Resolution to Consider a Telecommuting Policy

Telecommuting is a work arrangement whereby an employee works from home or another remote work site away from the primary traditional work place.  This case is being presented to the Personnel Committee because staff received a request to consider allowing a telecommuting policy.  It may be of a benefit to the City to consider such a policy, especially when an employee may otherwise choose to resign due circumstances such as having relocated outside of a reasonably commutable area.

As a result of the request, staff contacted the League of Minnesota Cities regarding the practicality of such a policy, pros and cons, liabilities, etc.  Upon inquiry,  League' staff indicated that they are currently conducting a pilot project -- ROWE (results only work environment) that includes a telecommuting component.   In short, the focus is on results, not necessarily where the work is done, which can mean working remotely.   The study is not complete yet, however, it appears to be a positive concept.  Staff  also consulted with the supervisor of the League's worker's compensation unit. Any offsite work related injuries sustained by the employee would be processed as per the usual protocol.    Lastly, it is important to note, the individual requesting this consideration would access the City's network drives via "VPN" access which eliminates the risk of compromised or lost data due to a real-time connection to the network, no need for portable storage devices, and regular City back-ups. 

VPN is a virtual private network; VPN extends a private network across public networks like the Internet.  It enables a host computer to send and receive data across shared or public networks as if they were an integral part of the private network with all the functionality, security and management policies of the private network (as cited by Wikipedia-accesssed April 17, 2013, www.wikipedia.org).

The following policy for review and discussion:

City of Ramsey - DRAFT Telecommuting Policy

Purpose
Consideration for telecommuting arrangements will be made on a case-by-case basis and only in situations where the employee can demonstrate a benefit to the City.

Telecommuting is not appropriate for all employees, it is not a City wide benefit or entitlement, it in no way changes the terms and conditions of employment with the City and it is not a substitute for dependent care.

Participation
Full-time employees, except those under collective bargaining agreements, may apply to participate. Employees must have successfully completed probation, received a satisfactory rating on their last performance evaluation and not had any disciplinary action taken against them during the past year. Seniority will not be a basis for selecting employees to participate in this program.

Application Process
The attached application must be completed indicating how the telecommuting will benefit the City. All applications must be signed by the Department Head and then forwarded to Human Resources. The Department Head, Human Resources and the City Administrator will evaluate the application to determine whether or not the application will be approved or denied. The Department Head will then meet with the employee regarding the determination.

Telecommuting Program
It is recommended that employees who telecommute do so for a maximum of two days per week, or on a short-term project basis. The telecommuter and the Department Head should agree upon a regular schedule of work hours and work location. Following the regular work schedule is necessary to ensure maximum accessibility. However, the employee must be willing and able to return to the primary work place at the request of the Department Head for any reason with minimal notice. An employee’s salary, benefits and job responsibilities will not be affected by participating in telecommuting.  A remote work site is considered a City work space and the employee, therefore, continues to be governed by applicable City policies, procedures, or practices.

The employee is to be available for telephone, computer and/or fax communication with the City at the times as agreed to by the signers on the application. The employee will respond to telephone calls at the telecommuting work location, and will respond to telephone messages left for the employee at the employee’s City work location.

The telecommuting projects must have measurable objectives. For example, writing a section of a manual, working on a special project, or preparing spreadsheets and financial analysis whereby being out of the “office environment” could lead to its accomplishment in a more timely manner.

Equipment
If an employee is approved for telecommuting and the project requires the use of a computer, printer or other computer equipment, the cost of the equipment, maintenance, repair of the equipment, equipment insurance, electricity, and/or phone lines are the employee’s responsibility.

The cost of installing and licensing software will be at the City’s expense as long as a software license already exists for that particular user.

In the case where an employee owns a personal computer, the employee must provide a copy of the appropriate documents to verify that the software being used is legally licensed and receive virus-detection training from the IT Division. The City assumes no liability for loss, damage or wear of employee-owned equipment.

Telecommuters will take all precautions necessary to secure confidential and/or proprietary information and prevent unauthorized access into any City system.

Insurance
The employee will be covered by Worker’s Compensation while working at the telecommuting work address during the hours of work as indicated on the Telecommuting Application. The City's liability is limited to injuries resulting directly from the work and only if the injury occurs in the designated work area. Any claims will be handled according to regular Workers Compensation procedures. If injured while telecommuting, the employee should follow the appropriate procedures for reporting the injury. Other family members or visitors to the telecommuting work address are not covered by the City’s Worker’s Compensation program. The City is not liable for any injuries to family members, visitors, or others in the employee’s home. Employees should consider carrying insurance to cover these instances.

Telecommuters working at home will have a designated space maintained by the employee. With advance notice, the employer may visit the work site to ensure that safe working conditions exist. For projects involving extensive computer use, staff may require an ergonomics evaluation of the work area.

Expenses
The City will not reimburse the employee for any expenses the employee incurs to participate in telecommuting. This includes equipment, utilities, supplies and furniture. The City will provide a small and reasonable number of office supplies (such as pens, paper, post-it notes, and paper clips) for use by the telecommuter.  Travel time from the home to the workplace is not compensatory, even if the employee reports to the regular workplace on a day scheduled for telecommuting.

Alternative 1:  Authorize staff to approve a telecommuting policy only as approved by the City Council on a case-by-base basis. 

Pros:   May provide a more thorough vetting of each telecommuting requests.
Cons:  Creates more administrative work for staff and takes the City Council's valuable time away from policy level work.

Alternative 2:  Deny approval of a telecommuting policy all together.

Pros:  Removes the telecommuting option and therefore eliminates the need for staff consideration.
Cons: May make the difference of whether or not an employee remains employed or resigns from the City; thereby risking the loss of trained employee and creating additional recruiting and on-boarding expenses.

To make a motion, which upon City Council approval, will authorize staff to finalize a telecommuting policy and to grant staff the authority to consider, on a case-by-case basis, any eligible employee's request for a telecommuting arrangement.

There is no funding required for this action.

Motion to approve a resolution, confirming the recommendation of the Personnel Committee, finalize a telecommuting policy and to grant staff the authority to consider, on a case-by-case basis, any eligible employee's request for a telecommuting arrangement.