Update on Work and Leave Provisions for Faculty and Staff, Effective August 10, 2020

8/7/20; 1:10PM

Colleagues,

On July 29, 2020, we communicated updated UNC System Office work and leave guidance to be effective August 1, 2020 and until further revised or rescinded (read the July 29 memo here).

This communication serves as an update to reflect recent developments and to provide additional guidance effective August 10, 2020. 

The pay and leave provisions outlined in our July 29 communication remain unchanged and are summarized here.

On Aug. 5, 2020, Governor Cooper extended Phase II of the State Phased Reopening Plan, which you can read here. This means, in part, that we will continue to maximize teleworking to the extent possible. We do, however, expect campus operational level and on-campus staffing needs to continue evolving rapidly in the coming weeks.

  • Departments are encouraged to continue to utilize teleworking whenever possible but are permitted to alter existing telework agreements as necessary to meet on-campus operational needs.
  • Please recall that all teleworking agreements must be documented with the Office of Human Resources and any changes require the submission of a new agreement.
  • Teleworking guidelines can be found here.
  • The teleworking agreement form is now an online web form and it can be accessed here.

During our phased return to on-campus work, we will continue to provide special consideration to employees who are determined to be high risk for experiencing complications from contracting COVID-19, as defined here by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

The following employees should complete the High-Risk Form located on the Office of Human Resources COVID-19 website:

  • Employees who are asked to return to on-campus work and who may need consideration related to an underlying health condition, or
  • Employees who have other circumstances that may affect their ability to return to work on campus or to comply with workplace safety requirements.

All on campus work will be required to strictly follow published App State and UNC System return-to-work safety guidance, including:

  • Departmental staffing plans must ensure proper social distancing that may include continuing teleworking plans, staggering work shifts, alternating work days and other strategies.
  • Staff and faculty must coordinate their return to campus with their supervisor or department chair. This is to ensure that each unit is coordinating schedules and communicating as fluidly as possible.
  • All employees must comply with the university policy on face coverings, which you can read here.
  • Prior to returning to campus, staff and faculty must complete an online training course, Pandemics: Slowing the Spread.  The training takes approximately 20 minutes to complete and is available online now.  To access the training:
    • Log-in to your AppalNet account and select the “Employee” tab.
    • Scroll to the bottom of the page and select “Online Health and Safety Training Courses.”
    • Select “go to Vivid.”
    • Choose “Pandemics: Slowing the Spread.”

After completing the course, staff and faculty should download the Certificate of Completion PDF and email it to their supervisor. Supervisors should confirm successful completion before permitting an employee to return to campus.

App State Return-to-Work safety guidance may be found here.

UNC System Return-to-Work safety guidance may be found here.

 

Please watch closely for additional updates and direct any questions you may have to the Office of Human Resources