Remote Work Process Steps and Guidelines

This Remote Work process is available to in-state employees only. Employees requesting to work outside the state of Oklahoma must have an approved out-of-state form on file before engaging in the remote work process. Please see Out-of-State Remote Work Guidelines for more information.

If interested in in-state remote work, employees are encouraged to read the Remote Work Guidelines for Employees and thoughtfully consider if remote working might suit their position and personal situation. If so, employees should have an initial conversation with their supervisor to determine feasibility prior to completing the Remote Work Self-Assessment. If supervisors agree, employees may initiate the remote work process. 

The steps in this process are:

1. Remote Work Guidelines – The guidelines should be carefully reviewed by employees considering remote work, as well as supervisors. 
2. Employee Discussion with Supervisor – Employees should have an initial conversation with their supervisor to determine feasibility prior to completing the Remote Work Self-Assessment. If supervisors agree, employees may initiate the Remote Work process.
3. Remote Work Self-Assessment – Employees should use this form to determine if their position is appropriate for remote work.
4. Remote Work Agreement – Employees should complete this form with the consent and cooperation of their supervisor. This form should be reviewed once a year.
5. Equipment Usage Form – Employees should complete and submit this form to their supervisor with the remote work agreement. 
6. Remote Work Attestation – Upon receiving all requisite approvals, employees must complete a Remote Work Attestation, found in Employee Self-Service. All remote work documents will be maintained by the department, the employee, and their supervisor.

The In-State Remote Work Guidelines, documents, workflow, and forms are available below.

Additional Information About Remote Work

Supervisors are encouraged to keep students’ on-campus experience top-of-mind when considering remote work for employees. Also, please remember that while Human Resources is available for guidance, the remote work process is managed at the department level. The only documentation required by Human Resources is the electronic Remote Work Attestation, completed by the employee once all approvals are attained. Supervisors should review the remote work agreement with the employee annually.

Please note that Situational Remote Work (related to an exceptional circumstance) that is generally temporary, short-term, and non-recurring in nature may be approved at the discretion of departmental leadership without a pre-established Remote Work Agreement for In-State Staff (“Agreement”).

Situational Remote Work does not apply to out-of-state or out-of-country work.

A Remote Work Agreement may be voluntarily sought by the employee or required for the position and is subject to modification or termination at any time based on performance and operational or business needs and it may be withdrawn or terminated with approval or by the department chair/director. Every effort will be made to provide a minimum of two (2) weeks’ notice prior to modification or termination of an agreement (timeline is subject to management discretion).

Human Resources has also created a Termination of Remote Work form, to be used in the event of ending remote work. All forms are located at the bottom of this page.

Out-of-State Remote Work Request Process

When there is a circumstance that hiring an out-of-state employee for a position or retaining a current employee who is moving out of state, is recognized and justifiable as an important University business necessity, please complete the following steps.

Prior to completing the steps outlined below, the employee and supervisor should read in their entirety, the Remote Guidelines for Employees and the Out-of-State Guidelines.

The steps in the process are:

1. Form Completion

For a new employee, the hiring manager should complete the following:

• Remote Work Agreement Form
• Equipment Usage Form
• Employee Request to Work Out-of-State Form

For a current employee, the supervisor and employee should complete the following together:

• Remote Work Self-Assessment
• Remote Work Agreement Form
• Equipment Usage Form
• Employee Request to Work Out-of-State Form

2. Signatures - The supervisor will sign the requisite forms and submit to their Department Head and the Dean or Director of their unit for their approval and signatures.

3. Human Resources - The supervisor will send all signed forms to the HR Business Partners at hrbp@ou.edu for review.

4. HR Approval Route - The HR Business Partners work with internal department partners from Worker’s Compensation, Risk Management, Payroll, and Legal Counsel to evaluate the university’s ability to maintain compliance with applicable laws and regulatory requirements of the work state.

5. Final VP or SVPP Approval - The HR Business Partners will gather all legal considerations and additional compliance requirements if identified and submit the request to the applicable VP or SVPP for final approval and signature.

If the request is approved, a signed copy of the Employee Request to Work Out-of-State Form will be provided to the department, with an end date of one year or less. 

6. Remote Work Attestation - Upon receiving the VP-approved Employee Request to Work Out-of-State Form, employees must complete a Remote Work Attestation, found in Self-Service. The supervisor will complete the Attestation process via Self-Service

All remote work documents will be maintained by the department, the employee, and their supervisor.

Walkthrough on How to Submit and Approve a Remote Work Attestation

Requesting a renewal or extension

If the department identifies a business necessity that justifies the extension of an out-of-state employment request past the designated end date, the department can submit a renewal request.

To request an extension of the end date on an out-of-state agreement, the department must submit a new Remote Work Agreement, Equipment Form, and Employee Request to Work Out-of-State Form to HR no later than 30 days prior to the end date of the original agreement.

To whom does this process apply?

This process applies to all new and existing staff, faculty, temporary, PEAK, and student employees.

Current Out-of-State employees

Each Out-of-State agreement may last no more than one year without subsequent review, and request for re-approval. The approving Vice President or Vice Provost may indicate a shorter review period.

New Out-of-State employees

The hiring department must notify Human Resources and complete the necessary forms prior to making an offer and onboarding an out-of-state employee.

The hiring department must also work with the Talent Acquisition and Employee Services Team to ensure that jobs are advertised with remote options if they want to offer a job to a remote out-of-state candidate. For questions about remote job postings, please reach out to HRTalent@ou.edu.

The situations that are not subject to these guidelines:

For hybrid or fully remote agreements in the state of Oklahoma, please reference the In-State Remote Work Guidelines.

The Out-of-State Guidelines do not apply to Oklahoma-based employees whose specific job duties require business travel for short periods of time outside of the state on a temporary basis.

For employees traveling out-of-state for personal reasons who wish to complete work during this travel period, the department must obtain prior approval through the Out-of-State Remote Work Process. There is no situational out-of-state remote work.

Requests to work remotely outside of the U.S. must be submitted to Human Resources no later than 120 calendar days prior to the proposed start date.

International travel must be registered with the Office of Export controls: https://www.ou.edu/travel

The Out-of-State guidelines are firm and necessary to ensure the University is compliant with the applicable laws and regulatory requirements of the other state or country. Failure to notify the university and obtain approval prior to out-of-state work being completed may result in financial or legal penalties to the university, a delayed start date for new employees, or termination if the employee has already been hired, all of which may result in costs to the hiring department.