Remote Work Guidelines Finalized

City of Winter Haven

Remote Work Guidelines

March 2020

Overview:

Working remotely is the concept of employees working from home or another location off-site, not on City owned premises, for all or a portion of their regular work schedule.  Remote work is an alternative job arrangement that allows for achieving administrative efficiencies and supporting continuity of operations, primarily in emergency situations.  It can also aid in the hiring and retention of a highly qualified workforce by enhancing work/life balance, if afforded routinely. 

Intent:

Remote working, also referred to as telecommuting, allows employees to work from home, on the road, or in a satellite location.  Guidelines and criteria for remote work arrangements are intended to allow employees and their department directors to design their own remote work arrangements, in accordance with the parameters established herein.

Remote Work Program:

The remote work program is not an entitlement, nor is it a City-wide benefit.  Rather, it is a mutually agreed upon alternative method for meeting the needs of the City and its employees.  Remote work arrangements, which may not be available to all employees, may be granted on an occasional, temporary, or recurring basis.  Remote work arrangements are likewise revocable. 

Employees are not required to work remotely; have the right to refuse remote work if the option is made available to them, and may terminate a working remotely at any time, with reasonable advance notice to the supervisor and department director.  The City has the right to refuse to make remote work available to an employee, and to terminate a remote work arrangement at any time, for any reason. 

All remote work arrangements shall be assessed on a case-by-case basis taking into consideration the City’s ability to maintain the quality and level of service to the public.  Remote workers are subject to the same standards of conduct, rules, policies and procedures, performance expectations, and employment terms as other employees of the City.  Moreover, remote work will not adversely affect an employee’s eligibility for advancement or any other employee right or benefit.

Eligibility: 

Only fulltime employees are eligible to apply or be considered for remote work. Selection for remote work will be based upon the nature of the job; its suitability for being performed off-site; an evaluation of the likelihood of the employee’s success as a remote worker, and an evaluation of their supervisor’s ability to manage remote workers. 

Each department director will make its own selection of remote workers, taking into account performance characteristics and job characteristics, and all remote worker selections made by a department director must be approved in advance by the City Manager or his designee.

Performance Characteristics:

The following performance characteristics are typically associated with successful remote workers and are to be considered, among other characteristics, before approving an employee’s remote work request or assignment:

• Self-motivation, initiative, and judgment
• Skill and routine proficiency in performing work
• Effectively manages time and works independently
• Regularly meets or exceeds productivity standards
• Communicates information fully, effectively, and timely
• Limited need for feedback, but able to ask for it if necessary
• Sets appropriate priorities, changes priorities as needed, maintains a suitable work pace
• Demonstrates dependability and responsibility in meeting attendance standards and following through on projects and work assignments
• Operates and adjusts computer or other equipment independently, to the degree that will be required at an alternate work location

Above all, the immediate supervisor and department director must have confidence in the employee’s ability to work proactively and unsupervised.

Job Characteristics:

A job that is appropriate for a remote work arrangement typically has the following characteristics:

• Face-to-face interactions are minimal or can be scheduled
• The need for specialized equipment is minimal or flexible
• Workload demands require quiet time to complete projects
• Clear objectives can be set and tasks can be clearly defined
• Work can be performed remotely without risk to security of City systems or data
• The absence from City premises will not create productivity or quality issues for other employees or customers
• Work flow can be scheduled and different tasks can be allocated to be completed on non-remote work days
• The needs of internal and external customers can be satisfied from an alternate work location

Prerequisites for Qualification:

The following conditions must be met in order for remote work to be considered and occur: 

• The employee must complete a Remote Work Application and submit it to their supervisor
  • Employees who need to work from home for unforeseen reasons should file their request as soon as possible, so managers can consider the need
• The supervisor must first determine whether the employee is eligible to work remotely and if eligible, the supervisor will meet with the department director to review the application, proposed schedule, and other aspects of the remote work request such as
  • Purpose of the request
  • Level of service that would be provided to the public
  • Duties and responsibilities of the employee’s position
  • Requests already approved for other employees in the area
  • Benefits/adverse effects that may result from working remotely
• If the department director is supportive of the request, he/she will confer with the City Manager or his designee for approval of the application as originally proposed, approved with modifications, or denied
• The supervisor will inform the employee of the approval or denial of the application
• If the application is approved, the employee and supervisor will meet to:
  • Affirm start date, work location, and work schedule
  • Set appropriate and reasonable expectations about the remote worker’s responsibilities, including progress reporting, time management, meeting deadlines, maintaining communications and ensuring self-discipline
  • Design a mechanism to ensure the remote work employee works all hours for which the employee is paid
  • Establish reliable communication channels and methods with supervisors, co-workers, clients, and the public
  • Plan with co-workers how workflow issues will be addressed while the employee is working remotely
  • Identify and arrange for equipment and supplies that will be required for the remote work

 Note:  Copies of Remote Work Applications, along with related documentation, are to be forwarded to Human Resources for placement in the employee’s personnel file.

Remote Worker Responsibilities:

If approved for remote work, employees are expected to acknowledge in writing that remote work is a privilege, not a right, and that the duties, obligations, responsibilities, terms and conditions of employment are not changed by working remotely.  Additionally, remote workers are responsible for:

• Familiarizing themselves with the policy and expectations for remote work
• Maintaining an alternate work area that is safe for themselves and others entering it
  • If remote work is to occur in the employee’s home, the City will not be responsible for any remodeling, furniture, lighting, repair, operating, use and incidental costs associated with the set-up of the home office
  • Conditions within the home or alternative place of work must be suitable for performing work and ensuring a high degree of productivity is sustained
• Making and maintaining dependent care arrangements, if applicable, to permit concentration on work assignments
• Being available by phone and e-mail during specified working hours
• Being available for on-site meetings and training deemed necessary by management
• Ensuring the protection of City information accessible from their remote work site
• Safeguarding public records and documents, regardless of physical form or characteristic, created while working remotely
• Notifying Human Resources of any injuries incurred while working remotely, within the established scope of work, and during regular work hours
  • This information is essential for determining if workers’ compensation procedures and benefits should apply
  • The City assumes no liability for employee or third party injuries occurring in the employee’s home
  • Adhering to all time and attendance guidelines as if working in the office - remote workers are held to a higher standard of compliance with time records and work performance due to the nature of the work arrangement
  • Normal timekeeping procedures must be followed while working remotely
  • Using the City established timekeeping system, non-exempt employees must clock in and out each day, and when taking lunch
  • Non-exempt employees must clock out any time work is not being performed, except for minimal interruptions
• Complying with all standards of conduct, rules, policies and procedures, performance expectations, and all other terms and conditions of employment

Supervisors and Department Director Responsibilities:

Those who supervise remote workers are responsible for:

• Ensuring remote work arrangements are in the City’s best business interest
• Ensuring business hours and office coverage are satisfactorily maintained
  • Unless unusual or extenuating circumstances exist, an entire department or work team should not be approved to work remotely at the same time
• Ensuring responsive and quality service is rendered while remote work is occurring
  • Establishing work practices that ensure customers and fellow employees are not inconvenienced by or through remote work arrangements
• Arranging for the provision of remote work equipment, software, and supplies necessary to perform work functions remotely
• Maintaining an employee signed inventory of City owned equipment at employee’s alternative work location
• Monitoring the remote work plan and remote worker’s performance
  • The employee and supervisor should discuss and agree in advance how and when job performance will be monitored.
    • An employee performance plan, with a focus on outcomes and objectives, is advisable            
  • Supervisors are expected to monitor job performance and the related degree of success of the remote work arrangement. The employee remains subject to all policies and procedures while working remotely.
• Ensuring the employee is adhering to the agreed upon allowable remote work schedule
• Determining the manner and frequency of communication that is to occur while the employee is working remotely
• Verifying the accuracy of the remote worker’s timekeeping record and approving same
• Continuing normal supervisory activities such as career development, ongoing feedback, and performance appraisals

 Remote Work Equipment:

With information supplied by the employee and their supervisor, the Information Technology Department will determine the appropriate equipment that is needed and can be provided to accommodate and enable employees to work remotely.  Information Technology will verify all necessary licensing and that access is obtained and tested prior to the first scheduled remote work day.

Equipment supplied by the City is to be used for City business only.  It is expected employees will follow the guidelines set forth in the City’s Personnel Policy and Procedures Manual Section 2.14, Electronic Communications Systems.

Equipment supplied by the City will be maintained by the City.   It is the employee’s responsibility to promptly report any equipment and/or software problems to the Information Department Help Desk.  The employee will also be responsible for transporting the equipment to Information Technology for repair. 

The remote worker shall sign an inventory of all supplied City property and agree to protect the items from damage or theft.  All City property is to be returned to the City upon termination of the remote work arrangement, or at any other time at the request of the City.  Employees are personally liable for missing or damaged equipment owned by the City.

Remote Work Pay and Benefits:

While working remotely, employees’ pay and benefits remain the same as if the employee were working on City premises.  If the employee works less that the normal work week, salary and benefits may be adjusted accordingly. 

Remote work employees who are not exempt from the overtime required by the Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA) must record all hours worked in a manner designated by the City.  Hours worked in excess of those specified per day and per workweek, will require the advance approval of the supervisor.  Failure to comply with this requirement can result in the immediate cessation of the remote work agreement and/or appropriate disciplinary action. 

Remote Work Program Questions and Assistance:

Human Resources will provide remote work arrangement implementation assistance; answer questions about the program; help resolve difficulties, and aid in establishing expectations and effective communications to ensure program success.