Starting on January 1, 2022, in an era marked by the effects of Covid-19 and the world's adaptation to the new normal, FIU unveiled the flexible work arrangement. 

The text below is an excerpt from the article that announced the new policy: 

“We are taking bold steps together to continue to immerse ourselves into the future of work,” said El pagnier K. Hudson, senior vice president of human resources and vice provost for diversity, equity and inclusion. “Our people are everything. Our metrics [successes] don’t happen by themselves. It’s our people who make it happen. It is our privilege to be here to unveil the Agile Workforce Model, which reflects enhancements to what used to be the Flexible Work Policy, and we've done that with you in mind. Today marks an incredible achievement for our FIU.”

Hudson added that the progressive work practices in the policy reflect the needs of today's workforce. "The future is here and we are already embracing it," she said. 

Unfortunately, the recording of the town hall meeting that was linked in the articled is now deleted. 

From the FIU Human Resources page on the flexible work arrangement, 

"At FIU, our people are everything! We recognize that building the future requires a workforce that is innovative, dynamic and flexible. Aligned with FIU’s strategic plan (Experience Impact 2030), we have developed an agile workforce program that provides leadership the necessary flexibility required to provide first-class education and services to our students, faculty, staff and constituents."

Along with recent changes in policy and leadership, the flexible work arrangement that university faculty and staff have operated on for the last 3, almost 4, years- is at risk of being discontinued. For many, a hybrid-schedule is what enables them to provide the excellence and efficiency that students deserve. 

According to research conducted by Stanford University, hybrid work provides both employee and company benefits, such as: 

• Improved work-life balance, resulting in employees working in ways that are most effective for them and the company. 
• Prone to less work burnout or fatigue, leading to similar or higher productivity.
• Better cross-functional communication and collaboration with management, coworkers, students, and other departments.   
• Significantly improved employee retention rate. 

For FIU specifically, a university situated in an over-populated city that has rapidly outgrown its infrastructure, there are unique aspects to consider: 

• With recent developments and available public information, FIU may not have the infrastructure to support a fully in-person work schedule.
  • While the main campus may provide 12,994 parking spaces, FIU has more than 54,000 students, and over 10,000 faculty and staff- being the fourth largest university in the USA. Every year, there seems to be a new parking garage project that hopes to solve the issue, but it cannot fix Miami's overcrowding and over-development crisis. 
• Some departments may not have the physical space available to allocate for all employees, which can be detrimental to student-facing roles, like program administration. 
• Much of the workforce does not live in the surrounding area of FIU, or even in Miami. With rising cost of living, no rent control laws in Florida, and (for many) wages that cannot cover the cost of living as is, many workers opt to live in more affordable areas- that are farther away. 
  • According to FIU Analysis & Information, of the 10,000+ faculty and staff, at least over 2,500 reside somewhere outside of Dade County- according to 2024 data. 
  • Although there had been discussions about housing for the workforce, no solutions have been presented. When we reference the housing crisis for FIU's students, with non-freshmen being pushed out of on-campus housing, the prospects for the workforce do not look bright. 
• Many departments are currently understaffed. The discontinuation of the flexible work arrangement may jeopardize employee retention, hiring, and the quality of service we provide to students. 
• Other highly ranked universities across the nation employ a flexible work arrangement, such as the University of Washington​, Florida Atlantic University​, University of Oregon​, Columbia University, and more. 

The goal of this petition is to make the voices of the workforce heard. We implore the Executive Committee to reconsider the total revocation of the flexible work arrangement that the university has functioned on for years. 

Sr. Vice President of Human Resources, K. Hudson, stated that the policy was an incredible achievement and embracing the future of business operations, when it was unveiled in 2022. I believe to go back on that would be to go back on progressing forward.