School telecommuting update

[Bill Maurer]

Hello, All:

As a follow up to the email from Ramona below, we would like to provide 
some clarification and school specific guidelines.

The School of Social Sciences encourages the use of telecommuting 
*effective March 16th for all Non-Supervisory staff*. Those in Manager, 
Supervisor or Director roles are encouraged to remain in the office 
through Friday the 20th of March to ensure business continuity and 
effective communication to, and among, our faculty and students.

If you believe you or your staff can effectively telecommute with 
minimal disruption to the business goals, please complete and sign the 
Short-Term Telecommuting Procedure and Agreement here: 
https://socs.ci/telecommuting

Once signed, Natalie will maintain it in your file and you will be 
expected to complete all business as usual, albeit remotely.

Additionally, please let us know what resources are needed to facilitate 
such an arrangement for yourself and with your team members. Supervisors 
should make sure that all staff know and understand that they are to be 
available via phone, email, Zoom, Microsoft Teams and/or other methods 
of communication during the regular work day. Supervisors maintain their 
responsibility to provide adequate supervision and direction to 
employees working remotely and to set priorities and facilitate the 
workflow. [In addition to the 14-day administrative leave policy for 
quarantine, remember, regular vacation and sick time policies also 
remain in effect. Any questions about leave – please email Natalie Cook, 
(natcook at uci.edu)

It is not currently mandatory that you work from home.  If you have 
business need or prefer the office environment, you are welcomed to come 
to the workplace. Should anything change, we will inform you 
immediately. Finally, we will be sharing tips and best practices for 
communicating and collaborating effectively in a remote work environment 
and welcome any ideas or suggestions that you have.

Bill

*From: *Ramona Agrela - Associate Chancellor and Chief Human Resources 
*Subject: *Guidelines for Administrators: Coronavirus (COVID-19) Outbreak

UCI Office of the Associate Chancellor


*Guidelines for Administrators in Relation to the Coronavirus (COVID-19) 
Outbreak *

This information is effective as of Wednesday, March 11, 2020 at 9:00 a.m.

Dear colleagues:

As UCI administrators responsible for managing staff, it is important 
for you to have current and accurate information regarding your role 
during this dynamic COVID-19 outbreak period. The following information 
has been prepared so that you can make the decisions necessary to 
safeguard your staff while successfully managing your operations.

*Preventative Measures*

1. Help your staff stay safe by promoting healthy practices on an 
ongoing basis:

 1. Wash hands frequently with clean water and soap for at least 20
    seconds.
 2. If hand washing is not an option, use hand sanitizer containing at
    least 60% alcohol.
 3. Cover coughs and sneezes using a tissue or crook of the elbow.
    Properly dispose of tissues in a waste basket.
 4. Stay home if sick. This includes illnesses such as colds and flus.
 5. Clean common areas. If possible, assign a team member(s) to
    regularly disinfect door handles, phones, desks, conference tables,
    chair handles, etc. that are shared by staff.

2. Post the ‘Spread the Word – Not a Virus’ flyer throughout your 
department(s). Download the flyer here: 
<http://hr.uci.edu/img/2019_2020/Virus%20Prevention%20Flyer%20v12_OL.pdf>

*Business Continuity*

1. Campus offices are open. Know the operating status of the University 
on a daily basis. The status will be updated in real-time and shown on 
the new UCI Coronavirus (COVID-19) web page, created by UCI Strategic 
Communications. It is expected to be live in the next few days: 
uci.edu/coronavirus <https://uci.edu/coronavirus>

2. The University is encouraging social distancing, meaning that all 
persons are encouraged to stay at least six feet from one another 
whenever possible. To that end, we are making available a special 
telecommuting program. At this time, telecommuting is not mandatory and 
is at management discretion. HR has created short-term telecommuting 
guidelines and an agreement document for use by designated leadership. 
This document specifies that Vice Chancellors, Associate Chancellors, 
Deans and Chiefs are responsible for making telecommuting decisions for 
their own staff. Download the Short-Term Telecommuting Procedure and 
Agreement here: 
<http://hr.uci.edu/img/2019_2020/COVID-19%20Short%20Term%20Telecommuting%20Procedure%20v12%20031120.pdf>

 1. To help determine who should make use of the telecommuting
    guidelines, you need to define essential versus non-essential staff.
    The definition of essential employees will vary depending on the
    circumstances and the nature of your department’s operation.
    However, the core of essential personnel who should remain onsite in
    most circumstances include clinical healthcare workers, police, and
    other employees that provide a critical service to the UCI
    community. Please contact your Human Resources representative for
    help on making these determinations.
 2. At this time, represented and non-represented staff are considered
    under the same guidelines and operating status. HR is meeting
    regularly with union representatives and we will notify you if the
    guidelines for represented staff changes.

3. All non-essential, University-related domestic and international air 
and train travel is restricted, including for candidates coming to UCI 
for interviews. Alternative plans, such as attending a meeting or 
conference virtually, or cancelling participation, should be made.

*Leaves*

1. If an employee is unable to work due to their own COVID-19 illness, 
they should use their available sick leave and compensatory time. If 
they have exhausted their available sick leave and compensatory time, 
the University will provide up to 14 days paid administrative leave to 
cover the absence. Consult your HR representative if you are interested 
in filing for FMLA, which has different documentation requirements.

2. If an employee’s family member is ill with COVID-19, and the employee 
has to remain home to care for their family member, they should use 
their available sick leave and compensatory time. If they have exhausted 
their available sick leave and compensatory time, the University will 
provide up to 14 days paid administrative leave to cover the absence. 
Consult your HR representative if you are interested in filing for FMLA, 
which has different documentation requirements.

3. If an employee is unable to come to work due to public health or 
University-required quarantine or self-isolation measures, they may 
telecommute if operationally feasible (see above). If telecommuting is 
not operationally feasible, the employee should use their available sick 
leave and compensatory time. If they have exhausted their available sick 
leave and compensatory time, the University will provide up to 14 days 
paid administrative leave to cover the absence. Consult your HR 
representative if you are interested in filing for FMLA, which has 
different documentation requirements.

4. If an employee is unable to come to work due to a COVID-19 day care, 
elder care or school closure that requires them to be home with their 
dependent(s), the employee may telecommute if operationally feasible 
(see above). If telecommuting is not operationally feasible, employees 
may use available leave balances including sick leave and compensatory time.

*Resources*

1. UCI launched the new UCI Coronavirus (COVID-19) Response Center on 
Tuesday, March 10, 2020. Students, parents, faculty, and staff may 
contact the center for any and all questions and concerns related to 
COVID-19. Hours of operation are 8:00 a.m. – 5:00 p.m. Monday – Friday. 
Messages may be left after hours for a response the following day.
CALL: 949.824.9918
EMAIL: (covid19 at uci.edu)

2. UCI is preparing FAQs including leave information that will follow 
UCOP’s guidelines. This information will be available shortly on the HR 
coronavirus information web page 
<https://hr.uci.edu/disaster-relief/corona-virus.php>. Information on 
this page will be updated as it becomes available.

This is an unprecedented and dynamic period in UCI’s history. Your 
flexibility, patience and ongoing efforts to minimize rumors and 
theories, while sharing factual and helpful information is greatly 
appreciated.

If you have questions or concerns, please contact your Human Resources 
Executive Director:

  * Campus HR: Pamela James at (pamela.james at uci.edu)
  * Health Sciences HR: Michelle Quint at (mquint at hs.uci.edu)
  * Medical Center HR: Michelle Quint at (mquint at hs.uci.edu)

Sincerely,

Ramona

*Ramona Agrela*
Associate Chancellor and Chief Human Resources Executive

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     Office of the
     Associate Chancellor
     All Rights Reserved

*Questions or Comments?*
     Contact (ragrela at uci.edu)