Dear colleagues,

As we transition into the fall semester and many employees begin working in-person on campuses, the Division of University Operations is pleased to share a new teleworking – or remote work – policy, which should guide temporary or permanent flexible work arrangements for all faculty and staff.

The telework policy is available at http://policylibrary.colostate.edu/policy.aspx?id=776.

Within the policy link above is an application and a memorandum of understanding that can be adapted to solidify agreements for remote work between employees and supervisors. Employees and supervisors are encouraged by Human Resources to use these resources to ensure that both parties understand and agree on the arrangement to avoid misunderstandings and conflict, as well as to provide the university with data about arrangements to better understand how to support evolving flexibility. In addition, information about work arrangements can be used to informed space planning, sustainability efforts and recruit top talent into new positions.

Of special note: arrangements with employees who wish to telework from outside of Colorado and live in other states will be subject to additional reviews and some of these proposals may be denied due to increased costs or differences in employment laws in other states.

Resources to help apply the telework policy

To support conversations between supervisors and employees seeking remote work arrangements, Human Resources and Talent Development have recorded trainings and created supporting resources for supervisors and employees. Once supervisors and employees have reviewed the telework policy and training, HR is hosting question and answer sessions to address remaining questions to help implement the policy.

• • Training: This training provides context to supervisors and employees to apply the telework policy. The training will cover considerations when determining roles that could telework. The training will also cover the approval process for teleworking requests. https://csutraining.bridgeapp.com/learner/courses/ddfa81dd/enroll.
  • Office hours with HR: After supervisors and employees review the training, if they still have questions about the telework policy or about how to apply it, they can submit questions at this link (https://forms.office.com/r/XJaASG2Bts) and then attend question and answer sessions with Human Resources for more discussion.

Q&A discussions are slated via Zoom for 1:30 p.m. Wednesday, Aug. 11, and 9 a.m. Thursday, Aug. 12. For more information and the links to register, visit the Reuniting Campus webpage and see the Zoom links for these trainings under “Telework Training” at https://hr.colostate.edu/flexible-work-arrangements/.

The last 18 months have presented us individually and as a university with many challenges and changes, as well as opportunities. We thank you for your patience as we continue to learn how to best support our community with remote and flexible work options and answer many questions that occur as we navigate new beginnings together. We will continue to be available to faculty, staff and supervisors to answer questions as we refine our best practices regarding remote work over the next year.

 

Thank you,

 

Lynn Johnson, Vice President for University Operations

Robyn Fergus, Executive Director and Chief Human Resources Officer