Telework Policy and Procedure

UMW’s primary focus is to attract and retain students by offering an excellent academic experience on a vibrant, active and engaged residential campus. Many departments and positions are student-facing or public-facing, and areas across campus collaborate and communicate frequently. In addition to recruiting and retaining students, the university recruits and retains a quality workforce and strives to offer flexibility and options that promote work/life balance while delivering on our core mission.

Factors such as the nature of work, the scope of responsibility, interactions with students and co-workers, and the overall operation of the department/unit will determine whether the position is suitable for telework or alternative schedule.

Definitions:

Flexible work arrangements: Working arrangements outside of the traditional 8:00am – 5:00pm Monday – Friday work week with all work performed on-site; this term refers to both telework and alternative schedules.
Telework: Work performed remotely at a location other than the campus work site.
Hybrid Telework: A work schedule that includes a combination of telework and work performed on campus.
Alternative Work Schedules: Schedules that differ from a traditional 8:00am – 5:00pm work schedule. Alternative schedules must adhere to Federal and state regulations as they relate to employee class and schedule period (see the UMW Hours of Work webpage). Alternative work schedules may include, for example, four 10-hour days, or hours that start before 8:00am or end after 5:00pm.
Hoteling: A system by which an employee who primarily teleworks may reserve desk space for a period during which they plan to work on campus.

UMW has a widely varied workforce that performs many distinct functions and services. As a result, not all departments or positions will have flexible work options available. Positions that lend themselves to flexible work arrangements tend to be:

Positions with no face-to-face student interaction.
Positions where telework or alternative schedules can be used to attract and retain employees in competitive areas.
Positions where one or two telework days per week or alternative schedules will not negatively impact unit operations or service to students.

Some additional guidelines to keep in mind:

The majority of telework will be part of a hybrid arrangement: a schedule comprised of both in-office days and telework days.
Supervision of student-facing or public-facing employees should primarily be done in person.
Examples of alternative work schedules: Full-time exempt employees, as defined by the Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA), may adjust their schedule over the two-week schedule period provided the total hours worked is 80 for the schedule period (i.e. working 35 hours the first week and 45 hours the following week). FLSA non-exempt employees are required to work 40 hours in the work week.
Consider whether the department could benefit from staggered work schedules resulting in longer service hours.
Flexible work arrangements may be seasonal for some employees, such as those who work in departments where work demands shift after students leave for the summer.
Supervisors have the discretion to reallocate office space, create shared offices or offer hoteling options for employees working remotely.

Telework Agreements must be reviewed annually.

Submitting a Telework Agreement:
Classified Employees:	A/P Faculty and Wage Employees:	Supervisor:	Cabinet:
If you do not have a Telework Agreement or if you have a Telework Agreement that needs to be revised: Download and open the Classified Telework Agreement. Complete the form. Sign the form by typing your name in the Employee Signature field. Save the form. Email the form to your Supervisor, the appropriate Cabinet member, and Human Resources (telework@umw.edu).	If you do not have a Telework Agreement or if you have a Telework Agreement that needs to be revised: Download and open the A/P Telework Agreement Complete the form. Sign the form by typing your name in the Employee Signature field. Save the form. Email the form to your Supervisor.	Open the form sent to you. Review the information in the form. Initial each page (A/P and Wage form only). Sign the form by typing your name in the Supervisor Signature field (A/P and Wage form only). Save the form. Forward A/P and Wage forms only to the appropriate Cabinet member.	Open the form sent to you. Review the information in the form. Save the form. Sign the form by typing your name in the Cabinet Signature field (A/P and Wage form only). Forward a copy of each form to HR (telework@umw.edu).
If you have a Telework Agreement that does not need to be revised: Do nothing.	If you have a Telework Agreement that does not need to be revised: Do nothing.	If an employee has a Telework Agreement that is not changing, the Supervisor is *required* to fill out the Telework Confirmation Form and return it to HR (telework@umw.edu). Note: If the employee’s schedule is changing, make appropriate changes in MyTime. Instructions can be found on page 33, Section VIII: Schedules and Patterns in the MyTime Supervisor Manual.