Conditions

A number of requirements must be met for remote working in Switzerland or the employee's country of residence. The below mentioned conditions are relevant for all employees who work remotely. In addition, the conditions as described on working in an international context apply.

If the official residence is outside Switzerland, we refer to the principles mentioned on remote work in the country of residence - for cross-border commuters.

Working remotely in Switzerland or from the country of residence must be discussed with and approved by the employee’s supervisor.
It should be noted that the employee’s tasks, working environment and job design, as well as any operational procedures that apply to them, must be suitable for remote work. Find further guiding questions in Support.
Employees and supervisors discuss the options for working remotely from Switzerland or from the country of residence and agree on the conditions. For regular home office we recommend the use of the agreement for working remotely from the country of residence (edit in Adobe Acrobat: Right-click on link > ‘save as’ > open in Adobe Acrobat), especially when the country of residence is abroad.
Permission for working remotely can be withdrawn by their supervisor within a reasonable period of at least one month if circumstances have changed or if legal reasons prevent remote working.

Employees and supervisors are advised to discuss their experiences with working remotely in the annual appraisal interview and to make adjustments if necessary.

The regulations relating to personnel law under the Personnel Ordinance for the ETH Domain (external page PO-ETH) apply.
The provisions of the Swiss Employment Act must be complied with, specifically those regarding maximum daily working hours, required rest periods, breaks and regulations regarding night work and working on Sundays. Remote work must be conducted during the usual operating hours.
The working hours for working at home are to be recorded according to the same rules as those used for work at the contractually agreed workplace.

Employees are responsible for complying with data security requirements, including when they are working remotely. In particular the regulations of the external page PO-ETH (professional, commercial and official confidentiality), the ETH Zurich Acceptable Use Policy for Telematics Resources (BOT) and the IT Best Practice Rules apply.

The existing ETH telematics resources are to be used when working remotely, meaning that any infrastructure costs are already covered.

Employees working from home regularly must have access to a working environment in which they are able to work efficiently and maintain their concentration without being disturbed.
Employees should check their workspace at home in terms of ergonomics.
A secure and efficient connection with the ETH server environment must be guaranteed at all times.

Employees must ensure that they can be contacted by e-mail, telephone and/or other technological means during the usual operating hours.
Employees must be present at the ETH workplace on days on which regular meetings and events are scheduled.