The guidelines below are for University employees working both in the office and remotely.

Meeting guidelines

Care must be exercised to manage and protect privacy during meetings held remotely. Whether you are the host or a participant, take note of these policies for enhancing confidentiality:

Meetings should be held online via Teams meeting, regardless of whether you are working from the office or from home.
Employees joining online meetings from the office should stay in their designated cubicle/workspace.
To learn more about hybrid meetings, see:
- Microsoft’s hybrid meeting overview
- What to do before, during, and after hybrid meetings
Employees with a Skype for Business telephone extension can use Skype for Business to make or receive on-campus and off-campus calls. Read more about using Skype for Business for collaboration.

Work equipment guidelines

To support a flexible workspace both at home and in the office, IST recommends University employees receive a laptop computer and one docking station.

University-owned equipment

Computers that have been shut off (or managed Windows machines used at home without VPN) for 3+months should be updated by your IT support staff before it is used for work, to ensure proper functioning and security. Contact your IT support staff for assistance.

If you have a University-owned desktop

Your desktop should remain in the office. To connect to your desktop from an off-campus computer, first connect to the VPN, then connect to your machine using remote desktop.
Desktop computers that have been taken home should be returned to the office once you begin working on campus regularly again.

If you have a University-owned laptop

Do not allow family members or others to use your UW computer.
Use your laptop to work flexibly from the office or while working from home.
Additional benefits of using a laptop vs. a desktop:
- IT sustainability - using a single work device has lower overall energy expenditure in comparison to using multiple devices for a remote desktop setup.
- User workflow - using a University-provided laptop eliminates the need to use remote desktop in most cases; users can access software directly on their laptop.

Secure computing practices

Review the guidelines for working from home securely
Learn about cyber security threats and how to prevent them

Additional Resources

Work from Home (WFH) Guidelines