New University Standard Operating Hours

The following message was sent to all employees from Lauren Turner, SVP, Talent & Inclusion and Chief Diversity Officer on August 6, 2024.

Dear Colleagues,

We are writing to share the following update on university operating hours. Please read the full message and reach out to your manager or Talent Strategy Partner if you have questions.

WHAT: As of Monday, August 12, 2024, campus offices will shift to new standard hours of operation; all offices will be open and staffed (with in-person coverage) from 8:00 AM – 4:30 PM, Monday through Friday.

WHY: This past spring, a Staff Council and Talent & Inclusion Taskforce submitted a proposal to adjust WPI’s standard operating hours of 8:00 AM – 5:00 PM, Monday through Friday. This recommendation was based upon extensive feedback from university employees:

• The Staff Council cited feedback from individual contributor employees, managers, and leaders from across the campus.
• The recent staff climate survey also probed the topic of operating hours.
• Feedback from that survey and the Task Force’s work noted:
  
  • A lack of consistency in current practices across campus departments presented challenges for WPI’s operational efficiency and service delivery.
  • There was significant interest in changing WPI’s official hours of operation to better support employee well-being and balance of work and personal life.

IMPORTANT DETAILS:

• Some offices may continue to maintain hours beyond these standard operating hours to ensure support for specific department and university needs.
• The remote/flex work policy permits individual staff members to adjust their work schedule (with managerial approval) as long as the department has coverage during core operating hours.
• Individual full-time employees’ status will not change because of the new operating hours:
  • Exempt full-time employees:
    • Will remain 40 hours per week with no change to work expectations
    • Continue to have flexibility in how and when they complete their work
  • Non-Exempt full-time employees:
    • Will remain 37.5 or 40 hours per week, as currently scheduled
    • May continue to flex work hours with managerial approval; for example, 40-hour employees might take a 30-minute lunch break instead of an hour.
• These changes to operating hours do not impact vacation time accrual or use.

Please also note that we will be gathering feedback shortly on the effectiveness of the 2024 summer work schedule, which will inform plans for future summer schedules.

Lauren

Lauren A. Turner, PhD

Senior Vice President Talent & Inclusion/Chief Diversity Officer 
Division of Talent & Inclusion 
Worcester Polytechnic Institute 
100 Institute Road, Worcester, MA 01609-2280

508.831.6466 (O) 508.831.5715 (F) 
413.427.5402 (C) 
lturner@wpi.edu 
www.wpi.edu

Click here to reach a member of the Talent and Inclusion Team