The policy – announced Sept. 1 – is expected to take effect campus-wide by June 30, 2027, although the transition will “not look identical across every unit,” the university said in a statement. The statement touts the need for “strong connections among the people who teach, conduct research, support students and operate our campus.”
“Greater in-person presence creates more opportunities for collaboration, mentoring, problem-solving and responsive service,” Melissa Bard, vice president and chief human resources officer at the university, said in the statement. “It also helps employees participate more fully in the daily life of the University and strengthens the experience we provide to our students.”
But employees are pushing back. A petition that calls for the university to pause the policy has garnered at least 529 signatures – including 383 from staffers; 54 from faculty and 25 from students.
The petition argues that requiring employees to work on campus will cause a “fundamental disruption to how thousands of employees have safely and productively structured their lives for over half a decade” following the pandemic, when the university – like many other employers – permitted remote and hybrid work arrangements.
They say the return-to-work policy will have serious adverse effects on their personal finances and overall well-being due to increased commute times, child care costs and other costs associated with being onsite. The petition calls for more transparency, evidence-based decision making and employee input regarding the policy. It states that university officials have not yet responded to their questions and demands.
The tension over the return-to-work policy at the University of Delaware reflects a broader tension that has permeated higher education in the years since Covid-19.
“Despite evolving preferences since the pandemic, many higher education employees continue to experience a mismatch between their desired and actual work arrangements,” CUPA-HR, an association for human resource professionals in higher education, states in its 2025 Higher Education Employee Retention Survey.
The survey notes that only 28% of employees reported currently working in either a hybrid or fully remote arrangement, yet 61% indicated a preference for hybrid or remote work.
After higher pay, the ability to work remotely is one of the top reasons why higher education employees seek new jobs, the survey states. Others include a desire for a different workplace culture and reduced job-related stress.
Jamaal Abdul-Alim is a longtime education writer who resides in Washington, D.C. He occasionally teaches journalism and has completed fellowships at the University of Michigan, Columbia University and New America.
