Memorandum No. 265 Community College of Philadelphia Remote Work Policy for Administrators and Confidential Employees

Approved: July 7, 2022
Approved By: President
Policy Owner: Associate Vice President, Human Resources
Revised: February 27, 2024

Effective Date

This Remote Work Policy for Administrators and Confidential Employees (“Remote Work Policy”) will be effective retroactively to January 1, 2024 until amended or discontinued by the College.  The College will evaluate this Remote Work Policy periodically and determine whether the Remote Work Policy should be amended or discontinued.  The College reserves the right to modify or terminate this Remote Work Policy at any time.

Purpose of Policy

All employment policies including this Remote Work Policy should serve the College’s Mission and Core Values and be in the best interests of the overall College Community.  The College must ensure we are able to provide an optimal learning and service environment at all times.  Providing the flexibility for partial remote work serves the College’s interests by allowing the College to attract and retain the best employees to serve the College’s students and the greater Philadelphia Community.

This Remote Work Policy sets forth the terms governing when and how Administrators and Confidential employees at Community College of Philadelphia (“College”) may conduct their work remotely.   Remote work allows employees to perform their job responsibilities remotely as opposed to on campus.  Remote work is a privilege of employment, not a right or entitlement. This Remote Work Policy does not guarantee an employee will be approved for a remote work arrangement, nor does it guarantee a remote work arrangement for any specific amount of time. The College may revoke or modify any remote work arrangement/Remote Work Agreement, at any time and/or otherwise modify this Remote Work Policy or any particular employee’s ability to work remotely at its sole discretion.  

At all times, service to the College’s students and the College community will remain paramount, and any request for remote work made pursuant to this Remote Work Policy must be evaluated to ensure that it will not negatively impact the College’s students, operations of the College or the greater Philadelphia community.  Remote work arrangements must at all times be consistent with institutional, divisional, and departmental needs. 

Eligibility for Remote Work

In order to be eligible for remote work, an Administrator or Confidential employee must be in a Remote Eligible Position.  Remote work will not be appropriate for all positions at the College, and certain categories of positions will be deemed ineligible for remote work.  Positions which are not eligible for remote work will be known as “Fully On-Campus Positions” and positions which are eligible for some remote work will be known as “Remote Eligible Positions.”  The Cabinet member responsible for each Division will have sole discretion to determine which positions are Remote Eligible Positions and which positions are Fully-On Campus Positions. 

In addition to being in a Remote Eligible Position, Administrators and Confidential employees must have a satisfactory performance record.  Employees on a performance improvement plan, who have unsatisfactory attendance or performance, or who have recent or pending disciplinary action may not be permitted to work remotely.  Additionally, employees seeking a remote work arrangement must have demonstrated (or for new employees be able to demonstrate) an ability to work remotely productively and effectively, including acceptable job performance, computer literacy, and ability to effectively utilize technology resources required for remote work. They must also have sufficient workspace in a confidential environment, and sufficient technological resources, including sufficient network, internet, and phone connectivity resources to enable remote work. 

Divisions may deny remote work during the probationary period or training periods for new employees.

Types of Remote Work Arrangements

Remote work arrangements may consist of the following:

• Partial Remote Work Arrangement.  In a partial remote work arrangement, eligible full-time Administrative and Confidential employees approved for remote work may be granted the equivalent of up to one (1) or two (2) remote day(s) per work week.    The Cabinet member responsible for each Division will have sole discretion to determine the allocation, approval and scheduling of remote work days for employees in that Division (i.e., some Divisions may schedule employees to have their remote work day(s) on a particular day of the week to ensure adequate coverage for each day of the week; other Divisions may set an “allotment” of days off equivalent to one (1) or two (2) day(s) per week (i.e., 46 days per year not to be carried over or 92 days per year not to be carried over) and provide rules regarding the scheduling of remote work days or limits on the amount per month.   Supervisors or Cabinet members may also schedule periods when remote work will be unavailable according to College, divisional or departmental needs.  The details of each partial remote work arrangement, including any periods during which remote work will not be permitted, must be captured in a Remote Work Agreement as set forth in Exhibit B.
  
  
• Temporary Occasional Remote Work.  Eligible employees may also seek to work remotely occasionally when extenuating or unforeseen circumstances might prevent them from coming to campus.  Occasional remote work requires the approval of the employee’s supervisor and Vice President and should occur only sporadically and for a short period.  Occasional remote work may not be used in place of an ADA accommodation, paid time off, or when the circumstances preventing an employee from coming to campus were foreseeable. Employees who abuse occasional remote work requests will become ineligible for occasional remote work.  Employees seeking to work remotely occasionally will be governed by this Remote Work Policy even if they do not have a Remote Work Agreement on file.   
  
  
• ADA Accommodations.  Partial remote work may be a reasonable accommodation for some employees whose essential functions do not require them to be on campus.  Requests for Accommodations should be made in accordance with the College’s ADA Accommodations Policy.

Process for Requesting and Approving a Remote Work Arrangement

Employees may request a remote work arrangement by submitting the request in writing to their supervisor.  Considerations for remote work requests will be made on a case-by- case basis.  In determining whether and how much an employee may work remotely, supervisors must ensure that there is adequate on-campus presence for their department/office during the College’s hours of operation to continue to meet the on-campus needs of employees, students, visitors and other civic partners. Factors that should be considered in determining whether remote work is appropriate or should continue are listed in the Remote Work Assessment Form attached hereto as Exhibit A.  A Remote Work Assessment does not need to be filled out more than once unless the arrangement changes.

Once a request is made, the supervisor and the employee should meet to discuss the remote work arrangement, including the remote work allotment, schedule, applicable procedures, and other expectations of the remote work arrangement in accordance with this Remote Work Policy.  The supervisor should complete the Remote Work Assessment Form and indicate whether remote work is appropriate.  If the Assessment reveals that remote work is not appropriate, then the supervisor must complete the denial section of the Remote Work Assessment Form and submit the form to the employee, the Cabinet member, and Human Resources.  If the supervisor approves the remote work arrangement, the details of the arrangement should be set forth in a Remote Work Agreement (see Exhibit B hereto) which the employee and supervisor must sign and submit to Human Resources and the applicable Cabinet member for final approval and then signatures.  Approved Remote Work Agreements will be kept on file with Human Resources. 

Reviewing, Modifying, or Ending the Remote Work Agreements

All Remote Work Agreements should be reviewed within ninety (90) days of when the Remote Work Agreement takes effect. Thereafter, supervisors must review Remote Work Agreements with their direct reports at least annually (typically in conjunction with the employee’s performance review) to determine if the Remote Work Agreement should continue or if any modifications are warranted.  At any time, supervisors may modify or end an employee’s Remote Work Agreement if it becomes impractical, unproductive, or otherwise interferes with the employee’s fulfillment of their job duties or the College’s operations. If the Remote Work Agreement is modified, such modifications must be captured in an amended Remote Work Agreement which must be provided to and approved by Human Resources and the applicable Cabinet member.  Unless remote work is required by the College, an employee may also terminate the Remote Work Agreement at any time.  Absent unusual circumstances, both the employee and the College should provide at least one week’s notice of termination or modification of the Remote Work Agreement.

Terms and Conditions of Remote Work

1. An employee’s compensation, benefits, work status and work responsibilities will not change due to working remotely. The amount of time an employee is expected to work per day or pay period will not change as a result of working remotely. If an employee is unsure of what hours they are expected to work while working remotely, they should consult with their supervisor. 
2. Remote work should be conducted at the home address listed on file for the employee with Human Resources (the “Remote Work Location”).    If an employee needs to work in a location other than their home address, the employee must advise their supervisors in writing in advance.  Employees may not work outside of the Tri-State Area (Pennsylvania, New Jersey or Delaware).  The Remote Work Location must at all times meet the terms of Section 3 below. Employees may not work in any location with restrictions that would preclude the employee from completing their job duties, including but not limited to any zoning, lease, or community ordinance.  It is the employee’s responsibility to understand and comply with any such restrictions.  
3. The employee must maintain a safe, ergonomic, quiet, secure and confidential work environment in the Remote Work Location that is free of hazards and suitable for performing their job duties.  
4. The employee must comply with all College policies and procedures while working remotely, including but not limited to all policies governing the use of College technology or equipment, including but not limited to the Policy for Responsible Computing, Acceptable Use Policy for Interactive Systems, the Policy Governing the Use and Duplication of Software, the Personal Information Privacy and Protection Policy, and comply with the Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act (“FERPA”).  
5. The employee must be actively working and be accessible via phone and email during the College’s core business hours and/or during their scheduled shift as agreed to with their supervisor. The employee must communicate their schedule and how they may be contacted to other employees, students, or others doing business with the College through appropriate communication methods (e.g., voicemail, automatic email replies, email signatures, etc.).  
6. The employee must check in regularly with their supervisor, at intervals determined by their supervisor, while working remotely.   A supervisor may also require an employee to maintain active status via various software tools to ensure productivity and responsiveness (e.g. through Microsoft Teams or other technology).  Employees must comply with any remote work monitoring tools/software used by their Division.
7. The employee may not use remote work in place of other leave.  Employees unable to work due to illness or personal obligations should use their allotted time off as appropriate.  Remote work may not serve as a replacement for dependent care or any other obligations that may negatively affect the employee’s ability to perform work remotely.  The employee must obtain care for any dependents during their remote work hours in the same manner as during their on-campus hours.
8. An employee’s supervisor, a Cabinet member, or the College may designate certain times of the year when remote work is unavailable for various reasons. During these times and as otherwise requested by the employee’s supervisor, the employee must come to campus even if during their scheduled remote work hours. Supervisors are not required to offer a “make-up” remote workday for any employee required to come to campus on a remote workday.  The Cabinet member will announce any “Black Out Periods” when remote work is not available at least two weeks in advance.  However, supervisors may also call an employee into campus for special circumstances when needed provided that they provide the employee at least two (2) business days’ notice.
9. Travel between the Remote Work Location and the College that would otherwise be considered normal commuting will not count as hours worked or otherwise be reimbursable as travel expenses.  
10. At minimum, full-time administrators are required to work during the College’s core hours and record their days worked and any time off in the KRONOS time and attendance system.  Confidential employees are required to work during their regularly scheduled hours and accurately record all hours worked and time off in the KRONOS time and attendance system. 
11. Any non-exempt employee working remotely must receive prior written approval from their supervisor prior to working any overtime or non-scheduled hours.  Non-exempt employees must also take their designated breaks at their designated times. 
12. An employee working remotely will continue to have Philadelphia City Wage Tax deducted from their paycheck as working remotely is optional and not required.  The employee will be responsible for determining any income tax implications related to working remotely.  The College cannot provide tax advice and will not assume any additional tax liabilities.  Employees should seek professional tax advice if they have questions regarding any tax deductions or other tax implications of working from the Remote Work Location.   
13. The employee may not conduct in-person meetings at the Remote Work Location.  
14. The employee may not use a personal vehicle for College business unless specifically authorized in advance in writing by their supervisor.  
15. The College is not liable for any injuries to family members, visitors, or other third parties at the Remote Work Location, nor does the College accept responsibility for the safety, security or suitability of any Remote Work Location.  The College accepts no responsibility or liability for damages to the employee’s personal or real property at the Remote Work Location.
16. The College’s worker’s compensation policy and procedures may apply to work-related injuries sustained by the employee at the Remote Work Location.  The employee must report work-related injuries occurring at the Remote Work Location to their supervisor and Human Resources as soon as possible.  The College’s worker’s compensation policy does not apply to injuries to third parties or family members of the employee at the Remote Work Location, or to injuries to the employee that do not arise out of and in the course of employment.  To assess whether an injury arose out of and in the course of employment, the employee agrees to allow the College and/or its representative(s) to access the Remote Work Location to investigate any injury that occurs while an employee is working at the Remote Work Location.  
17. The employee will be solely responsible for paying for and providing the internet service, phone service, and utilities required for remote work. 
18. All work should be conducting using GoToMyPC or any other remote work platform specifically authorized by the College.  If employees wish to use their own personal equipment for work, they must be authorized to do so by their supervisor.  The College will not be responsible for repairing any personal device.  The employee may not store or save work materials on a personal device.  The employee agrees to permit the College to access any personal device upon which the employee conducts work to the extent legally required or necessary to fulfill College’s obligations.  
19. The employee may request a College laptop or other College computer equipment required to conduct work at the Remote Work Location.  The College will be responsible for repairing College equipment that is provided to the employee.  The employee will be required to bring any equipment in need of repair back to campus for such repairs.  The employee will be responsible for any intentional damage to any College equipment.  All College equipment provided to the employee will remain the property of the College and must be returned to the College when the Remote Work Agreement or the employee’s relationship with the College ends.
20. The College will supply office supplies required to work at the Remote Work Location.  The employee should submit office supply requests to their supervisor, or, if authorized by their supervisor, order office supplies required for remote work via the College’s remote office supply service. Employees may be reimbursed for the purchase of office supplies only if such purchase was pre-approved in writing by their supervisor.
21. The employee must maintain all work materials, technology or documents confidentiality and securely, and shall take appropriate actions to prevent the unauthorized or accidental disclosure of such materials, technology, or documents to third parties.  If a breach of work materials, technology, or documents is suspected or occurs, the employee must immediately notify their supervisor.  
22. The College reserves the right to require remote employees to undergo relevant training from time to time (e.g.,training in workplace safety, technology resources, etc.).  The employee must participate in any required training.  Employees will go through any such training during regular work hours.
23. All performance evaluations, performance improvement plans and/or disciplinary action arising under this Remote Work Policy shall be done in accordance with the Employee Handbook.

Exhibit A – Remote Work Assessment 

Exhibit B – Remote Work Agreement