## 1. Eligibility

Remote work is available to permanent employees who have completed their 90-day
onboarding period and whose role can be performed remotely without significant
impact to team operations, client service, or regulatory compliance.

Roles that require regular on-site presence (lab work, physical equipment
operation, in-person client service) are not eligible for full-time remote work.
Hybrid arrangements for these roles are evaluated case by case by the employee's
manager and HR.

Employees on a performance improvement plan are not eligible for remote work
until the plan is successfully completed.

## 2. Approved Work Locations

### Primary Location
Employees must designate a primary work address and notify HR of changes within
10 business days. The primary address determines payroll tax jurisdiction.

### Home Office Requirements
The home office must:
- Have reliable internet (minimum 25 Mbps download, 10 Mbps upload)
- Provide a quiet, distraction-controlled environment during core hours
- Meet applicable health and safety standards (adequate lighting, ergonomic
  seating)
- Be a private space where confidential information cannot be overheard

### Co-Working Spaces
Employees may work from co-working spaces approved by IT. Public Wi-Fi use
requires a VPN connection at all times. Company data must not be visible or
accessible to other co-working space occupants.

### International Work
Employees wishing to work from outside their home country for more than 14
consecutive days must request approval at least 30 days in advance from HR and
Legal. Approval requires assessment of:
- Tax implications for the employee and company
- Employment law requirements in the destination country
- Data sovereignty requirements for the employee's role
- Business registration risk

Short-term travel (under 14 days) does not require pre-approval but must not
conflict with attendance requirements.

## 3. Availability Expectations

### Core Hours
All remote employees are expected to be available for synchronous communication
during core hours: 10:00 AM – 3:00 PM in their designated time zone.

Outside core hours, employees are expected to respond to messages within
4 business hours. Urgent issues marked with [URGENT] in Slack require response
within 1 hour during the employee's working day.

### Meeting Attendance
Remote employees are expected to attend scheduled team meetings with camera on
unless they have a documented reason. Meeting links are sent at least 24 hours
in advance. Employees who cannot attend must notify the organizer in advance
and review the recording or notes within 1 business day.

### Availability Signals
Employees must keep their Slack status up to date:
- Active (green): available for real-time communication
- Focus (moon icon): in deep work, respond within 2 hours
- Away: on break, respond at return
- Do Not Disturb: set only for personal time outside working hours

Employees must update their calendar with working hours and vacation days so
teammates can see availability without asking.

## 4. Equipment and Expense Policy

### Company-Provided Equipment
The company provides:
- A primary laptop appropriate to the employee's role
- Standard peripherals: mouse, keyboard, USB hub
- A display (one 24" or equivalent) for roles requiring extended screen time

Company equipment remains company property and must be returned upon separation.
Damage caused by negligence may be charged to the employee.

### Home Office Stipend
Employees receive a one-time home office setup stipend of $800 upon joining,
for equipment not covered above (monitor, desk chair, desk, lighting).
Receipts must be submitted within 90 days. Stipend is taxable as income.

### Monthly Internet Reimbursement
The company reimburses $50/month toward home internet costs. Submit receipts
quarterly via the expense system. Business-class upgrades are not reimbursed.

### Co-Working Space Reimbursement
The company reimburses co-working day passes up to $200/month with manager
approval and a receipt. Monthly co-working memberships up to $300/month require
advance manager approval.

## 5. Security Requirements

### Device Requirements
All devices used for company work must:
- Run a supported operating system with current security patches
- Have full-disk encryption enabled (FileVault on macOS, BitLocker on Windows)
- Have a lock screen that activates after 5 minutes of inactivity
- Have the company MDM profile installed (enrollment via [link])
- Not be shared with household members for work purposes

### Network Security
- VPN is required when working from any non-home network (coffee shops,
  hotels, co-working spaces, airports)
- Home networks must use WPA2 or WPA3 encryption
- Default router passwords must be changed

### Data Handling
- Company data must not be stored on personal cloud storage (personal Google
  Drive, Dropbox free accounts, iCloud)
- Customer PII may not be stored on local drives; use approved company systems
- Physical documents containing confidential information must be shredded

### Incident Reporting
Lost or stolen devices must be reported to IT within 2 hours of discovery.
IT will initiate a remote wipe. Reporting delays may result in disciplinary action.

## 6. Performance and Accountability

Remote work does not change performance expectations. Employees are evaluated
on outcomes, deliverables, and team collaboration — not hours online.

### What Managers Track
- Output quality and delivery against agreed deadlines
- Responsiveness within stated availability windows
- Active participation in team communication and review processes
- Completion of required check-ins (weekly 1:1s, team standups)

### What Managers Do Not Track
- Screen time, keylogging, or activity monitoring software is not used
- Time logged in work applications is not tracked as a performance metric
- Employees are trusted to manage their time within output expectations

### Check-In Requirements
Employees must complete:
- Weekly written status update (async, in designated channel) by Friday 5pm
- Monthly 1:1 with direct manager
- Quarterly goal review with manager

## 7. Policy Violations

Violations of this policy are handled through the company's standard progressive
discipline process:

**First violation**: Verbal discussion with manager, coaching on expectations
**Second violation**: Written warning, documented in employee file
**Serious violations** (security incidents, unauthorized international work,
data mishandling): may result in immediate escalation to termination review,
regardless of prior history

Employees are encouraged to raise concerns about policy clarity with their
manager or HR before violations occur.