Acceptable Practices and Other Considerations for Remote Work Locations or Hybrid Schedules

Oversight

In all circumstances, meaningful management of our employees should focus on results and behavior (accomplishments and compliance with institutional policies).  As working from a remote work location can potentially increase a sense of disengagement for employees, regular and ongoing feedback between the manager and employee is even more imperative in those circumstances, not less.  Expectations surrounding interaction and how outcomes will be measured and discussed is covered in the Remote Work Location approval form.

As noted above, university policies and standard workplace practices apply to remote work location arrangements (whether as part of the Flexibility in the Workplace or Remote Work Location Policies), including IT policies, department call-out procedures, etc.

Supplies and Facilities

Employees who are approved to work full-time at remote work locations shall not have an office solely assigned to them at a UF facility, and there is no expectation that those on a hybrid schedule will have a UF workspace that is provided solely for their use.  Hoteling spaces (reservable desks or workspaces), hot desks (first-come, first-served desks or workspaces), or shared workstations may be provided.

With an approved remote work location or hybrid schedule, a work unit may provide appropriate computer equipment to help ensure an appropriate work environment within the home for work purposes.

• The employee must sign for receipt of the college provided equipment, which must be tracked by the work unit. The employee must take appropriate action to protect the items from damage or theft.
• It is the employee’s responsibility to provide reliable, sufficient internet connection, and appropriate utilities at their own expense. The work unit may request documentation or proof of this.
  • An employee must use personal leave if they are temporarily unable to provide the sufficient internet connection or other necessary utilities/workspace to adequately perform their work.
• Equipment and utilities supplied by the employee will be maintained by the employee. The work unit and university accept no responsibility for damage or repairs to employee-owned equipment, utilities, or property.
• The university or work unit will not be responsible for costs associated with the setup of the employee’s home office, such as remodeling, furniture or lighting, nor for repairs or modifications to the home office space.
• No stipends may be provided for supplies or other costs associated with working from another location. The myUF Marketplace remains available for office supply purchases and can support home delivery if needed.
• University IT cannot provide support for:
  • Non-UF devices, nor will they enter private residences (or locations not under the UF purview) to fix UF
  • Private internet connection services (ex: Cox, Comcast, etc.). This is solely the responsibility of the
  • Private networks, phone service, or other personal electronic equipment (tablets, printers, scanners, etc.).

Work Location Outside of the State of Florida but in the United States

UF Human Resources’ approval, in consultation with the Office of the Provost, must be obtained before any work at a remote work location outside of the state is agreed to and/or commences. Any such work must follow the requirements set forth by university policies and standard workplace practices. These work locations can be set in a state where UF tax presence is or is not established.

An out-of-state employee is a new or current employee who will work out-of-state for 30 days or more in a UF facility or in a remote location. If an employee is not working at an official UF facility, a remote work agreement must be completed.

There are three common out-of-state employment scenarios, an employee working at a

• UF facility: This is an established work location of an official University of Florida facility. For example, UF’s Washington D.C. office.
• Remote location in a state with established UF tax presence: This could be a home residence or other location in a state in which UF is set up to deduct state taxes from an employee’s earnings. At this time, UF is registered in Georgia, Washington D.C., South Carolina, and Wisconsin.
• Remote location in a state without established UF tax presence: This could be a permanent or temporary location such as an excavation or research site that would require additional approval and documentation prior to the work beginning.

For out-of-state employment, employees and unit/department are responsible for the following:

• If working outside a UF facility, the employee must complete the remote work location agreement and provide additional documentation when appropriate.
• The employee is aware and following the state’s employment taxation laws and reporting employment earnings accordingly. The university is not responsible if the employee fails to make arrangements to pay state taxes according to the state in which they are living and/or working.
• The employee and the unit should verify home (primary) address and business address are accurately reflected in One.UF.
• The unit/department must complete an HR transaction to establish the out-of-state work location in myUFL.
  • The university will tax the employees according to the state’s tax laws when possible and/or communicate with employees on additional steps and/or forms to complete.
• The unit may be responsible for additional administrative costs to assure compliance and, in some cases, liability for unemployment and disability benefits for out-of-state employees.
• If the employee changes work location to Florida after living out of state, it is the employee’s responsibility to notify departmental HR to update myUFL and update the employee’s employment record.

Work Location Outside of the United States

UF Human Resources’ approval, in consultation with the Office of the Provost, must be obtained before any work at a remote work location outside of the country is agreed to and/or commences.  Any such work must follow the requirements set forth by university policies and standard workplace practices.

For the university to lawfully pay employees located outside of the U.S., the university is required to register presence in that country or find another legal way to pay an employee working from another country.  Below are the available options to legally employ abroad for the university.

• Establish an in-country presence approved by the Board of Trustees.
• Working with UF Procurement and UFHR, partner with an in-country university or college to hire the employee on the University’s behalf.
• Contract with a UF-approved 3rd party vendor that has registered presence, such as a staffing agency.

Faculty, staff, and students from countries that are comprehensively sanctioned by the Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) may be exempt from employment outside of the U.S.

UF employees and unit/department are responsible for the following:

• If working outside the country for more than 30 days, the employee must complete the remote work location agreement and provide additional documentation when appropriate.
• The employee is aware and following the country’s employment taxation laws and reporting their employment earnings accordingly. The university is not responsible if the employee fails to make arrangements to pay in-country taxes according to the country in which they are living and/or working.
• The employee and the unit should verify home (primary) address and business address are accurately reflected in One.UF.
• The unit/department must complete an HR transaction to establish the out-of-country work location in myUFL.
• The unit may be responsible for additional administrative costs to assure compliance and, in some cases, liability for unemployment and disability benefits for out-of-country employees.