Overview

Remote Work is an alternative work arrangement that allows an employee to perform all or part of their work away from an approved OU worksite within or outside the State of Oklahoma.

With appropriate approvals, OU considers remote work to be a viable, flexible work option when both the employee and the job are suited to such an arrangement. Remote Work may be suitable for certain University positions but not for others. It is not an entitlement and does not alter the terms and conditions of employment with the University.

Eligibility

The Remote Work Policy should be carefully reviewed by supervisors considering remote work, as well as employees.

Only employees designated “exempt” under the provisions of the Fair Labor Standards Act are eligible to request Out-of-State or Out-of-Country Remote Work unless requested as a temporary or limited exception and approved by the appropriate executive Vice President or Vice Provost (VP).

Establishing a Remote Work Agreement

Remote Work Agreement (RWA): A written agreement that establishes the specific conditions that apply to employees performing some or all of their duties at an Alternate Work Location.

Each department is responsible for documenting and tracking the in-state and hybrid RWAs in effect for their department personnel, for renewing them as required, and for producing them upon request of HR or University leadership.

Out-of-State and Out-of-Country requests are tracked through central human resources and emailed to hrbp@ou.edu.

Any approved RWA must be kept in the employee’s departmental personnel file.

Remote Work Options

Alternate Work Location: Location, other than an OU Worksite, where an employee is expected to perform some or all of their duties, as established by an approved Remote Work Agreement.

Hybrid Remote Work: Performance of work duties split between an OU Worksite and an Alternate Work Location. This may include Hybrid Remote Work Out-of-State or Out-of-Country.

In-State Fully Remote Work: Performance of all or primarily all duties from an Alternate Work Location in the State of Oklahoma.

Out-of-State Fully Remote Work: Performance of all or primarily all duties from an Alternate Work Location in a state other than Oklahoma.

Out-of-Country Fully Remote Work: Performance of all duties from an Alternate Work Location outside of the United States.

Remote Work Process Overview

In-State Process:

Approval of an RWA for Hybrid or In-State Fully Remote Work is at the discretion of the supervisor, department chair/director, Dean/VP, and where applicable, the executive VP and is subject to their ongoing review.

A request for a Remote Work Agreement for Hybrid or In-State Fully Remote Work may be initiated by the employee or by the supervisor with regard to the feasibility of remote work.

Employees may use the Remote Work Self-Assessment form as a tool when discussing and evaluating remote work with their supervisor.

Once discussions have been made, employees should work with their supervisor/department to complete a Remote Work Agreement.

The steps in this process are:

Required Forms:

Review and Submission:

The Employee Remote Work Agreement and Off-Campus Equipment Usage Form (if applicable) should be completed by the employee with the consent and cooperation of their supervisor. This form should be reviewed once a year.

Completed forms are managed at the department level and require the supervisor and/or department representative to obtain the appropriate signatures on the forms.

Final Steps:

Upon receiving the Supervisor, Dean/Director, and VP/SVPP (if applicable, for full-remote and HSC Hybrid Faculty) approved documentation, employees must complete a Remote Work Attestation, found in PeopleSoft Self-Service and attach all approved documentation.

The supervisor will complete the Attestation process via Self-Service and provide the Reason for Remote Work found on the Employee Remote Work Agreement.

 

Out-of-State and Out-of-Country Process

Out-of-State/Country Remote Work may be approved only under extraordinary circumstances demonstrating a compelling business or operational justification.

Approval of an RWA for Out-of-State and Out-of-Country Remote Work for any length of time is at the discretion of and requires approval from the appropriate supervisor, department chair/director, Dean/VP, and executive VP, as well as Export Controls, before the employee may work Out-of-Country.

The steps in the process are:

Required Forms:

  • Out-of-State Remote Work Forms (Department Initiates)
    • Packet includes –
      • Department Request for Employee to Work Out-of-State/Country
      • Employee Remote Work Agreement
      • Off-Campus Equipment Usage Form (if applicable).

Review and Submission:

Supervisors and/or department representatives should submit all required and signed documentation to HR Business Partners at hrbp@ou.edu to initiate review.

The HR Business Partners work with internal partners (Payroll/Financial Services, Risk Management, Workers’ Compensation, Benefits, and Legal Counsel) to evaluate the university’s ability to maintain compliance with applicable laws and regulatory requirements of the work state.

Following internal partners review 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, complete documentation will be provided to the department, via the department contact, with an end date of one year or less.

Final Steps:

Upon receiving the VP-approved documentation, employees must complete a Remote Work Attestation, found in PeopleSoft Self-Service and attach all approved documentation.

The supervisor will complete the Attestation process via Self-Service and provide the Reason for Remote Work found on the Employee Remote Work Agreement.

 

Questions regarding remote work or remote work policy, please email hrbp@ou.edu.