Policies

Alternate Work Arrangements Policy

Policy Purpose

This Policy establishes guidelines for Alternate Work Arrangements for eligible employees of Farmingdale State College (hereinafter “the College”).

Persons Affected

Faculty, Staff

Policy Statement

The College recognizes that flexibility in determining where administrative work is performed can have a positive effect on employee retention, recruitment, and efficient utilization of space. Alternative work arrangements are available to eligible College faculty and staff and are subject to the College’s operational needs, and as such, are not a right or entitlement. Job duties are the primary factor that will be considered when making determinations on alternate work arrangements. Alternate work arrangements can be modified or rescinded by management. The employee’s supervisor will have the unilateral authority to make changes to alternative work arrangements of employees based on operational needs.

Below the College’s available Alternative Work Programs:

1. Hybrid Remote Work

The SUNY Telecommuting Policy outlines the guidelines and procedures for the alternative work program for hybrid remote work. The College will not approve a hybrid remote schedule of more than two (2) days per work week or a Friday/Monday combination. Those participating in a hybrid remote work schedule will be considered for shared office space. Employees participating in hybrid remote work must live in the NYC Tri-states region and be expected to reside within commuting distance to their assigned FSC work location, unless otherwise approved by the College. This program is not widely applicable for Faculty who are expected to teach in person.

2. Occasional Remote Work

On occasion it may be appropriate for an employee to work from a remote work location for a brief period of time. This program is designed to allow the College to maintain business continuity while allowing the employee to perform their professional obligation from a remote location. Occasional Remote Work is limited in duration and not regularly scheduled. For example, an employee may request to work one day in a month to work from home while awaiting furniture delivery.

Occasional alternate work locations can allow employees to continue to perform work during workplace disruptions and other rare circumstances, including suspended operations and construction related building closures. Unless directed otherwise by management (i.e. workplace disruption), if an employee using occasional remote work more than 2 times per month the manager should consider utilizing the SUNY Hybrid Telecommuting Policy.

3. Fully Remote Work

If there is an operational need, fully remote alternate work arrangements for current positions may be requested through supervisors. Fully remote alternate work arrangements will be granted in very limited circumstances. This program will permit the employee to work from a remote location while the College maintains business continuity. Fully remote work arrangements require employees live within a commuting distance to Farmingdale State College in order to appear on campus as needed and in the possible instance the alternate work arrangement is modified or rescinded.

Department heads will have the opportunity to consider posting new and vacant positions as fully remote to meet operational needs. Such decisions should be discussed and approved by the area Vice President and Human Resources prior to posting. Positions posted and searched by the College with the expectation of fully remote work are subject to the College’s search procedures and are excluded from the procedures detailed in this policy.

4. Flex/Compressed Work Schedules (FCWS)

Flex and compressed work schedules allow employees the opportunity to alter their work schedules to meet the College’s operational needs and maintain business continuity. With flex schedules, arrival and departure times can be altered while maintaining the required number of hours worked per week. Compressed work schedules may increase the hours worked per day to allow for reduced or no hours on other workday(s), while maintaining the required number of hours per pay period. Below are sample schedules and information about time and attendance for FCWS. These options differ from the Voluntary Reduction in Work Schedule which is a reduction in work hours and pay received.

Flex Schedule Staggered hours:

Employees alter their arrival and departure time; the number of hours worked per day remains unchanged. Employees maintain their required number of hours per week.

Staggered Hours Examples

• Hours to be worked (for 37-1/2-hour employee):
1. 7:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m.
2. 7:30 a.m. to 3:30 p.m.
3. 8:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m.
4. 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.
5. 9:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m.

• Hours to be worked (for 40-hour employee):
1. 7:00 a.m. to 3:30 p.m.
2. 7:30 a.m. to 4:00 p.m.
3. 8:00 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.
4. 8:30 a.m. to 5:00 p.m.
5. 9:00 a.m. to 5:30 p.m.

Compressed Work Week/Pay Periods:

Employees increase hours worked per day to allow for reduced or no hours on other workday(s). Employees maintain their required number of hours per pay period.

Full work obligation is fulfilled in a shorter work week/pay period. Examples include:

1. A four-day workweek
2. A four-and-half-day workweek
3. A nine day pay period

Employees participating in FCWS are required to take meal breaks; they cannot use meal breaks or rest periods to shorten their workday. FCWS work schedules may be more difficult in one-person operations with one employee, but employees may enlist others in a similar title to develop creative solutions to provide adequate coverage. When more than one employee from an office is seeking the same FCWS work schedule, the person with the most seniority will be awarded their first preference of FCWS work schedule if all else is equal and conducive to operational needs. Employees’ schedules are fixed for the duration of their selected FCWS (i.e., arrival & departure times; same day off each week or each pay period in the case of compressed workweeks). Employees can choose to return to their normal workday/workweek with two weeks’ notice; the return to regular schedule may need to be the beginning of a pay period.

Exclusions

Applications for Alternate Work and Telecommuting applications will not be approved if job duties require a physical presence at the College including roles commonly providing services and support to students, faculty, and/or staff. Positions primarily considered forward-facing are excluded from hybrid and fully remote arrangements. Clerical positions are generally excluded from consideration for remote work arrangements due to the nature of the work performed and level of supervision required. However, each request will be considered on a case by case basis and will depend upon the specific situation and operating needs of the College.

Due to operational needs, Facilities (Grounds, Trades, Heating Plant, Moving & Trucking) and Construction Management staff are not eligible for any of the Alternate Work Programs and faculty members are not eligible for the Flex/Compressed Work Schedule (FCWS) program.

Considerations for Alternate Work Arrangements

In making the decision to allow an employee to utilize an alternative work arrangement the following must be considered:

• The outcome of work performed can be quantified, monitored, and easily assessed.
• The area supervisor, confirms that the nature of the work and the ability to perform such work is suitable to a remote work location or a flex/compressed schedule.
• The assignments to be completed in the remote work location or within the flex/compressed schedule are consistent with the employee’s performance program.
• The assignments and remote work location or flex/compressed schedule clearly meet the operational needs of the College.
• The employee has completed all campus mandatory trainings.
• A current performance program is on file with Human Resources.

Factors other than job duties may impact the availability of alternative work arrangements, such as; operational needs, departmental staffing, employee’s length of service, and employee performance.

Expectations for Working Remotely

Consistent with the expectations that would exist onsite, employees who are approved for a remote work arrangement should avoid conflicting commitments that would distract them from their work such as engaging in non-work-related activity during work hours.

Remote work is not to be used for purposes of taking leave or time off from work. Requests for leave or time off (e.g., to bond with a newborn child or care for a family member with an illness) should be made under the appropriate policy.

Employees working remotely are responsible for commuting costs to their departmental office locations. Any expenses associated with travel to their departmental office locations are not reimbursable.

Below is a list of responsibilities of employees while working remotely:

• Stay current on all required campus trainings.
• Professional and administrative staff must be logged into Microsoft Teams during regular business hours.
• Staff who are responsible for answering the main office phone line or regularly answering calls from outside the College must be logged into Mitel Connect during regular business hours.
• While working remotely, no “out of office” message should be placed on email or phone messages.
• No official campus records, original documents, or other documents containing personal financial information or any restricted or controlled information under FERPA, HIPPA, or other regulation may be removed from campus while working at the alternate work location.
• If a student/staff member requests an appointment, a virtual or phone meeting must be arranged.
• It is understood that remote work is not a substitute for childcare. Adequate arrangements should be made to assure uninterrupted work time.
• It is understood that remote work is not an appropriate substitute for sick time and should not be used when the employee’s own or a family member’s illness or injury interferes with the employee’s ability to perform their work.
• Employees remain obligated to comply with all College rules, policies, procedures and instructions. Violations of such may result in preclusion from occasional remote work location assignments and/or disciplinary action as deemed appropriate by management and as outlined in the collective bargaining agreement.

Responsibilities of supervisors managing employees working remotely include ensuring:

• Campus offices remain open and fully operational.
• Remote employee is logged onto Microsoft Teams, and Mitel Connect (if required) during regular business hours.
• Employee has completed all campus mandatory trainings.
• Employee has a current performance program on file with Human Resources.
• Services are not compromised and office continuity is maintained.
• Data security is maintained.
• Specific, measurable work goals with distinct deliverable products are a result of the work performed at the remote work location.

The College provides equipment needed by employees to effectively perform their duties; however, the College will not duplicate resources between the on-campus workplace and the remote work location. Out-of-pocket expenses for those supplies normally made available in the office will not be reimbursed.

Employees approved for remote work locations may be provided with a single device to be used in both locations. It will be the responsibility of the employee to bring the device to and from the College when designated to be on or off campus. If the employee currently has a desktop computer and is approved for off campus work, the supervisor and Information Technology will work to have that changed to a remote desktop setup.

Use of college-owned equipment is to be used only for legitimate College purposes. Employees are responsible for protecting college-owned equipment from theft, damage, and unauthorized use. The Information Technology Department will maintain, service, and repair college-owned equipment, but will not be responsible for transporting or installing equipment, nor for returning it to the campus for repairs or service. Information Technology staff cannot provide onsite assistance for any equipment or connectivity issues located off campus. IT staff may be able to access Farmingdale owned computers remotely to resolve issues. If that is unsuccessful, the employee may need to bring the computer to campus for troubleshooting, repairs, or replacement. All equipment the College provides to a staff member, whether used on campus or in connection with a remote work arrangement, remains the property of the College and must be returned upon separation from employment or at any other time upon notice from the College.

Faculty and staff are responsible for purchasing secure and adequate internet services to work remotely. The College is not responsible for these costs. Staff must use the Mitel software available through the College to serve as their primary office phone when working remotely. Employees working remotely must agree to follow College-approved security procedures in order to access College resources and to ensure security of data. Secure VPN access is provided to employees working remotely along with connection via the VDI gateway. Employees working remotely are expected to utilize Microsoft Teams or Google Meet as the application to attend meetings and web conferencing as well as alternative inter office communication.

The need to process paper correspondence should be taken into consideration when assessing the eligibility of the position for remote work. The procurement of, or reimbursement for, home office printers for remote work use is generally not permitted. Where no alternative is viable, exceptions may be approved when a case can be made that printing is an absolute essential function of the job and requires access to a home printer. If an employee has been approved for a home printer, toner and/or ink cartridges will be allowable purchases and must be purchased through the employee's department. Farmingdale will not approve purchases or reimbursements for toner and/or ink cartridges for personal devices.

Procedures

1. Employees must consult with their supervisor regarding possible alternate work arrangements.
2. Supervisors must submit a Request for Alternate Work to Human Resources for the fully remote, occasional remote, and FCWS alternative work arrangement programs.
3. The requests will be reviewed by HR to ensure the employee meets the requirements such as; has an updated performance program on file, confirms the job function can be completed remotely or via a flex or compressed schedule, and that all required trainings have been completed.
4. If the employee does not meet the requirements, Human Resources will notify the supervisor.
5. If the employee does meet the requirements, Human Resources will obtain approval from the area Vice President and draft an Alternate Work Arrangement Agreement with the details in the request.
6. The Alternate Work Arrangement Agreement will be sent to the employee and require the employee sign the agreement and submit it to Human Resources.
7. To utilize the occasional remote work program after an initial request has been submitted, employees must:
   1. Request to utilize a remote work day to their supervisor, via email, as soon as is practical.
   2. Complete the Alternate Work Progress Report and submit it to their supervisor, who will retain the document.
8. Alternate work arrangements can be modified at the discretion of management. Management will provide the employee with reasonable notice of any modifications to alternate work arrangements.
9. For the hybrid work arrangement, employees must complete a Telecommuting Program Application and Work Plan.
10. Human Resources will notify the employee if the hybrid work arrangement has been approved or denied.

Definitions

Occasional Remote Work: A flexible work model which allows employees to work remotely on a limited basis i.e. one time per month, or on an extended basis during workplace disruptions. This program is intended to address an employee’s occasional need to work remotely who is able to work but has limited ability to be present on campus.

Hybrid Remote Work: A flexible work model that combines remote and on-campus work which is intended to permit employees to work remotely on established days and on campus at other times. Please refer to the SUNY Telecommuting Policy.

Fully Remote Work: Work performed almost exclusively from a remote location.

Flex Work Schedule: A work program in which an employee’s work schedule is staggered to begin earlier or later than normal hours of operation.

Compressed Work Schedule: A work program in which the employee works an increased number of hours per day to allow for reduced or no hours on other workdays.

Related Documents

Tools to Assist Management

Voluntary Reduction in Work Schedule Guidelines - CSEA

Voluntary Reduction in Work Schedule Guidelines - UUP

Voluntary Reduction in Work Schedule Form

Request for Alternate Work Arrangements

Telecommuting Program Application and Work Plan

Telecommuting Policy

Alternate Work Progress Report

Responsible Office

Human Resources

Policy History

Approved Date: September 27, 2022