Fall FLEX Day marks the start of the academic year, and in years past, FLEX Day has not only represented an opportunity to engage in professional development but also a chance to catch up with our colleagues and strategize for the upcoming semester.  However, for many faculty, this fall’s FLEX Day has been the source of much anxiety with the recent surge in COVID cases spurred by the Delta variant and the general uncertainty associated with the pandemic. As a result, the Faculty Association has fielded many questions from faculty concerned about the prospect of attending FLEX Day in person along with hundreds of fellow employees and sitting for hours in enclosed spaces.  Thankfully, through our persistence, the FA was able to negotiate for faculty, the option to participate in FLEX Day in a remote format this fall. 

However, faculty should also be aware of “Flexible FLEX,” a contractual right already available to them.  Rather than attending one or both of the scheduled FLEX Days each semester, faculty have had the option of customizing their professional development to some degree and completing their FLEX obligation through flexible, in-lieu hours.  Article 5.12.2 of the Collective Bargaining Agreement covers the specifics of FLEX obligations for both full-time and part-time faculty, the highlights of which are below:  

Full-Time Faculty

• The annual FLEX obligation for full-time faculty is 12 hours (2 days) of FLEX. For full-time faculty on reduced workloads, the annual FLEX obligation is reduced proportionally (see Article 5.12.2 for more details).
• Full-time faculty may fulfill their annual FLEX obligation by one of two methods:
  • Attending the scheduled on-campus FLEX Days OR
  • Completing flexible, in-lieu FLEX hours equivalent to the annual FLEX obligation.

Part-Time Faculty

• Part-time faculty may or may not have a FLEX obligation for a particular semester that they are teaching, depending on the specific days they teach. Only part-time faculty scheduled to teach at PCC on the same day of the week that FLEX Day is scheduled have a FLEX obligation that semester.
• Part-time faculty with a FLEX obligation may fulfill this obligation by one of two methods:
  • Attending FLEX Day for the same number of hours they are scheduled to teach on that day OR
  • Completing flexible, in-lieu FLEX hours equivalent to the hours they are scheduled to teach on any scheduled FLEX Day.

What counts toward Flexible FLEX? 

Relevant conferences, on-campus trainings, workshops, webinars, etc. usually count toward Flexible FLEX.  See pgs. 15-19 of Guidelines for the Implementation of the Flexible Calendar Program for more details.  To be on the safe side, confirm with the FLEX Faculty Coordinator in advance and in writing that a particular professional development activity will count toward your FLEX obligation. 

Faculty Have a Responsibility to Track their FLEX Hours

Please note that faculty are responsible for tracking and reporting FLEX participation whether they choose to attend the scheduled FLEX Day or complete flexible, in-lieu FLEX hours; currently, the College uses the Vision Resource Center to track such participation.