VCOM Faculty Handbook

committed to providing in-person support for faculty and staff who are working on campus. As a result, the campus is considered the primary workplace for faculty and staff members. Working remotely may not be used as a substitute for personal leave, sick time, or dependent care needs. The ability to work remotely is granted in advance at the sole discretion of the College and pertains to the type of work, duties, and demands of the work being performed, the needs of the supervisor, the structure established for any off campus work, the past performance of the employee both when working on or off campus, and the educational mission of the College. VCOM is also committed to providing employees with a work environment that supports employee engagement, productivity, and a healthy work-life balance. While working on campus is required for the majority of employees the majority of time, the College recognizes exceptions may exist. As an example, the college recognizes that not all jobs or tasks within a job are required to be done on campus and so the College does provide a review process for requesting to work at a satellite location. In considering such a request, 1) the supervisor and Division Officer, 2) the Camus Dean or Vice President or Vice Provost; and 3) the President will review the request and consider the employee’s duties, the entire work schedule, and percentage of duties being requested to be completed off-campus. Also, the employee’s productivity, the type of duties performed, and whether working off-campus will cause lack of access to services for students, faculty, or staff will also be considered when determining the appropriate work environment. The best workplace remains on campus for the majority (95%+) of employees. • The College does consider factors that result in a percentage of work being performed in a planned satellite location. • The College may also consider a 4-day, ten-hour day work week option for an employee requesting such a schedule in lieu of a 5-day, eight-hour day expectation; however, this must be pre-approved and must meet the needs of the institution, students, and other employees served. Any employee requesting to do a portion, or all of their work remotely must do so in writing and provide the required information in advance and utilize the processes outlined in this policy. Any employee seeking to work remotely must submit their request in writing through Human Resource using the Remote Work Request Form. The request will be reviewed by the following three persons: the employee’s immediate supervisor, the Vice President or Vice Provost or the Campus Dean (depending upon reporting line), and the President. Any of these individuals have the right to refuse the request. The form must be signed and approved by all appropriate signatures to be in effect and are not considered retrospectively. Any persons approved will have a brief pilot period (60 days) for supervisor review to assure all needs of the institution are still being met before longer-term implementation. Days taken by an employee off-campus without all of the appropriate signed approvals in advance will be subtracted from annual leave. The requirement for advanced approval for a leave of absence and/or vacation days still apply. The requirements for reporting of sick leave for days off campus still applies. There may be times when there are increased risks on-campus such as the occurrence of infectious disease or dangerous climate conditions that impact the employee’s ability to work on-campus and/or at home. These will follow a separate policy. Announcement for such emergency conditions will be made by VCOM administration. Requests for work accommodations due to a temporary or permanent disability are different from the above referenced process and should be applied for through the Human Resource Office on the campus where the individual is domiciled.

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