A survey of a cross-section of employees found that just over 63pc felt that a requirement to work in the office three days a week would have a negative effect.
About 30pc felt there would be no change, while 6pc said there would be a positive impact.
Siptu official Cathie Shiels said it has emerged that some workers are commuting from Cork, Longford and Galway to the campus in Dublin 4.
She said there is widespread dissatisfaction with policy changes that mean staff must work on site for three days a week. Before this, she said, the policy was very flexible and managers decided arrangements with groups of staff.
Siptu has referred the dispute to the Workplace Relations Commission.
The survey found that some workers moved outside Dublin after the pandemic as they only needed to work from the office two days a week.
The dispute has been referred to the Workplace Relations Commission
“My commute is over two hours,” said one staff member who responded to the survey. “Half of my students are online, so never visit UCD. I would be travelling over four hours a day to tick a box.
“My time would be better spent doing my work from home. My mental health and physical health would also be affected.”
Among the disincentives to working on campus listed by some staff were alleged inadequate parking, poor public transport and food options, and cold offices.
The UCD campus in Belfield, Dublin 4
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Some said the policy changes will cause staff to look for jobs elsewhere. One worker said: “Shoehorning staff on-site three days a week is short-sighted in a tight labour market.”
However, some felt clarifications from management about their start and end times and the distribution of on-site days was an improvement.
Some described the new policy as a “blunt tool”, saying their work can be performed effectively remotely and they see no business need for the mandate.
I plan to treat my team like grown-ups
Others said a successful, flexible, hybrid model that worked for years is being dismantled for no good reason.
“I had an agreement in place for my team and approved by my manager, but it was overruled,” said a worker.
Some workers said a “one-size-fits-all” approach does not take vast differences in roles into account. They said approvals for the new arrangements for individual workers will depend on managers and this could create a “postcode lottery” of working conditions.
“I plan to treat my team like grown-ups and allow them the same flexibility as they have now,” said a manager. “I think they can make good decisions about when they need to be on campus and when they don’t.”
A recurring theme in survey responses is perceived favouritism for academic staff, who are alleged to have more flexibility.
Some workers felt they had to disclose details of sensitive personal circumstances in order to apply for a new working arrangement under the policy. Others want flexi-time arrangements to be included in the policy.
A UCD spokesperson did not respond to a request for comment.