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Human Resources

Flexwork Tracker Definitions, Tools, Resources, and FAQs (for Faculty)

This page provides relevant definitions, tools, resources, and FAQs for faculty. Classified, administrative, and research employees should refer to the staff site. 

Important Notice: The Flexwork Tracker can be accessed through My Personal Information but will open in a new tab. In order for tab to open, your pop-up blocker must be turned off.

Only tenure-track, instructional, clinical and visiting faculty with benefits should use the Flexwork Tracker. Fixed-term instructors and early retirees do not need to report time using this tool. Faculty should only consider time spent working on their primary appointment when completing entries in the Flexwork Tracker; additional assignments and types of pay (summer contracts, overloads, etc.) are managed using other processes.   

Key Terms and Definitions

  • Flexwork Tracker:  A tool used by staff to report flexible time and location work arrangements that utilizes such information to correctly withhold taxes based on where work is performed.  While faculty are not required to use the tool to report flexible time work arrangements, they do need to use the tool if they regularly perform work in a location other than their primary work location. This tool will help ensure taxes are being withheld appropriately throughout the year and may help faculty avoid seeking refunds and making payments to multiple states and/or municipalities at the end of the tax year.
  • Workday: As defined in O.R.C section 718.011 (B)(2) is where an employee spends the majority of the day performing personal services. When utilizing the Flexwork Tracker, faculty and staff should base their percentage of time reported in whole workdays. For example: If a faculty member works five hours doing research and grading from home, but comes to campus to teach a two-hour course, the workday should be considered a day working remotely from home since the majority of the day was spent working from home.
  • Primary Work location: As defined in O.R.C. section 718.011 (A) (7) is the fixed location to which an employee is required to report for employment duties on a regular and ordinary basis. For faculty, this is typically the primary campus on which you teach. 
  • ·         Occasional entrant into an Ohio Municipality: As defined in O.R.C. section 718.011 (B)(1), an employer is not required to withhold municipal income tax on qualifying wages paid to an employee for the performance of personal services in a municipal corporation that imposes such a tax if the employee performed such services in the municipal corporation on 20 or fewer days in a calendar year. This means if you work in a municipality for less than 20 days in a year, you do not need pay taxes to that municipality or reflect work in those municipalities in your Flexwork Tracker.
  • Flexplace: When some or all work hours are completed at a location other than at a campus workspace.
  • Remote Work: When some or all work hours are completed at location other than a campus workspace, typically at the individual's home. If you have a regular, remote work location in a municipality different from the city in your home address, you should contact University Human Resources (email: uhr@ohio.edu) for assistance before completing a Flexwork Tracker record.  
  • Hybrid Work Arrangement: When some work is completed at a campus workspace and some work is completed remotely.

Tools and Resources

Frequently Asked Questions

If I am a faculty member that lives and works in the same location (e.g., live and work in the City of Athens), do I need to complete the flex work tracker?

No. You are not required to complete a Flexwork Tracker if you are a faculty member who lives and works in the same location (within the city limits).

If I am traveling to a conference or conducting research, do I need to take such trips into account when creating my Flexwork Tracker record? Do I need to update my record if a conference or trip to conduct research comes up?

No. Short term travel for work-related reasons does not create a tax liability in other states or municipalities and does not need to be accounted for in the Flexwork Tracker.

If I am on some sort of leave (including Faculty Fellowship Leave) do I need to update my Flexwork Tracker record?

No. Going on leave doesn’t change your tax withholding obligations—you are required to continue to pay taxes as you normally would before for the leave. Your Flexwork Tracker record should remain the same during the leave; you may need to update it after your return to work if your regular arrangement changes upon your return. 

Are there any special considerations for 9-month faculty who are paid over 12 months (9/12 faculty)?

Yes.  9/12 faculty should create a Flexwork Tracker record for summer if their arrangements and records differed for fall and spring semesters. 

 

The money that you receive during the summer is simply salary that you have deferred since it was earned during the fall and spring semesters and should be taxed based upon where you were working when it was earned.  Use the “Percentage of Time Calculator” tool (link available in “Tools and Resources” section) to calculate the percentage that you should report for summer in the Flexwork Tracker to ensure your deferred pay is tax appropriately.

I am a faculty member who spends all day on campus Tuesday and Thursday teaching, meeting with students and colleagues, and I perform office duties, class preparation, and research at my home office for the remainder of the week. How do I report my flex work arrangement?

The above scenario would be hybrid arrangement with 2 days onsite and 3 days at home. Any foreseeable and predictable changes to the schedule should be updated in the Flexwork Tracker. Occasional unpredictable variations totaling less than 20 days in a year would not warrant updates to the tracker.

I am a faculty member who lives in Chillicothe and teaches full time on the Chillicothe campus. However, I am required to come to the Athens campus once per month for all day meetings. Do I need to report the time spent working in Athens in the Flex tracker?

No. Because you do not have a foreseeable and predictable expectation to work more than 20 days in Athens, you do not need to report this time.

If for some reason you exceed 20 days unexpectedly, please contact UHR to discuss adjusting your withholdings accordingly.

When do I need to update my Flexwork Tracker?

Anytime you have a foreseeable, predictable change in your work location or schedule the Flexwork Tracker should be updated.  For many faculty, this may mean completing a new Flexwork Tracker record at the beginning of each new semester.

 

For example:

If you normally work 2 days on campus and 3 days at home and your schedule changes from 3 days on campus and 2 days at home, then the Flexwork Tracker should be updated before the new schedule begins.

 

Or:

 

You normally work from the Athens campus 2 days per week, the Chillicothe campus 1 day per week, and at home 2 days per week during fall semester. During spring semester, your schedule changes to 2 days a week at the Athens campus and work 3 days from home. In this case, you should update your Flexwork Tracker record before the start of spring semester.

How do I determine the percentage of time I work in each location if I work in multiple locations in one day?

The percentage of time worked in each location should be based on the number of days worked in each location as defined in the O.R.C Section 718.01 (B) (2). A workday location is defined as the site where the employee spends the majority of the workday performing services for the University.

As determined by O.R.C Section 718.01(B)(2) (a-b), travel time between locations should be counted towards consideration of the time spent at the primary work location. For example, a person may work 4 hours on the Athens campus and travel to the Dublin campus to work for 4 hours. The time spent travelling from Athens to Dublin would count towards time spent working in Athens at the employee's primary work location. The majority of the day would have been worked in Athens and should be counted as a day worked in Athens when calculating your overall percentages for the Flexwork Tracker.  

What if I move but my flex work arrangement remains the same do I need to update the Flex Tracker?

Your Flexwork Tracker would remain the same, but your address should be updated and a new federal (W-4) and state withholding certificate (tax form) should be submitted with the effective date of your change in work location.

          More information about updating your address can be found by visiting: https://www.ohio.edu/hr/resources/address-update.

When I create or update my record in the Flexwork Tracker, is it immediately applied to my tax records?

No. First, your supervisor of record (for most faculty, this is the department chair or school director) must approve your entry in the system.  They will receive an email, from which they can approve your record, when you complete your entry.

          Once approved, your tax records will be updated before the next regularly scheduled payroll processing date. Visit this link for information about payroll processing dates: https://www.ohio.edu/hr/compensation-pay/payroll-schedules.

My schedule changed, and I forgot to update my Flexwork Tracker until now. What do I do?

Update your record in the Flexwork Tracker using today’s date. You must contact payroll@ohio.edu if you need to make retroactive adjustments to your records.

I have questions about my situation or how to determine what to report. Is someone available to discuss my situation and determine what to report?

Yes. Nick Wortman, Senior Director of HR Services (wortmann@ohio.edu), or Robert Payne, Director of Payroll and Tax Services (payner1@ohio.edu), is happy to answer any questions you may have about reporting remote work in the Flexwork Tracker.  Please feel free to email questions or schedule a TEAMS meeting via Outlook.