Current through all regulations passed and filed through September 16, 2024
(A) Policy statement. Kent state university
is a workplace that values the in-person experience, supports a student-first
focus and emphasizes a sense of belonging for all students, faculty, staff and
other stakeholders. This is best achieved through collaborative communities
within units, departments, divisions and across all Kent state campuses. Any
arrangements involving telecommuting should be guided by what is best for
students. Also, these must meet the operational needs of the unit involved and
of the overall university.
(B)
Eligibility. This policy shall apply to eligible full-time unclassified
employees and fulltime, non-represented classified employees on all Kent state
university campuses. Any telecommuting arrangements covering represented
employees require further discussion between relevant administrators and union
leadership. The policy shall not apply to student employment under rules
3342-6-25 and
3342-6-25.1 of the
Administrative Code.
(1) Not all positions
are eligible for telecommuting and any such arrangements must be approved by
the supervisor with the oversight of the applicable dean or vice
president.
(2) As a general matter,
telecommuting arrangements must be limited to no
more than twenty per cent of any division/unit's staff so that on any given day
at least eighty per cent of employees are working on campus in
person.
(3) Among other things, to
be eligible for telecommuting, employees must meet the following requirements:
(a) Successful completion of any applicable
probationary period, and
(b) Have
been deemed satisfactory on the latest performance evaluation, with continuing
satisfactory performance thereafter.
(4) All telecommuting arrangements, or
exceptions to requirements, must have written approval from the supervisor and
division vice president, or designated approver, prior to
commencement.
(5) Telecommuting
arrangements are not intended to be used as an alternative to, in conjunction
with, of as a replacement for leave as provided for in Chapter 3342-6 of the
Administrative Code.
(C)
Definitions. Telecommuting is an arrangement of two weeks or longer that
involves the completion of a portion or all of the forty-hour workweek from a
location off campus.
(D)
Implementation.
(1) Telecommuting work
arrangements must meet the needs of the university, the employing area, and the
position and require collaboration and consensus by both the employee and the
immediate supervisor. Supervisors should consider the impact on the unit and
other units' workload and productivity; other faculty, staff, students and
other members of the university community; cost; and business needs.
(2) Telecommuting work arrangements shall
not: materially change the duties of the position; adversely affect the
academic and administrative services provided to students, faculty, and staff;
and shall be structured to maintain the equivalence of a full-time work
schedule (i.e. do not reduce the number of total hours worked in a
week).
(3) Telecommuting work
arrangements are not guaranteed and may be revised or discontinued for any
reason at any time by the supervisor. The approval, denial, revision or
discontinuation of all telecommuting arrangements must be in writing with a
copy provided to the employee. A copy of all approved telecommuting
arrangements shall also be retained in the employee's personnel file.
(4) Telecommuting work arrangements shall be
in compliance with university technology and data policies in Chapter 3342-9 of
the Administrative Code.
(5)
Employees must have a dedicated workspace to perform their work. The university
shall not be responsible for any costs or expenses accrued by the employee
during periods of telecommuting (e.g., internet, utilities, insurance,
equipment). An employee engaging in telecommuting must be available during
normal hours of operation for meetings, assignments and routine communications
as if the employee was present on campus. Moreover, employees may be required
to attend in-person meetings and activities as appropriate - at their own
commuting expense.
(6) The vice
president for human resources is responsible for the development,
implementation, communication and training of the operational policies and
procedures necessary to establish telecommuting at Kent state university. The
vice president for human resources shall also be responsible for revising such
policies and procedures as necessary.
(E) Application procedures.
(1) Upon approval for telecommuting at the
departmental/unit level, the employee must initiate the formal request form for
telecommuting to human resources. The formal request form must be executed and
signed off by the employee and their supervisor prior to commencing
telecommuting and will remain in effect until action is taken to revise or
terminate the arrangement.
(2) If a
telecommuting arrangement is being terminated at the request of the employee or
supervisor, the employee will initiate a telecommuting termination form to
reflect that the employee has resumed their usual, on-campus work location. The
termination form will be retained in the employee's personnel file.
