Hybrid Work – a manager’s guide

This guidance document assists people managers at the University of Waterloo in understanding, evaluating, and managing hybrid work arrangements (HWA). It supports implementation aligned with the University's overarching Flexible and Hybrid Work Guideline, emphasizing operational effectiveness, fairness, transparency, and consistency.

Hybrid work arrangements permit, when agreed, remote work for one or two days per week. These arrangements are renewable annually and must explicitly support departmental objectives, individual productivity, and institutional excellence.

Hybrid work arrangements are exceptions granted by the employer and are not an employee entitlement. The University’s standard expectation remains that employees normally work on campus five days per week.

• Participation in campus life is prioritized: the primary workplace remains on campus, unless a position explicitly requires otherwise.
• Operational excellence: arrangements must clearly support job performance, departmental goals, institutional effectiveness, and not adversely affect the performance of others.
• Equity and transparency: decisions on hybrid work must be fair, transparent, and equitable within and across departments.
   

Managers play a critical role in successfully implementing and managing hybrid work arrangements. Responsibilities include:

• Evaluation: use the rubric provided to make fair, consistent decisions aligned with departmental and institutional goals.
• Documentation: clearly document approved arrangements and expectations (see separate document, " Implementing hybrid work arrangement” template).
• Communication: clearly communicate expectations around employee availability, responsiveness, and participation in on-campus activities.
• Monitoring: annually review the effectiveness of arrangements and hold periodic check-ins with employees. 
• Adjustments: make necessary modifications or discontinue arrangements as operational needs change, ensuring appropriate notice as advised by HR.

The University’s general expectation is that staff work from campus five days per week, and that hybrid work arrangements will typically be made at an employee’s request on a case-by-case basis.

Employees who have an agreed hybrid work arrangement are expected to be able to come to campus if requested by their manager. Declining an in-person request or requesting an online meeting to facilitate working away from campus should generally not be seen as an option by either employees or their supervisors.

Employees granted hybrid work arrangements who have dependent care demands during their normal work hours must have care arrangements so that their focus is on their work.  This might be in the form of daycare and babysitting for children, or arrangements of support for dependent adults.

If additional resources (such as internet access or computer equipment) are required to facilitate remote work as part of a hybrid work arrangement, the provision of these resources is normally the employee’s responsibility. 

Employees must ensure that all sensitive information is safeguarded when working remotely.

• working from home securely guidelines.

Managers must document their evaluation of hybrid work requests based on the following structured criteria. These criteria are captured in the group-Level Hybrid Work Plan template for group-level arrangements and the Individual Hybrid Work Request Form for  individual-level arrangements.

Note: while employee preferences can be considered, hybrid work arrangements are primarily implemented to optimize work and team performance.

1. Employee eligibility and performance
   • Managers must attest that they have no performance concerns regarding the individual requesting arrangements and their ability to complete required work remotely.
2. Suitability of job tasks
   • Managers must clearly document how job responsibilities and deliverables can effectively be completed remotely without negatively impacting quality, coordination, or team function.
   • Managers must document evidence that the role does not rely significantly on frequent, spontaneous, in-person interactions.
   • Managers should also consider and document whether on-campus physical space constraints contribute to the suitability of remote work. Such considerations may positively influence the decision to approve hybrid arrangements.
3.  Alignment with operational excellence
   • Managers must clearly identify and provide measurable performance improvements or operational outcomes anticipated from the hybrid arrangement.
   • Managers must document how employee output and performance can be measured effectively during remote work without incurring additional managerial effort, resource allocation, or associated costs compared to on-campus supervision.
   • Managers must document how other teams that their unit collaborates with or supports have been consulted.
4. Team dynamics and communication:
   • Managers must provide an evidence-based assessment of potential impacts of the hybrid arrangement on team communication, collaboration, innovation, and relationship-building.
   • Managers must document how the team will support the arrangement, ensuring minimal additional coordination costs or inconvenience.
   • If there are potential or predictable negative effects on the functioning of a team or its activities, a request should be declined.
5. Equitable Decision-making:
   • Managers must document consideration of similar roles within the department and clearly justify any variations in arrangements between similar roles.

All hybrid work arrangements must be reviewed annually to assess their suitability for renewal. Managers are expected to hold periodic (at least once annually) check-ins with employees. These periodic check-ins should specifically include discussions on the effectiveness and impacts of hybrid work arrangements, addressing both positive and negative implications for performance, employee engagement, and departmental operations.

In addition, managers are required to conduct an annual stakeholder assessment evaluating the impacts of hybrid work arrangements on departmental service levels, internal communication effectiveness, and workplace culture. Findings should inform decisions about renewing or modifying arrangements.

For further assistance, managers are encouraged to contact their HR Partner and refer to related University policies and guidelines available through the Secretariat’s website.

This guidance document is part of the University's broader Flexible and Hybrid Work framework and should be used in conjunction with the complete suite of related resources and documents.  As well, the following templates are available for leaders/managers who wish to apply on behalf of their employees or for their departments (with approval from their EC members and PVP group), including step-by-step instructions for managers using Workday. 

• Individual Request Template – for Manager to apply on behalf of an employee (available on Workday) 

• Departmental Plan Template – for Manager/Unit leaders use only (available from your HR Partner)