Future of Work Resource Program

  1. Home
  2.  → 
  3. Keep Working
  4.  → Future of Work Resource Program

The Future of Work program is closed to new requests as of June 30, 2022. 

We would like to thank all the people and departments who participated in making this an extremely successful project.  The program has provided funding for 1,498 laptops, 185 conference rooms, and 14 hybrid work locations providing 226 seats, in addition to receiving a 2022 Silver UC Sautter Award for technology excellence.

Laptops

Conference Rooms

Hybrid Work Locations with 226 Seats

The Future of Work (FOW) Resource Program has been created to ensure that all campus units have access to resources to effectively support a hybrid workforce with consistent and standardized technology and workspace solutions.

Campus units can submit requests to the Future of Work Resource Program for one or more of the following workspace solutions:

Woman using MacBook

Desktop to Laptop Program

Provides a one-time upgrade for partially or fully remote working employees to obtain standard laptop equipment (for current desktop users only).

Conference Room

Updated Conference Rooms

Upgrades to some conference rooms with audio-video equipment to enable remote meetings.

Hoteling Office Space

Conversion to Hotel Spaces

Reconfiguration of current office or work spaces into shared hotel spaces with consistent standards for hybrid employees who work on campus occasionally.

This program is intended to cover requests for FY 2021-2022. Due to delays in equipment order processing and shipping, it is recommended that each department submits their requests as soon as ready. Units should expect a minimum of 10-12 weeks for delivery.

Requesting Resources

In order to request any of the available workspace solutions, please assign one unit leader or delegate to do the following:

Hybrid Work Support Request Forms

The Future of Work program is closed to new requests as of June 30, 2022.

Hybrid Work Laptop Requests

Laptop Guidelines

Laptop qualification guidelines
  • Only one laptop per eligible UCI employee.
  • FOW supports the purchase of a standard laptop and any additional expense for higher models requires departmental recharge to make up the difference. See the the standard laptop information below.
  • Eligible employees are defined as: full time career staff, ladder rank faculty, or teaching faculty.
  • Ineligible UCI affiliates defined as: teaching assistants, graduate student researchers, or part-time staff.
  • One-time upgrade to standard laptop equipment* for desktop users only. See specifications below. Laptops will replace existing desktop computer types. For example, a Windows laptop to replace a Windows desktop or an Apple MacBook to replace an Apple desktop.

* The FOW program pays for standard laptops. See FAQ below for information on upgrades.

Standard Windows Laptop Option

Dell Latitude 5420 (Standard Laptop)

  • Starting Weight: 3.09 pounds
  • 11th Generation Intel® CoreTM i5-1145G7 (4 Core, 8M cache, base 2.6GHz, up to 4.4GHz, vPro • M.2 512GB PCIe NVMe Class 40 2280 Solid State Drive
  • 16GB, 1x16GB, DDR4 Memory, Non-ECC
  • 14″ HD (1366×768) Non-Touch, Anti-Glare, TN, 220nits, WLAN/WWAN, HD Camera
  • No Optical Drive
  • Intel Wi-Fi 6 AX201 2×2 802.11ax 160MHz + Bluetooth 5.1
  • 4-year onsite warranty

Dell Thunderbolt Dock- WD19TB 130W PD

Standard Apple MacBook Option

MacBook Air 13” M1 16GB 512SSD • Apple M1 ARM-based CPU

  •  512GB Solid State Drive
  • 16GB DDR4 Memory
  • 13.3″ screen size with 2560 x 1600 (Retina) resolution
  • Apple 7-core GPU
  • Two Thunderbolt / USB 4 ports with support for: Charging, DisplayPort, Thunderbolt 3 (up to 40 Gbps), USB 3.1 Gen 2 (up to 10 Gbps) • Included: 13-inch MacBook Air, 30W USB-C Power Adapter, USB-C Charge Cable (2 m)

AppleCare+ for MacBook

StarTech Docking Station

Premium Windows Laptop Option

Dell Latitude 7240 Ultrabook (Thin and Light Laptop)

  • Starting weight: 2.89 pounds
  • 11th Generation Intel® Core™ i7-1185G7 (4 Core, 12M cache, base 3.0GHz, up to 4.8GHz, vPro)
  • 16GB, 1x16GB, DDR4 Non-ECC Memory
    • (Optional) 32GB Memory $120.27 extra
  • M.2 512GB PCIe NVMe Class 40 Solid State Drive
  • Laptop 14.0″FHD(1920×1080) AG,SLP,Non-Touch,CV Plus,WVA, 400nits,FHD IR Cam,Mic, WLAN,WAN Capable,CF
  • Intel® Wi-Fi 6 AX201 2×2 802.11ax 160MHz + Bluetooth 5.1 Wireless Card
  • 4-year on-site warranty

Dell Thunderbolt Dock- WD19TB 130W PD

Note: You may request the OIT premium laptop models offered above the standard models, but the additional expense must be funded by your unit and will require you to provide a departmental recharge number. 

Premium Apple MacBook Option

MacBook Pro 13″ – Apple M1 Chip with 8-Core CPU and 8-Core GPU
512GB Storage

  • Apple M1 chip with 8-core CPU, 8-core GPU, and 16-core Neural Engine
  • 8GB unified memory
  • 512GB SSD storage¹
  • 13-inch Retina display with True Tone
  • Magic Keyboard
  • Touch Bar and Touch ID
  • Force Touch trackpad
  • Two Thunderbolt / USB 4 ports

AppleCare+ for MacBook

StarTech Docking Station

Note: You may request the OIT premium laptop models offered above the standard models, but the additional expense must be funded by your unit and will require you to provide a departmental recharge number. 

Laptop FAQ

What are the security and compliance requirements?
  • All faculty and staff must have Office 365 active directory accounts to enable security and interoperability.
  • Endpoints will be centrally asset managed either by a local support coordinator or OIT.
  • Research software available via campus license agreements must be purchased through those agreements.
Can academic units get the funds directly?

If your school’s Dean or Assistant Dean agrees to the security standards put forward by the program then yes, academic units may purchase their own desired laptop models and be reimbursed. More information regarding the process for this change is coming soon.

Are College of Health Sciences schools eligible for this program?

Yes, laptops requests from the College of Health Sciences will be routed for fulfillment through Health Information Systems IT.

My unit is still planning its approach to hybrid work. If we wait to submit a funding request until our unit’s planning is complete later in the year will funds still be available?

While funding is limited, we do anticipate it to be available through the academic year and ask that units only submit a request for Future of Work funding when they have completed planning.

Will the program cover both staff and faculty?

Yes. Eligible employees are defined as full time-career staff, ladder rank faculty, or teaching faculty.

Will the program cover graduate student researchers (GSRs) and teaching assistants (TAs)?

No. The program will not cover laptops for GSRs and TAs. Ineligible UCI affiliates include teaching assistants, graduate research students, and part-time staff.

Can our existing Windows desktop users get a MacBook instead of a Dell laptop?

No. Laptops must replace existing desktop computers on the same platform. Only those who currently have an Apple desktop may request an Apple laptop.

Do the laptops come with a warranty?

Yes, both the Windows and Apple laptops come with warranty.

Do the laptops come with accidental damage protection?

If you purchase an Apple laptop, AppleCare+ does come with accidental damage. Windows laptops will not come with accidental damage coverage.

I have submitted a laptop request form, how long until a decision is made on a request?

The FOW program aims to provide funding decisions for laptop requests within one week.

My request has been approved, when can my unit expect to receive equipment?

For OIT supported units, due to the global shortage in computer parts, we estimate between 10 and 14 weeks for laptops to arrive and to be deployed. For academic units, please check with your local IT support coordinator.

Will the FOW program cover the peripherals such as monitors, keyboards, mice, etc.?

No, the FOW Resource program will not pay for peripherals such as keyboards, mice, and monitors. These items must be purchased separately by each unit.

Can we get the ergonomic chairs and equipment from the central budget?

No, the Future of Work Resource program budget was not allocated for ergonomic equipment. Ergonomic requests are handled separately as defined in the Accounting & Finance Expense Reimbursement Policy at the department’s discretion and approval.

Requests for disability accommodation should be handled in accordance with Personnel Policies for Staff (Reasonable Accommodation) or the applicable CBA. This includes situations where an employee with a disability requests a hybrid work arrangement as a reasonable accommodation. It also includes situations where a remote employee with a disability or a hybrid remote employee with a disability may need a reasonable accommodation to perform the essential functions of their position. Staff requesting reasonable accommodations should contact their supervisors, or one of the following UCI HR specialists:

  •  Campus: Wendy Pawling, Disability Management Specialist, (949) 824-9756, wpawling@uci.edu
  • Health: Jack Fitzgerald, Disability Management Specialist, (714) 456-8667, jackf@hs.uci.edu
We have already purchased laptops during the pandemic. Can we get reimbursed for those purchases?

No, but we are working on an incentive program to install OIT’s security package on laptops purchased during the pandemic. More information will be forthcoming.

We have older models of laptops. Can we get the standard laptops under this program?

No, this is not a laptop upgrade program. It is a one-time upgrade to standard laptop equipment for existing desktop users who have been approved for hybrid work.

Can we upgrade the classrooms with Audio/Video equipment under this program?

No. The FOW Resource budget does not include funding for classroom upgrades.

Who can fill out this form?

You must be the school/division head (Dean, Vice Chancellor) or authorized by them to complete this request on behalf of the entire unit.

If one of the laptops has a technical issue, who should we contact?

If you are an OIT desktop supported unit, please contact the OIT Help Desk. If you are not an OIT desktop supported unit, please contact your local IT for assistance.

Can I use a personal device for University business?

For security purposes, all campus employees are strongly encouraged to use University managed devices. If you have not been issued a university managed device please notify your supervisor or unit head, and take the necessary security precautions when logging into the UCI campus network.

Hybrid Workspace Requests

Conference Room & Hoteling Space FAQ

What is the Future of Work (FoW) Resource Program?

The Future of Work Resource Program is designed to encourage the creation of hybrid workspaces to support the new reality of remote work. The program does this by providing funding for the equipment needed to support remote meeting attendees and workers who visit the campus occasionally and do not require a dedicated office space.

What are the guidelines for participation in the (FoW) program?

The FoW program supports technology upgrades to some conference rooms and hoteling spaces that accommodate a hybrid workforce. For conference rooms, the program includes AV equipment to enable remote meetings. For hoteling spaces, the program includes computer peripherals to allow sharing of workspaces by employees who work on campus occasionally. Requests will be evaluated on a case-by-case basis to maximize the effectiveness of limited resources. Priority will be given to conference rooms and hoteling spaces that currently, or have the potential to, serve multiple units.

What is a Hybrid Workplace?

A hybrid workplace, or hybrid office, is a flexible workplace model that is designed to support a distributed workforce of both in-office and remote workers. This can include hoteling space that is shared among workers, as well as meeting rooms equipped to support virtual conferences with both local and remote attendees.

How is hoteling used?

Office hoteling allows employees to use available office workspace as needed. It may be an ad-hoc system using a first-come, first-served arrangement or it may utilize a reservation system to find and claim a workspace or resources, on-demand and for a specified period of time, to fit their working needs. In a dynamic workplace, it is often used alongside, or as an alternative to, traditional permanent seating.

What is the difference between hoteling and hot desking?

Hot desking is a space-sharing practice that enables employees to choose an available desk or office space when they arrive at work. Desk hoteling is a space-sharing practice that allows employees to formally reserve their workstation, much like booking a hotel room. Both hoteling and hot desking are intended to establish a more agile working environment.

What is a workstation in the context of hoteling?

A hoteling workstation is an individual desk space temporarily used by a single worker. Hoteling workstations can be located in private offices, in an open office environment or both, depending on the needs of your unit.

What is the process to create a Future of Work request for conference rooms or hotel spaces?

Once your department has identified spaces for Future of Work, please select one of the vendors listed here Hybrid-ready Conference Rooms information page and reach out to the account manager. They will assist you in generating a quote for your space. Complete the Hybrid Workspace Request Form, attach the vendor’s quote and submit the request to FoW for review.

What if my unit has more than one conference room or hoteling space?

The program is asking that a separate request be submitted for each conference room and hoteling space. This will allow better tracking and allocation of funding. Each request should include specific location information about the proposed space such as building, floor and room number.

My unit is adopting a hybrid workplace strategy. How will this affect our use of space?

A hybrid workplace is a flexible workplace practice that empowers employees to work where and when they want, usually by balancing their time between office work and remote work. This means departing from the traditional working model where every employee has their own desk. When managed correctly, units may be able to downsize their footprint while still offering the space employees need.

How will my hybrid workspace be funded by the FoW program?

The FoW program will reimburse the cost of the approved equipment and associated costs.

  1. The request is submitted to and approved by the FoW program.
  2. The unit proceeds with the work.
  3. When the invoice is received upon completion, a copy of the invoice is sent to FOW@uci.edu and the funds are reimbursed.
How much will the Future of Work program cover for network and facilities related expenses?

The Future of Work program will cover the cost of infrastructure needs such as power and network cabling installation for the A/V equipment up to $5,000 per conference room. Note that this is in addition to the A/V equipment itself. Hotel space cost proposals will be considered on a case by case basis.

How long should I expect the process to take?

There are many factors to be considered including the vendor’s capacity to take on the work and the time required for any additional tenant improvements such as furniture or painting. The one caution the program would offer is that the world-wide chip shortage is impacting delivery of equipment which is currently taking as much as 90 to 120 days.

Are there best practices for units that are considering converting current workspace to hoteling space?

When implementing a new workplace strategy, it is imperative to have a plan in place to make the transition smooth. Here are some suggestions:

  • Communicate changes quickly and clearly
    Shifting to hoteling requires new ways of thinking about both work and the office. Employees comfortable with dedicated workspaces need to understand hoteling’s benefits. An ongoing communication effort will help various employee audiences successfully embrace the system.
  • Develop hoteling standards
    Avoid confusion and instill habits by creating a consistent experience for users. Set some standards such as terminology, business rules for both users and all reservable workspaces, and processes for how hotelers can find space for the day or seek support and assistance.
  • Create a consistent experience, but offer choices
    When employees need to be in the office, their ability to quickly find the right place to work should be the same, whether they have access to multiple facilities, or just one. They should be able to expect a number of seating options to meet their different workstyles.
  • Support your hoteling program with innovative, yet easy-to-use, technology
    Consider a workplace booking system that provides features employees can rely on to find the workspaces and other office resources easily and quickly.
What should our unit do to ensure space is ready to be hybrid?

Please consider all the aspects of typical tenant improvements. The FoW program does not cover tenant improvements. Please be aware that there may be more to creating the appropriate working space than just purchasing the equipment. Follow the standard procedures for your unit.

What are the conference room technology options and where can I find information on what sorts of technology I might need for my conference room?

UCI’s Office of Information Technology has developed guidelines for developing hybrid-ready conference rooms, which can been found at Developing Hybrid-ready Conference Rooms | UCI TechPrep.

What support will the FoW program provide for hoteling?

The program will provide monitors and docks for shared spaces. Keyboards and mice are considered personal equipment and are not part of the program.

Will the FoW program cover furniture for hoteling spaces or conference rooms?

No, the FoW program is intended to support technology upgrades only.

Will the FoW program cover desk booking/scheduling software?

No, but low-cost solutions are available (e.g., Outlook or Tririga). Please contact your unit’s IT support team for recommendations and guidance.

Will the FoW program cover telephones?

Telephones are not part of the FoW program. For departments interested in exploring alternatives to traditional handsets, please consult with OIT for the campus VoIP solution Micollab.

How will requests be prioritized?

The program will work closely with campus Space Management to prioritize requests that can be utilized by multiple units.

My department is small and has limited funding, will we get squeezed out?

The program will make every effort to ensure that funds are allocated in a fair and equitable manner. Large requests may be reduced to ensure all departments have the opportunity to participate.

FOW Resource Program Goals

Provide standardized specifications for hybrid work equipment, office space design, and synchronous collaboration technology.

Establish criteria and process for unit eligibility to receive equipment to support the needs of a hybrid workforce.

Support the campus units during the hybrid workforce transition process in a consultative role.

Improve the cybersecurity posture of the campus through modernized and standardized equipment and configurations.