Workday will now be utilized for requesting, submitting, and approval of telework agreements for
all employees at Washington State University. The business services team at the WSU College
of Medicine is sharing the following resources to support the process.
Telework Agreement Guidelines
All employees working from their personal residence or an alternate non-university work site,
including those with hybrid work arrangements, must have a telework agreement.
Note: A formal telework agreement is not required for incidental occurrences such as inclement
weather, university closure, family emergency care, or other limited occurrence that has been
communicated to and approved by the supervisor.
Timeframe
- All telework agreements for the College of Medicine must be no longer than one year in
length. The agreement should end on the last day of the month. Telework agreements
should not extend beyond an employee’s fixed-term appointment end date. - Departments/units may choose to have all team members’ telework agreements renew
at the same time, or throughout the calendar year. Many choose to align with the fiscal
year (June 30) or calendar year (December 31). - New employees who require a telework agreement should initiate in Workday within one
week of role start date.
Renewal
The renewal of a telework agreement is not guaranteed and will be evaluated each cycle to determine if the arrangement continues to meet the business need.
Impacts
Telework locations impact taxes, compensation rates, payroll deductions, labor laws, travel for work purposes, and WSU property tracking and management.
Revocation
Telework agreements may be revoked at the option of the appointing authority, in consultation with the supervisor.
Alternate Work Site
If the work location is at a non-WSU worksite and is not at the employee’s home (such as a clinical or partnering research site), a Telework agreement is NOT required (see Alternate Work Site instructions below). If employee works hybrid, also from an alternate site/home, a telework agreement would be required.
Workday Process
Note: Either the employee or supervisor can initiate a Telework Agreement
Employee
From the Workday search bar:
- Type “Request Telework” into the Workday search bar.
- Select the “Request Telework” task.
Supervisor/Employee
From an employee’s profile:
- On the employee’s profile, go to the ‘Job’ page and select the ‘Telework’ tab.
- Click on the Add Telework for Worker button (supervisor) / Request Telework button (employee).
- On the Add Telework for Worker screen, enter the following:
- Start Date
- Proposed End Date (must be within one year; 365 days)
- Select the Telework Type from the drop-down menu
Telework Types
- As Needed: Used when a telework agreement is needed, but the specific time worked
from a non-WSU location is not known. The location of the telework agreement should
be known. Utilize this type if the majority of work is performed at the WSU location, but it
is known that some work will be performed from home. Not required for incidental
occurrences of working from home. - Fully Remote: The position is fully remote and the employee does not have a WSU
location (will also self-assign the “Work from Home indicator”; instructions below) - Office/Home Hybrid: The employee works a known amount of time from a non-WSU
location. Allows entry of hours per week, days per week, and days of the week which are
worked from home.
Telework Questionnaire:
- Location: Physical location of telework address (often home address)
- Equipment provided: Include all items such as computer, monitor, chair, keyboard,
mouse, etc. Include all inventory tag numbers (red and white) for asset tracking (see
policies below)- Department tags: red and 7 digits (Example: Dell Laptop, Dept Tag #1234567)
- WSU tags: white and 6 digits (Example: Dell Laptop, WSU Tag #123456)
- Job Duties: Indicate any changes to job duties; indicate travel for work purposes
authorization, such as, “Teleworker is allowed to travel to home campus with manager
approval” and/or “Teleworker is allowed to travel to other locations for work purposes
with manager approval; cost of travel will be the lesser of the cost between the home
campus and the employee telework location” (see additional travel section below) - Communication: Note specific communication mechanisms if applicable
The employee will receive an additional questionnaire with acknowledgments of conduct and
expectations.
Reviews and Approvals of a Telework Agreement
The Telework Agreement and the responses to the questionnaire will go to the following roles
for review and approval:
- Employee (unless they were the initiator of the process)
- Manager of the employee
- Spokane IT services
- Appointing Authority (Currently Brett Oglesbee)
To review and approve: go to the Workday My Tasks Inbox and select the Telework
Agreement task.
The Start Date, Proposed End Date, Telework Type (and hours and day if applicable) can be
changed by the reviewer.
Changes cannot be made to the questionnaire (location, equipment, job duties, communication). If changes are needed, select the Send Back button at the bottom of the screen and select
the Telework Questionnaire step; enter a comment stating the required change.
- Once all approvals are complete, the employee will be notified via the Workday notification
alert page that their Telework Agreement has been approved. - The employee will also be notified via the Workday notification alert page if the Telework
Agreement is denied (see below policy).
Additional Workday Tasks
Fully Remote
If the Telework Type is Fully Remote, the employee must indicate “Work from Home” on their
home address:
Steps to indicate “Work from Home”
- WSU Network Login
- Enter Network ID and password
- Click on the Workday tile
- Go to your profile in the upper right corner (click photo or initials)
- Select “View Profile”
- Select “Actions” from the blue panel on the left
- Scroll down to “Personal Data”
- Select “Change my Home Contact Information”
- Select the “Pencil” in the first section which lists your home address
- Scroll down to the “Usage” section
- Select the three bars on the right
- Add a “Check Mark” to the “Work From Home” designation; leave “Mailing” checked
- Click anywhere on the screen outside of the field; Now both items are checked
- Click “Submit” on bottom of screen
Alternate Work Site
If the Work Location is at a non-WSU worksite and is not at the employee’s home (such as a clinical
or partnering research site), a Telework agreement is NOT required. However, the work site address
must be added to the Workday profile. This is completed by Business Services. Contact
appropriate person below to provide work site address details.
Other Notes
Travel
When submitting a Spend Authorization (SA) and/or Expense Report (ER) for approved workrelated travel, note on the SA and ER: “Teleworker is allowed to travel to home campus with manager approval. Telework agreement currently is routing through the approval process in Workday” [OR] “has been approved in Workday.” Attaching the telework agreement to the SA and ER is not required at this time.
Viewing Active Telework Agreements
Only limited information can be viewed by the employee and supervisor from the employee’s
Workday profile.
Employees with HR Partner (Business Services) security role can generate a report which
shows employees with approved telework agreements and the details of their agreement.
Contact Megan Fulton, Assistant Director for Personnel and Employment if such report is
needed.
Job Changes
A change in job title, position transfer, or supervisor will not trigger a new telework agreement
automatically. It is the new supervisor/employee’s responsibility to ensure the active telework
agreement meets the needs of the change. If not, a new agreement or removal of the current
agreement will be necessary.
Contact Information
Contact your unit administrative support team member or appropriate business services
representative below if you have questions or need assistance.
- IREACH: j.pierre-puckett@wsu.edu
- PRISM: jessica.dauer@wsu.edu
- All other units: nathan.conley@wsu.edu
- Assistant Director Personnel and Employment: megan.hammond@wsu.edu
Helpful Links
Selected policies regarding teleworking from BPPM 60.34
2.4 Job Duties
During telework arrangements, employees are expected to effectively accomplish their regular
job duties, unless adjustments to job duties have been discussed with and approved by their
supervisor. Any adjustments to job duties or expectations, which are specific to a telework
arrangement, must be documented in a formal telework agreement, the position description,
and/or written performance measures.
2.10 Workday Directory
Departments are responsible for maintaining an accurate work location in Workday. Employees
must ensure the address listed on their Telework Agreement is accurately reflected in Workday,
since taxes, payroll deductions, and other labor and employment laws may be different
depending on where the work is performed.
3.3.a Insurance and Loss of Equipment
Employees who telework, even for incidental occurrences, are responsible for returning all
university-owned items used at the telework location. The equipment must be in good working
order and returned in a timely fashion upon request or when the telework arrangement is
discontinued for any reason.
4.0 Telework Agreements
Telework agreements are not contracts of employment and do not change salaries, benefits, job
responsibilities, leave policies, or other basic terms of employment.
4.3.b Equipment/Office Supplies
Departments with employees teleworking are required to reimburse those employees or provide
the equipment and supplies which the department deems necessary to enable remote
employees to perform their work. See BPPM 70.03 and 70.20. Note: The University is not
required to duplicate resources between the primary WSU work location and the telework
location.
4.2 Denials
An employee’s request to telework may be denied due to business necessity or an employee’s
performance concerns. If an employee’s request to telework is denied based on performance
concerns, supervisors should consult with HRS to assist in the department’s review of
performance expectations with the employee.
An employee who disagrees with their supervisor’s denial of a request to telework is
encouraged to discuss the concern with their supervisor. If the discussion with the supervisor
does not resolve the issue, the employee may request a review by the appointing authority. The
appointing authority makes the final decision regarding what work, if any, may be performed as
part of an approved telework agreement.
4.3.d Length of Commitment/Reversibility
The employee, supervisor, and appointing authority establish dates when the supervisor and the
employee review the effectiveness of the telework agreement and make any necessary
adjustments. Start and end dates are specified in the telework agreement.
Continuation of the telework agreement is subject to review for the business and productivity
effectiveness of the employee and may be revoked at the option of the appointing authority, in
consultation with the supervisor.