Who is eligible to telecommute?
- The following criteria must be met in order to be eligible to telecommute:
- The employee’s job duties (as documented in their position description) can be fulfilled from a remote location.
- The work unit and institution have the ability to monitor or measure the work product produced by the employee during the period of telecommuting.
- The employee has all tools required for their job available to them at the remote location, as determined by the employee’s supervisor.
- The employee can certify that their remote workspace meets minimum safety requirements.
Can my supervisor decide to cancel or modify my telecommuting agreement?
Yes, supervisors have the ability to cancel or modify arrangements. Changes may be initiated due to changes in operational need, staffing changes, performance concerns or other factors. When a change is needed, the supervisor should give the employee as must notice as possible in order to allow for appropriate planning by the employee.
Can employees telecommute from outside of the state?
Employees are generally expected to work within the state of Wisconsin. Employees may have a work location outside of Wisconsin when required by the job or in limited circumstances where employees receive advance approval to work out-of-state.
A department must first have approval from their division leadership and the Assistant Vice Chancellor for Policy & Compliance before allowing an existing employee to regularly perform their assigned duties from an out-of-state telecommuting location.
Important considerations, and sometimes limitations, exist when considering out-of-state employment such as:
- Worker’s compensation
- Unemployment insurance
- Out-of-state tax withholding
- Health insurance & benefit impacts
Are faculty and instructional academic staff (IAS) required to complete the telecommuting form?
Faculty and instructional academic staff (IAS) inherently have significant flexibility in work arrangements due to their primary job responsibilities of teaching, scholarship, and/or service. Therefore, a telecommuting agreement is only necessary for faculty and IAS if it is reasonably expected that the employee’s sole worksite is elsewhere (i.e. the hired FA/IAS member is located outside of the state of Wisconsin). This applies to both ongoing FA/IAS and temporary IAS (i.e. Associate Lecturers).
Please see the "Telecommuting Information for Faculty and Instructional Academic Staff" section of this website for more information.
How do I request a Reasonable Accommodation related to telecommuting?
It is the employee’s obligation to inform their employer of the need for accommodation due to medical condition(s).
UW-Green Bay Disability Accomodations Website
Employees can request accommodations through the Office of Human Resources and Workforce Diversity by using the
Request for Reasonable Accommodation. If an employee prefers, they may also call to schedule an appointment the ADA Coordinator to discuss their request.
Human Resources may ask questions or seek medical documentation to assess whether the employee has a disability covered under the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) and the Americans with Disabilities Amendments Act (ADAAA), as well as if the disability can be reasonably accommodated.
There may be circumstances in which providing reasonable accommodation or alternate work arrangements are not feasible. Employees without approved accommodations are expected to report to work as required by their manager/supervisor.
Can employees work from home with children present that they are caregiving for?
It is important to remember that regardless of where the work is occurring, the employee would be subject to the policies and procedures that guidance workplace conduct. No matter whether an employee is telecommuting or working on campus, the
Children in the Workplace Policy still applies. While there may be a few differences based upon work location, similar to when working on campus, and in accordance with the
Children in the Workplace Policy, telecommuting should not be used on a regular basis in lieu of childcare.
COVID-19 specific guidance related to telecommuting:
Intermittent Telecommuting may be used during a school closure or need for child to quarantine due to COVID-19, so long as the employee is able to fulfill their work functions during this time, time and leave is reported accurately, and the supervisor approves. This is appropriate because the reason for intermittent telecommuting would fall under the definition as outlined in the Telecommuting Policy (“transient and specific circumstances lasting no longer than ten business days”). An employee cannot be approved for a part- or full-time, continuous telecommuting arrangement for purposes of caregiving.
Choosing to have children attend school virtually does not constitute applicable justification for either intermittent or continuous telecommuting, and therefore cannot be considered as a reason for remote work.
How does an employee "certify" that their remote workspace meets minimum safety (or other) requirements?
Employees will be certifying that their remote workspace meets safety and ergonomic requirements in the
Telecommuting Agreement. The rationale for this pertains the application of worker compensation and workplace safety requirements regardless of the location of the work being performed. As the employer, UW-Green Bay remains responsible for the safety of the work environment, so the employee will need to confirm that they believe the environment is safe. Obviously, a direct inspection of these areas may not be practical or all, but for certain functions more extensive review may need to occur. For example, if remote work is permitted for someone who may have access to confidential information or financial transaction records, greater assessment may be necessary.
Can a student employee be approved for remote work?
As an institution, the oversight of remote work is happening at the level of the supervisor for professional employees. For student employees, the institution opens itself up to even more significant liability related to confidentiality of records, location of work activities (i.e. more may be out of state), and risk (i.e. worker’s compensation, safety of work environment, etc.). In addition, student employment opportunities on campus are meant to be high-impact experiences to help support student development. Because of this, it is the strong recommendation that student employees are not telecommuting.
That said, it is understood that there may need to be a bit of flexibility for specific and unique positions so long as there is far greater review of the reasonable ability to remote work. And so, if the following three items are completed the student
may be able to telecommute:
- A written supervisory plan must be drafted to include the student’s job responsibilities, justification of the ability to work remotely given those job functions, specific hours of work, how the supervisor will ensure accountability (i.e. check-in and out, workload meetings, documented work product, etc.), and how any confidential records will be managed and secured (noting specifically, what the work environment will be in terms of exclusivity of space (i.e. not shared access for third parties); adherence to IT security protocols when accessing remotely; and the ability securely maintain confidentiality in the transfer of data and other information).
- The Area Leader (Vice Chancellor or Chancellor) overseeing the applicable division must approve the specific supervisory plan in writing (email is fine) prior to the start of the telecommuting agreement. Once Human Resources receives a copy of the supervisory plan and approval, the student employee's record will be updated to allow the student to submit the online telecommuting agreement.
- The student would complete (and supervisor approve) the online telecommuting agreement (consistent with the process for professional staff).