On September 11, Governor Henry McMaster issued Executive Order 2025-31 updating state telecommuting and remote work policies and procedures.
As a state agency, Clemson University must comply with the new requirements by the October 1 deadline set by the Division of State Human Resources (DSHR).
Below is an overview of the new requirements and the steps Clemson is taking to implement them.
New Scheduling and Eligibility Requirements
The new state policy states that remote work schedules may not:
- Exceed two days per week
- Fall on the following consecutive days:
- Monday and Tuesday
- Thursday and Friday
- Friday and the following Monday
Employees are not eligible to work remotely if they:
- Are within their first year of employment with Clemson.*
- Have had a disciplinary action or documented performance deficiency (performance improvement or coaching plan) in the past year.
*DSHR has made an exception for employees who had a remote work agreement at Clemson before September 11 but had not yet reached one year of satisfactory service. They may continue to work remotely if their schedule meets the new requirements.
Faculty are exempt from these restrictions, but Clemson is required to track faculty use of remote work. More information will be shared with impacted faculty members when available.
New Daily Tracking Requirements for Employees
All employees who participate in remote work, whether through a regular schedule and agreement or on a temporary, “as needed,” basis, will be required to track their daily use of remote work. More information regarding this tracking system will be shared on or before October 1.
Next Steps
The Division of Finance and Operations and Office of Human Resources are working with University leadership to implement these required changes and notify impacted employees. Remote Work program participants will receive a direct email from OHR with specific next steps.
In the meantime, employees and their supervisors should begin adjusting remote work schedules to align with the state requirements by October 1. Teams should wait to submit new forms or schedule changes to the Office of Human Resources until they are directed to do so. The new Remote Worker Agreement form will be provided to participating employees via email with instructions for completion.
For Employees Not Yet Enrolled in the Remote Work Program
State guidance requires all employees to be enrolled in the remote work program to work remotely. This includes completion of the Remote Work Plan and Request Form and the completion of a Remote Worker Agreement Form.
Employees who are currently working remotely but not in the remote work program should use the Remote Work Plan and Request Form to alert the Office of Human Resources of their request to continue working remotely and begin the appropriate approval process.
New requests for remote work agreements will not be reviewed and accepted until November 1.
Support Resources
We recognize these new state requirements and the expedited implementation timeline may lead to questions from you and your team. More information will be provided as available. In the meantime, please reference the State Telecommuting Rules or email remotework@clemson.edu with questions.
