The most important thing is that the agreement should be signed and dated by the manager. Managers and TMOs are encouraged to store copies of all telework agreements. Telework contracts are living documents and should be checked by the supervisor and employee and signed regularly, preferably at least once a year. New telework agreements should at least be concluded when a new relationship between employees and managers is established. For more information, check out your telecommuting policy, the telework coordinator or the TMO. You can find your telecommuting coordinator by browsing OPM`s work-life contact base. The following basic steps help maximize the benefits of telecommuting for you and your working group, minimize potential administrative burdens and create the conditions for your employees to succeed. The law requires each executive agency to determine the merits of all its employees for telework. In general, agencies have, at their sole discretion, the eligibility criteria for telework for their employees, subject to the requirements of the law. These criteria should be detailed in the Agency`s policy.

Individual leaders should assess, on the basis of these promotion guidelines and applicable collective agreements, who is entitled or not to participate in telework within their working group. You can find more information about your agency`s licensing requirements in your telework directive, telework coordinator or TMO. You can find your telecommuting coordinator by browsing OPM`s work-life contact base. The U.S. General Services Administration (GSA) provides guidelines for the implementation and operation of telework and other alternative work programs through the efficient and effective use of information and telecommunications technologies. In addition, GSA makes basic recommendations regarding the equipment and assistance an agency can provide to staff. The law requires every teleworker and his supervisor to enter into a written telework agreement for any type of telework, whether the employee is regularly teleworking or not. For example, a written telework agreement is required for an employee who works regularly once a week and for an employee who is only allowed to work once a year.

The parameters of this agreement are most often defined in agency policy and/or collective agreement, but they should contain the following key elements: managers should avoid the distribution of work on the basis of “availability” in relation to physical presence. It is also important that managers avoid the trap of thinking that someone who is present and looks busy actually does more work than someone who is not there. Good performance management practices are essential for telecommuting to work efficiently and fairly. Decisions of refusal and termination must be based on informed business and performance decisions, in accordance with the law and not on personal grounds. For example, a supervisor may refuse a telework request if the job tasks are not available for telework. In some cases, it may be necessary to terminate an existing telework agreement for commercial reasons (for example. B mission and organizational requirements for organizational change) or for a performance issue. If the employee`s refusal and/or dismissal is the result of a performance problem, the supervisor or supervisor should be able to prove it: telework must be implemented strategically and not piece by piece as is often the case. A reactive approach to telework may raise questions of equity.

Where possible, telework should be carried out strategically taking into account the needs, work and composition of the group. Agencies have facilitated the task of leaders by making broader findings on staff eligibility and by notifying staff.