Leave and Work Options for Faculty and Staff

Using Leave

If you do not have a qualifying sick leave event you may use the following types of leave, with prior supervisor approval:

Leave for COVID-19 Vaccine

The COVID vaccine booster is not required under Proclamation 21-14 as part of the vaccine mandate; however, employees may receive up to two hours release time to receive the booster shot.

Since the vaccine is required for state employees, all time that overtime eligible employees spend traveling and receiving each dose of the required COVID-19 vaccine must be treated as work time, not as leave.  See https://lni.wa.gov/agency/outreach/coronavirus-covid-19-vaccines-and-paid-sick-leave-common-questions

There are resources to help agencies/organizations and employees locate where vaccination is available.  This includes a Vaccine locator created by DOH.

Supervisors should ensure that overtime exempt employees are also provided with time to travel and receive the vaccine.

Please Note: Payroll deadlines continue to apply during this period.  Should you have any pay affecting leave or time reports, please ensure these are submitted according to the Payroll Document Schedule on the Payroll Services website. Questions regarding processing pay affecting leave or time reports can be directed to departmental payroll administrators or Payroll Services, at payroll@wsu.edu.

Teleworking

Remote Work Location and Out-of-State Work 

Employees who work at WSU work sites outside of Washington and employees, whose official work location is their personal residence or an alternate non-University work site, whether in Washington or another state, are designated remote employees. A remote designation formally defines the position’s work location as outside of WSU work sites. An employee’s remote work location is their alternate work location in Workday when ALL of the employee’s work occurs remotely.  Refer to Assign Work Location and Assign Alternate Work Address reference guide for additional information.

Remote employee telework agreement

All remote employees working from their personal residence or an alternate non-University work site, including those with hybrid work arrangements, are considered to have a regular telework arrangement and must have a telework agreement in place with their department.   Refer to BPPM 60.34 – Teleworking.  NOTE:  The employee’s remote work location is their alternate work location in Workday only when ALL of the employee’s work occurs remotely. 

Travel and Commute Time

Departments should contact their HRS Service Team prior to implementing a specific hybrid telework arrangement where an employee teleworks part of the day and works at a WSU work location the remainder of the day.

Under some circumstances, commute time may be compensable when an employee performs some duties which are integral and indispensable to their position before traveling from their home/telework site to a WSU work location. This may include employees who work telework full-time, but required to travel to a WSU work location.  Consult with your HRS Service Team to review specifics.

Refer to the following resources for additional information:

• State of Washington Department of Labor and Industries Hours Worked  (Note:  Washington law is more favorable than federal law regarding out-of-town travel “hours work.”) 
• Office of Financial Management 25.45.10 – Commute Time
• U.S. Department of Labor, Wage and Hour Division, Opinion Letter FLSA2020-19

Employee responsibilities if working out-of-state
Employees working remotely in a state other than Washington are responsible for verifying and maintaining that their Home (Primary) Address is accurately reflected in Workday. Taxes, payroll deductions, and the applicability of other labor and employment laws may be different depending on the state where the work is performed (see below).

Whether an individual is subject to income tax in a particular state is typically driven by work location and home address.   Unfortunately, there is no uniform threshold after which employees working out-of-state become subject to tax in that location. Each state’s income tax and withholding requirements vary significantly, and may be based on both personal residence and/or work location. In many cases, whether an employee is domiciled or maintains a residence in the state and is “present” in that state for the majority of the tax year may make the individual a resident for tax purposes. Employees should familiarize themselves with the residency requirements and tax laws of any proposed out-of-state work location. Guidelines for determining residency status in a state may be found on their state tax authority website.

Considerations when working in another U.S. state
When employees work out-of-state, in addition to other teleworking considerations, employees and departments should consider the following compliance-related impacts:

Workers’ Compensation – Remote employees are covered by Workers’ Compensation for job-related injuries that occur in the course and scope of employment. However, employees whose work is regularly performed outside of Washington are not normally covered by Washington State Department of Labor & Industries Workers’ Compensation industrial insurance. WSU does not take Washington State Workers’ Compensation wage deductions from employees whose work location is out-of-state.

Paid Family & Medical Leave (PFML) – Employees who work outside of Washington are not covered by the Washington State Paid Family & Medical Leave program. WSU does not take PFML deductions or report hours and wages for employees whose work location is out-of-state. Employees are responsible for determining if a state outside of Washington may be covered by a similar program in which they work.

Unemployment insurance – Remote employees who work outside of Washington are not covered by Washington unemployment insurance unless there is a reciprocal coverage arrangement in place with that state. Employees who work in a state outside of Washington may be covered by an unemployment insurance program in the state in which they work.

Out-of-state Tax withholding – Both the employee’s work location and the location of the employee’s residence may trigger state withholding, depending on state law. If the employee meets the requirements for state taxation and has accurately updated their work location in Workday, WSU withholds the applicable taxes for that state.

Health insurance and benefit impacts – Eligibility for health insurance plans varies based on work location and home address as established by the Washington State Healthcare Authority.

For telework questions, contact your HRS Service Team. For Payroll or tax questions contact Payroll Services.

WiFi Hotspots in Washington

Washington State Drive-In WiFi Hotspots Location Finder

Flexible Scheduling

Upon prior authorization from the supervisor and if business operations allow, Civil Service and Administrative Professional employees may request a flexible schedule. Faculty members should seek approval from the appropriate department chair or director.

For additional information refer to Flexible Scheduling information on the HRS website.

Temporary Schedule Adjustments

If business operations allow, and an employee receives prior supervisor approval, overtime eligible employees may temporarily adjust their schedule to work additional hours during the workweek which work was missed.

Staff Policies

This information is not intended to be all-encompassing and should not be considered to be providing medical or legal advice. In all instances, you should consult with a relevant expert for guidance specific to your circumstances.

Updated 12/7/2021