Temporary Telecommuting Policy

In  the event of an emergency such as a weather disaster or pandemic, [Company name] may allow or require employees to temporarily work from home to ensure business continuity.

Procedures:

In the event of an emergency, [Company name] may require certain employees to work remotely. These employees will be advised of such requirements by the department manager. Preparations should be made by employees and managers well in advance to allow remote work in emergency circumstances. This includes appropriate equipment needs, such as hardware, software, phone and data lines. The IT department is available to review these equipment needs with employees and to provide support to employees in advance of emergency telework situations.

For voluntary telework arrangements, either the employee or department manager can initiate a temporary telecommuting agreement during emergency circumstances. The employee and manager will discuss the job responsibilities and determine if the job is appropriate for a telecommuting arrangement, including equipment needs, workspace design considerations and scheduling issues. 

A telecommuting agreement will be prepared by human resources and signed by the employee and his or her manager.

The employee will establish an appropriate work environment within his or her home for work purposes. [Company name] will not be responsible for costs associated with the setup of the employee's home office, such as remodeling, furniture or lighting, nor for repairs or modifications to the home office space.

[Company name] will determine the equipment needs for each employee on a case-by-case basis. Equipment supplied by the organization is to be used for business purposes only.

Consistent with the organization's expectations of information security for employees working at the office, telecommuting employees will be expected to ensure the protection of proprietary company and customer information accessible from their home office.

Employees should not assume any specified period of time for emergency telework arrangements, and [Company name] may require employees to return to regular, in-office work at any time.