Telecommuting Frequently Asked Questions

Telecommuting Frequently Asked Questions

• Telecommuting Application and Agreement FAQs

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

  • No, the division head 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.

  2. 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 division head. 

  3. How will we know if remote work exception was approved 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. Please contact your division head or their designee for more information. 

  4. 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.

  5. What happens if a telecommuting application is not approved by the President (or designee)?

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

  6. 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 planned, regular basis. However, any remote work must be recorded for monitoring and reporting as outlined in the remote work tracking guidelines.

  7. If an exception is approved by the President and an employee is permitted to telecommute, can the telecommuting arrangement be ended? 

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

  8. Does this policy apply to temporary staff?

  • Yes, all permanent, temporary grant, time-limited, and temporary staff are included in this policy.
• Telecommuting Tracking and Reporting Requirements FAQs

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

  • No, if an employee normally works in the office (or remotely), 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.  

  2. 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.  

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

  • Yes, temporary employees should be included. 

  4. 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.  

  5. 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. 

  6. 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.  

  7. If an employee periodically works remotely for less than 2 hours of their workday, does this time need to be recorded on the Remote Work Log?

  • No. Two hours or less of periodic remote work is considered de minimis and is not reportable.  This cannot be permitted on a regular, recurring basis.