Telecommuting

The University of Wisconsin – Green Bay is committed to supporting remote work arrangements as much as possible when it is beneficial for both the employee and the institution.

As part of an evolving workforce management strategy, and reflective of both the labor marketplace and an interest in maximizing operational efficiency, UW Green Bay seeks to expand opportunities for flexible working arrangements for our employees. Remote work provides greater flexibility to employees in balancing work and personal obligations, allows for creative space allocation on the campuses, and may improve employee satisfaction and retention rates.

Applicable Policies

What is Telecommuting?

The Universities of Wisconsin defines telecommuting or remote work as “an employment arrangement in which an employee performs their job functions from an approved alternate worksite which is not the official office location for the employee’s work unit".

Remote work is not an employee entitlement. Remote work agreements are approved on a case-by-case basis at the discretion of the employee’s supervisor consistent with the student-focused mission of the university and the needs of the respective unit/department.

The terms “telecommuting”, “remote work”, and “telework” are interchangeable and all refer to the concept of remote work under this policy and SYS 1228: Telecommuting (Remote Work).

Telecommuting Options

Workplace Flexibility: Flexibility in which work is performed at an alternate work site that is not the official office location for the employee’s work unit but on a sporadic basis that does not follow a regular, repeated schedule, such as an unplanned need to work from an alternate site due to illness, weather emergency, temporary school closure, etc.

Remote Work: An employment arrangement in which an employee performs their job functions from an approved alternate worksite which is not the official office location for the employee’s work unit on a standard and recurring basis (generally one or more days per week). Remote work arrangements must utilize the Remote Work Agreement and the agreement must be approved by the supervisor.

Remote Work Request and Approval Process

Any non-instructional employee that wants to request the ability to work remotely on a standard and recurring basis (generally one more days per week) is required to follow the process outlined below. All remote work agreements will expire each fiscal year and need to be renewed annually. In addition, if changes are needed to an existing agreement during the fiscal year (including date extension, revised remote schedule, new position, etc.), a new telecommuting agreement must be submitted using the process below.

Discuss your interest with your supervisor or department chair. This discussion is an important first step in understanding if the ability to work remotely exists based on the position you hold. This also allows for both the employee and their supervisor or department chair to understand what the mutual needs and expectations are.
Complete the request form via the My UW portal. Please review this tipsheet on how to complete the form.
Supervisor approves the request. Please review this tipsheet on how to approve a request using the form.
After the telecommuting request is approved, complete the Telecommuting Asset Checkout Form for supervisor review and approval.

Expectations for Employees Working Remote

Expectations for Telecommuting Employees

For a full list of Employee Expectations, please see the UW-Green Bay Telecommuting (Remote Work) Policy.

Work Performance

An employee working remote is responsible for maintaining availability, levels of production at the expected standard, and quality of work at the expected standard while telecommuting. Inadequate availability, reduced work production, and/or reduced work quality may be cause for modifications or termination of an employee’s participation in remote work. In such instances, the employee will be required to return to the workplace and the remote work agreement will be terminated.

Communication

The employee understands that effective communication is essential for the remote work arrangement to be successful. The employee will be available by phone, email, and virtual meeting platforms (i.e. Teams, Zoom, etc.) during scheduled remote work hours. The value of participation and contact with co-workers, students, and supervisors is understood, thus most arrangements will require remote employees to have designated periods of work time on-campus.

Records Management

All work-related documents should be stored on local institution network drives or in cloud storage utilized by the local institution to ensure data is backed up. Employees must obey all Universities of Wisconsin and local institution polices related to remote access to Universities of Wisconsin IT assets, information security, and data protection.

Working remote may require the employee to take confidential information to the alternative worksite. The employee will take reasonable precautions to prevent disclosure of any confidential information as outlined on the Employee Confidentiality Agreement.

University-Provided Equipment

Employees are provided one work station set-up. Additional University-provided equipment at home is not an entitlement of remote employees. Depending on the job, movement of equipment off campus for the purpose of remote work will vary and is determined by the supervisor following the guidance as outlined in the UW-Green Bay Telecommuting (Remote Work) Policy.

Expenses

Standard office supplies at the level that would normally be provided to an employee are covered by the University. Personal phone bills, costs related to remodeling and/or furnishing the work space, normal household expenses, home internet, and costs associated with non-University issued alternative worksite electronics are not paid or reimbursed by the University. For more details, please see the UW-Green Bay Telecommuting (Remote Work) Policy.

Headquarters & Travel Reimbursement

Otherwise known as “home campus”, the headquarters is the official location where the employee’s work is performed on an ongoing basis, typically the campus or institution office for the employee’s work unit. The headquarters location is determined by the needs of the University and is assigned at the time of hire, when entering into a remote work agreement, or when position changes occur. Rules around determination of headquarters location can be found in SYS 1228: Telecommuting (Remote Work).

The headquarters will only be assigned as an employee’s home or alternate work location if it is a mandated fully remote work arrangement (required as a condition or expectation of employment) and if the home or alternative work location is more than eighty-five (85) miles away from the position's otherwise-assigned office or work location. For hybrid, voluntary remote, or assigned remote work arrangements within 85 miles of the otherwise-assigned headquarters, UW-Green Bay will not reimburse travel expenses between an employee’s residence or alternate location and their UW-Green Bay campus headquarters. Employees operating under a remote work agreement must receive the approval of their supervisor before incurring any reimbursable travel-related expenses.

For those that have been assigned to fully work remotely and the home or alternative work location is more than eighty-five (85) miles away from the otherwise identified headquarters, any request for reimbursement of mileage from the employee's residence to a UW-Green Bay campus must include the approved remote work agreement.

All travel reimbursements must follow the provisions outlined in SYS 1228: Telecommuting (Remote Work) and SYS 425, Use of Personal Vehicles, Rental Cars, and Fleet for Business Transportation.

Best Practices for Successful Remote Work

If your request for a remote work arrangement is approved, it is important to plan and prepare for a positive experience. Here are some best practices when it comes to working remotely:

Define your workspace.:
- Create a workspace where job duties can be conducted without interruption or distractions, and where non-digital files can be stored securely. Establishing a defined workspace gives your brain a cue that it is time for work.
- When setting up your workspace, ensure that it has comfortable seating or a standing desk, ample light, room to spread out, standard office supplies, and internet connectivity necessary for performing work and participating in virtual meetings.
Ensure privacy:
- Take a few minutes to assess the privacy of your workspace. Can someone standing behind you read your computer screen? Are your windows open so your neighbor can hear your phone call? Your personal privacy matters too, so remove anything around you that would not want visible during a video conference with your colleagues and/or use backgrounds during virtual meetings.
Eliminate distractions:
- Working remotely can mean pets or a favorite hobby are only a few feet away. Doing your best to mitigate these distractions will help your success. Ensure everyone at home understands that during work hours you are focusing on work. Similar to when working on campus, and in accordance with the Children in the Workplace Policy, remote work should not be used on a regular basis in lieu of childcare.
Look the part:
- Dressing casually is definitely a perk of working at home but getting “ready for work” is a daily ritual that many remote workers swear by. When working from home, you may need to be ready at a moment’s notice for meetings. Looking professional boosts self-esteem even if you are the only one to see it. Being too comfy can lead to reduced productivity.
Stick to a schedule:
- Ensure that workplace routines can be maintained to the best extent possible. Start and end your day at the times that you would normally do so when working on campus, and be sure to take a lunch break.
- If you would like a schedule outside of what has been determined by the University as the standard work hours for your position, an alternative work schedule must be approved.
- If you are eligible for overtime, you will need to commit to taking your lunch and other work breaks at the same time. Overtime will continue to require advance approval from your supervisor.
Stay connected.
- Everyone should feel confident about calling or messaging an employee who is working remotely, just as if they would walk into their office or call them if working on-site. To support this, communicate your “presence” online whenever possible, utilize statuses in teams, and consider dropping a note in your team chat (or via email) for unscheduled periods away from your workspace (lunch, breaks, etc.).
- Other ways to stay connected include:
  - Adding your remote work schedule to your email signature line.
  - Setting up Jabber so that you are accessible via phone from the remote location.
  - Using Teams to stay connected to colleagues, both by utilizing virtual calls and meetings as well as instant messaging and file sharing.
  - Keeping your camera on for meetings and calls to nourish a sense of connection with your coworkers.
Set daily goals and share your progress.
- Plan your day and stick to it. Make a schedule to help you get your work done. You may be surprised by how differently the work day passes without the comings and goings of an office to break things up or influence what you do next.
- Start each day of remote work by writing down what you need to achieve and then track your progress.
Stay engaged & healthy.
- Focus on your health. Stay hydrated. Eat healthy meals. Celebrate wins.

Links to External Resources:

Ergonomics for Telecommuters (UW Madison)
How to Collaborate Effectively If Your Team Is Remote (Harvard Business Review)
How to Deal with Remote Conflict (Harvard Business Review)
These Strategies Will Help You End the Workday When You Work From Home (Thrive Global)
Working Remotely: The Basics (Harvard Human Resources)

Remote Work Information for Faculty & Instructional Academic Staff

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 remote work 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 (Lecturers).

Steps for FA/IAS working out of state:

Include language about the remote work agreement in the appointment letter if the FA/IAS member will be working out of state. Standard appointment letter templates have been updated to communicate this expectation.
Once the employee has network access, they should complete the request form via the My UW portal. Please review this tipsheet on how to complete the form
Department Chair approves the request. Please review this tipsheet on how to approve a request using the form.
After the telecommuting request is approved, the employee completes the Telecommuting Asset Checkout Form for Department Chair review and approval (if applicable).

When a remote work agreement is required for Faculty and IAS, they should complete the entire agreement aside from the “typical schedule on-site” and “typical schedule off-site” sections under Telecommuting Schedule.

Managing Remote Employees

Managing Telecommuting Employees

For information about managing employees who are working remotely, please see the Supervisor Toolkit.

Frequently Asked Questions

Who is eligible to work remotely?

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 remote work.
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 remote work 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 work remotely 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 Human Resources before allowing an existing employee to regularly perform their assigned duties from an out-of-state remote work 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 (Lecturers).

Please see the "Remote Work 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 Accommodations 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.

What is the difference between assigned remote work and regular remote work?

The "assigned" remote worksite designation is applicable when there is a business need for the specific position to be located at an alternative work location. Below are a couple of scenarios that may represent an assigned remote work arrangement:

UW-Green Bay needs someone to work in western Wisconsin to support community-based educational practices in that specific region.
UW-Green Bay needs someone from Admissions located full-time in Illinois to recruit within that market.

In the case where we are allowing someone to work remote at their convenience, it is considered voluntary remote work as it is not related to the needs of the position itself. If the employee were located at a UW-Green Bay campus, they would still be able to do the job.

Can I be reimbursed for travel from my remote location to a UW-Green Bay campus?

As part of the remote work agreement, your supervisor will be identifying your headquarters location. Rules around determination of headquarters location can be found in SYS 1228: Telecommuting (Remote Work).

For hybrid, voluntary remote, or assigned remote work arrangements within 85 miles of the otherwise-assigned headquarters, UW-Green Bay will not reimburse travel expenses between an employee’s remote worksite and their assigned UW-Green Bay campus headquarters.

For those that have been assigned to fully work remotely and the home or alternative work location is more than eighty-five (85) miles away from the otherwise identified headquarters, any request for reimbursement of mileage from the employee's residence to a UW-Green Bay campus must include the approved remote work agreement.

All travel reimbursements must follow the provisions outlined in SYS 1228: Telecommuting (Remote Work) and SYS 425, Use of Personal Vehicles, Rental Cars, and Fleet for Business Transportation. Employees operating under a remote work agreement must receive the approval of their supervisor before incurring any reimbursable travel-related expenses.

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 working remotely or 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, remote work should not be used on a regular basis in lieu of childcare.

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 Remote Work 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 working remotely.

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 work remotely:

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 remote work 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 remote work agreement.
The student would complete (and supervisor approve) the online remote work agreement (consistent with the process for professional staff).