Telework

Montgomery County Public Schools (MCPS) recognizes that telework can serve as a means to recruit and retain excellent employees, provide flexibility, honor professionalism, and increase productivity when the responsibilities of an employee's position do not require direct supervision, in-person collaboration, specialized equipment, or on-site presence.  Telework can also ease traffic congestion, reduce the environmental impact of greenhouse gas emissions, and conserve office space.

MCPS values the flexibility that telework offers and recognizes the importance of maintaining strong, in-person relationships that are crucial to our mission.  Building and maintaining strong relationships is fundamental to achieving system goals.  In addition, we believe that relationships are most effectively nurtured through some face-to-face interactions.  This telework regulation is designed to balance the operational needs of our school system, the professional growth and wellbeing of our employees, and the fostering of strong relationships that enhance our effectiveness.

• Telework is an arrangement where an employee works from an alternate work location.
• Telework must be approved in advance by the employee's direct supervisor.  A telework approval does not change the employee's work hours, compensation, benefits, work status, or work responsibilities.
• Each year, the employee must complete telework training and sign the acknowledgments before the start or continuation of telework.
• Employees approved to telework are subject to all Board of Education policies and MCPS regulations, procedures, and practices (hereafter referred to as MCPS rules).

Considering Telework

When employees and supervisors are considering telework, the following factors should be considered:

 

a) The employee’s alternate work location is in Maryland or one of the reciprocal states (nonnegotiable).

b) Data security can be maintained (nonnegotiable).

c) Portability of employee’s work (portability includes effectiveness and efficiency of the work and impact on other employees’ work).

d) The extent to which responsiveness, availability, customer service, and transparency to the public are impacted.

e) The extent to which availability, responsiveness, efficiency, and collaboration with internal partners and colleagues will be impacted.

f) The extent to which internal operations are impacted.

g) The employee’s ability to effectively and independently accomplish work assignments.

h) The impact on the team’s/unit’s effectiveness.

Review and Approval Process

The telework request, review and approval process:

 

1. An employee who wishes to be considered for telework must complete and submit MCPS Form 425-58, Request to Telework, to their direct supervisor.
2. The telework request must be approved and the required telework training completed before the initiation of telework.
3. The direct supervisor reviews the request and then approves, with revisions, or denies a request. A request that is denied must include a written rationale for the recommendation.
4. Together with the employee, the supervisor determines the telework schedule.
5. Within ten (10) business days, the supervisor will send the employee the completed and signed telework request form.
6. Once the telework request form has been approved, the employee must complete the telework training and sign the telework acknowledgments. The request, training, and acknowledgements must be completed annually.
7. For situational telework, the request must be completed for each telework instance.