Telework Reporting Requirements
Review instructions, best practices, and data dictionary for submitting your department’s telework data to DGS for the Statewide Telework Dashboard.
Telework Data Collection
Departments shall provide telework related data and program evaluations to Department of General Services (DGS) per the Statewide Telework Policy. DGS is collecting data to efficiently oversee the statewide telework program. Initial metrics include data that demonstrates program initiation, participation, and operational effectiveness. Data and metrics can be used to answer questions about the impact of the program and assist in planning. For example:
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- What are the differences in telework use by office? Why do they exist?
- Why are there more/less staff teleworking at one location than another location with similar operations?
- What is the frequency in which staff are teleworking in aggregate?
- Are there certain days of the week in which staff are driving to the office more or less?
- Which classifications have the highest percentage of telework?
- How much are staff saving in commute time and vehicle miles traveled?
Additionally, data can be used for long term office space and transportation planning. As the program evolves, the metrics will evolve to address other questions.
Telework data requirements
Below are the reporting requirements and instructions to assist in collecting data and submitting the information for reporting purposes. Engage your human resources and information technology offices in this effort.
Submission due dates
Begin telework data reporting by February 28, 2022, for October, November, and December 2021, and January 2022. Submit monthly thereafter for the prior month. For example, submit February 2022 data in March 2022. Data for all employees in the department must be included in the data submission. Data is due on the last working day of the month.
Departments unable to comply with the telework data submission due dates must submit their plan to achieve compliance by March 31, 2022, using the Telework Reporting Compliance Plan survey.
Data elements
Data required by February 28, 2022:
1. Department Organizational Code (DOF organizational code)
2. Reporting Year
3. Reporting Month
4. Position Number
5. Collective Bargaining Unit Identifier (CBID)
6. Telework Eligible
7. Average number of working days per week
8. Average number of teleworking days per week
Additional data required by July 31, 2022 and thereafter:
9. One-way commute miles
10. One-way commute minutes
11. Office Zip Code
12. Telework/Home Zip Code
13. Unique Employee ID (UEID) for teleworking staff only
14. Workday Telework Schedule: Telework, Office, Not Working for teleworking staff only
For more information on the above data elements, please refer to the Data Dictionary.
For assistance with calculating commute miles and minutes, please refer to the Commute Calculator.
Data preparation and submission
1. Determine the method you will use to collect the data. The Telework Agreement (STD 200) contains telework data and definitions that should be used by these various workflow and data capture tools. You can use workflow systems such as Salesforce, ServiceNow, Microsoft Power Platform, or a survey tool.
2. Download the template for entering employee data (Telework Submission Template). Do not modify the format of the template.
3. Enter individual rows for each employee with the data listed below. Refer to the Data Dictionary for definitions of each item. Each month must contain data on all state employees (filled positions), whether teleworking or not.
NOTE: Data submittals reflect planned telework schedules based on telework agreements. Submittals do not need to account for holidays or intermittent days off by individual employees.
4. Save the file with the following naming convention: XYZ_YYYYMM
“XYZ” is the Department initials, “YYYY” is the reporting year, and “MM” is the reporting month. For example, “DGS_202201” for January 2022 data from Department of General Services.
5. Submit your data file to DGS in the DGS Shared Services Portal using the Telework Dashboard Data catalog item in the Statewide Telework category.
NOTE: First, you will need to register with the DGS Shared Services Portal and request Access to Submit Data.
6. After you submit your data file, you will receive an email from the DGS Shared Services Portal that your submittal was received. Once processed, you will receive another email indicating that it was successful or rejected.
Commute calculator
The commute calculator is an excel workbook that can calculate miles and minutes between two addresses. It was designed to assist with preparing data for the data elements “One-way commute miles” and “One-way commute minutes”. Multiple addresses can be computed at once, which allows you to copy and paste large amounts of records and quickly get results.
Use the Commute Calculator Quick Guide to both access and learn how to use the commute calculator.
Data Submission Readiness
To talk about your department’s telework data submission readiness, login to the DGS Shared Services Portal, submit “Ask DGS a Telework Question” and select “Telework Data” as the question type. A telework program team member will then reach out to assist you.
Telework program evaluation requirements
Submission required by December 16, 2022
Departments should determine how they will evaluate their own programs. In addition to the goals outlined in the Statewide Telework Policy, departments should consider the additional costs and/or savings associated with implementation of telework. A survey covering the goals of the Statewide Telework Policy will be provided to departments. Departments must submit their evaluation methods and results to DGS annually.
Best practices for telework data collection
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- Keep it simple. Only collect the information necessary to compile the data, and only provide DGS with the information requested in the template.
- Provide accurate data without generalizations or assumptions. Remember the outcome of this data is publicly available.
- Always follow your department’s security protocols. Don’t put personally identifiable information (PII) into the data submitted to DGS.
Data Dictionary
Here are definitions for the various reporting data to be submitted to DGS.
Employee
For telework reporting purposes, “Employees” include all permanent and temporary state staff, such as retired annuitants.
Department organization code
Your department organization code is a four-digit number assigned to your department, office, commission, or bureau. To locate your department organization code, you may use the listing from the Department of Finance (DOF).
Reporting Year
The reporting year. For example, if submitting telework data for April 2022, you would enter “2022”.
Reporting Month
The reporting month. For example, if submitting telework data for April 2022, you would enter “4”.
Position Number
The 13-digit number for each employment position.
This information should be available from your Human Resources office. Additionally, employees can locate their position number on Cal Employee Connect. Once logged in, click on your name in the upper right-hand corner and select User Profile. You will find your Position Number under Employee Information. If you have not registered, please click the Register icon. The following information is needed to register: Department or Campus Name, Agency Code, Social Security Number, Date of Birth, Warrant Number or Direct Deposit Number, and Total Deductions.
Position numbers currently require inclusion of dashes. We are working to allow submission with or without dashes and will notify departments once both formats are available.
The full position number is required. The full position number facilitates the following types of reports and validations:
- Agency Code and Reporting Unit Code may be used to provide further detail regarding the utilization of telework across offices, programs, and locations. In addition, this information will assist in validating staff counts across the state.
- By providing the Serial Number value of the position number, it provides additional means to reconcile staff data against SCO records.
Collective Bargaining Unit Identifier (CBID)
The collective bargaining unit assigned to the employee.
Telework eligible
Enter “Y” if telework eligible. Enter “N” if not telework eligible. Refer to Eligibility and Participation for more information.
Average number of working days per week
The average number of working days per week based on employees’ work schedule.
Use “5” for a standard 5/4/40 work schedule
Use “4.5” for a 9/8/80 alternate work week schedule
Use “4” for a 4/10/40 alternate work week schedule
Use “3” for a part-time schedule 3 days per week, etc.
Average number of teleworking days per week
The average number of days within a one-week period that an employee teleworks from their designated alternate work location.
In the event an employee works from the office one day a month and teleworks on all other days, the employee’s average telework days per week would be 4.75, provided this follows their existing telework agreement schedule.
Incidental days in the office need not be reported.
Holidays or intermittent days off by individual employees do not need to be accounted for.
One-way commute miles
The one-way commute miles are the number of miles between an employee’s designated alternate work location or home address and the office.
Please report actual commute miles regardless of where staff reside throughout the state. The telework dashboard display accounts for outliers.
For assistance with calculating commute miles, please refer to the Commute Calculator.
One-way commute minutes
The one-way commute minutes are the number of minutes it takes an employee to travel from their designated alternate work location or home address to the office.
Please report actual commute minutes regardless of where staff reside throughout the state. The telework dashboard display accounts for outliers.
For assistance with calculating commute minutes, please refer to the Commute Calculator.
Office Zip Code
The Zip Code for employees’ office address.
Telework/Home Zip Code
The alternate work location Zip Code for teleworking employees, or the home Zip Code for non-teleworking employees.
UEID for Teleworking Staff
Unique Employee ID (UEID) is also called “Employee ID” in Section B. 02 of the Telework Agreement (STD 200). This data element is only required for teleworking staff. For new teleworking employees for whom the UEID is not yet available (before the first pay warrant has been issued) this field should be left blank.
Employees can locate their Employee ID on Cal Employee Connect. Once logged in, click on your name in the upper right-hand corner and select User Profile. You will find your unique Employee ID under Employee Information. If you have not registered, please click the Register icon. The following information is needed to register: Department or Campus Name, Agency Code, Social Security Number, Date of Birth, Warrant Number or Direct Deposit Number, and Total Deductions.
Individual employees are responsible for retrieving their own UEID as they complete their telework agreement.
Workday Telework Schedule - (Day): Telework, Office, Not Working
For each day of the week, Monday through Sunday, report if each employee is teleworking (T), working from the office (O), or not working (N).
If an employee is on an Alternate Work Week Schedule (AWWS), refer to the Employee’s agreed upon telework schedule in section C.4 of the Telework Agreement.
For staff that come into the office throughout the week when needed (on “random” days), mark each day that they may come into the office with an O (letter). This information will assist with determining the busiest in-office days but is not used in the statewide calculations for the average working days and average teleworking days.
Questions?
Contact Us with any questions regarding data collection or to request an overall demonstration on collecting and reporting telework data.
Office Hours
DGS hosts weekly Office Hours for Telework Coordinators to address telework program questions. Contact DGSTWCoordinator@dgs.ca.gov to request an invitation.