Information Technology

Information Technology Flexible Work Arrangement Policy

Information Technology Flexwork (telework, telecommuting, remote work, etc.) Policy

Today’s technology allows the use of online services such as Box, Slack, Zoom and the use of project management tools to keep things organized and up-to-date allowing the Office of Information Technology Department (OIT) to offer employees the opportunity to work from home or in a satellite location for all or part of their work week. This is an OIT agreement and is contingent on the approval of university policies and processes.

Objective

This policy is to establish guidelines for staff members who need to participate in the flexwork program due to special circumstances, including hybrid or full remote work. Approval for this program would occur on a case by case basis. This is only available to employees who have demonstrated punctuality in attendance, consistency and reliability in their daily work activities and dependability as an employee and individual. Telecommuting is a privilege and this policy does not create an expectation of any right to telecommute. Flexwork does not change the job duties, obligations, responsibilities, or terms and conditions of agency employment. Any abuse of this program by an employee will result in it being revoked. This policy may change as circumstances require.

Eligibility/Procedures

Staff members will be approved based on the suitability of their jobs, and evaluation of the likelihood of their being successful telecommuters, and the approval of their supervisor. Each Department will make its own flexwork decisions and be responsible for measuring the success of the results. Not all staff members will be eligible to telecommute.

The employee and manager must evaluate the suitability of the flexwork arrangement. If the staff member and manager come to an agreement to telecommute, they must develop specific, clear directions to stay on task using metrics, timelines, or schedules. State all expectations upfront.

An appropriate level of communication between the telecommuter and manager will be agreed to as part of the process.

Flexwork is, in all respects, the same as being physically present in your office which, for example, would allow for individuals to stop by for ad hoc conversations. As part of this request from an employee, the supervisor will assess the needs and work habits of the staff member. The following characteristics represent requirements of a telecommuter. The requester must initial each of the items below as acknowledge that they understand and agree to these terms:

• The staff member and manager will discuss job responsibilities and determine if the job is appropriate for a flexwork arrangement
• A flexwork individual must not add undue burden to any other team members (Eg: during your flexwork days, requesting a team member to visit your office for some item you had forgotten to take home with you)
• A flexwork individual must keep up with department communications and ongoings, similar to being in person
• Have a dedicated space in their home to be able to conduct their work in a professional manner
• Be on Slack and responsive to email and other collaboration message platforms
• Be available to participate in Zoom/video conference meetings as needed. Remote work requires having video enabled for meetings
• Be available to electronically collaborate and screen share as needed with little to no notice, similar to when a person stops by your office unannounced
• Forward their office phone to another number that is accessible to answer calls immediately, or use the Avaya Workplace application, similar to when you are in your office and receive a call there
• At the discretion of your manager, you will be expected to turn on your camera when working from home
• Any issues with service interruptions while working from home (network, bandwidth, power, phone, etc.) will require you to return to campus immediately
• With physical office space being at a premium, those who are fulltime in-person will have first preference on offices and shared offices will need to be considered for flexwork individuals
• Be available to come to campus for in-person meetings as requested, even on days designated for flexwork
• Must be off probationary period for this program to be an option
• Must be an organized, highly disciplined, conscientious self-starter who needs little supervision
• Flexwork is only permitted on Tuesday, Wednesday or Thursday and at a maximum of 2 days per week. Flexwork on Monday and/or Friday and exceeding 2 days per week requires prior approval with your supervisor and will only be approved on a case by case basis
• Flexwork is not intended as a substitute for childcare, elder care, etc. Employees must be able to fully concentrate on their work assignments during their work hours
• As agreed between you and your supervisor, hand write your specific schedule below:

Compensation and work hours

The staff member’s compensation, benefits, work status, and work responsibilities will not change due to participation in the flexwork program. The amount of time the staff member is expected to work per day and pay period and their work hours will not change. Staff members who are not exempt from the overtime requirements of the Fair Labor Standards Act will be required to accurately record all hours worked using the University timekeeping process. Overtime must be approved in advance by the staff members’ manager. Failure to comply will result in immediate termination of the flexwork agreement at the discretion of the supervisor or department head.

The staff member will maintain the normally accepted business hours of UM while working remotely, unless alternate hours are approved by the supervisor.

Ad Hoc Arrangements

Temporary flexwork arrangements may be approved for circumstances such as inclement weather, special projects, etc. These arrangements are approved on an as-needed basis only.

All informal flexwork arrangements are made on a case-by-case basis, focusing first on the business needs of the Department and the institution, and priority of the projects, activities, tasks, etc.

This arrangement is subject to be revoked at any time, based on employee job performance or otherwise, where UM decides that it is no longer in the best interests of the University of Mississippi.

Equipment

The Department will not provide smartphones, routers, modems, phone lines, and connectivity to host applications when working from home. Equipment supplied by the staff member will be maintained by the staff member. The Department will provide computing technology (computer, screen, keyboard, etc.) and associated accessories as determined by the position and your supervisor. The university is not required to provide duplicate equipment for remote and in-person work.

Security

Information security and confidentiality must be consistent with the Information Technology Department’s expectation of information security for staff members working at the office. Please review, be familiar with and adhere to all IT security requirements as posted on the university website through all university related work practices whether using university provided or personal equipment.

AGREEMENT BETWEEN THE UNIVERSITY OF MISSISSIPPI OFFICE OF INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY AND EMPLOYEE

This agreement (“Agreement”) is entered into by The University of Mississippi Office of Information Technology (“UM”) and Employee Name (“Employee”) for the purposes of establishing an approved remote work schedule for the Employee. It is the employees responsibility to fully understand and adhere to these terms. Any violation of this agreement will result in it being revoked.

1. TERMS AND CONDITIONS:

The Employee agrees to the following terms and conditions:

1. The Employee will maintain the normally accepted business hours of UM while working remotely. Those hours listed in U.S. Central Time Zone (CST) and applies to the pre-agreed upon weekdays are:
   1. 7 am – 4 pm OR 8 am – 5 pm OR 9 am – 6 pm (circle one)
   2. Other: ____________________

   Any hours where the employee must miss working time will require the use of either personal or major medical leave as specified by the following UM Policies:

   • Absences from Work
   • Personal Leave for Twelve-Month Employees
   • Major Medical Leave for Twelve-Month Employees
   • Family and Medical Leave Guidelines
2. The Employee will be responsible for having Internet connectivity at their place of residence/remote worksite and will not hold UM responsible for any reimbursement of cost of the Internet service.
3. The Employee will be responsible for maintaining a telephone, whether land line, IP or cellular, where they can be reached during the course of the normal business day. UM will not be responsible for any reimbursement of the cost of this telephone service.
4. While working remotely, the Employee will forward their office telephone number to the telephone number maintained in item c or use the Avaya Workplace application.
5. The university will not reimburse Employees for the costs of using personal equipment during flexwork
6. The Employee will provide their direct supervisor daily and/or weekly project status updates (frequency to be determined by the supervisor) that list, in detail, both their accomplishments for the current period as well as their goals for the upcoming period.
7. The employee agrees that during the lifetime of this agreement, they will maintain periods of on-campus office hours during the life of this Agreement as specified in Section 2.
8. The employee agrees that they may be required to report to work on-campus at times specified by their supervisor that fall outside of the on-campus work hours specified in Section 2.

2. REVOCATION OF AGREEMENT:

This Agreement is subject to be revoked at any time, based on employee job performance or otherwise, where UM decides that it is no longer in the best interests of The University of Mississippi. Should UM elect to revoke this agreement, the employee will be given 7 calendar days notice to begin reporting to work on-campus on a daily basis.