1 Computer and Information Systems



Messiah College

Cell Phone Policy

Updated: 5/21/15 and 5/5/11

Effective Date: 7/1/09

1 Introduction/Purpose

2 General Policy: Institutional Stipend

2.01 Employee Responsibilities

2.02 Guidelines to Receive a Stipend

2.03 Levels of Stipend Payment

2.04 Additional Policy Guidelines

3 Guidelines for Cell Phone Use

3.01 Personal Use

3.02 Institutional Benefit

3.03 Appropriate Use

3.04 Use of a Cell Phone While Operating a Vehicle

4 Departmental Provided Cell Phones

4.01 Service and Equipment Procurement

4.02 Monthly Billing Statements from the Carrier

4.03 Departmental Bill-back

4.04 Usage Tracking and Review

4.05 Personal Calls

5 Cell Phone and Data Card Loaner Pool

1 Introduction/Purpose

Based on job duties, certain employees may qualify for a stipend to cover the business use of personal cell phone plan purchases. Messiah College provides a non-compensatory allowance for those positions deemed by the Provost/respective Vice President to have substantial business purpose requiring use of a cell phone.

The stipend will be considered nontaxable income to the employee. The stipend payment will be determined by a person’s job duties as it relates to usage and access as determined by the area Vice President. The College will review and set the amounts to be provided for stipends and reimbursement on an annual basis.

2 General Policy: Institutional Stipend

This policy provides for an institutional stipend to cover required business use of personal cell phones for certain employees.

2.01 Employee responsibilities for Cell Phone: The employee will purchase cellular phone service and equipment and assume responsibility for vendor terms and conditions. The employee is responsible for plan choices, service levels, calling areas, service and phone features, termination clauses, and payment terms and penalties. The employee is also responsible for the purchase, loss, damage, insurance, and/or replacement of phone equipment. Additionally, the employee agrees to promptly report to their Division’s VP Office any updates or changes regarding cell phone numbers or plan changes that could impact carrying out the specified business purpose.

2.01.01 Smartphone purchase: It is recommended that an Android, iOS, or Windows smartphone be purchased for compatibility with campus systems. If VPN access is required or if a less known phone type is preferred, please consult with ITS.

2.01.02 Service discounts: The employee should check with ITS regarding the current availability of any institutional discounts. AT&T and Verizon both offer discounts to college employees.

02. Guidelines to receive a stipend or reimbursement for Cell Phones: Based on job duties, two categories are identified to determine if the employee should be provided funds to offset the cost of a personal cell phone and service.

2.02.01 Basic:

• Employee travels extensively for work and needs to be in contact with the College regularly; and/or

• Employee’s work requires consistent cell phone use across campus because employee’s work requires significant mobility;

• Employee needs to be reached regularly after hours; and/or

• Employee is expected to open, read and respond to email after hours on a consistent basis via his/her phone.

2.02.02 Extended:

• Employee travels for work and/or addresses significant issues for the College while away via his/her phone.

• Employee uses cell phone on campus to manage situations on a regular basis;

• Employee needs to be reachable nearly 24/7 for emergency situations, media issues, and crisis management; and/or

• Employee is expected to open, read and respond to email via his/her phone after business hours on a consistent basis.

• In addition, employee is expected to be able to download documents, draft correspondence and interface with websites via his/her phone on a regular basis.

2.02.03 Incidental or occasional Use: Reimbursement for business use of a personal device would be allowed on an as-incurred basis for all others. This would be in the form of a business related reimbursement request instead of a monthly stipend, and must be accompanied by documentation of the business purpose of all calls.

2.02.04 Occasional International Travel: ITS recommends that employees traveling internationally on an occasional basis should pick up a “disposable” or rental phone at the airport in the destination country. This is more economical than paying for international service and roaming charges.

2.03 Levels of stipend payment for Cell Phones: There are many carriers with varying plans for phone equipment and plan service. The payment levels are intended to cover a presumed level of business use of personally-owned service and equipment in keeping with institutional benefit. The policy assumes that for most employees the device will be used for both personal and business use; therefore the overall costs are shared.

2.03.01 Stipend Rates: Amounts listed in each category above will be reviewed and set annually by ITS and the Vice President for Finance & Planning. The stipend amounts will be listed on the annual review spreadsheet

2.04 Additional guidelines and information:

2.04.01 Nontaxable stipend: The stipend amount will be considered nontaxable income to the employee and added to each pay. It is the College’s intention to align its cell phone allowance program with the IRS’ “Substantial Non-compensatory Business Reasons Criteria” as well as other guidance provided by the IRS for parameters of nontaxable cell phone allowances.

The cell phone stipend is not compensation that is eligible for, or included in benefits based on percentage of compensation (retirement benefits, long-term disability, medical insurance premium share, etc.).

2.04.02 Budget accounts: The stipend will be charged to the cell phone stipend account (6152) in the employee’s org, while incidental use reimbursement will be charged to the telephone account (6380).

2.04.03 Cell Phone Stipend Request and Approval: The Cell Phone Stipend Request Form substantiates the non-compensatory business purpose for the allowance to be nontaxable to the recipient as well as a summary of terms and conditions of the program. This form is to be completed by the employee and area Vice President at the time the allowance is approved. The allowance will remain in effect until the payroll office is notified of a change. Updates or changes to cell phone service (phone numbers, voice/data vs. voice only, stipend amount, et cetera) will be reported promptly to the employee’s Division Vice President Office and to the Department of Safety and Dispatch Services.

Area Vice Presidents will be provided a list of cell phone recipients for review of business need and acknowledgement of authorization annually.

2.04.04 Change in employment: If the employee resigns, is terminated, transfers departments, or no longer qualifies for an institutional stipend; the department head will promptly notify the Payroll Office to discontinue the stipend payment.

2.04.05 Exceptions to standard stipend: There may be rare circumstances where the stipend level must be adjusted due to extenuating conditions. If evidence of ongoing documented business use of cell/data service is provided, the President or area Vice President will approve exceptions.

3 Guidelines for Cell Phone Use

3.01 Institutional benefit: The stipend agreement requires that the personally-owned device is available for business access. An employee receiving a stipend must maintain active cell phone service. The employee agrees to carry the cell phone with them, keep it charged and in operational condition, and be accessible for business use as required by their department head or supervisor.

3.02 Appropriate use: The employee agrees to use the phone in ways consistent with College policy and all applicable local, state or federal laws. Inappropriate and unlawful use of cell phone features, such as camera equipment, is prohibited.

3.03 Use while operating a vehicle: Cell phone users must be aware that state and municipal laws regarding the use of phones while driving vary widely by location. Regardless of the legality, use of phones while driving can cause hazardous distraction, especially in adverse weather, heavy traffic, or limited visibility.

4. Departmental Cell Phones

There are limited circumstances where a department may maintain one or more cell phones to assign to employees during their working or on-call hours only (i.e., Department of Safety personnel). The following guidelines apply to the administration and use of those cell phones:

4.01 Service and equipment procurement: ITS will arrange for service and phone equipment as appropriate.

4.02 Monthly billing statements from the carrier: ITS will process the carrier invoices for payment. When new service is ordered the department must provide the number to which all usage should be charged (the 4-digit org number plus cell phone stipend account number 6152).

4.03 Departmental bill back: ITS will allocate the full amount of each individual billing statement to the responsible departmental budget number on a monthly basis, and provide a copy of the billing detail to the departmental budget manager.

4.04 Usage tracking and review: The departmental budget manager should review monthly billing statements, confirm the usage charges, and any additional features or equipment included on the statement.

4.05 Personal calls: Personal calls are generally not permitted on departmentally-assigned cell phones. Unauthorized personal use of institutional cell phones will be subject to disciplinary action.

5 Cell Hot Spot Loaner Pool

ITS maintains a pool of data hot spots for use by employees who travel occasionally on College business. The hot spots make it possible to access the internet from a Wi-Fi enabled device over the cellular network. These devices are available on a first-come reservation basis. A fee of $1 per day and per minute fees based on call or usage time are charged to the department.

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