Hybrid and Remote Work Policy

Effective Date	January 4, 2016
Last Updated	January 2025
Responsible University Officer	Donna J. Davis, Esq., General Counsel
Policy Owner	Diane Nelson, Associate Vice President, Human Resources
Policy Contacts	Liliana Rojas, Director Employee Relations

Policy Statement

For the entirety of this Hybrid and Remote Work Policy, “employee” refers to a full-time or part-time USF staff or faculty member; “employee” does not refer to a USF affiliate.

Hybrid and remote work may pose advantages for both the University and its employees, including increased productivity and performance, enhanced employee recruitment and retention, relief of on-campus space constraints, cost reduction, environmental sustainability, crisis response, and greater work-life balance. Hybrid and remote work are not entitlements or University-wide benefits. This is a voluntary work arrangement determined by employees’ supervisors and Vice Presidents/Deans in which eligible employees fulfill their job responsibilities at a site other than their onsite work location during regularly scheduled work hours. The scope of this policy covers voluntary hybrid and remote work arrangements.

Reason for Policy

The intent of this policy is to provide procedural guidance to both employees and their supervisors when a voluntary hybrid or remote work arrangement is requested.

Who Should Read this Policy

Employees who request a hybrid or remote work arrangement, the President, Vice Presidents, Vice Provosts, Deans, supervisors, and Business Managers who supervise employees.

Policy Text

The University considers hybrid or remote work to be viable alternative work arrangements in cases where the individual employee, the job, and the supervisor are well suited to such a format. Not all employees and positions are suitable for hybrid or remote work. Eligibility is based upon the individual employee as well as the employee’s position and will be reviewed by the employee’s supervisor and submitted to the relevant VP or Dean for review and approval. Informal hybrid or remote work arrangements, such as working on the road during business travel, do not require the completion of the Hybrid and Remote Work Agreement. Formal hybrid or remote work arrangement requests require the completion of the Hybrid and Remote Work Agreement.

Employees are expected to work their normal work schedule, unless they receive their manager's prior approval to adjust their schedule. Employees need to remain productive and responsive during their scheduled work hours.
Employees are expected to maintain a presence with their department/division/school while working remotely. Presence may be maintained by using appropriate technology including but not limited to a computer, email, messaging application, video conferencing, instant messaging, Google sheets, and/or text messaging. The employee is expected to maintain the same response times as if they were at their regular USF location and will make themselves available to attend scheduled work meetings as required and/or requested.
Employees must have a working Webex account (contact ITS for assistance).
Employees are expected to arrange for child/dependent care as necessary for the hours in which the employee works from the remote location. Personal tasks and errands should only be performed during the employee's scheduled breaks and lunches.
The University is not responsible for operating costs outside of any university issued assets. Examples of items not covered by the University: personal computers, mobile devices, utility provider costs, telephone costs, any supply costs used in the home associated with the use of an employee's alternative work arrangement.

Procedures

An employee in good standing who desires a hybrid or remote work arrangement must submit a written request to their supervisor.
The supervisor and Vice President/Dean determine if the request is denied or granted.
a. If the request is denied, the employee may send another request if the employee experiences a change in job responsibilities.
b. If the request is granted, the employee, supervisor, and Vice President/Dean must complete and sign the Hybrid and Remote Work Agreement in adherence to the Rules and Guidelines in this policy.
The supervisor must send a copy of the signed agreement to Human Resources and to ITS. HARD COPIES ARE NOT ACCEPTED.
OPE staff should review the agreed upon Article 34 regarding hybrid, remote work, or emergency eligibility and procedures.

Rules and Guidelines

Job Responsibilities

Discuss the employee’s job responsibilities and determine if their position is appropriate for hybrid or remote work.
Examples of jobs that may be suitable for hybrid or remote work arrangements include those that have minimal face-to-face interaction, heavy data entry tasks, or specific objectives and performance standards that can be measured.
Jobs with student facing interaction may not be suitable for hybrid or remote work arrangements.

Department and Employee Suitability

Examine the needs of the department, including frequency of meetings, department goals and projects, other departments’ schedules, and space constraints.
Assess the performance of the employee to ensure that the employee is in good standing and determine if the employee’s work habits display the traits customarily recognized as appropriate for successful hybrid or remote arrangements, such as reliability, responsiveness, and the ability to work independently.

Schedule

Discuss and agree upon the number of hybrid or remote days allowed each week, the manner and frequency of regular communication (i.e. via phone, video conferencing, and/or in person, etc.) with the supervisor and others in the department, university, vendors, etc.
Hybrid or remote workers must be as accessible as their onsite counterparts during their agreed-upon regular work schedule, regardless of work location. They may be required to work at their onsite location for meetings, events, and other situations deemed necessary by their supervisors.
Hybrid or remote workers may be required, at any time, to commute to their onsite work location. This is considered commute time, and employees are not eligible to receive reimbursement for this travel.
Hybrid or remote workers may be required to forfeit use of personal offices or workstations at their onsite work location to maximize utilization of office space.

Equipment

Assess the alternate work location, including workspace design and equipment needs. USF may determine the appropriate equipment needs for each hybrid or remote work arrangement at the alternate work location on a case-by-case basis consistent with USF’s ITS policies and procedures. USF reserves the right to make determinations as to appropriate equipment, subject to change at any time.
When USF’s equipment is used at alternate work locations, employees must exercise reasonable care for the equipment and should take appropriate action to protect the items from damage or theft. Employees may be held liable for damage caused by negligence. USF equipment should be used for business purposes only and will be maintained by USF.
Like their onsite counterparts, hybrid and remote workers must adhere to USF’s ITS Information Security Policy.

Alternate Work Location

Hybrid or remote workers must establish an appropriate work environment within their alternate location for work purposes. USF is not responsible for costs associated with setup of alternate office spaces, such as remodeling, furniture or lighting, nor for repairs or modifications to alternate office spaces.
Hoteling from a USF branch campus or other USF location may be an option as an alternate work location. These workspaces may not be altered, and employees who use them must use USF’s equipment. Employees who wish to hotel should contact the USF branch campus or USF location for specific procedures.
Hybrid or remote workers should not hold business visits or in-person meetings at their alternate work location unless approved by their supervisor or unless they are traveling and conducting university-business.
Hybrid or remote workers must take all precautions necessary to secure privileged information in their alternate work location and prevent unauthorized access to any USF system, consistent with USF’s asset security policy. Employees will be expected to ensure the protection of proprietary USF information and information accessible from their alternate work location. Please refer to USF’s ITS Information Security Policy for more information.
Employees are solely responsible for the configuration of and all the expenses and services associated with remote workspace. This includes ensuring and maintaining an ergonomically appropriate and safe remote worksite. Employees must review the myUSF Benefits Ergonomic page and the Workplace Ergonomic video. Employees will utilize these resources for the purpose of assessing and maintaining their remote worksite in a safe and ergonomically appropriate manner.
Hybrid and remote workers are responsible for notifying their employer of any injuries sustained while at their alternate work location and in conjunction with their regular work duties in accordance with USF’s workers’ compensation procedures.

REMOTE WORK resources:

Other

Hybrid and remote workers’ employment terms and conditions are not affected by changing to or from a telecommuting schedule.
Hybrid or remote working is not a replacement for dependent care.
Hybrid and remote workers are solely responsible for the tax and legal implications of the use of their alternate work location for business purposes and are solely responsible for any IRS, state, and local government regulations and restrictions. If employees will be working remotely outside of California, they must notify the following people prior to performing any services for USF outside of California (except in the case of temporary business travel of 14 days or less):
a. Director of Payroll
b. Human Resources' Leave Manager, and
c. Tax Compliance and Audit.
If employees fail to contact the aforementioned prior to working from a state other than California, the University may face significant financial penalties; should this happen, any and all costs may be charged back to the employee’s department, and the appropriate Vice President or Dean will be notified.
You agree to change your Primary Home Address in USFWorks a/k/a Workday (USF’s Human Capital Management and Payroll System). If you fail to do so, your payroll tax withholding will be incorrect. Refer to the Modify Personal Information job aid to change your address in Workday.
If you split time between California and another state, you agree to notify the Payroll Department via email at payroll@usfca.edu of your time allocation for each pay period.
You agree that under no circumstances will you perform any work for USF from outside the United States of America.
The availability of hybrid or remote work as a flexible work arrangement for USF employees can be modified or discontinued by USF at any time. Additionally, employees or their supervisors can discontinue hybrid or remote working arrangements at any time. Every effort will be made to give reasonable advance notice of such changes. There may be instances, however, when no notice is possible.

Related Information

Workers' Compensation Policy

ITS Information Security Policy

Employees Working Out-of-State

Definitions

Term	Definition
Employee	A full-time or part-time USF employee, unless otherwise governed by a Collective Bargaining Agreement (CBA). Due to operational needs, this policy does not apply to Public Safety Officers, Community Service Officers, and Dispatchers, Stationary and Operating Engineers (Local 39), and Laborers and Gardeners (United Service Workers - West). This term does not apply to a USF affiliate. Student employees are excluded from the scope of this policy.
In-Person Work	A work arrangement where the employee carries out their duties and responsibilities from a traditional university office or campus location. This necessitates the employee to be physically present at their assigned workspace on the university's premises during designated work hours.
Remote Work	A work arrangement where the employee performs their duties and responsibilities from a location outside the traditional office or campus setting, often from home. This may be on a full-time, part-time, or ad hoc basis.
Hybrid Work	A work arrangement that combines both remote work and in-person work at a traditional office or campus setting. The frequency and nature of in-person requirements will vary depending on the specific role and operational needs of the department.
Alternate Work Location	A location other than the on-site work location from which employees perform their work remotely (e.g., employees’ homes, hotels while traveling on university business, or one of USF's additional campuses or locations).
Hoteling	The practice of working from USF's main campus, additional campuses or other USF locations, often on an ad hoc or temporary basis.
Emergency Remote Work	A serious and/or unexpected event or situation requiring an immediate need for remote work, often in response to a campus crisis.
USF Affiliate	An individual who has a formal, recognized relationship with the University of San Francisco, but is not considered an employee. This may include volunteers, temporary employees, visiting scholars, contractors, and others as defined by the university.

Additional Contacts

Subject	Contact	Phone	Email/URL
State Payroll Taxes	Tax Compliance and Internal Audit	(415) 422-5124	dldaher@usfca.edu
Workers' Compensation Coverage* *if commuting outside of CA	Human Resources' Leave Manager	(415) 422-3625	leaves@usfca.edu

Forms

Name and Location	Use
Hybrid and Remote Work Agreement	For employees and managers to agree to a formal telecommuting arrangement in alignment with USF’s Hybrid and Remote Work Policy.

Responsibilities

HYBRID/remote workers

Carrying out the same work duties while working at their onsite location.
Being available at normal or agreed-upon work hours.
If working outside of California:
a. Notify Payroll Services to ensure that payroll taxes are appropriately withheld.
b. Notify the Human Resources' Leave Manager to ensure appropriate workers’ compensation coverage is activated.
c. Notify Internal Audit and Tax Compliance to ensure appropriate payroll tax returns are being filed in the appropriate jurisdiction(s).

Supervisors

Determining whether hybrid or remote work arrangements are appropriate for employees and the department, subject to the approval of the supervising Vice President or Dean.
Requiring employees who request a hybrid or remote work arrangement to sign and submit the Hybrid/Remote Work Agreement.
Submit the agreement to the supervising Vice President or Dean for review and approval or denial.
If the request is approved, sending a copy of the signed agreement to Human Resources and ITS. HARD COPIES ARE NOT ACCEPTED.
Setting clear expectations and regular meetings with employees to ensure their availability, schedules, communication protocols and methods, engagement, etc., meet the needs of the role and of the department.
Regularly evaluating employees' work performances to determine if the arrangement remain feasible.
Revoking hybrid or remote work arrangements as needed.

Vice Presidents/Deans

Approve or deny any hybrid or remote work agreement for their area of supervision.

Human Resources

Human Resources is available to answer additional questions and to provide guidance as needed.

FAQ

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Appendices

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