Determining Position Eligibility for Hybrid or Remote Work

Remote Work (Limited positions)

Identify positions that are conducive to working from a remote location with minimal expectation that the employee will report to a campus location. Positions that can be regularly performed remotely are those that:

• Don’t require a traditional office or clinical space to interact with internal or external customers.
• Have access to required systems and software associated with the position responsibilities from a remote location.
• Have remote access to files.
• Have essential duties that can all be performed remotely.

Remote work arrangements should be based on current job descriptions and should not result in changes to job descriptions or to the essential functions of any position. In addition, they should not be solely based on the employee’s personal situation.

 

Hybrid

Identify positions that contain at least some essential duties that can be performed remotely, with other duties requiring a presence on campus. Positions that can be performed in a hybrid mode (at onsite and offsite locations) are those that:

• Don’t always require a traditional office or clinical space to interact with internal or external customers.
• Have access to required systems and software associated with the position responsibilities from a remote location.
• Have remote access to files.

Determining an Employee’s Eligibility for Hybrid or Remote Work

Employees who are suitable for remote work typically exhibit the following traits customarily recognized in successful telecommuters:

• Self-motivated
• Technical skill set to work with telecommuting tools (or can be trained quickly)
• Strong time management skills
• Highly organized
• Adaptability
• Attention to detail
• Trust
• Focus
• Collaborative attitude

Employee should not be on a Performance Improvement Plan.

Employee must have an adequate and safe home office setup, including:

• Comfortable desk and chair
• PC/laptop preferably less than 5 years old
• High-speed internet access (recommended 5Mbps - cable modem or comparable service)
• Microphone/speakers, phone, camera (optional)
• If needed, printer, scanner, or fax
• Method for safeguarding and protecting sensitive data
• Assess the operational and service needs of the office to determine minimum requirements for the employee to report to the campus for onsite work.

 

Operational considerations

• Establish expectations and ensure that you have the necessary resources to execute your responsibilities remotely.
• Establish how you will communicate with your team members (Email, Zoom, Teams, Google Hangout etc.).
• Consider having a daily call or virtual check-in (Virtual > Phone > Email for effective communication). Consider sharing cell phone #’s with the team.
• Ensure all team members have access to the systems/programs/tools typically required to do their job. Also, consider that the appropriate (additional) security and data privacy measures are in place while accessing/sending/receiving information, including paper copies of documents they may have at home.
• Managers/Supervisors should establish, and clearly communicate, the expectations of the work that needs to be accomplished.
• Create protocol for managing/approving hours. Set a communication process for discussing the need for time off or other issues that will require you to be unavailable. If you manage non-exempt employees – please be certain they punch out when they are taking their meal break.
• Set boundaries and expectations regarding response time.
• What are the expectations of response time to teammates, clients?
• What are the expectations for engaging and using technology? Active on Teams throughout the day?
• Create standards to email, document standards etc.
• Check in with your employees, ask how they are doing in their remote environment. Many people may be feeling isolated and fearful. If you have concerns about someone, refer them to HR.
• If your employee shares that they do not feel well, please refer them to their medical provider.
• Employees are responsible to ensure their remote workspace is safe and free from any safety hazards.
• If an employee gets sick while working remotely, they should make use of their leaves and follow their healthcare provider’s recommendations.

 

Optimizing Remote teams

Managing remote teams is similar in many ways to managing onsite staff. You still need to provide goals, resources, feedback and other essential support regardless of where you and your team are located. What is different is the need to plan out how you will deal with a few important logistical issues and stay informed about how work is progressing so you can monitor and support the productivity of your staff.

• Look for opportunities to collaborate and connect as a team, or in subgroups.
• Recognize employee contributions and listen to and share concerns and feedback.
• Work to build trust and treat your staff as professionals, be conscious not to micromanage.
• Leverage strengths of team members for different tasks, as appropriate.

 

Workers’ Compensation:

• Workers’ Compensation benefits will apply only to injuries sustained while working on a pre-approved remote work arrangement.
• Employees are responsible for notifying their supervisor/department chair of such injuries as soon as practical and an incident report must be completed immediately.
• The College is not responsible for injuries unrelated to such work activities that might occur in the defined off-site work location or elsewhere.
• The employee is responsible for any injuries sustained by visitors at their worksite.