Telecommuting Policy Guidance

March 13, 2020

Members of the RBHS Community:

As you know, University Human Resources provided the following guidance on telecommuting:

We encourage flexibility in allowing telecommuting wherever feasible. The existing telecommuting guidelines, provision and procedures will be relaxed in order to expedite decisions regarding telecommuting arrangements. Supervisors must work closely with their employees and their departmental HR and IT teams in order to determine whether telecommuting would be feasible based on position functions and operational need. Where it is determined that telecommuting would be feasible, this would include both Exempt (NL) and Non-exempt (NE) employees who are aligned and unaligned, and it will be effective immediately. Employees who telecommute must comply with all university policies and procedures, including, but not limited to, policies related to timekeeping (where applicable).

Following UHR’s email, a number of RBHS supervisors have received inquiries from employees about telecommuting. Please note that the university is not mandating telecommuting for our employees, the telecommuting policy is permissive rather than prescriptive.

As Rutgers is a very large and diverse organization, supervisors must make telecommuting determinations considering the feasibility, operations, technology needs, and access for those employees whose jobs permit telecommuting. 

We hope that this clarifies the current policy.

Thank you.

Brian L. Strom, MD, MPH
Chancellor, Rutgers Biomedical and Health Sciences
Executive Vice President for Health Affairs, Rutgers University