Westchester County Human Resources

Since participation in the program is voluntary, the employee may discontinue participation in the program, for any reason, with two weeks written notice to their supervisor, unless it was a condition of employment or a requirement of the job description. The supervisor will notify the telework coordinator to make arrangements to retrieve county property and make arrangements for the employee to begin working at a county location.

Management may terminate an individual employee's participation at any time, as follows:

• For any reason, upon providing two weeks written notice to the affected employee

• A performance appraisal that rates the employee's performance below fully satisfactory automatically suspends or terminates an employee's telework arrangement

• For cause, upon providing 24 hours verbal or written notice to the affected employee to be followed up with a written explanation within two weeks. The requirement for prior written notification and explanation may be waived in the event of an emergency

• Management retains the right to suspend or terminate an employee's telework participation if it no longer benefits the agency to have the employee work at home

It's important for all employees to maintain a healthy, safe and ergonomically sound work environment while working in the office or at a remote location. The opportunity to participate in a home telework program is offered with the understanding that it is the responsibility of the employee to ensure that a proper work environment is maintained.

Telework employees are responsible for ensuring their homes comply with health and safety requirements and for so certifying as part of the “Teleworker’s Agreement". Management may deny an employee the opportunity to telework or may rescind a telework agreement based on safety of the home or suspected hazardous materials in the home. Management may also have the home office inspected for compliance with health and safety requirements. 

The teleworker will be expected to designate a workspace in their home for the performance of their telework duties that allows for working in an office setting and ensuring that the equipment necessary to perform the work is in the designated area. The county will not be responsible for costs associated with the initial set up of the employees home office such as furniture or lighting, or repairs for modification to the home office space. (The employee will be required to provide a desk, chair, lighting, etc. After initial set up, a designated representative of the county will visit the employee’s work site to inspect for possible work hazards and suggest modifications.)

The teleworker is required to meet the following conditions.

• Ensure that the home office is a safe place to work
• Keep personal disruptions such as non-business telephone calls and visitors to a minimum
• Ensure the protection of proprietary county information accessible from their home. Steps include, but are not limited to the use of locked facilities, disk boxes and desks and other steps appropriate for the job and environment
• Make advance arrangements for dependent care to ensure a productive work environment (telework is not a substitute for daycare or other personal obligations)
• Obtain pre-approval from the supervisor for use of vacation time or sick leave to attend to family or home matters during home office hours
• Ensure work area is free of obstructions to eliminate trip and fall hazards
• Ensure work area has proper lighting, ventilation and furniture
• Set up the home work site in an ergonomically-correct fashion

Telework is not a universal employee benefit or entitlement, but a management option and alternative method of meeting the work needs of the county. This program creates no employee rights in relation to telework, and management decisions regarding telework are not subject to appeal. Managers and employees must understand that adherence to the policy and procedures are an essential requirement of the telework program.

Since teleworking is a privilege, Westchester County has the right to make it available to an employee and to terminate a telework arrangement at any time. Telework does not suit every job, function, employee or employer, but it has the potential to benefit the employee, employer and the community in many ways – a win-win-win proposition that helps provide the employer a distinct competitive edge.

Employees are not required to telework and have the right to refuse to telework if the option is made available to them. Employees who do choose to telework have the right to cease teleworking and return to their former in-office work pattern with reasonable notice.

Employees interested in participating in the program must first read the Westchester County Telework Handbook and then complete the Teleworker Self-Assessment Survey. The completed form should be submitted to the commissioner of the department, who will review the information to determine if telework is feasible, justified and cost effective. Surveys for those considered good candidates for participating in the Telework Program should be forwarded to the Telework Selection Committee for final review and selection.

Those employees identified as good candidates for the program will then need to attend a training session, with their supervisor, during which they will complete the Telework Agreement.

Additionally, the Office of Risk Management and/or Department of Information Technology may need to visit the employees home to inspect the proposed work location.

Once the training is completed, and all paperwork is completed, the employee's department will determine what date the employee may begin teleworking. On at least an annual basis, the employee's supervisor will need to complete the Annual Recertification of Employee Eligibility form in order for the employee to continue teleworking.