PURPOSE AND DEFINITIONS:
Home and alternative assignment are effective management tools for select circumstances, such as ensuring a complete and impartial personnel investigation of workplace matters. Other reasons include fit for duty, safety concerns and/or criminal allegations.
Home Assignment:
An employer-initiated action assigning an employee to their home. The employee must remain available during their designated work schedule while on home assignment; employee will continue to receive regular pay and benefits and may or may not be assigned work.
Alternative Assignment:
An employer-initiated action assigning all employee’s work that is different from their normally assigned tasks, or to assign an employee to a different work location, while the employee is under investigation for alleged misconduct. While on alternative assignment, the employee will continue to receive regular pay and benefits.
Home Assignment Approval and Reporting Requirements:
An employee may be placed on home assignment if the employee’s appointing authority determines the home assignment is necessary. Represented employees will be placed on home assignment in accordance with the applicable collective bargaining agreement.
A home assignment may last up to 15 calendar days. The 15-day home assignment may be extended in 30- day increments upon determination by the Superintendent or designee that additional time is needed. Before extending the home assignment, the Superintendent or designee must receive an update of activities since the initial home assignment or previous extension and the reason additional time is necessary. The Superintendent or designee must document the reason for approving the extension and the estimated date the home assignment is expected to end. When the home assignment ends, the Superintendent or designee must document whether the employee returned to work and the date the home assignment ended.
- An employee placed on home assignment or alternate assignment during an investigation will be informed of the general reason for the assignment, unless it would jeopardize the integrity of the investigation.
- The Human Resources office will code the home assignment or alternate assignment in the Washington State Human Resource Management System (HRMS) using the appropriate codes by the 5th of the month following the initial assignment.
- The Human Resources office may be required to provide additional detail on any employee who has been on home assignment or alternate assignment for 90 days or more, at the request of the State Human Resources office. The detail may include the expected end date of the assignment, the reasons for the delay in removing the employee from the assignment, what steps the agency is undertaking to expedite the ending of the assignment, and what the employee is doing during the assignment.