Difference between revisions of "Teleworking FAQs"

Latest revision as of 11:30, 17 November 2020

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)

I need to work from home. What do I need to start teleworking?

Talk to your supervisor. You and your supervisor will need to discuss this option as it relates to your job duties, responsibilities and expectations. Your Supervisor will need to make the request to the Technology Support Center and provide some information about your computing and resource access needs. In general, you’ll need a computer with a web browser and reliable internet access. The internet access that you use should be secure, meaning that you should have to provide a password to connect to the wired or wireless connection that you’re going to use. Never log into a publicly available network, like at a coffee shop or airport.

Does the college have a teleworking policy?

Yes, during the Covid-19 crisis, college leadership has implemented an Interim Telework Policy.

What other resources are available for working from home?

During the Covid-19 crisis, a Working Remotely website has been created with helpful tips and information about your home workspace and ergonomics.

What if I need additional equipment, services or software?

Talk to your Supervisor. You and your supervisor will need to discuss your needs and what is available for you to take home. If something new needs to be purchased, your supervisor must submit a New Technology Request form.

What productivity tools and resources are available for staff?

• Secure remote desktop access from a browser to your office computer. This will give you access to all the resources you currently use, including Banner.
• Microsoft Office 365 – particularly OneDrive for file sharing, Word and Excel in the cloud
• Zoom for group and individual (video) conference calls, chat and virtual meetings.
• If you require a Zoom Pro license you can request it from the Tech Support Center.
• Canvas for teaching and learning.

Is there any special training being provided about the productivity tools and resources?

Yes! Keep Working workshops are being offered at this time. Visit the Keep Working website for more information.

Do I need remote desktop access to work from home?

No. Not everyone needs remote desktop access. Most Evergreen staff can already access a lot of resources on various publicly accessible websites. If you are an AdminApps (Banner – formerly Oracle forms) and/or AdminWeb user - you’ll know what these mean - and you will need remote desktop access for sure. If you are going to work with sensitive or confidential college information, particularly personally identifiable data, you will need remote desktop access. If not, chances are that you’ll find everything you need at the locations listed below. You’ll be asked to enter your Evergreen login credentials.

Your “My Evergreen” page (at my.evergreen.edu) is the primary portal for all Evergreen computing resources. These are some of the resources you’ll find there:

• Help.evergreen.edu is the primary portal for getting technical assistance from the Technology Support Center and the technology Knowledge Base.
• Office.com is the primary location to work in Word, Excel, etc.
• www.evergreen.edu/webmail is the best location to access your email. Email Help

If I do need to use remote desktop, what do I need to know?

Your supervisor needs to submit a request to the Tech Support Center to give you remote access to your desktop. Once access is granted, you will receive an email with detailed instructions about how to access the service called MyWorkstation. Please refer to Guidelines for Using My Workstation for additional information, including how to use a Mac to remote access your windows office machine.

What if I need remote access, but don't have an office desktop? I only have a college-issued laptop to do my work.

Your supervisor needs to submit a request to the Tech Support Center to give you remote access. Once access is granted, you will receive an email with detailed instructions about how to access a service called MyRemoteApps. Please refer to Guidelines for Using My Workstation for additional information.

How do I access my office file shares on Hurricane?

You can access your personal (H) drive and work unit (O) drives at files.evergreen.edu. Please be aware that if you are not doing remote desktop, you will be downloading documents directly to your computer. You should not download anything that contains sensitive or confidential data, particularly personally identifiable data, to your computer.

How do I talk and chat with my colleagues?

Zoom is a great way to communicate with your colleagues. You can hold virtual meetings via a conference call with one or many people. Other options are your college email and telephone calls. Zoom is the official tool for Evergreen. We don't recommend using other tools because we will not be able to help you with them.

What do I do about my office phone?

Please consider turning on auto-reply utilizing the message below if appropriate, or adapting as needed per instructions from your supervisor.  It will help send a consistent message to everyone that tries to reach you.

Example auto-reply:

"Thank you for your message. The Evergreen State College is open with modified operations in an effort to keep our campus community healthy,

and to do our part in reducing the local spread of COVID-19.  I am working remotely until further notice. I am checking my email daily and phone messages

regularly; however due to the high volume, there may be a delay in answering your questions. Please know that I will do my best to answer you in a timely

manner. Evergreen’s website is updated regularly with the latest information on college operations and spring quarter instruction."

How should I manage my voicemail messages?

My Voicemail is a new app available in Office 365 when you sign in using your Evergreen account. After entering your telephone extension and PIN, you'll be able to see a listing of all of your voicemail messages along with the ability to manage them and your voicemail box. 

The best thing that you could do is listen to your messages as soon as possible and then delete them.  However, voicemail can be considered an official college record - depending on the content of the recorded message. It's up to you to retain the messages that you believe are subject to the colleges records retention schedules. Please refer to Records Management for more information.

For more instructions about using voicemail visit Voicemail.

How long are voicemail messages available? 

Messages left in your voicemail box are only retained for 99 days. That means that messages older than 99 days are automatically deleted - whether you've listened to them or not. If you delete a message, it will permanently delete in 48 hours.  Once a message has been deleted, it cannot be retrieved. We cannot retrieve deleted messages for records retention or public records requests from this system. If you have a voicemail message that must be retained longer than 99 days, please contact the Tech Support Center for assistance at help.evergreen.edu.

How do I learn more about Zoom?

Visit Zoom's Getting Started page.

Here are some tips for using Zoom when logged into a remote desktop:

• Minimize your remote desktop session.
• Use a browser on your local machine to access email and launch Zoom.
• You can then plug headset and mic into your local machines ports.
• Or use the local machines speakers and integrated mic (on a laptop).

On a cell phone or mobile device (Android or Apple/iOS):

• Download the Zoom app
  • Open the Zoom app
  • Enter the meeting code and click join!
• Or, if you have a college cell phone with the Zoom and Outlook app:
  • Go to the calendar and find the meeting
  • Click the Zoom link in the meeting
  • It will ask if you want to join via browser or Zoom app
  • Join the meeting!

If you're a meeting host, you should be familiar with Zoom Security - Best Practices for Scheduling Meetings.

How do I learn more about Office 365?

Visit the Office 365 Training Center.