4035 DAS Teleworking Policy and Procedures | ADMINISTRATION-5600-MANUAL
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Georgia Division of Aging Services |
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Chapter: |
4000 Workforce Development |
Effective Date: |
02/20/2024 |
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Section Title: |
DAS Teleworking Policy and Procedures |
Reviewed or Updated in: |
MT 2024-06 |
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Section Number: |
4035 |
Previous Update: |
MT 2017-02 |
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Summary Statement
The Division of Aging Services (DAS) adheres to DHS policy and procedures regarding employee teleworking.
Purpose
DAS encourages teleworking as a means to maximize employee satisfaction and efficiency.
DAS staff who telework and their managers are expected to be familiar with and adhere to DHS Teleworking Policy.
The Division Director is the designated official who authorizes teleworking for DAS staff.
The DAS Teleworking Coordinator is the Director’s Office Administrative Assistant.
The DAS Security Officer is the Business Operations Section Manager.
All DAS Teleworking Agreements are kept on file at the DAS State Office. The managing supervisor must also keep a copy.
Case Records (Adult Protective Services and Public Guardianship Office) must be maintained at a DAS Office and checked out by the Case Manager as needed. Closed files are kept at a DAS Office.
DAS will use Telework metrics to help inform how many and where DAS offices are located in the state.
Monitoring
The telework agreement must be reviewed by the supervisor as follows:
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Annually; this may be in conjunction with the employee’s performance evaluation.
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When the employee changes positions
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When the supervisor changes positions
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Any portion of the Telework Agreement changes
Each section manager is responsible for establishing and implementing random checks to evaluate accountability of both the employee and the supervisor in adhering to DHS telework policy and procedures to include, but not limited to:
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Time records are completed and submitted for non-exempt employees
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Telework Time logs are completed and submitted for teleworking employees (while not required by DHS Policy 111, Attachment 9, it is strongly recommended)
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Telework authorizations, agreements, property removal and Commute Smart Information forms are up to date
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The employee’s Performance Management Plan (PMP) includes the adherence to teleworking policy and procedures
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Reports are submitted monthly and timely to the DAS Telework Coordinator.
Termination of the Telework Agreement
The Telework Agreement may be terminated at the discretion of the supervisor or other DAS manager in the employee’s chain of command. The reason for termination must be business related.
The Telework Agreement must be terminated if
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The employee’s leave balance falls below forty (40) hours
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Disciplinary action is initiated against the employee
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The employee’s performance evaluation falls below “met expectations” for state, job or individual responsibilities.
Procedures
Telework Authorization
The following steps must be followed for authorization to telework:
Step 1: Employees will complete Policy 111 attachments 1 – 6 and submit to their immediate supervisor. Do not sign Attachment 2, DHS Teleworking Agreement at this time.
Step 2: The immediate supervisor will review the submitted request per Section G of MAN 1300, Policy 111.
If changes are needed to the proposed Teleworking Agreement, discuss with the employee. Be clear and specific whether the agreement is for the following:
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Occasional (intermittent, needed for specific projects)
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Ongoing (regular schedule)
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Part-time
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Full-time
Do not sign Attachment 2, DHS Teleworking Agreement at this time.
Step 3: The immediate supervisor determines whether teleworking is appropriate for the requesting employee.
Step 4: If teleworking is approved by the supervisor, Attachments 1 – 6 are routed to the Division Director for review and final approval. Follow normal correspondence routing procedures (MAN 5600, Section 8003). District Managers, Field Operations Managers Section Managers and Deputy Director may initial Attachment 1 on page 1 as applicable. The pink sheet initials may also serve as approval.
If the teleworking request is denied at any step, the denying authority will provide an explanation on Attachment 1, and route back to the employee. The immediate supervisor will discuss reasons for the denial with the employee.
Step 5: The Division Director will determine whether teleworking is approved or denied. Attachments 1 – 6 are returned to the Deputy Director.
Step 6: If teleworking is approved, the Deputy Director will obtain the Security Officer’s signature on Attachment 4 and provide a copy to the Director’s Office Administrative Assistant.
The Deputy Director will annotate the DAS staff list to indicate whether the employee teleworks full-time (T) or other (O).
Step 7: The Attachments are then routed back through the chain of command to the immediate supervisor.
If teleworking is not approved, the supervisor will discuss with the employee and this process ends.
If teleworking is approved, proceed to Step 8.
Step 8: Attachment 2 is signed by the employee and immediate supervisor.
Step 9: After signatures are obtained, the immediate supervisor will route Attachments 1 – 6 and 10 (as the cover) to the DAS Teleworking Coordinator.
Step 10: The DAS Teleworking Coordinator will verify completeness of the Telework authorization packet. Forms will be routed as indicated and the packet kept on file in the DAS State Office.
Changes to Telework Agreement
Decisions regarding changes in the Telework Agreement may be made at the local level.
Once the new agreement is signed, a copy of the new agreement must be sent to the DAS Deputy Director.
If the Telework Agreement is terminated, the employee must be notified in writing with a copy to applicable managers, including the Deputy Director.
The DAS Deputy Director will update the staff list if applicable (refer to Step 6 above) and route to the DAS Telework Coordinator to file and/or update the DHS systems.