Off-site Use of Business Equipment

WHAT

TVA supplies computers and other equipment to employees who have business needs to perform work at locations away from TVA work sites, and who have management approval to complete assignments off-site. This practice establishes authorization for employees’ use of TVA equipment off-site, eligibility requirements, the approval process, and inventory recovery. For the purpose of this policy, the definition of off-site work is official TVA work that is performed in an employee’s home or at a TVA-approved site such as a special project site.

WHO

Employees for whom management has established business needs for working at locations other than TVA work sites, and who meet the eligibility requirements listed below.

WHY

TVA recognizes the importance of providing computers and other equipment to employees who must complete assignments at locations away from TVA work sites. Also, TVA must maintain proper documentation of its equipment inventory, a high level of security of its computer system, and the integrity of its computer network.

HOW

Business Use Of TVA Equipment Off-Site:

TVA provides computers and other equipment to employees for business purposes. Employees must have business needs to complete work assignments off-site, to conduct work while in travel status, to perform work off-site while recovering from illnesses or medical treatments, or other needs that TVA identifies. If the injury or illness mentioned above is work related, the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) classification (lost time, medical treatment, etc.) may or may not be affected. TVA’s management practice, “Report and Investigate Injuries and Illnesses,” provides requirements for proper classification of the injury or illness.

Eligibility for Off-Site Work:

The use of TVA’s equipment to work off-site is approved at management’s option. The supervisor or manager will determine the need for and duration of the off-site work assignment. Managers will consider the following items before approving employees to use TVA equipment off-site:

the business justification for off-site work
the employee’s work habits and abilities to successfully complete assigned work
the employee’s adherence to TVA computer and Internet use policies in Principles and Practices Communications Practice 7 and Practice 8
the logistics of maintaining the integrity of the computer system and database, troubleshooting, and manipulation of computer hardware/software by remote control
the creation, modification, and security of business-related documents
process for ensuring the integrity of time reporting

Training

Employees who are approved to work off-site and use TVA equipment must attend brief training sessions to receive guidelines on TVA’s expectations and requirements. The sessions will include instructions on the appropriate use of computer equipment off-site, ergonomics, ethics, and the protection of the integrity of TVA’s computer system, time reporting, and databases. The sessions will be conducted to accommodate organizations’ needs. Requests should be submitted to Corporate Human Resources, Human Resources Information Services.

Approval Process

The supervising manager must submit a written justification for approval of an employee to work off-site and the use of TVA equipment to the appropriate organizational Business Council member. The justification should specify:

the business justification for the request
the estimated duration of the assignment
Human Resources organizations' review and approval of work assignment
an itemized list of equipment needed
a completed Form 11603 found in TVA public folders in Exchange and in the TVA Electronic Form file

If the employee’s Business Council member approves the request, the completed Form 11603 is sent to Information Services’ Information Technology (IT) Service Center. The center will enter the request into the TVA Asset Management System, which includes off-site equipment requests and installations for future reference. Installation details are outlined in Information Technologies Business Practice 4.

The manager is responsible for maintaining an appropriate supervisory relationship with the employee. The manager may revoke the off-site work assignment at any time. The manager is responsible for ensuring that the employee returns the equipment to TVA when the off-site work assignment is complete.

Equipment and Services Available

TVA may provide the following equipment or services to an employee:

computer
modem
monitor
fax machine
telephone headset or a telephone
reimbursements for installation and monthly charges for dedicated telephone lines
computer repair services through the IT Service Center
regular office supplies such as pens, paper, and paper clips through TVA’s office supply sources
other equipment as needed

Services Provided

When employees work off-site for extended time periods (more than a year), Facilities and Realty Management provides scheduled conference rooms that employees may use when they work temporarily on-site. Employees should reserve conference rooms in advance.

While the employee works off-site, the IT Service Center will coordinate repair service for TVA’s electronic equipment with appropriate approvals. TVA will only repair computers and electronic equipment owned by TVA. Information Services encourages employees to bring the equipment to a TVA facility, if possible, in order to control support costs. Detailed maintenance procedures are outlined at Information Technologies Business Practice 4.

Inventory Recovery

The recovery of TVA's equipment is essential to the continuation of off-site work assignments. Supervisors and managers will maintain regular contact with their employees who are working off-site and coordinate the disposition of TVA surplus equipment as outlined in Principles and Practices, Management of TVA’s Supply Chain Process, Business Practice 9 when the off-site work assignment is terminated.

ROLES

Information Services

Procures computer and electronic equipment for off-site use.
Provides and/or develops procedures to assist TVA Business Units accessing and using corporate computing resources.
Evaluates emerging technology for appropriate off-site use.
Communicates polices and individual responsibilities systematically and regularly.
Enforces polices by restricting access in case(s) of serious violations. Assists the appropriate officials with follow-up and resolutions of violations.
Assists with training for employees who have been approved for off-site work assignments.
Provides repair services for TVA’s off-site electronic equipment.

TVA Business Unit

Ensures that off-site computing resources are used to support legitimate business interests and returned at the end of off-site assignments.
Abides by the license agreements and acknowledges that software programs are subject to copyright and patent laws as defined in the License Agreements.
Treats data and information maintained in the performance of duties as a valuable corporate resource.
Establishes and supports reasonable standards for electronic information that TVA employees produce, use, or distribute in the course of their duties.
Delineates the limits of privacy that can be expected in the use of networked computer resources both internal and external to the agency.
Communicates policies by restricting access in case(s) of serious violations. Assists the appropriate officials for follow-up and resolution of violations.
Requests training for employees who have been approved for off-site work.

Facilities and Realty Management

Provides on-site space for employees as noted in the “Services Provided” section.

Human Resources Information Services

Coordinates training for employees who have been approved for off-site work.
Provides guidelines for off-site work.
Advises TVA management of policies and legal requirements that relate to off-site work assignments.

Human Resources

Reviews requests for off-site work arrangements.
Advises supervisors on Human Resources matters.
Coordinates with Labor Relations off-site work assignments for represented employees.

Labor Relations

Reviews requests for off-site work arrangements for represented employees.

Procurement

Manages the disposal of surplus property.

RESOURCES

Information Services
Facilities and Realty Management
Human Resources Information Services