Hybrid Work: The Norm
According to a Working@Duke survey, 39 percent of Duke employees work remotely one-to-four days each week
Moffitt is among the 39 percent of Duke University and Duke University Health System employees who work remotely one-to-four days each week, according to a Working@Duke survey in December 2022.
To assess work location desires of staff and faculty, Working@Duke conducted an online poll for the third consecutive year. Of the nearly 2,900 employees who responded to the survey, 45 percent prefer to work fully remote each week, slightly higher than 2021, while 6 percent favor no remote work, also slightly higher. Thirty-four percent of employees who responded to the survey work fully remote.
Employees continue to rank the lack of a commute and flexibility among the top benefits of remote work. Setting boundaries between work and life is the top challenge, followed by social isolation.
Working@Duke survey results track Gallup data, which indicates that the majority of remote-capable employees in America work a hybrid (52 percent) or exclusively remote (28 percent) arrangement.
Antwan Lofton, vice president of Duke Human Resources, said that since the pandemic, Duke has established a foundation for work location flexibility for non-patient and student facing roles, and that now, leaders of schools, departments and units will continue to assess roles that fit for hybrid or remote arrangements.
“I do believe that hybrid work is here to stay,” Lofton said. “That said, while we understand people are being very productive while working from home, there are certain things that you still get out of being surrounded by your peers.”
Across Duke, employees prefer a hybrid or remote arrangement, but a portion of the community still prefers to be on-site.
Fully Remote – from New York
Before the pandemic, Nicole Durrick couldn’t imagine working for Duke. But since last year, she has contributed to patient care and research while living about 700 miles from campus, at the base of the Adirondack Mountains in New York.
Durrick, an advanced grants and contracts administrator, is among the 34 percent of Duke employees who work fully remote – either in North Carolina or from one of Duke’s approved states, according to the Working@Duke survey. She is among at least 468 employees – a 200 percent increase since 2020 – who reside outside of North Carolina but work for Duke.
Last summer, Duke expanded the number of states where exempt faculty and staff can work to provide flexibility and support recruitment and retention. While New York was already on the list, Duke added others states, bringing the total number to 17, as well as Washington, D.C.
Durrick, whose team includes colleagues in Texas, Florida, and North Carolina, joined Duke from Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute, where she worked for 21 years, nearly all on-site. She stumbled on a job opening online and was drawn to Duke by professional development opportunities that help her manage 38 active grants and numerous grant applications for Duke doctors.
In the past year, she has participated in the Research Administration Academy at Duke, which connects staff members with hands-on training to develop grant management skills. In her unit, she feels supported by colleagues, who are willing to jump on Zoom to answer questions.
“I definitely have the work-home life balance that is needed, but then I have a great team and great managers,” Durrick said.
Favors the Campus Charm
Kelly Umstead supports online learning for the Master of Business Administration daytime program at the Fuqua School of Business. Except for technical support in a classroom, most of his work can be done remotely, but Umstead prefers to come to campus each day.
Umstead represents the 6 percent of employees who favor not working remotely at all, according to the Working@Duke survey.
“I am old school and prefer separating my job from my home, and I work from home only
if absolutely necessary,” said Umstead, who has worked at Duke for 32 years.
When at home, he misses the view from his fifth-floor office that looks out over the left field of Jack Coombs Field, where he sees the sun rise. And on campus, he gets to hear the toll of the Duke University Chapel bells as he walks to his car at the end of a day.
“I like being on campus, and it’s important to have face-to-face time with my awesome teammates,” said Umstead, who works on a team that maintains approximately 200 course websites per year. “To me, that’s part of the charm and uniqueness of the job.”
Future of Work
Starting a fully remote role when she joined Duke last year, Jackie Okoh had few opportunities to see students or meet colleagues.
As the undergraduate program administrator for the Department of Computer Science, Okoh comes to campus on Mondays and Wednesdays each week to manage payroll documents and build community through in-person social events that bring together students in the department.
“It has helped financially with gas and car maintenance expenses,” said Okoh, who was able to move into a larger apartment.
Okoh is among 39 percent of Duke employees who work remote one to four days each week, according to the Working@Duke survey. She represents the hybrid work model preferred by nearly half
of Duke employees.
“I like hybrid work because you still have a sense of workplace community, in terms of engaging with your coworkers and your colleagues,” Okoh said. “I just think being able to visually see people helps you
feel more acclimated to normal because we weren’t really normal for a while.”
What's your work arrangement story? Share your story and photographs through our story idea form or write working@duke.edu.