What ifs...

Who can initiate a request for Flex-Work?

A Flex-Work arrangement may be suggested by either the employee or the supervisor. Both parties are encouraged to discuss the options and opportunities related to Flex-Work in order to develop the best possible options for all parties as outlined in the PSU Flex-Work materials.

Who is responsible for submitting the Remote Work Agreement form?

In cases where a Flex-Work agreement includes work at non-PSU owned locations, a Remote Work Agreement is required. Employees are responsible for submitting the Remote Work Agreement form after the details have been discussed with their supervisor. The supervisor will review and determine whether the Remote Work Agreement form can be approved as written.

What if Flex-Work only includes changes to the work schedule?

If the Flex-Work arrangement only involves hours being worked, the supervisor should communicate schedule expectations clearly and in writing.

Do Flex-Work agreements expire?

It is recommended that supervisors review the Flex-Work arrangements on an annual basis to evaluate the success of the arrangement. In many cases, it may be convenient to synchronize the evaluation of the remote work arrangements with the existing performance evaluation process. When a Remote Work Agreement is completed, the form does allow for an end date to be entered.

What happens if an employee with a Flex-Work agreement transfers to another department?

An established Flex-Work arrangement exists for a specific position and employee as agreed upon by an employee’s supervisor. A new position will necessitate a new Remote Work Agreement form as well as associated conversations with the supervisor of that new position.

While working remotely, on occasion, an employee may need to return to a PSU-owned facility to work. Will the employee be reimbursed for travel expenses and/or mileage between the remote work and campus locations?

We should not pay for a commute to the primary PSU-owned work location even if it is infrequent. It is important to make it clear when Flex-Work is being approved that the arrangement may end at any time and there may be times when the employee is needed on site outside of their regularly scheduled on-campus times. By being transparent from the beginning about this requirement, the employee is best able to make an informed decision about their plan based on the requirements of their position as well as the associated schedule and the location of their proposed remote work location.

Is disability accommodation determined through the Flex-Work process?

No. All requests for disability accommodations are processed through the PSU ADA interactive process discussion involving the employee, supervisor, and the PSU HR ADA Coordinator. For questions regarding the accommodation process, contact the ADA Coordinator (leaves@pdx.edu).

What should the employee do if they have an accident while working remotely?

Employees are required to maintain safe conditions in the work area including insurance (such as homeowners or renter). Any work-related incidents or injuries should be reported in the normal manner including the completion of an Injury Report. Additional incident reporting information can be found on the Environmental Health and Safety (EHS) website and on the Human Resources Workers Compensation webpage.

My employee has child and/or elder care responsibilities. Can they use Flex-Work to manage that?

During scheduled work hours, employees are expected to prioritize PSU work. However, if approved by the supervisor, employees may use the flexibility to help manage any circumstances including, but not limited to, child and elder care needs. For example, a split schedule such as 4 hours of work, followed by a 2-hour break and then 4 more hours of work, may help employees to manage life events while also fully supporting the business needs of the department.

For unanticipated events, employees are expected to notify supervisors and use leave (or other provisions of applicable benefits such as protected leaves or collective bargaining agreements).

If an employee is providing care for an immuno-compromised family member, can they work from home to help manage the risk of transmitting a communicable disease?

Requests to help or care for a family member with a serious health condition should be made as requests for Family and Medical Leave (FMLA)/Oregon Family and Medical Leave (OFLA).

If approved, FMLA/OFLA allows you to take time off work to care for your family member. FMLA/OFLA leave does not provide for Flex-Work in and of itself, but may be combined with other Flex-Work provisions to help support this situation depending on the position and employee as outlined in the PSU Flex-Work resources.

Can employees request remote work as a result of a recommendation from a doctor?

Doctor recommendations for possible accommodations should be reviewed through the ADA workplace accommodations process to ensure that reasonable accommodations will assist employees with the essential duties of their job. ADA Accommodations are an interactive process that involve the employee, the supervisor and the PSU HR Leaves team ADA Coordinator (leaves@pdx.edu).

If an employee is recovering from a contagious illness, and would like to work in order to avoid the use of leave, can Flex-Work be used on a temporary basis?

Situations will be reviewed on a case-by-case basis with the supervisor, and the supervisor must grant written approval before this temporary remote work option begins.

Should office phones be forwarded when working from home?

Employees working from home as part of a Flex-Work plan should fulfill the responsibilities of their role. As part of developing the Flex-Work agreement, supervisors and employees should discuss expectations including communication. For more information about options for forwarding phones, please refer to the OIT Remote Work Resource website.

What should employees do if internet service is disrupted while working at a remote work location?

Employees must promptly notify their supervisor when unable to perform work assignments due to equipment failure or other unforeseen circumstances. The employee may be assigned to another project and/or work location during the outage.

Are employees expected to use their personal phone number for university business?

No. PSU has resources available to route your office phone to your remote location. Refer to the OIT Remote Work Resources website for more information. Alternately, Google Voice allows calls to your office number to be answered through your computer.

Can employees purchase an item for work to use at their remote work location?

All purchases must be pre-approved if reimbursement is requested.

My employee has a remote work agreement and inclement weather has been declared on campus. How do I handle this situation?

Refer to the PSU HR inclement weather webpage regarding the treatment of different employee groups during closure events. Closure events are treated and communicated on a case-by-case basis due to the unique nature of weather and unpredictable events.

What resources exist for onboarding remote employees?

PSU Human Resources has created an onboarding guide and training sessions that can be found on the Human Resources Website. We also encourage all new employees to sign up for the PSU New Employee Orientation training which is available in both remote and in-person formats.

Furthermore, it is important to share any PSU policies that employees are expected to abide by regardless of their employment location. Consideration must be given to whether in-person training is required during the orientation of a new employee as well as to how you will support a new employee beyond the initial orientation.

What should I do if position updates are needed as a result of a Remote Work Agreement?

The essential functions of a position should not be changed as a result of a Flex-Work agreement. Flex-Work agreements must not negatively impact operations or service delivery. If position updates are necessary, changes can be submitted using PeopleAdmin. Please contact your HR Partner as needed for assistance.