COVID-19 Teleworking Guidelines
The health and safety of the entire Thomas College community is our top priority. As part of the College’s response to the COVID-19 virus, and in line with the social distancing guidance, Thomas College has implemented teleworking opportunities for employees whose physical presence on campus is not required to perform the essential functions of their jobs.
Supervisors are asked to please make all necessary arrangements so that telework arrangements for eligible employees are in place to begin no later than Wednesday, March 18, 2020.
The following guidelines apply to all faculty and staff (exempt and non-exempt):
- Supervisors are responsible for determining which employees within their areas of responsibility are eligible to telework, based solely on the nature of each employee’s work and the extent to which the work can be performed remotely. Our campus remains open and supervisors are responsible to support employee telework options to the extent possible while also maintaining on-campus departmental operations.
- Teleworking will not be applicable to all employees, based on the functions of their respective jobs and departmental business need. Telework may also be implemented intermittently for employees, where practicable, to accomplish both safety goals and business need.
- Supervisors are encouraged to be especially vigilant in considering teleworking options for employees identified by public health officials as being at high risk for COVID-19 infection and those who are caregivers for someone who is at high risk.
- For student safety, and consistent with our campus transition to remote course instruction, student employees are not permitted to work on campus until further notice.
- The Office of Human Resources is available to assist supervisors in their employee considerations and development of teleworking arrangements.
- Information Technology Services telework resources are available on the college’s “Keep Working” page.
Specific Guidelines for all Telework Arrangements
- All telework arrangements are dependent upon:
- The employee’s ability to perform the essential functions of their job remotely.
- The existence of any internet capability and/or other communication technology that may be required to perform the job functions at the remote location.
- Employees’ direct supervisors are responsible to:
- Clearly communicate expectations regarding work to be performed during the telework period, including the Human Resource mandated core operating hours during which the work is to be performed, if applicable.
- Monitor employee work performance and productivity.
- Remain in regular contact with employees during the telework period.
- Teleworking employees are responsible to:
- Complete assigned work within the same expected timelines and to the same performance level as for regular on-campus work.
- Remain in communication with their supervisors and report any problems they encounter in performing their job functions remotely.
- Teleworking employees who are subject to overtime may not work in excess of forty (40) hours in any workweek without prior approval of their supervisor.
- All college property, work materials and/or work product (hard copy or electronic) used or created by an employee at any remote telework location, especially those that contain or access Personably Identifiable Information (PII), must be securely maintained by the employee and returned to campus upon the completion of the teleworking period. Electronic work products (documents, spreadsheets, other files, etc.) should be stored exclusively on college servers and should not be maintained on personal computers.
- All telework arrangements may be amended or discontinued at the discretion of the College based on business need or employee performance and/or productivity.
