Procedures for Requesting and Reviewing Flexible Arrangements
Disability Accommodations: If an employee is requesting a flexible work arrangement as a reasonable accommodation, refer the employee directly to Cornell’s Disability Accommodation Process. Do not follow the below process.
The Division of Human Resources provides consultation, training, and online resources to assist supervisors and employees with best practices in proposing and managing flexible work arrangements. In some cases, a unit may proactively offer an employee the option to work a flexible arrangement, in which case the following approval procedures will not be necessary. In these cases, the unit HR department will directly enter the arrangement into Workday. However, all requests to work remotely outside of New York State must be approved in advance by the local HR Representative and the college/unit leader or their designee, in consultation with the Flexible Work Senior Consultant, as set forth below, even when the unit proactively offers this option to the employee.
Below is the basic procedure that must be followed when an employee requests a flexible work arrangement. Departments and units may have additional procedures. Contact the local human resource (HR) representative to understand any department/unit-specific guidance.
Responsibilities
This checklist briefly summarizes the responsibilities of the employee, their people leader, and the HR representative. Refer to it to confirm who is responsible for each step of the process which is chronologically detailed below.
Request & Approval Process
1. Employee proposes a flexible work arrangement.
The employee proposes an arrangement to their supervisor through Workday. This may be at the employee’s initiative or in response to a supervisor’s suggestion.
2. Supervisor reviews proposal.
The supervisor reviews the proposal and if the employee is requesting a hybrid or remote work arrangement, the supervisor completes the remote request eligibility criteria form.
3. Supervisor consults with the college or unit HR Director.
The supervisor consults with their HR Rep to discuss their initial recommendation regarding the flexible work arrangement. HR reviews the request to evaluate compliance considerations and consistency with similar requests in the college or unit.
4. HR Representative discusses the request with the Dean/VP or designee for pre-approval.
The HR Rep consults with the unit leadership to discuss their initial recommendation.
5. If the proposal involves working at a location outside of New York State, the HR Rep consults with Cornell’s Flexible Work Senior Consultant.
The Flexible Work Senior Consultant will share any tax, compliance, and other considerations which will need to be considered. The HR Rep then shares the request and considerations raised by the Flexible Work Senior Consultant with unit leadership for final approval or denial.
6. HR makes the final decision within Workday.
HR Rep will either accept or reject the request in Workday and provide a final summary narrative for the decision.
Flexible arrangements for bargaining unit employees must be approved by the supervisor, the HR director, and the union. For more information, please contact your HR Representative.
7. Supervisor communicates decision to employee.
The supervisor will inform the employee whether the flexible work request has been approved, denied, or modified.
Flexible work arrangements will be approved, denied, or modified at the discretion of the University, and they may be terminated or modified at the discretion of the University at any time, for any or no reason, with or without notice.
8. If approved, the supervisor and employee document/file the arrangement.
If approved, the supervisor and employee complete the agreement in Workday.
The employee must acknowledge the expectations and other details by signing and returning a copy of the letter to HR for their employee file.
Supervisors and employees may review the arrangement and adjust as needed to address any concerns/challenges.
Employees may appeal a flex arrangement decision through their HR Business Partner. Final determinations will be made by their respective college/unit Dean or VP or their designee.
Changes or updates
Any changes to an arrangement involving remote work (e.g., number of days in each location, the location of remote work) must be reported to the employee’s supervisor and approved in advance by the local Human Resources Representative and the college or unit leader or their designee.
The University reserves the right to review, terminate, or modify a flexible work arrangement at any time, for any reason or no reason, with or without notice, in its sole discretion.