Fall semester is upon us, and we are excited to see everyone on our campuses. Thank you for your deep commitment to our university, which is evident by your efforts over the past year. Thank you also for the tremendous work you are doing to deliver that special Kent State in-person experience to our students. You are the reason they have chosen Kent State.
Over the past several months, the university has developed and finalized a telecommuting policy for employees. Kent State’s administrative policy on telecommuting is effective Sept. 7, with approved telecommuting arrangements to commence no sooner than Oct. 4. This policy applies to eligible full-time unclassified employees and full-time, non-represented classified employees on all Kent State campuses.
The first step in implementing Kent State’s new telecommuting policy is educating employees about the guidelines. To do so, all Kent State divisions have established designated telecommuting liaisons who will be trained over the next week by Human Resources to be the division resource on telecommuting.
Once trained, your division liaisons will explain the telecommuting guidelines and procedures to division supervisors and employees and answer general questions. These liaisons will also share your divisional procedures and timeline for requesting a telecommuting arrangement. Liaisons are a training resource, and they are here to help you understand the new policy and its implementation better. Final decisions regarding telecommuting requests will be made by unit leadership. You will learn more from your division liaison beginning the week of Sept. 6.
As we are a residential and in-person living and learning university, Kent State expects that most employees will be working in person at their on-campus worksite. Any telecommuting arrangement must be guided by what is best for students, the campus community and the operational needs of the university.
As per the policy, telecommuting is defined as an arrangement of two weeks or longer that involves the completion of a portion of or all of the 40-hour workweek from an off-campus location. Telecommuting arrangements cannot materially change the duties of the position or adversely affect academic and administrative services. Telecommuting arrangements also must maintain the equivalence of a full-time work schedule.
For those employees who are not eligible or approved for telecommuting, Kent State’s flexible work arrangements (FWA), including alternative arrival/departure time, compressed schedule and extended lunch duration, may be considered. Human Resources provides details on each of these FWA options, including information on the application and approval process.
Should you have any questions, please contact Human Resources at hrweb@kent.edu.