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Â鶹´«Ã½

The University of Â鶹´«Ã½

Guidelines for Employee and Faculty Smartphones

Forms

 

Should a University paid/reimbursed smartphone be provided?

University of Â鶹´«Ã½ smartphones (or reimbursement of a portion of a personal smartphone) should only be provided to an employee when the demands of that employees’ position requires the use of a smartphone.  In general, this means the following:

  • The job (during normal business hours) requires the employee to regularly be out of their office but accessible or connected via phone or email
  • The job requires the employee to be available for work related calls or emails frequently after normal business hours
  • In general, only staff at a Director, Dean or higher level in the University would meet these requirements

A written justification and the approval of the VP responsible for the area is required to provide a smartphone for a staff member below the Dean or Director level.

 

Request Process

For new activations, upgrades, transfers or cancellations, contact the Service Desk to open a ticket.  A TSC technical analyst will contact you to discuss options and cost.

Once a decision has been made, you will be required to submit a “Smartphone Device Request Authorization Form” and a signed “Smartphone User Agreement Form”, which needs the approval of your Supervisor/Executive Director/Dean.

A scanned copy of the completed forms should be sent via Email to servicedesk@uwinnipeg.ca.

 

Smartphone Device Plans and Upgrades

Our current Smartphone plans are 2 – years in duration.  Upgrades are available after the completion of the 2 – year term.  Upgrades may be permitted earlier if the smartphone is lost or deemed unusable.

 

Device Options

The University of Â鶹´«Ã½ offers 3 – Smartphone brands.  The base models are at a reasonable expense level and are deemed to be sufficient for most University of Â鶹´«Ã½ needs.  If an employee wishes to acquire a smartphone above the base model listed below, a written justification for such an upgrade must be provided outlining the reasons the upgraded model is required to perform their University of Â鶹´«Ã½ job duties.  The written justification will first have to be approved by the individual’s Supervisor/Manager/Director/Chair, then final approval must be acquired from the VP Finance and Administration before the upgraded device will be allowed.

Current smartphone brand/model selections are:

  • Apple
    • iPhone 14 – 128 GB
  •  Apple
    • iPhone SE – 64 GB (3rd Generation)
  •  Samsung
    • Galaxy S24 – 128 GB

Smartphone User Agreement

The “Smartphone User Agreement Form” must be read and signed.  This form includes, but is not limited to, usage, care of the device, contract cancellation, and travel outside of the country.  The device is owned by the University of Â鶹´«Ã½ and must be returned to the university upon resignation, end of employment, termination of contract and upgrades.  The use of this device should adhere to the terms of the “Acceptable Use of Information Technology Policy”. 

Supervisor/Manager/Director/Chair responsibilities:

  • Ensure that the device purchase complies with University of Â鶹´«Ã½ guidelines.
  • Ensure that any claims submitted for payment or reimbursement include appropriate supporting documentation.
  • Review invoices and obtain reimbursements for any personal use of the device that result in noticeable incremental costs to the university.
  • Ensure that the device model and service plan are chosen based on business requirements and cost effectiveness.
  • Review invoices and take appropriate action if needed if invoices are over $50.00.

 

Employee/Faculty responsibilities:

  • Safeguard the device and control its use. The use of a passcode to ensure encryption of data on device is mandatory.
  • Reimburse the University for any personal use of the device that results in noticeable incremental costs.
  • Avoid using the device under any circumstances when use might create or appear to create a hazard, including use while operating a motor vehicle.
  • Immediately report the theft of the device to TSC and to the service provider.
  • Promptly return the device including AC adapter and cables to the university upon resignation, end of employment, termination of contract and upgrades. The device is owned by the University of Â鶹´«Ã½ and must be returned.  All security features need to be turned OFF, this includes the Passcode, Find My iPhone, etc.
  • Do not allow device use to adversely affect the performance of official duties.

 

Travel outside of Canada:

Anyone traveling outside of Canada with a Smartphone must fill out a Travel Request and Authorization form prior to travel.  Travel is now based on the amount you use and TSC will provide you with that information when you fill out the form.  The Supervisor/Manager/Director/Chair must provide approval on the “Travel Request and Authorization Form [PDF]” for the costs prior to travel. 

 

Transfer of Ownership

At the sole discretion of the University, an employee may be allowed to purchase the University of Â鶹´«Ã½ device at fair market value and transfer the phone number into his/her own name when they depart the University.  The device value would be determined by the University of Â鶹´«Ã½ Director of Purchasing Services and the device transfer would occur based on agreed upon terms between both parties in accordance with the Disposal of Surplus Assets Procedures.

 

Personal Devices

(Please Note: the following is subject to change)

Departments can reimburse an employee who qualifies for a University provided cellphone/smartphone for the use of their personal cellphone/smartphone for University of Â鶹´«Ã½ business up to $50.00 per month (subject to change). This is at the discretion of the Supervisor/Manager/Director/Chair.  The University of Â鶹´«Ã½ will not reimburse the user more than the actual charges incurred. 

The University of Â鶹´«Ã½ will not pay for the purchase, replacement or subsidize the cost of any device and is not responsible for any issues that may arise with the user’s device.  Costs associated with travel would also be the user’s responsibility.  The University of Â鶹´«Ã½ is not responsible for any damages, possible viruses, or extra charges (including roaming charges resulting from travel for University of Â鶹´«Ã½ business).  Further, the user acknowledges that they have a secure passcode to lock their device to protect any University of Â鶹´«Ã½ information on the device.  Employees need to fill out the “Personal Device Reimbursement Form” requesting to use their personal devices. Completed forms should be submitted via email to: servicedesk@uwinnipeg.ca. Please contact Accounts Payable for the procedure for processing the reimbursement.

Devices used for University business and research are required to be safe-guarded using a secure passcode to ensure that information is protected, even if the devices and services are not paid for by the University. 

The University of Â鶹´«Ã½ can terminate this agreement with the user at any time and is subject to change.

 

Billing

Departments can view their bills electronically so that the Supervisor/Manager/Director/Chair can monitor usage and costs of the device in a timely manner.  Pro-active review of usage reports included in the bills will help the department heads in identifying devices that are no longer in use and may need to be decommissioned.

 

Decommissioning

It is the responsibility of the Supervisor/Manager/Director/Chair to notify TSC to decommission and remove from billing, the devices that are no longer in use. Devices and accessories are to be returned by the employees to their department and must be turned over to TSC. All security features need to be turned OFF, this includes the Passcode, Find My iPhone, etc. Departments should also verify their General Ledger’s (GL’s) to ensure that the requests have been completed.