On Nov. 5, Tulane University will begin to pilot a flexible hybrid working program for university staff, marking a change from previous university policy, which required nearly all staff to return to campus in the summer of 2021. 

The revision to the flexible working policies introduced a hybridized option for staff, partially in office and partially remote, open to all staff members. University policy previously limited the availability of a flexible option to select staff who could justify such a need to their supervisor. 

The decision, which comes shortly after the university’s indoor mask mandate was lifted, applies to exempt and non-exempt staff. Academic faculty are not universally eligible for a hybrid option. While a small number of teaching staff are permitted to teach fully-online courses, on-campus instruction remains the norm for the majority of courses. 

This wider rollout marks a mirroring of the remote work policies of major companies and universities across the United States.

Staff must submit their hybrid plan to both their immediate supervisor and department head before beginning a flexible work arrangement. 

While all staff could work remotely from home on an occasional basis this semester, the hybrid working plan requires a “defined schedule in which work is carried out some days of the week or month on campus in a designated space and some days in an official remote location.”

Supervisors will retain the option to revoke flexible working arrangements, which include hybrid workweeks, at their discretion.