Telecommuting Policy
Telecommuting allows employees to work at home or at some other staff off-site location for all or some of their regularly scheduled work hours. Although not all jobs can be performed satisfactorily from other locations, the University recognizes that in some cases, telecommuting arrangements can provide beneficial options for both the employee and university.
Telecommuting arrangements may at times, be approved for temporary circumstances, such as inclement weather, special projects, varying business needs of the university etc. These arrangements are approved on an as needed basis only, with no expectation of ongoing continuance.
Position Eligibility
Not all jobs can be performed from off-site locations. In general, positions requiring face to face interaction with students, colleagues and vendors are not suitable for telecommuting arrangements. All telecommuting opportunities must be pre-approved by the employee’s supervisor, divisional senior staff and the office of Human Resources.
Types of Arrangements
The following guidelines must be met:
- Employees must be able to carry out the same duties, assignments, and other work obligations at their home office as they do when working on university premises.
- The workweek for a full time regular employee is 35 hours, typically Monday-Friday. Telecommuting employees must be available to their supervisors, colleagues and students during core university business hours 8:30-4:30pm, unless otherwise deemed appropriate by the employee’s supervisor.
- Part time employees will also follow their regularly scheduled hours, unless otherwise deemed appropriate by the employee’s supervisor.
- Non-exempt employees must receive prior authorization from their supervisor before hours of overtime are worked.
- Employees must be available to attend scheduled meetings and participate in other required office activities at the home office as needed.
- Telecommuting is not designed to be a replacement for appropriate child care. Although an individual’s schedule may be modified to accommodate child care needs, the focus of the arrangement must remain on job performance and meeting university business demands.
Equipment/Furnishings/Office Supplies
The employee will be responsible for providing themselves with home office furnishings, so that they can accomplish their work in an efficient and expeditious manner.
Business Continuity is a webpage designed for staff to easily access files, collaboration tools, and other resources for a productive telecommuting.
Security
Consistent with Sacred Heart University’s expectations of information security for employees working on campus premises, telecommuting employees will be expected to ensure the protection of proprietary university employee and student information from their home. Steps include locked desks and file cabinets regular password maintenance and any other measures already in place by the Office of Information Technology.
Safety
Employees are expected to maintain their home workspace in a safe manner, free from safety hazards. The university may enforce a safety checklist to be completed by the employee at any point during the telecommuting work period.
Other Requirements/Restrictions
Sacred Heart University may cancel or suspend employee telecommuting privileges at any time, for any reason. Failure to comply with the guidelines of this policy may result in the immediate termination of the telecommuting agreement.