ASSOCIATES (vol. 2, no. 3, March 1996) - associates.ucr.edu
[Editors Note: The following statement from Alberta Marquis
accompanied this document..."Our university has spent a year
working on procedures for working in another location, other than
the office. I am submitting the final paper.
If used or shared, please give authorship credit to the
University of Nebraska - Lincoln. We are planning to publish a
paper on our experiences and will be publishing our document."]
ALTERNATE WORKSITE PROGRAM
December 1995
by
Alberta L. Marquis
Acquisitions Department
University of Nebraska
alberta@unllib.unl.edu
DEFINITION AND PURPOSE:
The Alternate Worksite Program (AWP) is intended to provide the
Library Staff with an alternative to the usual office setting.
Its purpose is to provide the Libraries with a flexible means for
accomplishing the Libraries' mission while meeting the needs of
the Libraries employees.
The AWP is open to all hourly staff for participation. However,
it must be recognized that not all work lends itself to the
program nor are all employees suited for the AWP. Also, the
staff member must have the necessary equipment available to
him/her at the alternate worksite; and it must be recognized that
not all staff are able to supply the needed equipment. As a
result, participation may be limited by these constraints.
Utilization of the AWP is intended for long-term adjustments in
the employee's work schedule (long-term usually means over 3
months). It is not intended to be used for short-term, ad hoc
situations, including the use of AWP for sick leave or annual
leave.
The majority of the work accomplished through the AWP should be
priority work: work for which the staff member is responsible.
INITIATION PROCEDURES:
Normal library procedures are followed. The staff member
approaches his/her supervisor and requests the change in
schedule. The supervisor has the responsibility for determining
the advisability for approving the request. The Dean's Office
will be notified by the supervisor as to the current status of an
employee entering or exiting the program. Should the supervisor
disapprove the request, the next supervisor may be consulted if
the employee wishes.
The position description should be reviewed, although the AWP
will seldom require major changes to the position description.
SELECTION CRITERIA:
Employees that have at least an average performance evaluation
and are not on probation or not involved in a current University
defined corrective action are eligible and must have a proven
track record of responsible performance. The majority of the
employee's work should be high priority, regular daily work, must
be portable, able to be conducted independently of the regular
worksite, and measurable in terms of quantity and quality. The
employee shall be financially responsible for all materials taken
to the alternate site. The work should have objective,
results-oriented performance standards. The employee's
supervisor must be able to evaluate results rather than actually
observe the employee's performance.
WORK SCHEDULE:
A schedule for the AWP must be established that identifies the
days (amount of time) the employee will work at the alternative
worksite and the regular worksite. Work can be performed anytime
during the 24 hour workday period, but actual time worked must be
entered on the employee's time sheet. Work should be done in
blocks of time of no less that 1 hour. No more that 10 hours per
calendar day may be worked.
Consideration must be given to work time at the regular worksite
for face-to-face meetings and access to equipment or facilities
that are not available at the alternative worksite, if
appropriate. E-mail messages should be checked periodically
during the working day. Schedules should be made in accordance
with work requirements, not work locations. The participant can
be asked to come to the office when needed.
EMERGENCY SITUATIONS:
Emergencies which impact the ability of staff members to complete
their assignments at the alternate worksite are covered in this
section.
Emergencies that are expected to continue for all or most of the
workday can be addressed by granting the employee annual leave,
rescheduling the work, or having the employee report to the
regular worksite.
Emergencies of short duration that begin after the employee
begins working may be rescheduled or annual leave may be taken.
LEAVE:
Annual leave and sick leave:
Leave administration rules depend on the employee's work
schedule, not the worksite. Employees should make leave requests
to their supervisors in a manner mutually agreed upon by the
supervisor and the employee, according to the University Employee
Handbook.
MONITORING WORK:
Supervisors must establish a method for monitoring an employee's
work assignments and establish reporting requirements to
facilitate contact for the employee to receive or turn in
assignments.
TIME AND ATTENDANCE:
Policies and procedures are to follow established UNL and Library
guidelines.
Time sheets must reflect actual hours worked. If the schedule is
altered on a Thursday ending a pay period for which the time
sheet has already been turned in, the time sheet must be changed
to reflect actual hours worked.
PERFORMANCE STANDARDS:
Supervisors must ensure that employees in the AWP have
results-oriented performance standards that provide a basis for
measuring performance quantitatively and qualitatively.
EQUIPMENT AND SERVICES:
The University Libraries will not subsidize arrangements for the
AWP, including any equipment, telecommunications charges or
hardware/software expenses. The employee will supply the
necessary hardware and software and will be responsible for
equipment repair and maintenance. Supplies needed to complete
assigned work at the alternate worksite are to be obtained when
the employee is at the Library.
WORKER'S COMPENSATION:
Regardless of the work location, the employee is covered by
Worker's Compensation during the performance of official business
at the regular office or the alternate worksite, for injuries
occurring out of, and in the course of, carrying out employment
responsibilities. The employee shall report work-related
injuries immediately to the Supervisor and will comply with any
other reporting requirements established by the Employer for
filing claims.