
Lucio Vasquez / Houston Public Media
The University of Houston is rescinding its hybrid remote work policy.
After nearly three years of allowing university staff to work partly from home and partly on campus, UH President Renu Khator announced in a Friday email to employees that it’ll be returning to fully in-person operations.
Staff will be required to work on campus full-time starting March 1.
The university’s hybrid remote work policy was implemented in April 2022, in response to the COVID-19 pandemic.
“Just as before the pandemic, we will all be on campus to support our mission of educating 47,000 students and supporting thousands of researchers in carrying out their work,” Khator wrote in her email.
The move comes two weeks after Houston Mayor John Whitmire said most city employees will be required to work in the office full-time starting in February.
Last week, President Donald Trump signed an executive action ordering federal agencies to end remote work.
The University of Texas of Austin started requiring nearly all of its staff members to work fully on-site last semester.
The University of Houston’s new on-campus work policy does not affect faculty or student workers — it applies only to staff employees, such as operations and maintenance departments.
Khator said in her email that operating on a hybrid schedule helped the university get back on its feet through the pandemic.
“It is time to bring our energy back to campus and help each other to spur innovation and lead the university,” she said.
UH has more than 4,000 full- and part-time staff, along with more than 2,500 faculty members and 5,200 student employees, according to its website.
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