Information for hybrid telework employees

Shawn is an academic and student support advisor. About 75 percent of Shawn’s job duties include providing comprehensive academic advising to students. The additional time is spent focusing on student recruitment and retention. This includes participating in events focused on recruitment, which includes community colleges, high schools, and other colleges, etc., as well as coordinating resources for design and distribution of recruitment material (i.e., web updates, brochures, posters, displays and/or newsletters, blogs, email blasts, etc.).

Would this position be ideal for a fully remote telework option?  No. Due to the student-facing nature of this position, providing excellent service to our students would be impacted if the Academic and Student Support Advisor was fully remote. Next, would this position be ideal for a hybrid telework scenario? Maybe. The majority of this position’s focus is on student advising; therefore, being available for students is critical. However, there still may be an opportunity for a hybrid option. Questions the manager may consider:

• Would students benefit from providing virtual advising hours?
• Could projects like developing recruitment marketing material be done remotely?

If it has been determined that the position is suitable for a hybrid telework option, the supervisor and employee will collaborate on developing a hybrid telework schedule (i.e., days on/off site) that ensures departmental and employee performance will meet or exceed expectations and service to our students, faculty, staff and stakeholders will not be diminished. Remember, an employee’s hybrid telework schedule should not create more work for another employee who is on-site. Employees will be responsible for prioritizing their work to ensure they have the access to the necessary resources to work effectively while teleworking. The hybrid schedule could range from 1-4 days, on-site depending on the needs of the organization and the requirements of the position.

Departments may provide remote site equipment and materials needed by employees to effectively perform their duties; however, they are not required to do so. This usually will consist of a laptop computer, a monitor, mouse, keyboard, headset, and university phone number. For an employee who has an accommodation letter from Virginia Tech’s office of ADA and Accessibility Services for qualified employees with disabilities in compliance with the Americans with Disabilities Act, the EEOC regulations governing Title I of the ADA, and University Policy No. 4075: University Accommodations of Persons with Disabilities, the department is responsible for providing specific electronic and/or other equipment or assistive technology that is specified in the accommodation letter.

Printers, copiers, scanners, fax machines, shredders, white boards, office chairs, and other traditional office supplies will be located on-site. Hybrid employees that wish to have these items at their remote site will need to purchase them with their own resources, unless a special situation is approved by their supervisor or department. Desk and office sharing options will also be pursued for hybrid telework employees.  Preference will be given to employees based on the percentage of time they work on-site.

Employees must agree to use equipment provided by the department and supplies for business purposes and to notify the supervisor immediately of equipment malfunction in order to schedule repair or replacement. All university equipment located at an employee's home office is fully insured. Any damage or theft of the equipment should immediately be reported to the supervisor. University-owned equipment used in the normal course of employment will be maintained and repaired by the department. When employees are authorized to use their own equipment, the department will not assume responsibility for costs of repairs, maintenance, or service.

High speed internet access and telephone services are required to work remotely for Virginia Tech. The hybrid employee must provide their own connectivity. All employees are assigned a university phone number. Hybrid work employees have the option to have their office calls pushed to their personal phone or use the Avaya phone service when not on-site to ensure calls are received and returned in a timely fashion. For more information on the Avaya phone service, visit http://www.4help.vt.edu and search Unified Communications.

• Employees must adhere to all applicable security procedures to ensure confidentiality and security of data. Close attention should be paid to University Policy No. 7010: Policy for Securing Technology Resources and Services, University Policy No. 7025: Safeguarding Nonpublic Customer Information for guidance including federal regulations, and University Policy No. 1060:  Policy on Social Security Numbers for guidance on the protection of social security numbers.
• The employee will protect all confidential university documents from unauthorized access. The employee will not download secure information to a personal device.
• All products, documents, and records that are used, developed, or revised while teleworking remain the property of Virginia Tech.