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How do I learn about changes to the workplace environment and how I should prepare for them?
“UTC Reintegration Safety Training” is a brief, online training module that all employees—both faculty and staff—are required to complete as they return to working on campus by the fall 2020 semester.
The training module takes 7-10 minutes to complete and covers best practices for reducing COVID-19 exposure risk and related campus health and safety protocols.
Find the training module (housed in the Canvas learning management system) by visiting the following link and logging in with your UTCID and password: https://utchattanooga.instructure.com/courses/11484.
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Are all employees expected to resume working on campus?
Yes. All employees are expected to fully resume working on campus unless they have approved work-from-home arrangements after following guidelines to request accommodation or can be provided with remote work/alternate scheduling arrangements by their unit heads.
Unit heads may incorporate social distancing efforts into their reintegration plans by the use of alternating schedules. In this scenario, a faculty or staff member works both on campus and remotely on alternating days or shifts throughout the work week. These arrangements can be established by the unit head for some or all unit employees separately from any COVID-19 related accommodation in the summer or fall 2020 semesters.
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Who determines the date by which an employee is expected to return to campus to work?
The unit head. An employee’s expected return to campus date will be driven by the reintegration plan developed by the unit head. The unit reintegration plan should identify which employees are expected to return for each reintegration phase (one, two or three).
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What basic information do employees need to know about returning to work on campus this fall?
Employees are asked to be flexible and to understand the academic year ahead will require changes in many areas of campus life.
Now is a time to establish a new routine—working collectively to maintain safety standards in our physical environments. This means protecting yourself and protecting others from you.
- Assess personal health before coming to campus and complete the daily Self-Check Health Survey at selfcheck.utc.edu
- Maintain social distancing
- Wear a face mask
- Practice hand hygiene
- Routinely disinfect work areas
Before returning to campus, all employees must complete the UTC Reintegration Training.
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What is the fall 2020 reintegration training for employees and how is it accessed?
- It’s a brief training module for employees to learn about best practices in place on campus for reducing risk for COVID-19 exposure and related health and safety protocols.
- All faculty and staff are required to complete the UTC Reintegration Safety Training as they return to working on campus for the fall 2020 semester.
Participation will be monitored and reported to each respective division vice chancellor to support compliance with this training requirement.
Faculty and staff may access the training module in the Canvas learning management system by logging in with your UTCID and password at https://utchattanooga.instructure.com/courses/11484
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If an employee wants to continue working from home (and not return on the expected return date):
- Submit a Request for Work from Home Arrangement here. Follow all guidelines provided.
- Human Resources will evaluate eligibility for an employee to work from home.
- Human Resources will communicate employee’s eligibility status to unit head.
- Unit head will determine whether to accommodate the employee’s request.
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What if an employee’s request to work from home is based on disability under the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA)?
If an employee identifies or potentially identifies the need for accommodation based on disability (in making a request and as defined under the ADA), Human Resources will refer the request to the Office of Equity and Inclusion for evaluation under the ADA. If the request qualifies for disability accommodation under the ADA, the Office of Equity and Inclusion will follow the standard process for evaluating such requests.
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If an employee’s request to work remotely conflicts with the reintegration plan and operational needs of the employee’s unit, the unit head will direct the employee to submit his or her request to Human Resources as noted above, and the unit head will notify Human Resources of the employee’s request. The unit head should not act on the request until provided guidance by Human Resources.
If an employee’s request to work remotely aligns with his or her unit head’s reintegration plans and efforts to promote social distancing through remote work or alternating schedules, the unit head can make such arrangements with the employee without going through the process noted above. Any such arrangements will be considered part of the unit reintegration plan and not as a formal COVID-19 related accommodation to employee.
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Generally, if the unit head determines an employee can satisfactorily perform job duties from home, the unit head has discretion to allow that, regardless of whether an employee is ineligible for a COVID-19 related accommodation.
In this kind of case, the work-from- home arrangement is not considered a COVID-19 related accommodation. The unit head may want to consult with Human Resources before agreeing to such an arrangement.
Unit heads may incorporate efforts to promote social distancing into their unit reintegration plans such as alternate scheduling, in which a faculty or staff member works on campus and remotely on alternating days or shifts throughout the work week. These arrangements can be established by the unit head separately from any COVID-19 related accommodation in the Summer or Fall 2020 semesters.
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No. A unit head has discretion to approve or deny a request based on factors outlined in the four-step process for requesting an employee accommodation. If an employee is eligible for COVID-19 related accommodations but the unit head determines the employee needs to work on campus due, for example, to the nature of the employee’s job duties, the unit head should consult with Human Resources about alternative work arrangements or accommodations that may address both the employee’s concerns and the unit’s needs.
Ultimately, the unit head has discretion on what, if any, accommodations to provide based on the four-step process outlined.
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If faculty or staff become ill with COVID-19, are they given paid time off and assistance with medical bills?
Information about leave, pay and employee benefits is on the UTC Human Resources site here.
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How will UTC handle any extended faculty absences due to COVID-19?
As with any faculty absence during a regular semester, a faculty member’s academic department will be prepared to offer instruction led by another faculty member with comparable qualifications and training.
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What happens if a professor has a COVID-19 exposure or diagnosis?
The response for any member of the campus community with a COVID-19 exposure or diagnosis is the same. Get information at: when a case of COVID-19 is reported.
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One-time, emergency paid sick leave is available under the Families First Coronavirus Response Act for 10 working days for those unable to work (including unable to work remotely) because an employee is:
- Subject to a federal, state or local quarantine or isolation order related to COVID-19
- Advised by a health care provider to self-quarantine related to COVID-19
- Caring for someone subject to an order described above
- Experiencing COVID-19 symptoms and seeking a medical diagnosis
- Caring for their child/children whose school or child care provider is closed or unavailable due to COVID-19
- Experiencing any other substantially similar condition specified by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services