HR-26 Remote Work Policy

Policy Type: Human Resources
Policy Title: Telework Policy
Policy Number: HR-26

Purpose:
Green River College (GRC) encourages and supports telework in order to maintain a culture of mobility and flexibility, meet employees where they are strongest, promote a positive work-life balance, reduce wear on State infrastructure like roads and costs for College utilities, provide continuity of operations during worksite disruptions, and increase administrative efficiencies.

Scope:
Classified, Classified Non-Represented, and Exempt Employees

Definitions:
Telework
• Working at an alternate worksite such as a residence or any other location that is not one of GRC’s official campuses.
Telework Agreement
• A Telework Agreement formal is an accord between the College and an employee to specify consistent, long term telework conditions for that employee.
Telework Arrangement
• An informal telework arrangement is an occasional or short-term telework request that does not require formal written approval, frequently driven by some exigent circumstance for either the employee or the College, arranged between an employee and their supervisor.

Policy

A Telework Agreement is required when the remote work is expected to occur regularly and/or exceed one academic quarter and that is also documented using a College Telework Agreement Form. The terms of the Agreement are unique to each employee and can specify telework intervals from varying in length from part of a scheduled day or shift up to full-time telework. Occasional or short-term telework requests of less than an academic quarter do not require a Telework Agreement and should be made using the telework arrangement guidelines described below.

A Telework Agreement has a term up to one year. A Telework Agreement may be renewed following the same guidelines for initiation of an agreement. Whenever renewing a Telework Agreement, it is a best practice that the previous agreement should be reviewed prior to expiration whenever possible in order to minimize disruption to business operations.

A Telework Agreement can be terminated or temporarily suspended by the employee or the College at any time. Employees and supervisors are encouraged to provide at least two weeks notification of the termination of a Telework Agreement when reasonable and possible. Termination, non-renewal, or non-issuance of a Telework Agreement may be appealed to the employee’s next-higher-level supervisor and reviewed by that supervisor or their designee. A next-higher-level supervisor or their designee decision may be given a final appeal to the Department of Human Resources at the request of the employee or supervisor.

Termination, non-renewal, or non-issuance of a Telework Agreement with an employee that is subject to the notification requirements of a Collective Bargaining Agreement will be made by the supervisor in conjunction with the Department of Employee and Labor Relations in Human Resources.

A Telework Agreement may be modified prior to its expiration by agreement of the supervisor and employee.

Any Telework Agreement immediately expires upon an employee’s separation.

Whereas the Telework Agreement is a written document agreed upon and signed by the employee and supervisor, a telework arrangement is an informal arrangement of short duration requested and confirmed between an employee and supervisor on an as needed basis.

An informal telework arrangement may not be longer in duration than one academic quarter and its preceding break. An informal telework arrangement will expire at the end of any academic quarter. An informal telework arrangement that will go beyond the length of time for one academic quarter and its preceding break will be made into a Telework Agreement. Employees and supervisors are encouraged but not required to use a telework arrangement prior entering a Telework Agreement.

An employee who has already entered into an existing Telework Agreement may need to adjust the dates/times on an as needed basis similar to a telework arrangement. This should be seen as a modification of the Telework Agreement. Where and when it can be anticipated, the availability of such flexibility in scheduling should be indicated on the Telework Agreement either at the outset or through modification of an existing Telework Agreement.

All Telework Agreements must be signed, physically or electronically, by an employee and their supervisor. All requests for 100% telework must also be approved by the applicable Appointing Authority and Human Resources. All Telework Agreements must be submitted by the supervisor to Human Resources.

Telework Eligibility

The availability of a Telework Agreement is dependent on the suitability of a position’s job duties for telework, as well as the employee, manager/department, and College’s readiness to take on the alternate work modality.
Suitability of Position Duties

A position’s suitability for telework is based primarily on the requirements of the essential job duties it encompasses as defined by the Position Description. Positions are evaluated for telework suitability at the department level. Generally, positions with the same or similar sets of duties should be considered to have the same telework eligibility, with telework availability subject to business operations needs and supervisor approval. Some common criteria shared by telework-suitable positions include (but are not limited to):
• Ability for communication to be performed via multiple media with colleagues, supervisors, students, or the public,
• Some or all work activities can be performed effectively at any location, and
• No dependency on data or equipment located at a specific College site for some or all duties.

A position that cannot support fulltime telework because job duties have a dependency on face-to-face interaction or must be performed at a specific site may still support part-time, regular telework through a Telework Agreement with supervisor approval. Many positions have correspondence, data processing, documentation, training, professional development, or other duties that can be performed via telework at least some of the time.

As Position Descriptions are initially created, updated, renewed, or examined as a part of a standard performance review, they should be evaluated for telework readiness even if no request for a Telework Agreement has been made.

To evaluate the suitability of a position, a supervisor will examine the position duties as specified in the Position Description according to, but not limited by, the above criteria of telework readiness. When evaluating a position with a position occupied by a current employee, the evaluation will take place in consultation with the employee. An updated Position Description will be sent to Human Resources by the supervisor.

Employee Readiness

An employee’s readiness for telework is evaluated separately from and in addition to the position’s suitability. As the nature of the way work is performed may differ in a telework environment, additional professional or skill development may be necessary to ensure the employee is able to perform the duties of the position from a telework location. Such skill development or training resources will be provided by the college. An employee’s readiness will be evaluated in consultation with the employee. When evaluating a request for a Telework Agreement, supervisors will consider factors including but not limited to:
• The employee’s record of satisfactory performance
• The employee’s record of required training and policy compliance as indicated in the current Telework Agreement template
• The employee’s skill to:
o Accomplish job duties with minimal supervision
o Be organized, highly disciplined, and self-motivated
o Communicate effectively with clients, stakeholders, and team members
o Prioritize work to meet deadlines
o Manage time effectively
o Maintain availability during work hours

Expectations for timely completion of work to established standards, attendance at meetings, responsiveness to students/clients/customers, and other performance criteria are the same for teleworking and non-teleworking employees.

Manager/Department Readiness

Maximizing the success of a Telework Agreement may also improve department efficiencies. Managers should examine their department readiness and are encouraged to make changes to existing managerial or departmental processes that improve operations. It is important to evaluate current workflows and practices to see if updates are necessary to ensure the team continues to meet its objectives with implementation of the Telework Agreement. This could include alterations like rescheduling regular in-person meetings to a virtual format or increasing the use of electronic communication technologies like text chat/video or voice calls/email.

A department must still be able to provide all necessary services regardless of the number of employees engaged in Telework Agreements or informal telework arrangements. For example, managers should ensure that telework schedules overlap in such a way that any onsite needs, scheduled or ad-hoc, can still be met.

Supervisors will apply the same performance review standards to employees regardless of work location.

College Readiness

If an employee wishes to enter into a Telework Agreement but lacks training on any required College technologies or processes, the College will provide such training or training resources on such a timeline that the lack of training does not present a barrier to the acceptance of the Agreement.
Telework Guidelines
Remote Work Site

A teleworking employee is responsible for providing a workspace that is safe, appropriate to work in, and enables securing any College information or assets necessary for telework. Green River College assumes no responsibility for the teleworker’s expenses related to internet service, utilities, security, insurance, or wear on personal residence or other remote work site. The work site an employee reports to when not teleworking constitutes their primary work site.
Furnishing Equipment

On engagement of a Telework Agreement or informal telework arrangement, the employee and supervisor will determine if the College will issue necessary equipment or if the employee already possesses the required equipment. Telework Agreements or informal telework arrangement will not typically result in the duplication of office equipment unless required by a specific business need.

Green River College will be responsible for the service and maintenance of College-owned equipment and an individual teleworker will be responsible for the service and maintenance of their own equipment. GRC cannot support or provide troubleshooting for a personal internet connection. GRC advises strongly against printing any College information or documents at a remote worksite and will not assist with connecting personal printers to College teleworking hardware, nor issue a college printer for the purposes of printing at a remote worksite. College owned equipment used for teleworking must be returned at the end of the teleworking period.

Policies, Rules, and Agreements

Neither a Telework Agreement nor an informal telework arrangement changes conditions of employment, expectations of the position, or required compliance with College policies and procedures, relevant laws and regulations, and Collective Bargaining Agreements, including but not limited to policies regarding confidentiality of information, use of State assets, ethics, and performance.
Schedules and Timekeeping

Requirements for in-person attendance to specific events (such as an important training) can override regular telework work schedules. Changes to an agreed upon telework schedule require advance notice. The terms of such notice will be in accordance with College policies and procedures, relevant laws and regulations, and Collective Bargaining Agreements.
Employees and managers are required to comply with all timekeeping and overtime regulations defined by state or federal law, collective bargaining agreements, or Green River College policy. Overtime eligible employees must receive approval from their management to work overtime. Managers must ensure accurate recording of hours worked. For employees who are represented by a union, refer to the applicable contract language addressing hours of work, overtime, and scheduling. All time off and leave provisions under applicable policy, or the collective bargaining agreement for represented employees, continue to apply under a Telework Agreement or Arrangement.

Telework as a Reasonable Accommodation

Employee requests to telework as part of a reasonable accommodation request are handled through the interactive reasonable accommodation process. Employees should direct questions about reasonable accommodation requests to the Benefits office. Telework when performed as part of a reasonable accommodation is not to be considered either a Telework Agreement or an informal telework arrangement. Neither a Telework Agreement or an informal telework arrangement as described in this policy should be considered a reasonable accommodation.
Telework and Suspended Operations/Essential Employees

In the event of a Suspended Operations declaration, supervisors and employees will refer to the guidance given in the Suspended Operations notification or their supervisor. Represented employees in addition are encouraged to consult their Collective Bargaining Agreement.
Telework and Benefits

Employees residing outside the state of Washington are responsible to verify, file and pay their own state-specific payroll and income taxes. Employees should check with their tax advisor for additional information.
Employees residing outside the state of Washington are responsible to ensure that their health plan is available in their state of residence and to review coverage amounts for specific services. Employees should contact their health plan directly for more information. Plan information is available at PEBB Link
 
Procedure

Telework Agreement Request Procedure

Making the Request

A Telework Agreement may be requested by an employee for themselves, or a supervisor for a specific employee. An employee who wishes to enter a Telework Agreement will reach out to their supervisor to begin the request process. A supervisor who wishes to engage in an Agreement with an employee must reach out to that employee about the circumstances prompting the Telework Agreement.

Reviewing the Request

Once the supervisor has received or initiated the request for a Telework Agreement, if the position has not yet been evaluated, it should be evaluated promptly for telework readiness and the Position Description updated.
If the position is or was previously determined to be suitable, the employee and supervisor will again work together to confirm the employee’s suitability for the Agreement based on the above criteria.
Once the position and employee have been approved for telework, the supervisor will review departmental processes and update them where necessary.
Denial of a request for a Telework Agreement will include specific documentation or description of which of the above criteria are not met, and what remediations if available the employee or supervisor, would allow the request to be granted in the future. The ability of a position to be able to be performed solely through telework may not be used as the sole rationale for approving telework. Supervisors must consider employee suitability, readiness, and departmental and college operational and business needs.
Documenting the Telework Agreement
Once all approvals have been completed and all necessary adjustments made, the supervisor and employee will together complete a Telework Agreement Form, available from Human Resources. The Telework Agreement Form will codify, at minimum:
• A work schedule
• The location of the remote worksite
o If outside Washington State, there shall be additional considerations requiring HR action based on State guidelines available here: Out-of-state remote work guidance and resources | Office of Financial Management (wa.gov)
• Any specific exceptions to the Agreement schedule requiring in-person attendance that are known in advance
• Approval by the employee and supervisor
• For 100% remote Agreements, approval by Appointing Authority and Human Resources is required
• Appendix: A list of equipment checked out to the employee for telework use, if any
o Any State-tagged equipment must be specifically reported

Specific Authority:
Executive Order 14-02
Law Implemented:
March 3rd, 2014
History of Policy or Procedure
Draft Date: August 2022
Policy Adopted: September 6th, 2022
Procedure Adopted: September 6th, 2022
Policy Revised: N/A
Procedure Revised: N/A
Reviewed By: Mark Brunke
Contact: Mark Brunke, Senior Director of Human Resources, ext. 3350
Executive Team Sponsor: Mark Brunke, Senior Director of Human Resources, ext. 3350