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Working at Cornell

On-Site Operations

On-Site Operations Standards of Practice

To advance Cornell’s residential academic and research missions, the following On-site Operations Standards of Practice have been developed to provide a consistent, high quality, experience for those the university serves.

  • Student and public-facing offices must have continuous and sufficient in-person presence during established, core business hours determined by the college/administrative unit. This requirement may be waived during breaks and summer months, particularly for student facing offices.
  • Student and public-facing offices or units include those who work “face to face” with people (including but not limited to students, employees, families, visitors, donors, etc.) either by appointment or walk-in. 
  • Reception Areas: If a student or public-facing office has a reception area, that area must have someone physically present unless there is another clearly indicated method by which a visitor can announce their presence (bell/buzzer).
  • Collaboration: To meet the requirement of in-person operations, student and public facing offices may collaborate with one another and use shared space to ensure in-person constituents are welcomed and can have their concerns/questions addressed.
  • Non-student or public facing offices may have flexible work arrangements, providing university needs are fully met during business hours.

Activities Requiring On-Site Presence

The following is a list of position activities typically requiring on-site presence. Flexibility may or may not be provided depending on the proportion of a position’s responsibilities involving these activities, the frequency in which these activities need to be performed (e.g., daily vs. weekly), and a college/administrative unit’s staffing levels and in-person constituent service expectations.

Examples of On-Site Activities

  • Providing face-to-face constituent support, services, or care (e.g., hospitality/retail services)
  • Chaperoning student activities and residential experiences
  • Supporting the physical campus environment including facilities, properties, grounds, and infrastructure management or maintenance
  • Providing campus safety and related services
  • Transporting people and/or materials
  • Providing a tangible service (e.g., meal prep/service, human care, animal care, laboratory/field activity)
  • Working with equipment too large/expensive to bring home and/or equipment shared with others
  • Working with materials, supplies, or subjects which need to remain onsite
  • Providing observational guidance, mentorship, educational demonstrations, or training to on-site constituents
  • Facilitating on-site events, programs, classes, or in-person group meetings
  • Activities requiring the use of paperwork/files including copying, receiving, and sending out mailings
  • Preparing materials, coordinating, or providing other support for an on-site event or program
  • Providing a presence for an area with potential “walk-in” clients
  • Attending on-site audits or investigations
  • Working with hard-copy files containing sensitive data (e.g., PII) where that information cannot be accessed securely electronically
  • Supervising employees and/or students located on-site
  • Oversight of athletic services and/or athletes