Purpose

Itals Group and its Brands considers telecommuting to be a viable, flexible work option when both the employee and the job are suited to such an arrangement. Telecommuting may be appropriate for some employees and jobs but not for others.

The purpose of this procedure is to:

• Provide guidelines for employees while working away from the office.
• Outline and apply the requirements of home or temporary workspaces as they pertain to relevant health and safety legislation guidelines.

Procedure

• With the approval of the relevant manager, Itals Group and its Brands may permit some employees to telecommute on a temporary basis if their role requires regular travel to meet with clients or vendors and during extraordinary circumstances.
• It is the expectation of Itals Group and its Brands that the employee will properly secure all assets and any confidential information that they have in their possession and are using on behalf of Itals Group and its Brands.
• Itals Group and its Brands will provide the necessary tools for the employee to telecommute, but there is an expectation that the employee will take all necessary steps to ensure that their workspace is free from any physical hazards and will be set up such that it will prevent any injury to the employee.
• Specific considerations for setting up the remote workspace should include:

1. A workspace that is easily accessible without physical hazards within or on route to the workspace.
2. Proper ergonomic setup of the workspace to avoid any repetitive strain injuries.

• Itals Group and its Brands will reimburse the employee for business-related expenses, such as telecommunications costs (telephone, internet, etc.) that are reasonably incurred in carrying out the employee’s job.
• The employee is committed to their normal hours of work and to performing their work efficiently and diligently.
• Telecommuting does not change the number of hours worked regularly under the employment contract.
• The objectives set out in the performance program and career plan remain in effect and each employee must ensure that they meet those requirements.
• Employees should continue to take regular breaks from their work to stretch and move around in order to prevent repetitive strains.
• If an employee is travelling to pick up supplies for their remote worksite or to meet a client or vendor while telecommuting, they will be covered by worker’s compensation in the event of an injury.
• Employees should only use a Itals Group and its Brands computer and should ensure that all connections to Itals Group and its Brands intranet sites and documentation are through a secure internet connection.
• If an employee suspects that there has been a breach of privacy or the work that they were completing may have been compromised, this needs to be reported to their manager right away so that Itals Group and its Brands can minimize the impact of such breach.