Return to Work Update
Posted June 17, 2020
June 17, 2020
Friends and Colleagues – In today’s message, I want to address some follow up questions to earlier updates.
Temperature Checks: I received a follow up question about temperature checks. You haven’t heard me talk much about temperature checks for employees because they are not part of the University’s strategy in phase 3. IF it’s part of the phase 4 strategy (still waiting on the State and System reports), then the checks will only be done by health-care workers or those trained by health-care workers. In either phase, departments may not implement procedures or use equipment on employees to take their temperature. IF we move forward with temperature checks, we will work out a campus-wide policy for how to handle the collection and protection of what is considered to be private and confidential health information. Temperature checks have not been a part of the University’s strategy because the CDC acknowledges that temperature alone is not an indication of an infection. Likewise, not everyone who is contagious has a fever. If someone is sneezing or coughing, we can send them home, but taking someone's temperature – especially by non-medical personnel – is prohibited.
Remote Work: HR has processed just north of 600 remote-work agreements. Not one of them was denied since they all complied with University policies and Collective Bargaining Agreements. As a result, in phase 4, we were going to remove the HR approval step, but I see no reason not to go ahead and remove it now. So, once a Remote Agreement is approved by a staff member’s supervisor and director, it is approved. The updated on-line Remote Work Request form that can be accessed here.
I’ll have more answers to questions later in the week.
Thank you for all you do. Keep supporting one another and stay well.
Rich Walker
Vice Chancellor for Administration
