TxDOT telework policy

In accordance with Texas Government Code §658.010 and §658.011, to be eligible for telework, an employee must be authorized to telework through a written agreement with the Executive Director. Such agreements are electronically maintained through TxDOT’s PeopleSoft System and must be renewed annually.

The Executive Director enters into agreements with employees to telework to address a lack of available office space or provide reasonable flexibility that enhances TxDOT’s ability to achieve its mission.

Telework agreements do not prohibit TxDOT from requiring an employee to report to their regular or assigned temporary place of employment or another work location for a meeting, special event, or other engagement for which the department determines in-person interaction is necessary. Telework agreements may be revoked at any time without notice.To be eligible for a telework agreement, employees must:

• Receive approval through their chain of command
• Have received an Achieved on their most recent Career Conversation
• Not have received a disciplinary action within the past six months
• Not be on disciplinary probation; and
• Not be under a Performance Improvement Plan.

Supervisors must ensure that teleworking employees are
satisfactorily performing their job duties while working remotely. This includes, but is not limited to:

• Establishing individualized standards for teleworking by position, including:
  • Response time;
  • Availability;
  • Criteria for requesting non-routine telework;
  • Daily work expectations;
  • Consequences for not achieving expectations while teleworking; and
  • Other relevant standards applicable to the position.
• Conducting regular career conversations and performance reviews to ensure performance standards are being met;
• Routinely reviewing the work product of teleworking employees to ensure productivity is maintained; and
• Ensuring teleworking employees have appropriate physical and information security controls at teleworking sites.

Teleworking employees cannot conduct in-person business at their personal residence. Employees who are eligible to telework are subject to the same rules and discipline as non-teleworking employees and may engage in non-routine and routine telework subject to the following restrictions.

Non-routine telework

Non-routine telework is situational, intermittent, and occurs irregularly and infrequently. It may occasionally be granted to an employee by their supervisor in situations when it is mutually beneficial to the employee and the department.

Supervisors must approve all individual instances of non-routine telework.

Non-routine telework may be appropriate when an employee can accomplish work in conjunction with an appointment, an illness or injury, an ill child, a critical incident or inclement weather, or other temporary situations.

Also, in the following situations, a supervisor may allow non-routine telework when an employee:

• Works 32 or more hours in a workweek on travel status and receives approval to telework the remaining hours of that workweek;
• Receives approval to telework for hours worked beyond 40 in a workweek;
• Works before or after their regular working hours; or
• Works to meet obligations while on leave.

Excessive approval and use of non-routine telework may be justification for denial of future telework.

Routine Telework

TxDOT employees generally cannot telework on a regularly scheduled basis except under rare and exceptional circumstances. In addition to demonstrating such circumstances, an employee must receive specific approval from the Executive Director.

Subject to the approval of their respective supervisors and DE/DD, the Executive Director has authorized routine telework for the following job functions:

• Pilots with Flight Services while on standby time;
• Field Staff who regularly work at least 32 hours a week in the field in travel status in a consistent and on-going basis are authorized telework for remaining work hours;
• Clerical-type functions that may include voucher and timesheet processors or call center operators whose predominant work activity involves routine and systematic tasks that are:
  • Conducted independently by the employee;
  • Fully and effectively able to be performed at a remote work location; and
  • Able to be verified and tracked to confirm daily performance.

HRD maintains a list of job titles and units approved for Routine Telework.

The requirements set out in this policy do not apply to an employee with a reasonable accommodation under the Americans with Disabilities Act or Pregnant Workers Fairness Act.

Only the Executive Director may make additional exceptions under this policy.

Employees may only accumulate hours worked at the employee’s personal residence toward compensatory time if approved by the Executive Director, as outlined in Texas Government Code §659.018. The Executive Director has also delegated this authority to agency supervisors.