As the fall semester approaches, all Georgia Tech staff should be preparing to work primarily on-site, whether at the Atlanta campus or one of our off-campus instructional or satellite locations. Our return to a fully collaborative campus environment reflects what we know: Our greatest strength is our people, working together in service to our students.  

The timeline below outlines important guidance and action steps specific to staff for navigating the transition for the 2025-26 academic year (AY26), where in-person work is the expectation beginning Aug. 1.  

• July 31: All staff telework requests are due in the new ServiceNow* system. Any preexisting teleworking agreements will expire, and all new telework requests for AY26 must be submitted in ServiceNow by 11:59 p.m. on July 31. 
  *GTRI will share additional system updates with their staff separately.
  
• Aug. 1: Staff begin working their unit’s in-person schedule, or one of the following: 
  • Their new hybrid or remote telework arrangement for AY26.  
  • A modified schedule while awaiting approval or denial of their ServiceNow telework arrangement request. 
  • Note: This excludes any individual circumstances related to family medical leave or a workplace accommodation for a disability.
• Aug. 15: All telework requests for AY26 should be addressed and resolved by unit leadership in ServiceNow. This includes final approvals, denials, and resubmissions. 

Units can work with their designated HR Partner to manage attendance concerns and scenarios that require additional considerations, e.g., workplace accommodations.  

Requesting a Telework Agreement   

The request process announced in May for telework requires multi-level approval via a ServiceNow submission based on predetermined criteria. Staff who submit a teleworking request should be prepared to provide a short description of how their requested arrangement would benefit the mission and business goals of the Institute. 

Telework agreements can be approved under limited circumstances following an approval process that includes:  

• Direct supervisor. 
• Department head/School chair.  
• Relevant cabinet member, dean, or vice provost.  
• Fully remote requests also require the approval of the chief human resources officer. 

Employees do not need to submit a request for telework if they are doing any of the following:  

• Adhering to their unit’s standard in-person work schedule (meaning their College, School, or unit/department’s regular, in-person, 40-hour per week schedule) with occasional, unscheduled remote workdays.   
• Working a temporary rotating office schedule during or after their department’s comprehensive workspace assessment by Infrastructure and Sustainability. 
• Received a short-term workplace accommodation through the Office of Equal Opportunity, Compliance, and Conflict Management that includes hybrid or remote work arrangements.

Visit the Georgia Tech telework website for more information and resources.