In accordance with Texas Government Code §658.010 and §658.011, the Commissioner of the Texas Department of Family and Protective Services may authorize an employee to telework to address a lack of available office space for the agency or to provide reasonable flexibility that enhances the agency’s ability to achieve its mission.
Only employees with a Commissioner approved telework agreement are eligible to telework. Such agreements are electronically maintained through DFPS’s PeopleSoft System and must be renewed annually.
Telework agreements do not prohibit supervisors 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 agency determines in-person interaction is necessary. Telework agreements may be revoked at any time without notice.
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.
- The position job description must clearly define job functions and measurable performance standards.
- 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 are prohibited from conducting in-person staff meetings or other similar in-person work-related events at the employee’s 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.