CMU employees to receive cell phones

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Qualifying Central Michigan University employees will receive cell phones in compliance with the updated cell phone allowance policy.

The new policy will be effective July 1, and varies from the previous policy, which allowed employees to be reimbursed for business calls on their personal cell phones, said Kim Wagester, manager of payroll and travel services.

“There are too many phones to handle auditing all that,” Wagester said. “Liability was getting to be more and we needed to make changes.”

The new policy puts the payment responsibility directly in the hands of the employee. This modification follows the Internal Revenue Service regulations that require documentation for business calls from personal phones.

Money used for an employee’s compensation will still come from the appropriate department where he or she works. The new policy provides a different way to reimburse the business-related expense and does not cost the university more to execute, Wagester said.

“I think it benefits anyone working on campus,” said Brad Crawford, Assistant Food Service Manager.

According to the CMU website, those who partake in this policy will receive payment by way of an allowance through his or her paychecks. The amount chosen will not affect one’s base pay or benefits. It remains solely a part of the pay cycle.

Eligible workers include anyone who requires cell phone or other portable telecommunication devices in order to perform job duties. This includes those who need to remain accessible throughout the work day or outside the workplace. While many employees may use cell phones for work use, only particular faculty members will qualify.

The decision to grant an employee the cell phone allowance is determined on a case-by-case scenario at each department. To acquire this privilege, the employee, along with their direct manager or supervisor and the senior officer of that department, must sign off on the proper document, Wagester said.

Although the employee’s department will pay the portion of the bill that is allotted for work use, the cell phone must be personally purchased by the employee and fall under the responsibility of the holder, the CMU Web site states. This means that if the phone breaks or is damaged, whether or not at work, any cost to repair or replace the device will be in the hands of the employee.

Department approval is obtained by filling out the Business Expense Cell Phone Policy Agreement form.

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