Telework Protocol

The Program Administrator will consider requests to work at home based on need. To be considered for work at home, the employee must be at or above an average job performance level. The work at home arrangement must not impact the employee’s performance and will be immediately discontinued if it begins to impact performance. The work at home option is intended for short-term, project-based situations. Under most circumstances it is desirable for employees to work at the Holmes SWCD office, therefore a convincing short term or long-term need must be demonstrated.

Circumstances to be considered for work at home:

• Crisis situation

• Fewer interruptions for long writing or reading projects such as grant writing, program planning, and program research.

• Care of a sick family member or infant

To telework, employees must:

• Be able to demonstrate that the arrangement will not impact the staff member’s performance.

• Communicate with Program Administrator about the project that will be worked on remotely and estimated hours for completion.

• Be easily accessible by phone and commit to checking work voicemail daily, and work email on a regular basis (4x/day).

• Have the needed materials at home and, if needed, a computer with VPN access to District files. Access to District drives must be arranged through the IT provider serving the District, through a work computer with up-to-date virus protection and software. 

• If not working directly on the District server, uploading current files to their appropriate locations on the server at least once a day for backup and accessibility by other staff members.

• Clearly identify project and hours worked in the approved timekeeping system.

• Clearly state hours the employee is teleworking on the shared District calendar. Leave must be used to fulfill hours not spent in actual telework.

This arrangement may be terminated at any time if it proves detrimental to Holmes SWCD operations, employee performance, or staff communications.