COVID-19 Workplace Guidance
As mentioned in President Thrasher’s March 11, 2020, announcement, effective March 23, 2020, the University is shifting from face-to-face instruction to online instruction through April 5, 2020. The University has made this decision in an abundance of caution to take proactive preventative measure to ensure the health, wellness, and safety of students, faculty, and staff. Additionally, on March 13, 2020, Leon County Schools announced they will extend Spring Break and remain closed through March 30, 2020. At this time, the University continues to be open and fully operational. The Office of Human Resources has developed workplace guidance to provide detailed information regarding the impact to the University’s employees. This guidance may change based on changes in circumstances in the community, which at this time does not have any confirmed cases of COVID-19. Additionally, HR has provided a FAQ document for frequently asked questions.
Well Employees
Faculty and staff must continue to perform their assigned duties either on campus or remotely, to ensure continuity of the University’s business practices. Healthy employees must continue to work, except for in certain circumstances. Some examples are below:
· The employee is caring for someone with a confirmed case of COVID-19, in which case they must self-quarantine;
· The employee recently traveled internationally or is returning from a cruise to any location;
· instructed to refrain from attending work by their physician or public health officials.
Remote Work
The University has developed a Temporary Remote Work policy and process to support employees with temporarily transitioning to working from home when required and feasible to do so. Please see policy here: <insert link>[RP1]
Returning from University or Personal Travel to Affected Areas
Faculty and staff are discouraged from personal travel. Please refer to the University’s coronavirus information page for up-to-date recommendations about return from travel to affected areas and other topics. Employees returning from international travel or a cruise, regardless of destination, will be required to self-quarantine for 14 days. Faculty and staff who traveled to domestic areas with an outbreak should contact the Office of Human Resources for approval if they need to self-quarantine or self-isolate.
Employees Required to Self-Quarantine
Employees may use sick or annual leave for mandatory self-isolation or quarantine, when it is required or recommended by public health authorities/guidelines or by health care providers. As outline above a Temporary Remote Work Acknowledgment [RP2] may be an option if an employee needs to self-quarantine.
Sick Employees
Generally speaking, staying home when you are sick is good advice for all employees. This is to prevent the transmission of any illness. Supervisors are encouraged to get this message out to employees. If employees are sick, they should stay home until the symptoms have subsided and they are free of fever for 24 hours and/or contact their physician for guidance. The normal protocol for notification of the absence to the supervisor and use of accrued sick leave would apply.
Faculty and staff who have symptoms of respiratory illness should not report to work and should seek immediate medical assistance. If an employee reports to work and presents symptoms of being ill, the University has the right to advise the employee to go home and seek medical care.
Sick Leave
Faculty and Staff members who are out sick should report sick leave on their timesheet. In general, medical documentation will not be required for return to work, unless the employee has been sick for ten (10) consecutive workdays. FSU provides sick leave for all benefits-eligible faculty and staff.
OPS Employees
OPS employees should continue to work as long as there is meaningful work available. Absent the availability of work as determined by the supervisor and department head, OPS employees may extend their work hours upon return to normal operations to mitigate any hours missed during this period. Additionally, there may be an opportunity for an OPS employee to work remotely depending on the nature of their job duties. For more information, please see the policy on Temporary Remote Work[RP3] .
Federal Work Study
As long as the campus remains open and the student has not travelled outside of the Tallahassee area, the student would have the ability to work on their work study jobs. If students work their hours, they can get paid. Based on federal guidelines, if the campus is open and a student chooses not to work, then they will not be paid unless they are able to provide documentation indicating their ability to work. We will review the documentation on a case by case basis, in order to pay these students. Supervisors may opt to allow their students to work remotely, and in these cases no additional documentation will be required other than a certification of the hours they have worked. We are continuing to monitor United States Department of Education (USDOE) updates and other State University System (SUS) schools. Any updates to these guidelines will be communicated immediately.
Graduate Assistants
Graduate Assistants (GAs) are expected to continue to perform their assigned duties and meet expectations of their roles and responsibilities. If the GA is a Teaching Assistant and an Instructor of Record or has instructor duties, the GA is expected to host their sections online. If feasible, Graduate Assistants should perform those duties remotely. Teaching Assistants who are not instructors of records should continue to work with their faculty mentors/supervisors to provide ongoing TA support either in person or remotely based on the duties of the TA assignment. The same applies for students who are working as a research assistant or in another graduate assistant role. Graduate Assistants who travel to an affected area must follow the self-quarantine and self-isolation guidance outlined in these policies.
Workers at Higher Risk
Employees who are at increased risk for complications from COVID-19 due to underlying health conditions are urged to consult their physician about steps they can take to protect their health. These may include requesting a temporary change in job location, hours, assignment or duties, or implementation of additional protective measures to reduce their exposure to others or chances of being infected. If applicable and feasible, the employee should request a Temporary Remote Work Acknowledgment.[RP4]
If an employee is at risk for complications from COVID-19 and their physician agrees that increased social distancing in the workplace is prudent, the employee should contact the Office of Human Resources to formally request a temporary change. Human Resources will confidentially evaluate the request, explore alternatives, and appropriately address the employee’s health concerns while maintaining the University’s operations. A doctor’s note may be required.
Except for employees who formally request a change in job circumstances due to underlying health conditions, employees will generally not be reassigned to new duties, locations, or roles or be provided with paid sick/release time solely to address general concern about the potential for COVID-19 infection.
Annual Leave Advancements
Employees who are not able to move to Temporary Remote Work[RP5] and exhaust all earned leave due to illness or self-quarantine, may request an Advancement of Annual Leave. A memo outlining the reason and approximate amount of advancement being requested should be submitted for Human Resources approval to Christine Conley at caconley@fsu.edu.
Essential Employees
As a 24/7 residential university, FSU rarely closes. Many employees must work on campus to provide services that are essential to instruction, residential life, campus health and safety, critical research, the protection of physical and intellectual assets, or the continuity or resumption of academic programs and operations. Additional measures and policies to support these employees are being considered.
Resources
In an effort to better assist employees who have questions during this time, we have created a Human Resources Coronavirus Task Force. If you have questions, please refer to the contacts listed below.
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HR Coronavirus Task Force Contacts |
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General Questions |
Renisha Gibbs |
(850) 644-8082 |
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General Staff Issues |
Tracey Pearson Back-up contact: Julie Ritter |
(850) 644-3694 (850) 645-2733 |
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General Faculty Issues |
Rebecca Peterson Back-up contact: Tiffany Ward |
(850) 645-2202 (850) 644-0184 |
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Payroll Questions |
Phaedra Harris |
(850) 644-7705 |
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Attendance & Leave Questions |
Christine Conley |
(850) 644-1978 |
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Communications |
Shelley Lopez |
(850) 644-6602 |
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The Employee Assistance Program (EAP) is a useful resource for confidential professional and personal support and can be reached at (850) 644-2288.
For questions regarding students, please contact Tyler Shannon (850) 644-9555. For Academic concerns, please contact to the Office of the Provost (850) 644-1816.
Office of Human Resources Coronavirus (COVID-19) Frequently Asked Questions
Last updated 3/13/2020 10:08 a.m.
