HR Assistance to Supervisors: Test + Train + Check
As we continue to navigate the COVID-19 pandemic and prepare for the start of the fall semester, there are three things that all employees, including faculty and staff, must do before returning to campus in any capacity (part-time or full-time) to help protect the safety and well-being of everyone in the campus community. All employees must complete the following: (1) COVID-19 Testing; (2) COVID-19 Training; and (3) enroll in the UA Healthcheck.
Enforcement of the testing, training, and Healthcheck requirements plays a critical role in our efforts for a successful Fall. Enforcement must occur at multiple levels, and must be supported by administrators and supervisors. Effective enforcement requires compliance monitoring. In order to accurately monitor compliance, administrators and supervisors need to document the work location of employees to allow for efficiently and effectively providing PPE and other necessary precautions for the employees.
Below are resources for HR Assistance to Supervisors on (1) Employee Work Locations, (2) Employee Compliance, (3) Enforcement, (4) Case Response Protocol, (5) Accommodations, and (6) Additional Resources.
Assistance to Supervisors: Employee Work Locations
As before, supervisors will be making the determination on when to bring their direct reports back to campus, which includes making decisions about who can continue to effectively work remotely. If the supervisor believes an employee can continue to be productive working remotely full-time or part-time, absent an employee request for an accommodation (discussed below) the supervisor has the discretion to allow the employee to continue working remotely. For purposes of continuing to track employee work locations during the University response to COVID-19, Human Resources has been working with OIT to develop a Work Location and Clearance Status web page. Supervisors will be receiving information on how to access the web page in the very near future. This web page will replace the spreadsheets in Box that have been regularly updated since March.
In this new system, instead of categorizing employees into Group 1 (“work on campus”), Group 2 (“work remotely”), or Group 3 (“not working”), supervisors will now be able to indicate the work location of each employee within the web page. A dropdown list will allow supervisors to choose a location of “Campus Only,” “Remote Only,” or “Hybrid.”
- The “Hybrid” designation indicates that the employee will be working remotely and on campus. The ”Hybrid” approach should be considered for situations where an employee is unable to be campus only but can work effectively from a remote location while also having the ability to report to campus for periods of time.
- “Campus Only” means an employee will be limited to working only on campus.
- “Remote Only” means an employee will be working off campus only. Employees who continue to work remotely do not have to sign another telecommuting agreement.
At this time, there is no definitive return to work date for all employees. If such a date is set, however, it will be communicated to you. In the interim, supervisors can generally move employees between these three categories as appropriate to address office needs or employee needs. For instance, an employee who can effectively work from home who also has childcare issues due to school or daycare closures could be placed in a “Remote Only” or “Hybrid” designation that allows for the childcare issues to be addressed (or moved from a “Remote Only” to a “Hybrid” or “Campus Only” designation if those childcare issues are resolved). If a supervisor determines that it is essential to the function of their area that an employee be in the “Campus Only” designation, should that employee have childcare issues, the employee may be entitled to EFML (see below for more details). When an employee’s status changes, updates to the designation should be made.
The ultimate determination on an employee’s designation within these categories is left to the discretion of the supervisor, who may consult with Human Resources and their VP and/or Dean for assistance on such decisions. Stated differently, subject to any accommodation requests that will be handled through HR or any EFML needs, supervisors will decide where their employees will work—on campus, at home, or a mixture of both. Supervisors best understand the needs and performance of their area, including the need for and the ability of direct reports to be productive at work. Consequently, supervisors are in the best position to designate their employees based on the needs of their area.
HR Assistance to Supervisors: Employee Compliance
The Work Location and Clearance Status web page will also provide supervisors with information regarding the Testing, Training, and UA Healthcheck Enrollment compliance statuses of their employees. The Testing, Training, and Enrollment statuses will automatically update with the current status of employees as “Compliant” or “Not Compliant.” Please know that the data uploads for compliance may be delayed and are not reported in “real time.” The Testing, Training, and Enrollment status will reflect whether the employee is “Compliant” or “Not Compliant” in each category. No private
health information will be provided to the supervisors. Supervisors will not have access to sensitive personal information regarding the statuses of employees.
If an employee is noted as being “Compliant,” that means they have completed the required testing and training, and enrolled in UA Healthcheck, which means they are clear to return to campus. If an employee is “Not Compliant,” the supervisor, in consultation with Human Resources, should address the non-compliance with the employee and follow the enforcement steps identified below.
HR Assistance to Supervisors: Enforcement
The University takes the health and safety of the campus community very seriously. Failure to complete the COVID-19 Testing, COVID-19 Training, or enroll in the UA Healthcheck will have severe repercussions. Noncompliance will result in the following:
- Employee will be sent home without pay
- If the employee is not compliant after three business days, the employee’s employment will be terminated.
Termination of a faculty member will follow the procedure set forth in the UA Faculty Handbook.
Once an employee returns to work on campus, certain COVID-19 safety measures, such as wearing a face mask, completing the required reports on the UA Healthcheck, social distancing, etc., must be followed. If an employee fails to follow the on-campus safety requirements, consistent with UA’s campus plan, the following progressive discipline by a supervisor will apply:
FIRST VIOLATION— Verbal Counseling
SECOND VIOLATION— Written Counseling
THIRD VIOLATION— Final Warning and a three-day unpaid suspension
FOURTH VIOLATION— Termination of Employment
If an employee is not compliant, the supervisor, in consultation with Human Resources, should address the non-compliance with the employee.
HR Assistance to Supervisors: Case Response Protocol
Inevitably, an employee in your area will test positive for COVID-19, exhibit symptoms of COVID-19, or have close contact with someone who has tested positive for COVID-19 or exhibited symptoms of COVID-19. In those situations, the impacted staff should contact the HR Service Center at (205) 348-7732 or the COVID-19 hotline at (205) 348-
CV19. Faculty should contact the COVID-19 hotline. Any necessary contact tracing will be handled through those areas.
Supervisors and employees who have been in close contact with an employee who has tested positive for COVID-19 or exhibited symptoms of COVID-19 will be contacted by Human Resources or the COVID-19 hotline.
Supervisors who have employees who will be missing work as a result of testing positive for COVID-19, exhibiting symptoms of COVID-19, or having close contact with someone who is symptomatic of tested positive for COVID-19 will be notified by Human Resources or the COVID-19 call center. Any enhanced cleaning of your area that may be required as a result of one of these situations will be coordinated by HR or the call center.
HR Assistance to Supervisors: Accommodations
Employees who believe they need a medical or other accommodation, such as access to a computer, to enable them to complete the steps required to return to campus or, upon returning, comply with all mandated safety measures, should address those issues with and obtain approval from their supervisor and Human Resources prior to returning to campus.
According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, older adults and people of any age who have serious underlying medical conditions are considered to be members of a ‘vulnerable population’ that might be at higher risk for severe illness from COVID-19. Faculty, Staff, and Student Workers/Graduate Assistants who are members of this ‘vulnerable population’ may be concerned about working on campus. Vulnerable employees and/or employees who share a household with or have primary care responsibility for someone who is in the vulnerable population may complete the online form to request temporary, COVID-19 accommodations. Examples of COVID-19 accommodations include continuing to work remotely, changing shifts and/or changing work schedule to allow for staggered arrival and departure times, physical work site modifications, providing additional personal protective equipment (PPE), leave of absence, etc.
In addition to the COVID-19 accommodations, employees who have a disability and need accommodations should continue to follow the established Employee Procedures for Requesting Reasonable Accommodations per the established ADA process.
Additionally, the Families First Coronavirus Response Act provides employees with Emergency Paid Sick Leave (“EPSL”) and Expanded Family Medical Leave (“EFML”) for specified reasons related to the COVID-19 pandemic. Specifically, Expanded Family Medical Leave provides up to twelve (12) weeks of leave for employees who have childcare issues as a result of a school or child care closing due to COVID-19. Remember that EFML may be taken intermittently. Additionally, the hybrid option can potentially be used for employees who can report to campus at times but also need to work remotely as a result of childcare issues due to childcare and/or school closing as a result of COVID-19.
HR Assistance to Supervisors: Resources for Questions
Medical questions, including questions related to COVID-19 testing, should be directed to the COVID-19 hotline at (205) 348-CV19 or to the Student Health Center, University Medical Center, or your personal healthcare provider.
Faculty and staff should direct all other questions to the HR Service Center at (205) 348-7732 or hrsvctr@ua.edu. Students should direct all other questions to the Office of Disability Services at (205) 348-4285 or ods@ua.edu.
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