Many state services are available online, providing a convenience to the public and savings for taxpayers. For those services that require person-to-person interaction, all agencies will ensure adequate staffing levels to fulfill their missions and provide customer service as required by law. Agency leadership reviews the personnel positions and associated requirements and responsibilities to determine which employees are eligible for remote work.

The remote work program is a win-win program that offers benefits to participants and the public. Employees participating in the program can save time and money when they avoid commuting one or more days per pay period. This can contribute to a better work/life balance for employees, especially those who have longer commutes. The public benefits through a reduction in air pollution as well as savings realized through a reduced real estate footprint for state agencies.

At the onset of the COVID-19 public health emergency, state agencies quickly implemented broader use of remote work sites. Seeing improved efficiency and cost savings during 2020, the Arizona's Connected Workforce program has helped to move the State of Arizona toward developing a positive remote work culture. The initiative built on years of experience; the previous State of Arizona Telework Program was established via executive order in 1993. The original telework program was designed for employees to telework 1-2 fixed days per pay period. The ACW program was designed to support a wider range of remote work options for employees, including a fixed schedule; a flexible schedule that allows employees to work remotely as needed (with supervisor approval); and a virtual office arrangement, whereby employees work from an assigned workstation (at home or another approved location) and does not have an assigned workstation in an agency facility.

The Arizona’s Connected Workforce (ACW) remote work program allows selected employees to work from home, or a State office location closer to home, one or more days a week. Remote work offers a productive working environment with fewer distractions, which often results in enhanced job performance, improved employee morale and job satisfaction, reduced absenteeism and sick leave usage. Remote work can also help retain valued employees and recruit highly qualified individuals. The State of Arizona Remote Work Program is guided by official state policy.

Only state-authorized equipment and software may be used for remote work. The Arizona Department of Administration Arizona Strategic Enterprise Technology (ASET) Office advises against the use of personal computers and devices because of the associated security risks. The use of insecure, non-state-issued or non-state-managed, devices to access state systems and data must be approved by the agency Information Security Officer (ISO).  State data is not authorized or permitted to be downloaded to non-state-issued devices. When preparing the remote work agreement, the employee and supervisor must determine the authorized equipment and software that will be used. The computer-based training (CBT) course TRP1004 Security discusses security issues as they relate to working remotely, including computer security and privacy requirements. This course is in addition to required cybersecurity training.

No, many employees have information handling tasks that do not require computers. These tasks may be compiled for the remote work day.

Because the employee's home work area is an extension of the agency's workspace, the State's liability for job-related accidents will continue to exist during the understood and approved work schedule. It is the employee's responsibility to ensure that their home work area complies with health and safety requirements; the employee must affirm they will abide by these requirements in their remote work agreement. Home offices must be clean and free of obstructions. The home must be in compliance with all building codes and free of hazardous materials. Management may deny or cancel the remote work agreement based on safety problems in the home. If an employee is injured while at home, worker's compensation laws and rules apply. The employee must notify his/her supervisor immediately and complete the necessary documents regarding the injury. Because an injury at home is outside the traditional workplace, the supervisor must be sure to investigate all reports immediately following notification. TRP1003 Home Office Safety advises employees on setting up and maintaining a safe home office; both the employee and the supervisor should complete this course.

Some job-specific tasks are more suited for remote work than others. Researching, writing, data analysis and other types of analytic tasks are well suited for remote work (some of these tasks may be dependent on having the proper hardware and software, which will factor into the decision to allow for a remote work arrangement). A supervisor will make the final determination regarding the viability and effectiveness of a proposed remote work agreement.

Both the remote worker and the supervisor should understand that if a remote work arrangement does not work out for an individual, it does not in any way reflect on that individual's ability to perform his or her job. In most cases, the employee, supervisor or manager may terminate remote work without cause; virtual office arrangements are the exception. An employee may request to end participation in a virtual office arrangement. Per state policy, the decision to end the virtual office agreement is at the discretion of the agency and may take into consideration space availability at the agency’s office as designated by the agency.

State employees with information handling tasks, at least part of the time, may be a candidate for remote work. Successful remote workers are self-motivated and results-oriented employees who work well independently. They need minimal supervision, are currently successful in setting priorities, meet deadlines and take the initiative to communicate with team members.

Offering the opportunity to work at home is a management option; remote work is not a universal employee benefit. Supervisors may review the requirements and select employees who are suited for remote work based on the employee’s job duties and the needs of the office.

Employees who desire to participate in the remote work program should make the request to their supervisors after reviewing the information on the Requirements for Remote Work page of this website. The supervisor will determine who is eligible to participate in the program based on the needs of the agency and their specific unit. If the supervisor determines that the employee is a good candidate and remote work is a viable option, the employee must complete training requirements and execute a remote work agreement with his/her supervisor and upline manager (as applicable). The electronic remote work agreement is accessible via the HRIS YES portal (link is external).

State agencies, boards and commissions are mandated to implement the State of Arizona Remote work Program with the goal of having 20 percent of State employees in Maricopa County actively participating. The program is guided by state policy and offers a variety of remote work options, including a fixed remote work schedule whereby an employee works a specific day or days each pay period; a flexible schedule whereby employees work remotely on an irregular schedule as allowed by the supervisor; and a virtual office arrangement, whereby employees work from home (or another approved location) and does not have an assigned workstation at a state agency. State agencies are encouraged to adopt internal remote work policies and procedures to implement the remote work program successfully.

Remote work is a powerful management option for all agencies, boards and commissions. Remote work allows selected employees to work from home, or a State office location closer to home, one or more days a week. Remote work offers a productive working environment with fewer distractions, which often results in enhanced job performance, improved employee morale and job satisfaction, reduced absenteeism and sick leave usage. Remote work can also help retain valued employees and recruit highly qualified individuals.

Measuring by results is key to ensuring productivity does not decrease. Work assignments should have deadlines, routine tasks should remain on schedule and project-specific tasks should meet milestones as laid out in the project plan. Measuring the results of remote working should not differ from measuring the results when the employee is in the office. The computer-based training (CBT) course TRP2004 Effective Performance Management offers tips for keeping team members engaged and productive while working remotely and incorporates elements of the Arizona management System (AMS).

It is the employee's responsibility to ensure that their home work area complies with health and safety requirements; the employee must affirm they will abide by these requirements in their remote work agreement. Home offices must be clean and free of obstructions. The home must be in compliance with all building codes and free of hazardous materials. Management may deny or cancel the remote work agreement based on safety problems in the home. If an employee is injured while at home, worker's compensation laws and rules apply. The employee must notify his/her supervisor immediately and complete the necessary documents regarding the injury. Because an injury at home is outside the traditional workplace, the supervisor must be sure to investigate all reports immediately following notification. TRP1003 Home Office Safety advises employees on setting up and maintaining a safe home office; both the employee and the supervisor should complete this course.

No. Before remote working, supervisors and remote work candidates go through several training exercises to help them determine how they will manage their normal office duties without burdening coworkers. The key is building a positive working environment that takes into consideration the needs of employees working on-site and remotely. The computer-based training (CBT) courses TRP2001 Benefits and Challenges of Remote Work discusses elements that will develop a positive remote work culture within the agency and individual teams and TRP2002 Effective Leadership Practices covers topics that allows managers to adapt effective leadership practices for the remote work environment.

Some supervisors express concern that when their employees are working remotely; they believe they won't be able to monitor the work effort.  But when it is approached correctly, supervisors shift the focus from how much work the employee appears to be accomplishing to how much he actually is accomplishing. By focusing on the work product instead of the work activity, many supervisors find they are better able to communicate clear expectations to their employees. Supervisors should take note to focus on performance over presence. The resulting agreement on job expectations often leads to increases in employee productivity and job satisfaction. Many supervisors already use this method of management by results. The computer-based training (CBT) course TRP2004 Effective Performance Management offers tips for keeping team members engaged and productive while working remotely and incorporates elements of the Arizona management System (AMS).

During training, supervisors and remote workers will go through several exercises designed to help them plan how they will maintain communication with the office and what will be done to meet contingencies. The employee’s remote work agreement should document these requirements and include the employee’s contact information. If the remote worker is needed, he or she may be asked to come into the office or join an emergency staff meeting via teleconference or conference call. The computer-based training (CBT) course TRP2003 Communications Best Practices for Leaders reviews effective communications techniques for leaders whose teams include employees working remotely. Employees should complete TRP1002 Communications, which covers best practices for communications in a remote work environment.