Is remote work "working" for ITS staff? The results are in.

Over a year ago, the COVID-19 pandemic forced many IT staff from in-person to remote work. This change also impacted those whose jobs required that they continue to support clients on campus. Now that many staff are, or will soon be, eligible for a vaccine, the university is considering how we can learn from what we’ve experienced.

To understand the ITS team’s workplace preferences and plan for returning to campus on August 1, ITS formed a Remote Work Practices Committee in December 2020. Sandra Germenis and Ted Hanss lead the committee, which includes representation from colleagues across IT. Other members include Apriel Biggs, Michael Blomberg, Hadar Call, Sarah Hauswirth, Christina Lago, Taber Lightfoot, Susan Pacini, Luis Riberio, Jack Rebimbas, Jeremy Rosenberg, Cheri Ross, and Blanche Temple. One of it’s first objectives was to develop an ITS Work from Home Survey.

Yale ITS distributed the survey on February 24; by March 5, over 87% of IT staff responded. The results expressed a significant hope for ongoing flexibility and remote work options and acknowledged some of the challenges. A few key observations:

• The majority have been very satisfied with remote work, though a minority have been very unsatisfied.
• The majority believe remote work has contributed to their productivity.
• The majority expressed an interest in continuing to work remotely, at least part-time, though that interest dwindles substantially if such a change would require sharing office space.
• If allowed to work remotely full time, the majority would plan to remain in Connecticut rather than relocate out of state.
• Almost all have appreciated the reduced financial burden of parking, commuting, and work apparel, but many also expressed incurring new expenses while working at home.
• When asked about the challenges of remote work, the most common concerns include:
  • Back-to-back meetings without breaks in between.
  • The difficulty of more engaged forms of collaboration.
  • Working longer hours and not taking PTO.
  • Separating work and personal life.
  • Missing out on face time with colleagues.

Managers also expressed that they are:

• Experiencing more meetings than before.
• Feeling confident that they could manage a team while working remotely.

For CIO John Barden, the survey’s goal was to gather information on community preferences and “blend staff goals with institutional needs.” An institution-wide committee is actively working to provide clarity on remote work choices by this summer. The committee will be making big institutional decisions, and they will be considering different staff needs across Yale’s campus. John expects the campus will open to individuals who are not on the essential personnel list beginning June 1. We will begin to hold some group meetings and in-person collaborations at that time. While the guidance is still evolving, “we expect that by August 1, everyone that does not have some form of documented agreement around an alternative or flexible work arrangement will return to working on campus,” he shared.

As we wait for the university to formalize broader policies and guidance, we encourage staff to share their preferences or concerns with managers. Schedules will likely shift and adapt—even though the fall.

The ITS Remote Work Practices Committee will continue their work by drafting ITS guidelines for SLT approval for remote work and any associated training, governance, and ongoing review. There are groups of ITS staff across the organization whose job requires them to be on-site to deliver their services or meet with their clients. There will be a pilot period of ITS remote working groups to ensure all aspects of the arrangement have the desired outcomes.

We will share ongoing updates related to the committee’s efforts and university guidance on this topic in future IT Update newsletters.