needs. Share continued coverage in a business continuity plan.

Share Schedule

• For a team work schedule to be effective, it should be accessible to everyone on the team. Sharing the team’s work schedule creates the clarity needed for team members to work together efficiently. It lets people know who is available for requests and questions at any given time, and creates boundaries for team members who are off the clock.