7/29/20; 3:31PM
The UNC System Office has issued updated employee work and leave guidance to be effective August 1, 2020 and until further revised or rescinded.
As we currently remain under Phase II of the State Phased Reopening Plan, we will begin the month of August under guidance consistent with the current guidance for July. We will continue to maximize teleworking, to the extent possible, and will continue to designate additional employees to return to on-campus work as necessary, based on evolving on-campus operational needs. Approval of the Chancellor, or designees authorized by the Chancellor, is required to return additional employees to on-campus work and 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 by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Employees who are asked to return to on-campus work and who may need consideration related to an underlying health condition, or who have other circumstances that may affect their ability to return to work on campus or to comply with workplace safety reuirements, should complete the High-Risk Form located on the Office of Human Resources COVID-19 website.
Please note, however, that our campus operational level and on-campus staffing needs will evolve rapidly in the coming weeks, as we prepare for the return of students to campus and the start of Fall semester. All university departments should be actively planning for how they will meet operational needs leading up to and during the semester, while strictly following published AppState and UNC System return-to-work safety guidance. As discussed in the guidance, departments should develop strategies to ensure proper social distancing that may include continuing teleworking plans, staggering work shifts and alternating work days. Supervisors are responsible to make certain that all employees who are returned to work on campus fully understand the safety guidance and have completed the required Environmental Health, Safety, and Emergency Management COVID-19 online training module. Instructions for accessing the module will be communicated separately. Please watch closely for other updates and additional information regarding return-to-work safety.
New Pay and Leave Provisions Effective August 1, 2020:
1. Paid administrative leave will no longer be provided to employees who are not designated as mandatory to maintain on-campus operations and who cannot perform work remotely due to the nature of their job duties. Employees must apply accrued compensatory time, vacation leave, bonus leave, or sick leave to be paid for time when they are not performing work. Accrued overtime compensatory time must be used before other forms of leave (this does not apply to special COVID-19 compensatory time provided to mandatory employees during April and May).
2. Paid administrative leave will continue to be provided to employees who are unable to work due to elder care needs created by a COVID-19-related elder care facility closure. This leave will be paid at 2/3 of the employee’s regular rate of pay, to align with similar paid leave provided under the FederalFamilies First Coronavirus Response Act (FFCRA) for school and child care facility closures. Eligibility for this paid administrative leave is limited to a total of 12 cumulative weeks, including any applied in prior months. Employees may apply accrued compensatory time, vacation leave, bonus leave, or sick leave to supplement the 2/3 paid administrative leave. Accrued overtime compensatory time must be used before other forms of leave (this does not apply to special COVID-19 compensatory time provided to mandatory employees during April and May).
3. Employees who exhaust FFCRA Emergency Paid Sick Leave eligibility and all of their accrued personal leave and cannot work because they are subject to a quarantine/isolation order, advised to self-quarantine, or experiencing COVID-19 symptoms and awaiting a diagnosis, will receive COVID-19 paid administrative leave at 100% of their regular pay for up to a total of 160 hours through December 31, 2020. This is intended to assist employees in this circumstance with fully completing a mandated or self-imposed quarantine period in the interest of workplace safety.
Reminders:
- The FFCRA provides time-limited Emergency Paid Sick Leave and Expanded Family and Medical Leave for certain COVID-19-related absences, including those related to school and child care facility closures, when employees are required to quarantine or when employees are experiencing COVID-19 symptoms and seeking a medical diagnosis. If you have a need to be absent from work for a COVID-19-related reason, please review the FFCRA criteria carefully, contact the Office of Human Resources with any questions, and apply for FFCRA leave here. Both permanent and active temporary employees may be eligible for leave under the FFCRA.
- All employees may use accrued vacation leave, bonus leave and sick leave interchangeably, regardless of the reason for the employee’s absence from work, through December 31, 2020. Accrued overtime compensatory time must be used before other forms of leave (this does not apply to special COVID-19 compensatory time provided to mandatory employees during April and May).
- Employees who exhaust their own personal accrued leave balances may be eligible to request donated leave from our university’s COVID-19 Shared Leave Bank. Donated leave from the leave bank applies to employees who:
- Are not required to work on campus and cannot telework because of the nature of their job duties; or
- Are unable to work due to child care needs caused by a COVID-19 school or child care closing, either to supplement FFCRA leave or when FFCRA leave eligibility is exhausted; or
- Are unable to work due to elder care needs caused by a COVID-19 facility closure, either to supplement paid administrative leave or when paid administrative leave eligibility is exhausted.
Thank you once again for your ongoing patience and understanding as we continue to adapt to changing conditions and updates to guidance. Please watch closely for additional updates and direct any questions you may have to the Office of Human Resources.