Telecommuting

On September 12, 2025, the Division of State Human Resources (DSHR) issued new rules for telecommuting after Governor Henry McMaster's Executive Order 2025-31. New telecommuting applications and agreements are required for any staff permitted to work remotely on a planned, recurring basis. 

In accordance with the Governor's directive, new telecommuting agreements will be more restrictive than under the previous policy. All previously approved telecommuting agreements and arrangements are void and must be replaced by the College's new application process, including employees in positions that have been approved for remote work via the State's exception process. 

Department heads (or higher-level managers) will be responsible for submitting a telecommuting application form for any employee who is requested to work remotely. The form will be completed via DocuSign and routed for management approval. The President or his designee will make the final decision on applications for telecommuting. If approved, the form will route to the employee as the final step in the application process. The form includes an acknowledgement of policy requirements along with a safety checklist that must be completed and signed by the employee. 

Requirements for Telecommuting

Pursuant to the new policy, the following requirements for telecommuting must be met:

  • Approval of the telecommuting arrangement will be determined based on a totality of factors, including the suitability of the position and employee for telecommuting, satisfaction of all eligibility criteria, departmental needs, situations which are an operational necessity for the College and provide direct cost savings and increased efficiencies for the College. 
  • Approval of a telecommuting arrangement must not be based on the preference of the employee or treated as a benefit for employees. This policy is not designed to suit a desired lifestyle or a personal preference.
  • Division heads are required to present a business case justification for approval by the President or designee for each proposed telecommuting agreement.
  • Regular telecommuting is limited to no more than two days per week.
  • An employee is not permitted to telecommute on:
    • Both Monday and Tuesday
    • Thursday and Friday or 
    • Friday and the following Monday as part of a regular telecommuting arrangement. 
  • To be eligible for consideration to telecommute, the employee must have completed one year of satisfactory employment with the College, and must be in good standing with their performance (cannot be on a performance improvement plan) and conduct (cannot have received any disciplinary action within the previous 12 months).
  • Must meet all other terms and conditions as outline in the Telecommuting Policy and Telecommuting Agreement. 
Telecommuting Application-Agreement

Telecommuting Application and Agreement Frequently Asked Questions

Q1. Can an employee initiate a telecommuting application and agreement for themselves?

  • No, the department head (or higher-level manager) must initiate the application and agreement. If the proposed agreement is approved by the President (or designee), the employee will complete the final portion of the agreement. 

Q2. If an exception was approved by the Division of State Human Resources and the Governor's Office for a position to work fully remote, do we have to complete a new telecommuting application and agreement? If an exception was granted, will there be any changes for employees who worked fully remotely under the College's old program? 

  • Yes. Even if a remote work exception has been approved by the Division of State Human Resources and the Governor's Office, a new telecommuting application will be required and each application will be evaluated based on the College's new telecommuting policy. Thus, even if an exception was granted, remote work arrangements may be modified as deemed appropriate by the applicable department head and division head. 

Q3. How will we know if a remote work exception was approve by the Division of State Human Resources and the Governor's Office?

  • Division heads have been notified of all exceptions that were approved within their division. 

Q4. If an exception was not approved and we would like to request a new exception for approval by the Division of State Human Resources and the Governor's Office, can we submit a new request? 

  • No. Additional requests for exceptions from the Division of State Human Resources and the Governor's Office will not be considered without authorization from the President. 

Q5. What happens if a telecommuting application is not approved by the Department Head, Division Head, or the President (or designee)?

  • The employee will not be permitted to work remotely as requested. 

Q6. If an employee is permitted to work remotely periodically or intermittently but not on a regular, recurring basis, is telecommuting agreement required?

  • No. The telecommuting application and agreement is only required for authorizing remote work on a planned, regular basis. However, any remote work must be recorded on the remote work tracking log for monitoring as outlined in the remote work tracking guidelines. 

Q7. If an employee has an approved telecommuting agreement in place and we want to end the agreement; can we do that?

  • Yes. Pursuant to the Telecommuting Policy and agreement, the arangement can be ended at any time. Consultation with Human Resources is advised before ending agreements.

Q8. Does this policy apply to temporary staff?

  • Yes. All permanent staff, temporary grant, or time-limited staff, and temporary staff are included in this policy.

Telecommuting Tracking and Reporting Requirements

As part of the state's telecommuting guidelines, there are a number of new reporting requirements that have been implemented. Supervisors must ensure that staff within their department who perform any remote work are in compliance with these requirements: 

  • All staff (exempt, non-exempt, and temporary) must record their telecommuting hours each day they work remotely. 
  • Reporting of telecommuting hours must be logged and submitted in the Remote Work Log daily.
  • Supervisors are responsible for promptly reviewing and approving recorded telecommuting hours in the Remote Work Log and indicating if performance and productivity expectations were met. 
  • Supervisors must ensure that staff within their department who perform any remote work are in compliance with these requirements. 
  • Any deviations from the employee's authorized telecommuting schedule must also be denoted in the Remote Work Log. Deviations include working in the office on a scheduled telecommuting day or telecommuting on a scheduled in-office day. 
  • Staff who do not have an approved telecommuting agreement but occasionally are authorized by the supervisor to work remotely on an intermittent or emergency basis must also record their remote work time on the Remote Work Log. This time should be denoted as a deviation in the Remote Work Log. 

Remote Work Logs will be reviewed weekly by Human Resources to assess compliance with approved telecommuting agreements, along with the frequency of deviations. Deviations that occur for more than one week during a quarter will be reported to the Division of State Human Resources monthly. 

Telecommuting Tracking Frequently Asked Questions

Q1. Do we have to record remote work time performed by staff who are authorized travel for the college to attend meetings, events, conferences, etc.? 

  • It depends:
    • Yes, if the employee was supposed to telecommute, but instead has work-related travel on that day, this would be a deviation because they are not working at home. This would be reported and noted as a deviation.
    • No, if an employee normally works in the office, but has been sent on work-related travel for a conference, meeting, event, etc. this is not recorded as a telecommuting deviation because this is simply work. This is not to be reported. 

Q2. If an employee works their full regular schedule on campus and then works additional time during the evening from home such as responding to emails or working on a project, do we have to record this time worked remotely outside of normal work hours on the Remote Work Log?

  • No, this time does not have to be recorded on the Remote Work Log. 

Q3. Do we need to record remote work performed by temporary employees?

  • Yes, temporary employees should be included.

Q4. If a staff employee is working remotely at the request of the supervisor (e.g. maintenance is being performed in the office), does this need to be recorded and included in the Remote Work Log?

  • Yes, if a staff employee is performing any remote work, the work must be denoted as a deviation in the Remote Work Log. 

Q5. If the College closes due to hazardous weather and employees are asked to work remotely, will this time need to be recorded on the Remote Work Log?

  • No, this time will not need to be recorded.

Q6. If a staff employee needs to work remotely on an intermittent basis (e.g. to complete work on a special project) or in an emergency (e.g. car problems), does this work need to be recorded on the Remote Work Log?

  • Yes, this work would be reported as a deviation and would need to be recorded on the Remote Work Log.