Guiding Principles of Dynamic Work for Harvard Staff

Harvard is committed to advancing the frontiers of academic and intellectual discovery. For nearly four centuries, our campus has been a destination where current and future leaders and scholars in all fields convene and explore the most pressing issues of our time.

As a residential campus, we grow, nurture, and challenge the next generation of pioneering minds. Harvard’s presence in the greater Boston area contributes to the intellectual vibrancy and economic health of the local community. Coming together—in the classroom, in laboratories and libraries, and across our campus—is foundational to who we are as an institution.

Our centuries-old university is also a 21st century workplace. Harvard operates in a competitive talent ecosystem, and our talent strategy demands that we find ways of remaining a vibrant locus of interaction while also supporting our current and future workforce as they advance our mission of excellence in teaching, learning, and research.

Harvard embraces dynamic workplace and employment arrangements as integral elements of its human resources strategy, workforce diversification efforts, and an effective means of attracting and retaining the best talent.

These Guiding Principles seek an optimal balance between preserving Harvard’s vibrant, residential campus experience, while promoting fulfilling work practices for our staff that reinforce their engagement as stewards of Harvard’s culture.

A New Understanding of the Workplace

Fueled by technological advances, shifting perspectives on work-life integration and mental health, and the prolonged pandemic experience of virtual work, our notions of work and the workplace have evolved dramatically.

We continue to adapt to this new reality while providing an outstanding in-person educational and co-curricular experience, as well as contributing to the economic and intellectual vitality of our community—all of which require meaningful in-person interactions with students, faculty, and community stakeholders.

Therefore, for Harvard to remain a premier university and employer of choice, its work strategies can and must support both excellent performance and employee flexibility. As we chart the way forward, we aim to advance the University’s mission through a productive, flexible, equitable, inclusive, collaborative, and innovative work culture.

Dynamic Work

“Dynamic Work” at Harvard refers to the evolving ways by which employees can deliver their work—on campus, remotely, on a hybrid basis, in standard and non-standard hours, aided by technology and workplace practices that maintain quality and timeliness of work and interactions with colleagues, students, faculty, researchers, alumni, and visitors.

Guiding Principles

  • Dynamic and evolving workplace – We take a dynamic view of the workplace and demonstrate our willingness to engage in an ongoing learning process that improves performance and the work experience through iteration and frequent assessment.
     
  • Intentional presence – Leaders conduct a thoughtful analysis of what work is best performed on or off-campus, resulting in meaningful employee engagement. This assessment is grounded in full consideration of the needs of colleagues, students, faculty, researchers, alumni, and visitors for on-premises services and support. Leaders further reinforce that certain aspects of work benefit from and are often amplified by intentional on-campus presence, while other aspects can be conducted off-campus without detriment to the experience of university constituencies.
     
  • Outcomes-based performance – Managers are skilled at and empowered to manage in distributed environments, prioritizing outcomes and trust in employees over control and physical oversight. Within the requirements of each position, the value of an employee’s contributions is not dependent on where the work is performed.
     
  • Equity – We are committed to ensuring equitable access to professional development, career mobility, rewards, and recognition for all employees, and enabling them to be fully seen, heard, and valued regardless of their work location. All employees are afforded a meaningful opportunity to have their requests for dynamic work arrangements considered in light of these principles.
     
  • Flexibility – Both managers and staff demonstrate flexibility in where, when, and how work is performed while ensuring alignment with university, school/unit, or department priorities.
     
  • Well-being – We tend to one another's well-being in all aspects of our work relationships and acknowledge the connection between employees’ quality of life and their work performance. We aim to strengthen trust and commitment, build community and camaraderie, and provide a fulfilling employment experience.

Learn more about Dynamic Work.