Future of Work Task Force to implement flexible work options after coronavirus, Holloway says

On June 23, University President Jonathan Holloway announced the Rutgers Future of Work initiative, which will implement the flexible work arrangements that arose as a result of the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) pandemic in short-term and long-term ways.

The University’s Future of Work Task Force, consisting of more than 300 members appointed by Holloway last year, made this decision after many assessments including gathering information, surveying the community and many deliberations, according to Holloway’s University-wide email.

This initiative will be a part of an extensive new program that observes the lessons it learned from the pandemic on how to better serve the Rutgers community while still maintaining its competitive nature as an establishment, according to the announcement.

“Rutgers is meant to be an in-person, face-to-face university community, with campus walkways, academic building hallways, libraries, dining halls and student centers buzzing with live interactions,” Holloway said. “In returning to that model, we also need to heed the lessons of the past two years and the creative ways in which we took advantage of technology to perform our work effectively amid the tremendous challenges of the COVID-19 pandemic.”

The Future of Work Task Force created 25 recommendations that were based on COVID-19 protocols for the University to operate by going forward, and Holloway approved all of them for implementation. They came up with these ideas after listening to the input of the University community in student and employee surveys and listening sessions.

The short-term recommendations include FlexWork@RU, in which eligible University staff are given the option to work a minimum of three days per week at their assigned location, which will begin in September, according to the announcement.

For frontline workers who are not eligible for this program, the recommendations also work to expand their scheduling options and offering caregiver support programs.

“We will also move forward on the report’s short-term recommendations to establish a Presidential Employee Excellence Recognition Program and to develop the infrastructure needed to support new work modalities,” Holloway said. “During the pilot year, the University will also develop mechanisms to measure the impact of a flexible work arrangement on student services, patient care and the local community, among other issues.”

He also said that the recommendations of the task force will be largely discussed with labor union representatives.

Long-term recommendations involve making sure that Rutgers will continue to promote a campus that prioritizes the experience of the students, according to the email. This will include exploring more approaches to teaching that encourage engagement with students and improving the technologies that can be used to better online teaching.

“In creating flexible working arrangements, we will make certain that students are well-served — that they have reliable and consistent access to people and resources they need, both in-person and online, that they can experience the kind of vibrant campus life that existed pre-pandemic, that they can benefit from the best practices of technology-enhanced teaching and learning and that we meet their physical and mental health needs,” Holloway said.