University of Utah - Human Resources

COVID-19 Special Protocol

Webpage last updated: 9/28/2020

If you are a hospitals/clinics employee, please click here

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Resource Planning Tools

The following are tools and resources available for units to begin utilizing when planning for budget shortfalls related to COVID-19.

Department Tool Kit

Leave Donation Bank

Employee Reassignments

Employee Reassignment Selection Criteria

Furlough

Important Contacts

The U’s COVID-19 Hotline: 801/213-2874
RedMed: 801/213-3303
Work Wellness Center: 801/581-2227
HR Benefits Team: 801/581-7447

Important Links

Employee Illness and Exposure Guidance

Exposure Guidance

COVID-19 Return from Travel Guidance

Families First Coronavirus Response Act

The Families First Coronavirus Response Act (FFCRA), the federal government’s COVID-19 relief legislation, passed by the US Congress and signed by President Trump March 18, 2020, includes two employee leave acts impacting eligible University employees:

Emergency Family and Medical Leave Expansion Act: Provides paid and unpaid leave to employees who cannot work or telework and need to care for a minor child due to a COVID-19 related school or child care closure.

Emergency Paid Sick Leave Act: Provides paid leave to employees who are unable to work or telework for their own isolation/quarantine, to care for an individual who is subject to a federal/state/local isolation/quarantine, or who need to care for a minor child due to a COVID-19 related school or child care closure.

The law is effective April 1, 2020. Please click here for details of the FFCRA and instructions on how to apply.

COVID-19 Telecommuting Protocol and Guidance

Beginning immediately, we are asking departmental leaders to begin working with their teams to identify employees and positions (as well as functions) who must report in-person to work and those whose work can be completed remotely.

Guidance for Designating Employee Positions with Respect to University Required Telecommuting

Category I: Mandatory Required on Campus or at Health Care Facilities (can be an employee or multiple employees in a function)

Main Campus Staff: Employees and/or functions designated as mandatory, requiring employees to be physically located on campus in order to maintain campus systems and operations
U of U Health Academics Faculty and Staff: All employees necessary for the direct on-site support of clinical operations, patient care, and essential research activities if they are healthy and without symptoms (see flowchart)
Hospitals and Clinics Staff: All employees necessary for the direct on-site support of clinical operations and patient care, if they are healthy and without symptoms

Category II: Not Required on Campus (will fall into one of the two sub-groups based upon circumstances)

A. Those able to telework: Employees and/or functions where employees are able to work remotely in order to maintain campus systems, campus operations, clinical operations, and patient care
B. Those unable to telework: Employees and/or functions where employees are unable to telework and for whom there are no alternate work assignments or work available. Examples may include: select part-time positions, select student workers, and ushers

Please use the Campus and U of U Health Academics COVID-19 Telecommuting Form below for instances where an employee is asked to telecommute as a result of COVID-19. All forms should be sent to askhr@utah.edu.

All employees who telecommute are required to follow the University’s Telecommuting Policy for Staff Employees (Policy 5-140) and Telecommuting Guides (Guideline 5-140).

Direct Deposit Information & Special Payroll Procedures

As the national and local COVID-19 situation evolves, we are working to ensure continuity of operations at every level. Should the virus severely impact HR, paper paychecks will not be available and direct deposit will be the only method of payment. We are urging all employees to sign up now for direct deposit if they have not already done so.

At this time, direct deposit is not mandatory but will be made mandatory if operational procedures are affected due to COVID-19.

Instructions for how to set up direct deposit can be found here.

Click here to setup Direct Deposit.

Protocol for Payroll Special Checks

Going forward, Payroll will only be creating special checks once per week. Special checks are only to be used for urgent payments, and the employee being paid must be enrolled in direct deposit. Otherwise, payments should coincide with regular pay periods. Special checks will be created by payroll on the following schedule:

Week of:

9/28 – 10/2 – Checks made 9/29
10/05 – 10/09 – Checks made 10/6 and 10/9
10/12 – 10/16 – Checks made 10/14
10/19 – 10/23 – Checks made 10/21
10/26 – 10/30 – Checks made 10/26 and 10/29
11/02 – 11/06 – Checks made 11/5
11/09 – 11/13 – Checks made 11/9 and 11/12
11/16 – 11/20 – Checks made 11/19
11/23 – 11/27 – Checks made 11/23 and 11/24
11/30 – 12/04 – Checks made 12/4
12/07 – 12/11 – Checks made 12/8 and 12/11
12/14 – 12/18 – Checks made 12/15
12/21 – 12/25 – Checks made 12/21 and 12/23
12/28 – 1/1/21 – Checks made 12/28 and 12/30

All information for the missed hours along with the journal entry, will need to be received by your designated payroll specialist by noon, on or before the check creation date.

HR Guidance for Child Care

In response to Governor Herbert’s announcement regarding the soft closing of K-12 schools, we are offering the following guidance. All of these recommendations are subject to manager approval with the intent that managers do the best they can to adjust the workforce and accommodate requests:

Telecommuting: expanding the use of telecommuting for childcare purposes. Employees should work with their supervisor to determine feasibility (https://www.hr.utah.edu/forms/lib/University_of_Utah_Telecommuting_Form.pdf)
Flexible scheduling: employees should work with their supervisors to determine whether flex schedules are possible
Leave accruals: all accrued leave types (vacation, personal preference, sick leave) will be available to use for childcare purposes. If there are extenuating circumstances please talk to your HR Associate Director.

Faculty and Hospitals and Clinics Staff with patient care responsibilities, or who work in units with patient care and units that support patient care, should report for work as scheduled, or if unable, contact their supervisor as soon as possible to ensure coverage. Hospitals and Clinics employees should refer to https://pulse.utah.edu/site/hhr/covid-19-uuhc-employee-info for more information.

Employee Assistance Program

Due to the current COVID-19 situation, the Employee Assistance Program (EAP) will be temporarily available to all University employees, including those not enrolled in the University’s healthcare plan and those not eligible to enroll in the University’s healthcare plan.

To maintain a safe environment for employees, the University’s partners at Blomquist Hale are transitioning EAP appointments to take place via phone and video sessions (via smart phone, tablet or computer, etc.).

Please see our Employee Assistance Program (EAP) webpage for additional resources available related to COVID-19.

Retirement Information During Uncertain Times

We recognize that during these times of uncertainty employees are concerned about their current finances as well as their retirement savings. Please visit our COVID-19 retirement webpage for more information and resources.

University Travel Guidance

Please review the University's Travel Guidance here.

University Related International Travel

Regardless of the nature and location of your university-related international travel, by university policy you must register it with the university. Specifically, University Rule R3-030D requires all international travel participants to:

Register their university-related travel at least three weeks prior to departure date
Enroll in university-affiliated international and emergency evacuation insurance
Abide by all active travel warnings and restrictions

Standard Leave Guidance

Administrative Leave for COVID-19 Testing and Exposure

Please contact Human Resources for information on the following types of leave:

Family Medical Leave Act (FMLA) - The leave may be protected under FMLA if the employee is eligible, and their own serious health condition or that of a family member qualifies for FMLA protection.
Donated vacation leave
Extended Sick Leave (up to 30 days)

Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) Accommodations

If an employee’s doctor recommends that the employee not report to work due to fear of exposure to COVID-19, the employee may request an accommodation due to a disability, including modification or adjustment to job duties, schedule, work environment, or other reasonable accommodations that would enable the employee to perform their essential job functions. To request an accommodation, compete the disability accommodation form found here.

FAQ’s - ADA & COVID-19

Worker’s Compensation

Worker’s Compensation is available to employees who have contracted COVID-19 while working, both in the United States and abroad.

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