October 11, 2022
Good morning,
It has been over a month since the start of the DHHS Permanent Telework Policy on September 6. We are so grateful for everyone making this adjustment and showing grace in the process. We’ll continue to adapt our spaces, hybrid meeting recommendations, and other practices as we continue.
But we want to pause to say thank you: so far, so good.
In the meantime, we have heard that some workers and supervisors have experienced challenges in completing the DAFS Telework Authorization Form by October 7. The window for doing so was relatively short, with leave affecting timeliness for some. If you haven’t done so already, please complete the process as soon as possible.
We also have had confusion between the DHHS Telework Approval Form and the DAFS Telework Authorization Form. Some workers have re-submitted the DHHS Form rather than newly submitting the DAFS Form. The DAFS Form looks like this:
It can be found by searching “DAFS Works for ME” or visiting the DAFS worksforme page and then clicking “Submit or Review a Telework Authorization Request.” As a reminder, tips for DHHS employees can be found here.
It is a requirement that you fill out the DAFS Form if you are teleworking under the DHHS Telework Policy. It will be reviewed as part of your annual performance review. While we know it takes time and effort, we expect that the benefits of telework outweigh it.
Thanks, Jeanne
Jeanne M. Lambrew, PhD, Commissioner