Flexible working arrangements are intended to reconcile employees' work and family roles, providing employees with a work-life balance.
In the case of academic staff, one of the most flexible working time systems is the task-based working time system.
The system is based on the fact that an employee is not accountable for the time he/she spends working, but for the tasks he/she has to perform (only the teaching staff's salary is accounted for on an hourly basis).
However, the scope of the tasks should be established in such a way that the employee is able to perform them within the applicable working time standards, i.e. 8 hours per day and an average of 40 hours in an average 5-day working week (for a full-time employee).
Employees covered by task-based working time are not required to keep records of their working time and to draw up a working time schedule; in this case, the working time schedule is determined by the employee, with the exception of teaching, the timing of which is determined by the teaching schedule and organisational tasks assigned.
Within the framework of flexible work organisation, academic staff may request to work remotely and also to reduce their full-time working hours.
The rules for remote working by employees of the Gdansk University of Technology are regulated by the Rector's Order No. 28/2023 of 19 June 2023.
An employee raising children up to the age of 8 years may submit an application for flexible working arrangements. The application shall be submitted no less than 21 days before the planned start of the use of flexible working arrangements.
Flexible working arrangements are considered to be remote working, shortened working week*, weekend working*, flexitime* or individual work schedule* and reduction of working hours.
The application shall indicate:
- the child's name and date of birth;
- the reason for the need to use flexible working arrangements;
- the date on which the use of the flexible working arrangement begins and ends;
- the type of flexible working arrangement the employee plans to use.
The employer shall consider the request, taking into account the needs of the employee, including the date and the reason for the need to use the flexible work arrangement, as well as the needs and possibilities of the employer, including the need to ensure the normal course of work, the organisation of work or the type of work performed by the employee.
The employer shall inform the employee of the granting of the request, or of the reason for refusing to grant the request, or of a different possible date for the use of the flexible work organisation than that indicated in the request, within 7 days of receipt of the request.
An employee using a flexible work arrangement may at any time submit an application to return to the previous work arrangement if this is justified by a change in the circumstances giving rise to the employee's use of the flexible work arrangement. The employer, after considering the request, taking into account these circumstances, shall inform the employee of the granting or refusal of the request, or of the possible date of return to work, within 7 days of receipt of the request.
*does not apply to academic staff due to their task-based working time system.
Employees who are not academic staff as part of flexible working arrangements may request to work remotely (if this is possible due to the organisation of work or the type of work performed by the employee), as well as to reduce their full-time working hours.
The rules for remote working by employees of the Gdansk University of Technology are regulated by the Rector's Order No. 28/2023 of 19 June 2023.
At the written request of an employee, the employer may determine the employee's individual working time schedule within the working time system to which the employee is subject.
At the written request of an employee, approved by his/her immediate supervisor, the head of the unit may agree to change the hours of starting and ending of work while maintaining the prescribed working time standard. In the case of central administrative units, such a change requires the approval of the Chancellor.
At the request of an employee or a group of employees, with the approval of the head of the organisational unit and, in the case of central administration units, with the approval of the Chancellor, the timetable of individual employees or groups of employees may provide for different starting times on days which, according to the timetable, are working days for the employees.
The proper organisation of employees' working time is the responsibility of the heads of organisational units.
The above information was produced in connection with the implementation of the Gender Equality Plan (Objective 3, task 22).
