Montgomery County Government employees are eligible to apply for the Telework Program if their department participates in the program, except for the following groups: IAFF members, FOP members, and uniformed personnel in the public safety cluster. The number of days per week/month that employees may telework is subject to management discretion based on the operating needs of the employing department.

Before applying to telework, please read these tips: Telework and You — A Good Fit?

No; eligible employees must also:

• Occupy an eligible position,
• Have completed six months of employment,
• Have an overall “meets expectations” performance rating for the previous rating period, and
• Have received manager approval to participate in the program.

Employees who have been placed on a Work Improvement Plan within the 90 (ninety) days prior to starting telework are not eligible to participate. Also, employees who have received formal disciplinary action in the past year from the proposed start of telework may not be eligible to participate. For further details concerning eligibility, refer to the Telework Policies and Procedures document.

Once an eligible employee has been approved to telework and completed the training and assessment, they may begin their agreed upon telework schedule as outlined in their Telework Agreement.

You may continue to participate in the Telework Program if the new position is deemed to be an eligible position by the new supervisor. You must, however, complete a probationary period in the new position (if required), and a new Telework Agreement must be completed by you and your new supervisor.

Your telework agreement can be terminated. In the event it is terminated, you may appeal this action to the OHR Telework Manager at telework@montgomerycountymd.gov . The review process of the termination can be found in Section V of the Telework Program Policies and Procedures.

Note: To fall concurrently with the start of a new pay period, 10 work days are required to notify employees of the change to the telework schedule and agreement.

Contact the Department of Technology Services’ IT Helpdesk at 240-777-2828, Monday to Friday, 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Note that DTS can facilitate departmental IT clinics specially designed for teleworkers. If interested, ask your supervisor to contact the IT Helpdesk to request an IT clinic for your department, and DTS will tailor the information presented to your department’s teleworkers.

For details, review the VPN FAQs document.

Contact the Department of Technology Services’ IT Helpdesk at 240-777-2828 (available Monday to Friday, 8 a.m. to 5 p.m.) for assistance, and be sure to keep your supervisor and coworkers informed. If the issue cannot be resolved timely, you will need to return to your main work location or utilize your own annual leave or compensatory time.

• Non-essential employees in the Telework Program who are scheduled to telework that day are expected to work at their remote work location.
• Non-essential employees in the Telework Program who are not scheduled to telework  that day are encouraged to telework with the approval of their supervisor. 

Review the applicable MCtime Job Aid:

• How to Add the Telework Reason Code to Your Timecard (HTML)
• How to Add the Telework Reason Code to Your Timecard (JAVA)

Your supervisor must provide you with at least 24 hours’ notice of all onsite meetings and trainings. At the concurrence of your supervisor, you may switch your telework day that week and choose another day to work from your remote work location.

OHR encourages flexibility. If operationally possible and your supervisor approves the change, you can switch telework days to adhere to your agreed upon number of telework days.

Yes, with approval from your supervisor.

All departments have been given the ability to limit or extend the amount of hours/days that are acceptable and operationally efficient for their needs. If interested, you should discuss this matter with your supervisor to see if it is operationally feasible to increase the number of days you telework.

• Set daily work completion goals for yourself; at the end of your telework day, provide an update to your supervisor regarding that day’s work accomplishments.
• Mark your calendar in Outlook as “Working Elsewhere” to notify coworkers that you are teleworking.
• Ensure your coworkers know that you are available during your telework day via phone, email, text and/or other means of communication (such as Skype).