By Erin Cushing
Being an employee at Mason offers many opportunities, but the one that is frequently cited by faculty and staff is the flexibility that Mason provides them in their work.
One of the ways that Mason accomplishes this is through flexible work options. There are a number of ways that supervisors and employees can collaborate to create a flexible work schedule. The most popular of these methods is teleworking — using online resources and other technologies to complete tasks from an alternate location.
To spread the word about flexible work options, Mason is celebrating National Telework Week, March 5-9.
Flexible work options are encouraged at Mason for several reasons. They can help boost employee productivity and morale, reduce employee absenteeism and extend departmental working hours. Furthermore, by identifying critical personnel and registering them for telework capabilities, it can help ensure the continuity of operations so that the department can still function in an emergency, such as a major snowstorm.
Telework and other flexible work options are agreements between an employee and his or her supervisor, with the approval of the department head. During National Telework Week, however, Human Resources and Payroll has made it easier for supervisors to sign up their employees for telework. The regular forms are not required; the supervisor need only authorize up to two days of telework for an employee at the Telework Week Mini Flex site. HR and Payroll hopes that this decrease in paperwork will encourage people to test-drive telework and realize its potential. There are some parameters, so supervisors should review the Mini Flex site before signing up their employees.
“National Telework Week is meant to get people talking about the options they have at work,” says Janet Walker, work/life and communications coordinator for HR and Payroll.
One of the biggest fans of these flexible work options is ITU Systems Architect Barry Freese, who telecommutes four days out of the week.
“I truly enjoy teleworking,” he says. He and his family were able to move closer to their relatives in Leonardtown, Md., thanks to Freese’s teleworking. “The benefit I get from living in a more rural area allows me to provide a better environment for my children and spend more time with them.”
Freese accesses the ITU systems remotely and uses email, telephone and instant messaging to communicate with colleagues. He is able to commute to campus if his physical presence is required, but he generally needs to be in his office at Mason only once a week.
While he is a major proponent of telework, Freese stresses that it may not be for everyone or every position.
“Teleworking takes a lot of discipline to stay distraction-free and to separate work life from home life,” he explains.
To learn more about flexible work options or to research telework resources at Mason, visit Work/Life’s flexible work options website.