Effective Date: May 13, 2021
Revision Date: June 6, 2022
Responsible Office: Human Resource Department

 

Scope

This policy applies to Slider Block Industries as a whole organization, including our headquarters in Turkey, (hereinafter the “company”).  It applies to all full-time and part-time eligible employees of the company to the extent provided in Section IV(D)(1) below.

Guidance on application of this policy to employees who work remotely as of the effective date of the policy.

Purpose

The purpose of this policy is to allow employees to work at alternate work locations for all or part of their workweek.  In many circumstances remote work can improve productivity and job performance as well as promote administrative efficiencies by reducing office and parking spaces which in-turn reduces traffic congestion and transportation costs, support continuity of operations plans, and sustain the recruitment and retention of a highly qualified workforce by enhancing work/life balance.

Definitions

  1. Alternate work locations: approved locations, other than the employee’s central workplace, where official company business is performed. The most common alternate work location is the home of an employee, subject to the approval described in this Policy.
  2. Primary workplace: an employer’s place of work where employees normally are located
  3. Remote Work Agreement: a work arrangement where the employee enters into a formal agreement with the company to perform his/her usual job duties in an alternate work location at least one day per week, or some other period.  

 

The Policy

Remote work is appropriate for some employees and some jobs but not all employees and all positions. No company employee is entitled to or guaranteed the opportunity to telework. Certain categories of positions are ineligible for teleworking.  For positions eligible for remote work whether a particular employee may be approved for remote work is a decision made on a case-by-case basis taking into consideration an evaluation of the likelihood of the employee succeeding in a remote work arrangement and an evaluation of the Manager’s ability to manage remote workers. 

Remote work may also be considered on a case-by-case basis as a reasonable accommodation for qualified employees.

Employees who are approved for remote work will be required to sign a Remote Work Agreement with the company consistent with this Policy.

Employees approved for a remote work agreement perform essentially the same work that they would in the central workplace in accordance with their same performance expectations and other agreed-upon terms.  Remote work agreements may be established for an on-going or short-term period.

An employee’s classification, compensation, and benefits will not change if the employee is approved for remote work. 

The company may establish remote work as a condition of employment, based on the company’s business needs.  In such cases, this requirement should be included when the position is advertised and in correspondence offering employment.

Eligible Positions and Employees
Managers, in accordance with Company Human Resource department, analyze the nature of a position and how the work is performed to determine which positions are appropriate to designate or approve as remote. Several factors should be considered in determining the feasibility of remote work, including the company’s ability to supervise the employee adequately and whether any duties require use of certain equipment or tools that cannot be replicated at home. Other critical considerations include whether the following:

  • there is a need for face-to-face interaction and coordination of work with other employees,
  • in-person interaction with outside colleagues or clients is necessary,
  • immediate or easy access to documents or other information located only in the workplace is required,
  • the remote work arrangement will impact service quality or company operations, or increase workload for other employees,
  • the position can be structured to be performed independently of others with minimal need for support and little face-to-face interaction; and
  • performance can be measured by quantitative or qualitative results-oriented standards, not time spent doing the job.

Typically, a position designated as remote work-eligible indicates that partial rather than full-time remote work is feasible.   

If an employee in an eligible position requests approval for remote work, the unit head alongside Company Human Resource Department, determine whether the employee is eligible.  Generally, the following conditions must be met to approve an employee for remote work:

  • The employee has no active disciplinary actions,
  • The employee has a demonstrated ability to work productively on his/her own and is self-motivated and flexible, and
  • The employee’s performance meets standards. 

Managers must ensure that remote work privileges are assigned appropriately and for non-discriminatory reasons. 

Ineligible Categories of Positions
The Human Resource Department has identified the categories of positions that are not eligible for remote work and the justification

General Expectations and Conditions

  1. Compliance with Policies. Employees must agree to comply with company rules, policies, practices, and instructions and understand that violation of such may result in the revocation of the remote work arrangement and/or disciplinary action, up to and including termination.  Employees who work remotely are subject to the same policies as other employees, including policies relating to information security and data protection.
  2. Hours of Work. The total number of hours that employees with remote work agreements are expected to work does not change, regardless of work location. The company also expects the same leave l of productivity from employees with remote work agreements that is expected from employees at the central workplace. Employees working remotely who are not exempt from the overtime requirements of the Fair Labor Standards Act are required to record all hours worked in a manner designated by the company.  Hours worked more than those specified in the remote work agreement require the advance approval of the employee’s Manager. Working remotely is not intended to serve as a substitute for child or adult care.  If children or adults in need of primary care are in the alternate work location during employees’ work hours, another person must be present to provide the care.  An exception to this requirement may be granted in special or limited circumstances.  Employees should check with Human Resources on available options.  Please note, employees are still required to work their total hours for each work week (typically 40 hours for full-time employees) in these circumstances, but the hours may be adjusted around child and/or elder care duties with advance permission from the employee’s Manager. 
  3. Use of Leave Employees cannot use remote work in place of sick leave, Family and Medical Leave, leave used under the Virginia Sickness and Disability Program, Workers’ Compensation leave, or other types of leave. However, the company may determine whether it is appropriate to offer remote work as an opportunity for partial or full return-to-work based on the company’s return-to-work policies following an injury or illness and the criteria normally applied to decisions regarding the approval of working remotely.
  4. Liability. The company assumes no responsibility for injuries occurring in the employee’s alternate work location outside the agreed upon work hours or for injuries that occur during working hours but do not arise out of and in the course of employment. The company also assumes no liability for damages to employee’s real or personal property resulting from participation in the remote work program.

Workers’ compensation coverage is limited to designated work areas in employees’ homes or alternate work locations. Employees agree to practice the same safety habits they would use in the central workplace and to maintain safe conditions in their alternate work locations. Employees must follow normal procedures for reporting illness or injury.

  1. Equipment and Materials. Normally, the company provides equipment and materials needed by employees to effectively perform their duties; however, the company does not duplicate resources between the central workplace and the alternate work location.

Employees approved for remote work agreements may use company-owned equipment only for legitimate company purposes. Employees are responsible for protecting company-owned equipment from theft, damage and unauthorized use.  The company maintains, services and repairs company-owned equipment used in the normal course of employment. The company stipulates who is responsible for transporting and installing equipment, and for returning it to the central workplace for repairs or service.  The remote work agreement may also permit employees to use their own equipment, provided the use of such equipment has been approved by the Chief Information Officer or designee.

When employees are authorized to use their own equipment, the company is not responsible for the cost, repair or service of the employee’s personal equipment, unless otherwise expressly agreed to in advance in the remote work agreement.

  1. Costs of Remote Work. The company is not obligated to assume responsibility for operating costs, home maintenance, or other costs incurred by employees in the use of their homes as alternate work locations. 

The company may use appropriated funds for remote work costs if there is a significant business need, remote work is required for the position, and funding permits for: installation and basic telephone service in employee’s alternate work location; cell phones or personal digital assistants (PDAs) for business use; reimbursing employees for business-related long-distance calls made from their personal telephones if no cell phones or PDAs are provided; or internet access and related services.

  1. Company Information. Employees must safeguard company information used or accessed while working remotely, in accordance with applicable information technology policies.

The company must grant permission according to company procedures for employees to work on restricted-access information or material, as defined by the company, at alternate work locations. Employees working remotely must agree to follow company-approved security procedures to ensure confidentiality and security of data.

  1. Training for Managers and Managers. The company encourages the successful and appropriate use of remote work within the company by providing training to Managers and managers in effectively managing teleworking employees. Managers may access these resources in the company’s online training system.
  2. Remote Work Agreement

Remote work must be documented as approved through a remote work agreement.  The remote work agreement establishes the specific conditions that apply to employees working in alternate work locations. The remote work agreement must be approved by the employee’s Manager and cabinet member (or their delegate).  The approved agreement is maintained in the employee’s personnel file by The Human Resource Department.

An approved remote work agreement may be on-going or for a fixed term.  Continuation is not guaranteed.  Company and department business needs; employee performance; and other factors are considered by the Manager to determine whether to maintain the agreement.  Each department tracks the agreements for their employees and determines continuation of them.

Exceptions to the Remote Work Agreement Requirement.
It is an accepted practice for the editorial and research staff to carry out their work with varied schedules at alternate locations. Normally, a formal remote work agreement is not required for them unless the normal work is consistently at an alternate location.

On occasion, a department may also determine that employees need to work at an alternate work location for a short period of time to accommodate unusual circumstances, such as a brief office closing for renovations or relocation. In such cases, the formal remote work agreement is not required, but should be documented for department files by memorandum or email, specifying work expectations and duration.

Emergencies and Other Unexpected Contingencies.
In the event of emergency, including but not limited to pandemics, fire, weather events or other significant disruption to facilities or the physical operations of departments, Managers are authorized to establish remote work arrangements with qualified employees for limited duration with permission of the department head. Such arrangements are intended to allow for effective response to such disruptions and to maintain critical functions, operations, and services.  These remote work arrangements are to be maintained only until normal operations can be restored at the central workplace.  The employee should still complete and submit a remote work agreement in this situation.

Modification or Termination of the Remote Work Agreement. The Manager alongside the Human Resource Department retains the right to modify or terminate the remote work agreement. for performance concerns, changing business needs, or any other non-discriminatory or retaliatory reason. The employee may also terminate the remote work agreement at any time unless it was a condition of employment.  Any termination is typically made with at least two weeks’ advance notice.

Enforcement: Complaints, Grievances, or Appeals

An employee who disagrees with a denial of a request for permission to enter a remote work agreement or any other action relating to this policy is encouraged to discuss the concern with his or her manager.  If the discussion with the Manager does not resolve the issue, an employee may appeal the matter to the Manager’s Manager.  Employees may formally grieve decisions on remote work agreements under existing grievance/complaint processes. 

Authority and Amendment. This policy is approved by the CEO, and he has delegated to the Department of Human Resources the authority to make minor or technical revisions or amendments to this policy.

This policy was amended on June 6, 2022, to update the Remote Work Agreement and terms of the agreement.

Implementation

  • Determination of Position Eligibility.  Managers should begin identifying positions as eligible or ineligible for remote work upon publication of this policy.  
  • Pre-existing Remote Work Arrangements.  For any employee working remotely as of or prior to the effective date of this Policy, the Manager shall consult with The Human Resource Department to determine the appropriate approach considering the specifics of the arrangement.  For an employee with an existing, documented remote work agreement with a one-year term, the arrangement is reviewed under this Policy prior to the expiration of the term so that an updated agreement may be signed.