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TELEWORK

Telework, or working remotely, is an employment tool utilized by the College during workplace contingencies, including emergency closures and circumstances that limit the ability of an employee or group of employees to commute from home to the usual work location. Telework provides the College the flexibility to continue operations during short- and long-term disruptive events. Not all employee positions are suitable for telework. Immediate supervisors will make primary decisions regarding suitability. The President or Vice Presidents will exercise final approval within their respective divisions for employees to telework. Routine justifications for telework include, but are not limited to:

• Closure of College campuses for a specified period due to weather, natural disaster, utilities failure, communicable disease, or other unsafe condition
• Convenience of the College, such as conducting facility renovations or restoration, utility cost savings, etc.
• Employee request to accommodate illness or dependent care responsibilities

Evaluation of Positions for Telework

All full-time and part-time positions may be evaluated for telework suitability. The following conditions, at a minimum, must be satisfied for a position to be judged suitable:

• The employee can participate in departmental, division and campus-wide meetings appropriate to the position
• Telework does not adversely affect the College, departmental assignments/projects, student advising and assistance, customer relations, employee’s completion of assigned duties or other work areas
• There is adequate and suitable work available for the employee to perform away from campus
• Suitable equipment and technology services can be provided to the employee for telework
• Employee must have a suitable internet connection in order to be able to telework
• College can manage and maintain the telework resources necessary for the employee to telework
• The employee can be adequately supervised during telework

Telework Agreement

Employees approved for teleworking must agree to the terms of an Employee Telework Agreement that is signed by the employee, immediate supervisor, and the respective Vice President or President. The agreement includes acknowledgement that:

• Campus meetings, events and student advising/assistance are not scheduled for the convenience of telework employees. Telework employees must plan schedules to permit attendance at required campus meetings and events and for expected interactions with students
• Telework employees are responsible for all travel and per-diem to and from the employee’s home to the workplace regardless of distance
• Telework employees are required to respond in a timely manner to work related voicemail and electronic mail. Unless otherwise agreed upon with the employee’s supervisor, the employee is expected to work during the College’s normal hours of operation while teleworking
• Telework employees are responsible for maintaining a dedicated home office and technology environment that maintains the security and confidentiality of College and student information and is a safe working environment
• The College will provide approved telework employees with a laptop or desktop computer, and if the need arises, repair and/or replace the equipment
• Printers will not be provided to telework employees
• Personal computing devices will not be allowed
• The supervisor shall articulate how the employee’s performance will be measured and how the employee will participate in performance reviews
• Procedures for personal and sick leave apply to telework employees. Appropriate leave must be taken when the telework employee is unavailable to work
• A telework employee scheduled to work on a day in which the College is closed due to adverse weather is still expected to work as scheduled
• Telework is not intended to serve as a substitute for child or adult care.
• Telework agreements may be terminated at any time at the discretion of the President

Completed telework agreements are signed by the employee and immediate supervisor, and submitted for review by successive supervisors. The respective Vice President or the President approves teleworking requests, for a specified time period. Upon approval, copies of the agreement shall be retained by the employee, immediate supervisor, President, Vice President, and Director of Human Resources. The Director of Human Resources shall maintain and provide a consolidated roster of all teleworking employees to the President.

Upon expiration of a teleworking agreement term, a new agreement may be prepared and approved, if appropriate, using the foregoing procedure.

Workplace Safety

The employee must designate a work space at his/her home or other alternative work site. The employee must protect the work space from any known hazard or danger that could affect College equipment or the employee. Since the employee’s alternate work space is an extension of the employee’s College work space, the College’s liability for job-related accidents will continue to exist. If a telework employee is injured in his/her work space, the employee will immediately alert his/her supervisor no later than the end of the business day. The employee must also consent to the work space being inspected by person(s) designated by the College of the work pace to facilitate investigation of the reported accident and completion of required reports.