Telework and flexible work arrangements

Colorado State University supports working from home to help reduce commuter trips to the University while preserving valuable parking spaces on campus.  POLICY

Within the policy link above is an application and a memorandum of understanding that can be adapted to solidify agreements for remote work between employees and supervisors. Employees and supervisors are encouraged by Human Resources to use these resources to ensure that both parties understand and agree on the arrangement to avoid misunderstandings and conflict, as well as to provide the university with data about arrangements to better understand how to support evolving flexibility. In addition, information about work arrangements can be used to informed space planning, sustainability efforts and recruit top talent into new positions.

Of special note: arrangements with employees who wish to telework from outside of Colorado and live in other states will be subject to additional reviews and some of these proposals may be denied due to increased costs or differences in employment laws in other states.

woman typing on laptop

PURPOSE OF THIS TELEWORK POLICY

The purpose of this policy is to establish the circumstances under which a telework arrangement may be allowed or required and the processes that will be followed for telework to support the needs of our university community.

APPLICATION OF THIS TELEWORK POLICY

This policy shall apply to all employees of the university, including faculty, administrative professional, state classified, temporary, non-student hourly, and student hourly who are interested in Teleworking for a period in excess of two weeks.

  • Training: This training provides context to supervisors and employees to apply the telework policy. The training will cover considerations when determining roles that could telework. The training will also cover the approval process for teleworking requests. https://csutraining.bridgeapp.com/learner/courses/ddfa81dd/enroll.

Connecting to your work computer from home

Secure remote access to the CSU network is provided via Secure Gateway, also called SSL VPN. Users can connect from any web browser at https://secure.colostate.edu.

Managing employees

Here are some best practices for managers of employees that telework:

  • Facilitate a teleworking protocols meeting with your team
  • Build a trusting environment
  • Monitor performance by holding employees accountable for their work
  • Stay connected, ensuring all team members use the best means of communication
  • Be transparent by sharing calendars, messaging, and updating your work status
  • Manage by results, not by physical presence with a clear definition of objectives and performance indicators

It is important that managers recognize that regular communication with your employee will help you stay updated on if any of the following issues occur.

  • Telecommuting is not for everyone since telecommuters must be self-directed.
  • Telework is a benefit that is earned, not given.
  • Discuss security issues.
  • IT infrastructure changes may be necessary to access to company systems, software, and data.