Flexible Work Arrangements

Make Your Meetings More Active

Include items on your meeting agenda that require participants to get out of their seats (breakout groups, stand and write ideas on an easel).
Choose movement friendly meeting locations (walkable neighborhoods, on-site gym, nearby park).
Hire a professional instructor (pilates, yoga, tai chi, stretching, Zumba) to lead a class before or during the meeting.
Point out the stairs and encourage attendees to use them. Consider including the location of stairs in meeting directions or putting arrows to the stairs in front of elevators.
Organize a group walk early in the morning, during a break or before/after dinner.
Consider incorporating standing ovations after each speaker to encourage participants to stand and stretch.

Standing Breaks

At least once an hour, participants should be encouraged to stand up to improve blood circulation, boost metabolism, and relieve physical discomfort from sitting for prolonged periods of time.
Announce that it is fine to stand up and move around, as needed. If possible, provide raised tables for those electing to stand during the meeting.

Stretch Breaks

Stretch breaks help participants wake up their bodies and minds.
Encourage people to stand up and stretch in place.
Try playing a Healthy UC Davis WakeBreak video! These instructor-led stretch videos range from 4 to 15 minutes.

Breathing Exercise

Focused breathing is an energizing activity that can help relax and clear your mind. Simply inhale for four seconds, hold it for seven seconds, and exhale for eight seconds.

Suggested Activity Agendas

LENGTH OF MEETING	STANDING BREAK	STRETCH BREAKS	BREATHING BREAKS	MOVEMENT BREAKS	WALKING BREAKS
50 - 60 min	x		x
2 - 4 hours	x	x	x	x
All Day	x	x	x	x	x

Supervisors and managers are empowered to make and implement decisions regarding flexible work arrangements and plans for their department to optimize productivity and services

Manager Flex Work Resources

A toolkit of topical booklets and video presentations to help inform managers of the methods, best practices and resources to manage and optimize FWAs.

Flex Work Toolkit

UC Davis is committed to the strategic advantages of Flexible Work Arrangements and we encourage and support supervisors in thinking creatively about how to best assign tasks to the best location and time for said task. There will not be one solution that works for everyone.

Managers and supervisors should determine which employees’ work dictates being in-person, which can be done better remotely, and which work needs can be met with a hybrid approach (some days remote, some days in-person). We must stop thinking, "should an employee in a particular role be working on site or remotely"...and start thinking,. "What type of work or tasks do employees do in their role, and where can those tasks be done most productively?"

The goal of this approach is not to fully repopulate all workspaces, but rather to ensure that all work is being completed, to the best and fullest extent possible. This all requires a fundamental shift in how we think about flex work.

Flex is not a "perk", it's a strategy

Flexible work, a necessity during crisis recently, is actually a culture-based ecosystem that is a powerful operational strategy of the 21st century. Flexible work arrangements are not "perks", but a business strategy contributing to:

Operational Resilience: Comfort with flex work can lead to the ability to better shift and navigate difficult situations such as weather events, fire, cyberattacks and public health emergencies.
Improved Adoption of Technology: Embracing the technology allows us to adapt to the changing needs of the customer. Many units have discovered an advantage in using the technology they may have been hesitant to use before the decision was forced due to COVID-19.
Attraction and Retention of a Diverse, Inclusive, Knowledgeable Workforce From an Expanded Talent Pool: The global pandemic has released the flexible work genie from the bottle. Most knowledge workers expect a certain degree of flexible work. Studies support the notion of greater attraction and retention of employees who are granted flex work.
Encouragement of Innovation, Collaboration and Communication: Flexible work keeps organizations from stagnation.
Increased Productivity, Engagement and Well-being: Flexible work provides the opportunity for greater intrinsic motivation in work and the ability to better manage the competing demands of work and home, leading to less conflict, stress and anxiety.