Alternative Work Site

In compliance with university policy, campus college and unit leaders may provide unit-level guidance and criteria for determining positions and employees eligible for remote work. The general campus guidance is that not all positions lend themselves to flexible work arrangements or remote work. Similarly, not all aspects of every position's work need to be completed in-person. Normal business operations must be maintained. 

You are responsible for reviewing the policy, understanding your unit’s guidance, and discussing options with employees prior to a request being submitted. Once the employee submits the request in Firefly, you will receive a notification via email that an Alternative Worksite Arrangement request has been sent to you. You can also review the related FAQs. 

Alternative Work Site Arrangement Form Process

The UNL campus requires the following approvals:

For employees working less than 50% remote, two levels of approval are required, most likely:

  1. Immediate Supervisor as designated in SAP
  2. Dean/Director/Other of College/Unit (final approver)

For those employees working 50% or more remote, additional campus-level approval is required:

  1. Immediate Supervisor as designated in SAP
  2. Dean/Director/Other of College/Unit
  3. Vice Chancellor for Business and Finance (final campus approval)
You will review the request and process as follows:
  • Approve for Final Review – Only the final approver should select this option.
    Note to unit supervisors: do not choose this option, but rather choose "approve and delegate" to move the request to the next level of review. Review the work schedule and work location along with dates that the employee has submitted and, if you approve, "delegate" the approval to the Dean/Director/Other (such as AVC) and enter any comments.
  • Approve and Delegate – This option is used (as mentioned, above) when an additional approval is needed to review/approve the request.
  • Reject – The request is rejected and it will be removed from the workflow.

Considerations Prior to Approval

  • Determine whether the arrangement will cause an hourly paid employee to work more than 40 hours in one workweek, thus incurring eligibility for overtime compensation.
  • Discuss how responsibilities in the job description will be accomplished.
  • Determine whether any revision to the job description is appropriate.
  • Have a clear understanding between you and the employee about performance expectations and an agreed upon method for monitoring work output.
  • Create a plan for communication between your and the employee as well as other relevant persons.
  • Discuss whether the alternative work arrangements should provide for a trial period.
  • If shifting to a remote work environment, there are communication, equipment, and security guidance you should consider (see Readiness Check below).

Readiness Check for Remote Work

Hardware

Ensure the employee has sufficient computer hardware to complete their normal and necessary work tasks. Your department may have equipment available for checkout. This can include laptop, headset, or webcam. You must complete an Objects On Loan Inventory Sheet when using university-owned items off-campus.

Internet Access and VPN

If you require a remote desktop connect to connect to your work computer from home, talk with your department I.T. Tech or email the Huskertech Help Center at support@nebraska.edu about VPN.

Online Services & Software

All employees have access to Office 365 (including email, calendar, work files stored in OneDrive and SharePoint, Word, Excel and PowerPoint) by going to https://office.com and log in with their MyUNL credentials.

Online Meetings

Provide employees with a webcam, or commit to audio-only communications and recording. Establish the prefered meeting space as either Zoom or Teams through Office 365. Learn what precautions to take to keep your Zoom video conferences secure.

Phone/Voicemail

Employees can set their phone to a university approved software service (Jabber) or to the phone you are using when working remotely. You can also enable Unified Messaging and have voicemail forwarded to email. If the phone or voicemail cannot be forwarded, have the employee change their outgoing voicemail message to indicate that they are working remotely and return the call as soon as possible.

Contact Information

Ensure employees have additional contact information other than a work phone you, their coworkers, and teammates. Microsoft Teams is a great way to stay in contact with those who do not have a work phone through instant messaging or video chat. It's available through Office 365 online or download the app to the desktop.

Resources