An in-person presence on campus is an important part of the University culture. Employees who participate in the Hybrid Work Program (the “Program”) are expected to be physically present on-campus, in accordance with the Program. Ultimately, employees of the University need to be based in Alberta. Only in truly exceptional circumstances will the University consider approving an employee to live and work outside of Alberta.
Hiring employees based in different provinces and internationally involves ensuring compliance with applicable legislative and regulatory frameworks, namely employment standards, as well as occupational health and safety requirements. Moreover, hiring employees to work outside of Canada is considerably more complex, as the University must comply with local labour, tax, immigration, and payroll rules and regulations. In these circumstances, the University is required to do an individual localized assessment to determine its obligations should an employee be hired to work outside of Alberta.
Ultimately, employees of the University need to be based in Alberta.
Requirements on Employment Outside of Alberta
In the rarest of circumstances, consideration will be given to an out of province hire/relocation. In these instances, when the hiring manager makes the request for out of province work, they must be aware of conditions that guide and/or restrict out of province work.
Conditions that guide and/or restrict out of province work, include, but are not limited to:
In order for a request to be considered, the following conditions must be present:
The University must fully investigate, understand, and support these issues before approving an out of province hire/relocation arrangement. The University may approve an employee to perform their duties out of province on a case-by-case basis. To request an out of province work arrangement, please reach out to your HR Partner.
All approved arrangements to work outside of Alberta will be reviewed annually by the responsible leader, to ensure the eligibility requirements remain present. In all circumstances (both domestically and internationally), should an employee be granted permission to work outside of Alberta, the University reserves the right to end the arrangement, for any reason, by providing ninety (90) calendar days’ notice to the employee.
This applies to all employees of the University of Calgary.
The University of Calgary is a predominantly in-person learning and research institution. Thus, the majority of activities are expected to take place in person. We are a vibrant campus because of the people who work and learn here. Being in person enables the university to create a sense of belonging, enhance team dynamics and foster a positive organizational culture.
The Hybrid Work Program is for MaPS and AUPE staff and allows them to work up to two (2) days off-campus each week. Under this program, employees must be based in Alberta and able to commute to campus regularly at least 3 times/week.
Employees who are already working outside of Alberta are asked to review the above requirements and speak with their manager.
*This does not apply to employees whose roles are stationed at an out of province UCalgary location.
Requests to work out of province can be either temporary or permanent but must comply with the Requirements on Employment Outside of Alberta.
Yes. Employees are responsible for their personal legal and tax requirements. This may include filing income taxes in the jurisdiction where you are physically working and ensuring you are legally eligible to work in the jurisdiction.
All employees will receive one (1) set of work-issued devices to perform University of Calgary business upon approval of a remote work agreement, the employee will be allowed to take that equipment to their new work location. The equipment remains the property of the University of Calgary and must be returned should the employee leave the university for any reason.
No, the approval is only for the position you were in at the time of the approval. If your new position requires you to work out of province, it must be requested and approved through the SLT/ELT member of the new position. If you are still under the same SLT/ELT member, it must be re-approved by that SLT/ELT member.
UCalgary’s employment model is designed specifically for employees who are residents of Alberta and reside full-time in Alberta. Working outside Alberta can cause significant legal and administrative complications. Risks can include concerns regarding legal and regulatory compliance, taxation, immigration and work authorization, data security and privacy, and occupational health and safety.
Yes, if you have a strong connection with another post-secondary institution located in another province and wish to engage someone in that province, the preference is for them to be employed by the local post-secondary institution rather than UCalgary. You can provide funding to offset the cost of the employee. This mitigates risk and ensures compliance with local legislation.
Managing remote employees can be a challenging undertaking. A Guide to Managing Hybrid and Remote Teams is a short course that will provide you with tools and tactics to help you build your skills as a manager of remote employees.
Should an employee be granted permission to work out of province, the University reserves the right to end the arrangement, for any reason, by providing ninety (90) calendar days’ notice to the employee. Please connect with your HR Partner if you are wanting to end an arrangement.
Managers should review and reassess an employee’s remote work arrangements yearly, at minimum. A good cadence for doing so is annually during the employee’s performance review.
An in-person presence on-campus is an important part of the University culture. Ultimately, employees of the University need to be based in Calgary and area. Therefore, positions should be recruited as on-campus positions. If you feel you have exceptional circumstances that require you to recruit for a position based outside of Calgary and area, please reach out to your HR Partner to discuss.
There must be an operational business reason for an out of province arrangement to be put in place. Employee preference alone is not enough rationale to support a request for independent assessment. Requests should be driven by business need, not employee request, and must comply with the Requirements on Employment Outside of Alberta.