Operations Safety Plan for Returning to Work, Phase 3
Posted May 28, 2020
May 28, 2020
To the University Community,
You have likely heard by now that Gov. J.B. Pritzker has announced that all regions in Illinois can enter Phase 3 of the Restore Illinois plan beginning May 29. The Operations Safety Plan provides some specific and some broad actions that are intended to reduce the potential for the spread of COVID-19 as we enter Phase 3.
In order to appropriately operationalize Phase 3, we will take the next two weeks to plan how offices will safely function and how staff will work. The goal is to have all aspects of this plan in place by June 15th. While the working arrangements of individual staff members will not be the same for everyone, this time frame allows departments the flexibility to implement their specific plans within the parameters described below. Our goal is to steadily and safely increase our on-site workforce over the summer to prepare for Phase 4 and the new academic year.
In the coming weeks, we expect more employees will be able to begin returning to the campuses slowly. We are encouraging employees who can work remotely to do so during Phase 3. We have some employees who cannot perform their work remotely and others who prefer to be on campus. Consequently, many employees are already working on campus or will begin to return to campus.
Since many offices won’t be ready to operationalize by next week, the Edwardsville campus buildings will remain closed through June 7th. Please continue to use your swipe card or call University Police for access if needed. The SDM campus has its own opening schedule that coincides with providing health-care services and dental training. Their schedule has been communicated to the Alton campus employees. The East St. Louis campus buildings will open on June 1 in order to allow the outside tenants to open their offices even though many SIUE employees will continue to work from home.
The goal is that by June 15th, employees should have already returned to campus to work, be working from home, or (if there is no work for them to perform) remain “on-call” in full-pay status at home. Although some employees will have alternative work arrangements, many offices may end up operating with minimum staffing while others may activate new flexible working arrangements.
For the remainder of Phase 3 of the Restore Illinois plan, it is anticipated that adherence to the Operations Safety Plan is the campus’s new normal. When we move out of Phase 3, we will revisit the Plan’s guidelines and provide another update. The Illinois Governor’s Restore Illinois plan will be used as our guide for a return to campus, in addition to the Center for Disease Control (CDC) Guidelines.
While this Plan may not answer all questions, it is our hope that this Plan will communicate appropriate general guidance on how to safely return to work.
We look forward to a time when we can see everyone back on campus again. However, it will take a deliberate group effort to look out for the health and well-being of one another. We are counting on everyone’s focus and effort to make this plan work.
Be well and stay healthy,
Randy Pembrook, Chancellor
Denise Cobb, Provost and Vice Chancellor for Academic Affairs
Rachel Stack, Vice Chancellor for University Advancement
Rich Walker, Vice Chancellor for Administration
Jeffrey Waple, Vice Chancellor for Student Affairs
