ANN ARBOR – Faculty and staff at the University of Michigan who have been working remotely for the past year due to the COVID-19 pandemic will begin to return to work gradually in the coming months.
When people return to university buildings will depend on their unit as the university prepares for an in-person fall semester.
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“Generally, but not always, we would expect there will be more opportunity for work that is partially remote and partially on campus in the future,” U-M President Mark Schlissel said in a statement.
“More hybrid work where it is possible also helps the university meet several goals of our institution, including a commitment to achieve carbon neutrality, reduce costs related to campus facilities and parking, enhanced work-life balance and increased job satisfaction for employees.”
As school officials develop a plan to return to on-site and hybrid work, the university’s goals to return to campus include:
- Enhancing ways the university accomplishes its teaching, research and service missions, leveraging all that the campus community has learned about new ways of working and learning.
- Increasing efficiencies and reducing costs, in particular by reducing space needs.
- Reducing the environmental impact and helping the university achieve its carbon neutrality goals as those are developed.
- Enhancing the university’s position as an employer of choice with particular attention to employee satisfaction.
Employees will receive advance notice of their return to on-site and hybrid work schedule from their unit supervisors.
While all faculty and staff who have the ability to work remotely will continue to do so, the arrival of students to residence halls in the fall will increase the demand for on-site work, the university said in a news release.
“Fall on campus will have a different feel this year, as university officials are hopeful the coming academic year will be a transition, with some public health measures still in place early on,” reads the release. “Depending on public health guidelines as the academic year progresses, university officials hope to have fewer public health measures later in the year as the community’s vaccination rate increases.”