Centerspace is committed to helping team members maintain balance while meeting work, family, and personal obligations by offering several flexible work arrangements.  These arrangements provide team members with increased flexibility with their work schedule while allowing Centerspace to maintain an engaging and productive work environment while serving the needs of our residents, co-workers, and business.

Who is eligible for a Flexible Work Arrangement? 

All Centerspace team members will be considered for flexible work arrangements on a case-by-case basis, with consideration given to the ability to accomplish both work and personal goals, provide coverage for department operations, and serve the business and resident needs by maintaining productivity at no impact to the quality of results.  To determine whether a request is appropriate, the manager must assess the impact and outcome in terms of production, quality of work, and whether one or a combination of the above arrangement is in the best interests of the team member, the department, our customers, and Centerspace.   Questions to consider include but are not limited to: 

  • How will the team member meet their commitments under this arrangement?
  • How will the manager measure success in this environment?
  • What impact will this arrangement have on coworkers, residents, and the business?
  • How does the team member plan on being available to their team and customers?

Flexible work arrangements may not be practical, appropriate, or available for all positions at Centerspace.  Prior to approving a flexible work arrangement, the manager must consider the following:

  • Type of position and team member responsibilities:  Some positions require a physical presence in the office in order to successfully complete assigned responsibilities.   These responsibilities should be identified and discussed prior to implementing a flexible work schedule.
  • Team member job performance: The team member must be meeting all performance expectations in their current role, with no disciplinary action or performance improvement plans issued within the last 6 months.   New team members may be eligible for a flexible work arrangement after 6 months of employment, or before then with approval by the Talent and Culture team in addition to the support of their manager.  
  • Workload:  The flexible work arrangement must allow the team member to successfully manage their workload and meet required deadlines.
  • Coverage: Business needs must be met at all times.  Flexible work schedules must not have a negative impact on customer service or the overall efficiency of the team/department.  Core business hours may be identified to ensure availability to customers and coworkers.   

What is considered a Flexible Work Arrangement?

 Several flexible work arrangement options may be available to team members, including: 

  • Flextime, in which a team member works eight hours per workday, but there is flexibility in the scheduled start and end times.  Core business hours may be set based on department and customer needs, but the team member’s schedule would be flexible beyond those core hours, working earlier or later based on personal or family needs. 
  • Compressed workweeks, in which a team member works longer hours per day, but fewer days per week.  Some examples may include: 
    1. 10 hours per day, 4 days per week 
    2. 9 hours per day, 4 days per week, and one 4-hour day per week 
    3. 9 hours per day, and one full day off every other week (available for exempt team members only) 
  • Remote Work, in which a team member works remotely for some or all of their scheduled time.  Unless required to work remotely by the company, Centerspace will not contribute to any resource or office expenses related to a remote workstation.  One office set-up will be provided, and it will be the team member’s responsibility to transport equipment and/or supplement equipment for a secondary location when needed.  Remote work options include:
    1. Hybrid schedule, where the team member and manager develop a schedule including some days working remotely and some days working in the office.  The team member will only be provided with one computer setup and will be responsible for transporting any necessary equipment or resources. 
    2. Remote work, where the team member works remotely nearly all the time, only expected to work in the office for infrequent special projects or events.  The team member likely does not have an assigned workstation in the office, and the company-provided computer setup will be dedicated to their remote work office.   
  • Other, in which a team member and their manager work together to find a flexible work arrangement that is not listed above or is a combination of the schedules listed above.

When the team member has the ability to work from the office, travel costs will be calculated from the office.  When the team member is unable to work from the office (due to no assigned workspace, or their workspace is occupied by another team member on a given day), travel costs will be calculated from the team member’s remote work location.  

Requesting, Approving, and Maintaining a Flexible Work Arrangement

Requests for a Flexible Work Arrangement should be made verbally or in writing to your manager. Approved arrangements must be documented using the Flexible Work Arrangement Memo (attached), with the signed copy uploaded to the team member’s personnel file.  

Upon approval of a flexible work schedule, a 3-month trial period will apply to assess the impact and effectiveness of the arrangement, with regularly scheduled check-ins between the team member and manager.  After successful completion of the trial period, the work arrangement will be reviewed at least annually or as needed thereafter to ensure continued success.   The arrangement may be canceled by management for any reason, such as a decrease in productivity or performance by the team member or a change in department or customer needs.  A team member may also request the arrangement to end for any reason.  The end of a Flexible Work Arrangement will be documented on the original Flexible Work Arrangement Memo and will be placed in the team member’s personnel file. 

For the duration of a flexible work arrangement, it is expected that the team member will make their schedule available to all coworkers and customers, if the hours vary from their office or department’s regularly scheduled office hours.  

Centerspace recognizes that special circumstances such as natural disasters or public health concerns may necessitate short-term flexible work arrangements to allow business operations to continue with limited interruptions.  Short-term arrangements in direct response to an emergency situation may require exceptions to the guidelines above and will be considered on a case-by-case basis, with approval issued by the manager, department head, and Talent & Culture.   

Policy Owned By: Talent & Culture

Also found in the Centerspace Policy Manual.