Human Resource Services has released a return to work Guide for Supervisors. The message reads as follows:
As we continue to bring employees back to the workplace, we want to provide you with the latest protocols and timing for you to please share with employees. As always, this follows evolving guidelines from the CDC, New York State and SUNY, which is subject to change.
Mask Wearing and Social Distancing
We are aware of recently updated SUNY guidance on COVID-19 protocols for summer and fall 2021 semester planning. We are reviewing all of that guidance and will communicate with you soon about what that means for students, faculty and staff at Stony Brook University. In the meantime, we ask that you and your employees continue to follow SBU’s current guidelines in terms of mask wearing, social distancing, surveillance testing, etc.
Return to the Workplace Guidance
Looking ahead to the fall 2021 semester, we are continuing to follow our gradual, phased-in approach to returning to the workplace. The dates below will help us transition employees working remotely to their campus offices as we welcome back our students. They also give teams time to reacclimate and prepare for the start of the new academic year. Please share these dates with your teams and use them for your department planning purposes:
● By July 6, all staff should be in the workplace at least two days a week
● By August 1, all staff should be fully returned to their regular campus workplace
Please note: The dates above will not apply for employees taking approved vacation time or on approved leave during these timeframes. See more on annual leave accrual below.
Annual Leave Accrual Cap Extended
The Governor’s Office of Employee Relations (GOER) reached an agreement with all unions, and Management/Confidential (M/C) employees, on an extension of the annual leave expiration date. The agreement applies to employees who were (or are currently) engaged in COVID-19 response efforts or were unable to use annual leave due to ongoing response efforts. It allows employees to carry over annual leave for use through December 31, 2021 close of business.
The Research Foundation for SUNY has announced that it will, like GOER, allow employees to carry over vacation in excess of 40 days until December 31, 2021.
Resources and Information
● The Ombuds office has developed guidelines and tips to help supervisors answer questions/concerns from employees who have been fully or mostly remote.
● The Health Information Line (HIL) – (631) 632-5000, Option #1 – continues to be an important resource for employees who identify themselves as having COVID-19 related symptoms through the daily screener, test positive, or have recently been exposed to the virus. Beyond addressing these medical questions, licensed healthcare providers can guide faculty and staff who believe they may be eligible for a leave under FMLA or ADA, or for any other COVID-related ADA accommodation, on next steps using normal, pre-pandemic processes.
HIL, Option #2 provides general guidance to State and Research Foundation employees including information on the use of accruals and leaves.
● As always, employees who may have a disability can directly contact the ADA Coordinator at the Office of Equity and Access. Find out about the Accommodation Process for Supervisors here.
● The Employee Assistance Program (EAP) and Healthier U are both designed to help improve the health and well-being of faculty and staff through emotional support services, individual and group conversations, and programs that address your whole self – mind, body and spirit.
● Facilities questions and concerns can be addressed by visiting the Facilities website where there are helpful FAQs. Building Managers can also be helpful.
● Click here for the latest on Campus Dining, including eat-in and takeout options.
● And from HRS … Our new ‘phone tree’ is designed to help you and your staff reach the HR team (member) you need. Find details on this HRS Staff Directory webpage. We are also updating the HRS webpage to offer easier access to important HR and workplace information. More to come on this initiative. And, we look forward to welcoming new employees through our updated online Orientation.
Outstanding Vaccination Rates, Survey Reminder and New Vaccine Hotline
Of the nearly 4,800 faculty and staff on west campus/HSC/SOM who responded to our vaccination survey, 93% report being partially or fully vaccinated. If you haven’t already, take just a moment to fill out the short, anonymous vaccine survey HRS recently emailed all employees. Please encourage your employees to do the same so we can continue to anticipate the future needs of faculty and staff and work to keep everyone coming back safe and strong as we prepare for fall semester.
The high rate of vaccination is directly related to a low number of cases. Visit our COVID-19 dashboard to see the successes we’ve been able to maintain in terms of keeping our infection rates and spread of COVID-19 relatively low.
You can also let your employees know about a new resource – Stony Brook Medicine’s COVID Vaccine Hotline at (631) 638-1320 if they have questions about vaccine site locations, missed appointments, appointment availability, vaccine eligibility, proof of vaccines and more. The hotline is available Monday-Friday, 8:00 am – 4:30 pm.
[…] Credit: Source link […]