Thank you to the 2378 members who took the 2024 HUCTW Flexibility Survey! The data and stories collected in this survey allow us to better understand how our members experience and access flexibility in their jobs and to identify which areas need more attention. We will be sending out similar surveys in the future, which will inform our work with members on a day-to-day basis, as well as help us prepare for future policy work and contract negotiations. Below is a summary of some key data and quotes from the Spring 2024 survey.
Remote Work: Overview
Our flexibility survey data shows that the majority of HUCTW members have incorporated remote work into their regular weekly schedules, with 80% of respondents indicating that they work either hybrid schedules (64%) or fully remote schedules (16%). Among those who work hybrid schedules, the most common schedule is two days remote/three days on campus (26%)—with fewer days on campus for those who work part time—and the next most common is three days remote/two days on campus (18%). The survey also shows that 20% of respondents work fully on campus. See chart below for more details.
Remote Work: Satisfaction Levels and Productivity
We asked all members how satisfied they are with the level of flexibility available to them through their Harvard departments. Those who work fully remotely expressed the most satisfaction with their access to flexibility, with 96% indicating they are very satisfied/satisfied/somewhat satisfied (with 82% indicating “very satisfied”). Those who work fully on campus were more split in terms of satisfaction levels, with 50% of those who work fully on campus expressing some level of satisfaction with their access to flexibility (with 19% indicating they are very satisfied). See chart below for a finer breakdown.
Among those who work hybrid schedules, 85% of respondents express some level of satisfaction with their access to flexibility. When those individuals’ responses are divided based on how many days each member works remotely, the results indicate a correlation between how many days a member works remotely and their level of satisfaction (the more days members work remotely, the higher their levels of satisfaction with their schedules overall). Again, see chart on schedule satisfaction below for more details.
Many respondents indicate that they are more productive when working remotely, indicating that there are fewer distractions and interruptions, and also highlighting the reduction in financial burden and mental and physical stress associated with commuting. Many of those with hybrid schedules noted that having a schedule that incorporates the right balance of remote work and on-campus work has made their work more manageable, efficient, and satisfying:
- “I think my hybrid schedule is a sweet spot where I can work from the comfort of my own home for most of the week, but still have in-person anchor days with my team and to collaborate and socialize. I’m not sure my job is doable completely remote, so being in person 2 days a week allows me to plan my tasks accordingly. My quality of work and productivity is the same both ways, but I feel just the mental and physical break from having to commute is great.”
- “I LOVE working remote. I am focused because I’m able to get comfortable on my own terms, the door is shut, headphones are on, my desk is set to the right height for my personal ergonomics. I can’t really focus in the office, it’s so exposed with cubicles and constant foot traffic and talking. It’s nice to see people but I am certainly not as productive on the days I’m in the office.”
- “Because I am disabled with a chronic illness, I can say with a high degree of certainty and experience that if I could not work remotely at all, I would not be nearly as productive and might need to leave my job. Two days at home per week is enough to keep me productive and happy. I enjoy being in the office but can’t maintain the energy for the full week, so I take alternating days at home, and this allows me to keep working for the full week, instead of getting too tired to work by Thursday and needing to take sick time on Friday.”
Others with hybrid schedules indicate that they found that restrictive schedules, which put too much emphasis on working on campus, unproductive or frustrating.
- “The mandatory requirement that staff in our department come in three days a week doesn’t make sense. We don’t have student or faculty facing jobs. But we commute to campus only to have all our meetings on Zoom, answer emails, and work on solitary projects. I could do all of that more effectively from home, without the commute and without the office distractions.”
- “My role requires being on the phone or Teams calls frequently. We’re in small office space with several other people who are all in different online or phone meetings, it can be hard to focus on the call I’m on. This seems counterintuitive to me. I’d be more focused and better able to communicate with others while at home.”
Other Types of Flexibility
We asked members who work fully on campus if they apply any other types of flexibility in their work week. Of those who answered yes, that flexibility primarily included (1) adjusted start times and end times to the work day on an ongoing basis (2) compressed 4-day work weeks, and (3) ad-hoc or one-off remote work days or hours changes.
A sizable amount of members who work fully on campus seem content with their ability to request and get other types of flexibility when needed, even if just ad hoc. However, an equal number of these members feel their requests for flexibility were unreasonably denied.
Members were asked if they had requested more access to flexibility or remote work above and beyond their current schedule and, if they had, what response they had received. Answers were split relatively evenly among people who had not asked for more access, and people who had asked for more but were rejected.
Many members specifically indicate that their direct manager or local department head was supportive of their requests for additional flexibility, but their school-level leadership was not.
- “My supervisor is fine with us having more flexibility, but at the dean level, they try to implement sweeping on-campus requirements without understanding if they’re really needed. I think [school leadership] just want people on campus to create the impression of a busy campus…but for those staff who don’t interact directly with students, that seems irrelevant.”
- “Yes, we have asked for more access to remote work, but we were denied. I understand the importance of being present for events, but I do not understand having to be a human body in an office for the sake of appearances.”
- “[Our school] says no to our additional remote requests even though our manager supports us and none of the faculty we support need us on campus. It’s arbitrary and demoralizing.”
We also asked all members if they had more opportunities for flexibility seasonally (in summer or other times of year when work needs change or slow down). 40% of respondents say they had increased flexibility seasonally while 60% said there is no seasonal change in their schedules. Many members indicate that having access to flexibility during a few months per year helps to strengthen morale:
- “My management is very flexible about taking additional work from home days during times of the year when there is less programming happening, and the whole office typically gets an additional WFH day each week during the summer months. It makes a big difference.”
- “My office is very busy during the summer and it is challenging to take longer vacations, however having the option to work fully remotely during summer made it much easier to work from anywhere so that I could take an extended stay somewhere with my family. I work for part of the time and take vacation for part of the time. It felt like a good trade-off.”
Other Key Takeaways from Member Comments
As-Needed Flexibility: Members indicate that the ideal workplace allows for personalized work arrangements that suit the individual’s needs and the needs of the job. This could mean different degrees of remote work, flexible hours, or specific days in the office as per job requirements. Many employees also appreciate a hybrid model where they can choose when to come into the office based on specific needs or events, rather than broader mandates.
Communication Between Remote and On-Campus Workers: It is important that members who work more remotely and members who work more on campus communicate clearly with each other about on-campus work needs they share so that on-campus workers are not overburdened covering the on-campus duties of coworkers who prefer to work more remotely, and vice versa with more remote, online tasks.
Formal Agreements: Some respondents express concerns about the permanence and security of their remote or flexible arrangements. They would feel more secure with formal written agreements ensuring that their flexible work schedules cannot be changed arbitrarily.
Job Satisfaction: Many hundreds of respondents indicate that hybrid work, remote work, and other flexibility are essential elements of why they chose their Harvard jobs or why they stay in their Harvard jobs.
Autonomy and Trust: Members deeply value the ability to manage their own schedules and work locations without excessive restrictions. Members feel that as long as their work is getting done successfully and they are meeting the needs of the job, there is no reason that they should not be trusted with a high level of flexibility. This show of trust and support for the employee needs leads to higher levels of employee engagement and retention.
Overall, the majority of HUCTW members express contentment with their current level of flexibility and remote work, and for the most part, hybrid or even full remote work has become the norm for most departments.
However, there are still a sizable number of members who feel like their flexibility requests have been unfairly denied or unfairly modified. Since the survey was sent out, a small handful of schools have been attempting to increase the number of on-campus days for all staff unilaterally (rather than evaluating flexible schedule requests based on each individual’s job responsibilities). One member’s quote sums the feelings expressed by many HUCTW staff who have been seeing signs of a flexibility claw-back in their departments or schools:
- “My feeling is this: we all went through a horrendous thing with the sudden onset of the COVID19 pandemic. We all pivoted gracefully and kept working (in many cases, working more and harder) throughout a collectively traumatic experience. Learning that we can work in different ways than the traditional in-person without any loss in productivity or performance was one of the silver linings of the pandemic. The withdrawing of flexibility now is insulting to workers who showed tremendous resilience in pivoting and remaining productive throughout such difficult circumstances. Revoking that flexibility for workers and returning to the old ways of doing things begs the question: what was the point of going through all that?”
If you are having difficulty getting flexibility you need, in terms of your daily hours, your use of remote work, or other forms of flexibility, please reach out to your HUCTW organizer or email us at huctw.info@huctw.org. Whether the push back you are receiving is at the supervisor level, the department level, the school level, or anything else, we want to help work with you to get a schedule that suits your needs and the needs of your particular job. All conversations with HUCTW organizers are confidential.
The key contract language on flexibility and remote work is highlighted on our website: https://huctw.org/negotiating-a-flexible-work-schedule
Thank you, again, for your participation in the survey and for taking the time to read this report.