Spring/Summer 2020: Information for Truman Employees

For more information, visit www.truman.edu/coronavirus/for-employees/

In light of the COVID-19 pandemic, the University is expanding leave options and telecommuting arrangements for all full-time employees

Topics: FAQ | Expanded Leave Options & Telecommuting | Student Worker Supervisors | Remote Learning and Work Resources

Frequently Asked Questions

Yes, faculty and staff are expected to report to work unless:

  • You are sick or have any symptoms of COVID-19.
  • You have been advised to self-isolate or quarantine because of travel or potential exposure. If this is your situation, contact your supervisor and Human Resources.
  • You or a family member living with you have chronic health conditions or are in another at-risk group considered more susceptible to complications associated with COVID-19. If this is your situation, contact your supervisor and Human Resources.

Unless you have an approved arrangement to work from home, you should use accrued leave to cover your absence. All telecommuting arrangements must be approved by an ELT member and reviewed by Human Resources. The form to request this arrangement is available at hr.truman.edu under the Forms section.

If you have not already, please be sure to register your cell phone to receive university emergency notification text messages on the Truman tab in TruView. Work circumstances may develop quickly, and information will be shared as soon as possible.

These situations can be challenging and stressful. Truman’s Employee Assistance Program (EAP) is available to help.

The University has suspended all in-person services for students and other visitors to campus until further notice. As much as possible, business should be conducted via phone or email. Physical Plant staff have increased cleaning and sanitizing of touch points (e.g., entry and interior doors, restrooms, elevators, drinking fountains, etc.) in all buildings across campus, including residence halls and the Student Union. Hand sanitizing dispensers located around campus will be checked more frequently to ensure product is available.

Expanded Leave Options

Employees affected by school and daycare closures:

  • Employees who need to care for immediate family members due to closures or limits of schools or daycares may use up to 30 days of sick leave for that purpose.
  • Employees also may use vacation leave for this purpose and, if needed, may use up to 15 days of vacation leave before it is earned. It will be tracked as a negative balance and will later be replenished with future accruals.

Sick employees:

  • If an employee becomes sick, cannot work through telecommuting arrangements and has insufficient accrued paid leave, the employee may use up to 15 days of vacation leave before it has been earned, to be replenished later with future accruals.

Quarantined, healthy employees:

  • If a healthy employee is directed to spend time away from work to quarantine for precautionary reasons and telecommuting is not possible, the University may grant paid administrative leave for up to 15 days with appropriate documentation. Employees in this situation should contact their supervisor and Human Resources.

Telecommuting

  • Employees requesting to work from home should complete the Telecommuting Request Form, available from Human Resources. If you are currently working from home, you will still need to complete this form and submit it for approval. Supervisors should work with their employees to complete the form, including a detailed plan for a daily schedule and work assignments, and then submit the form to the appropriate member of the Executive Leadership Team or their designees for final approval. This plan also must be reviewed by Human Resources. The form can be found here: https://hr.truman.edu/files/2020/03/employee_telecommuting_request_form.pdf.
  • Supervisors should evaluate the telecommuting arrangements on a weekly basis to review work productivity, whether the arrangement meets the needs of the University operations or whether the arrangement should be refined. Administration will determine when the University will return to regular practices once public health circumstances improve.
  • Tips and resources for faculty and staff for learning and working remotely.

    Teach and Work Anywhere

    The federal government recently passed the Families First Coronavirus Response Act, which will take effect next month. We are reviewing how that legislation will impact Truman. We will share more information on or before March 31.

Guidance for Student Worker Supervisors

There are three types of student employment on campus:

  1. Scholarship Service Hours
  2. Institutional Pay
  3. Federal Work Study

The following decisions have been made to try and minimize the impact on our students and on offices that depend on student employment to function.

Scholarship Service Hours: 
The scholarship service hour requirement will be waived for this semester for all students.  Students that have completed their hours and those that have completed part of their hours (or none) will all receive the full scholarship credit.  Students who are currently working scholarship hours who have a desire to work AND the supervisor has a need for the student to work can be transitioned to Institutional Pay.  This will require the supervisor/department have the student submit an iclearance form for an Institutional Pay job on TruView.  All student positions will need to be reviewed with your ELT member.

Institutional Pay:
Students who are working for the University using institutional money can continue to work providing that the student is willing AND the supervisor has need.  There is no need to complete additional paperwork for this type of student employee.  If you have positions that you need to fill to keep your department functioning, you should review your student employment needs with your ELT member.

Federal Work Study (FWS): 
The recommendation from the Department of Education is that institutions continue to pay students using FWS funds, even if the student is unable to continue working.  This is a recommendation and not a requirement, but to be as equitable as possible, the University has decided to treat the approximately 200 students on FWS similar to Scholarship Service Hours.  The FWS students will continue to be paid their scheduled work hours through the end of the semester.  We will use January and February data to apply appropriate time to their accounts for payment through the end of the semester, up to the maximum amount of their FWS award.  Students will receive their paycheck as if they had continued working.  They do not need to do anything.  If you need the FWS position filled during the remainder of the semester, you should review your student employment needs with your ELT member for approval.  Once approved, the supervisor/department should have the student submit an iclearance form for an Institutional Pay job on TruView.

In the event that you have approved student worker positions to fill, please use TruPositions to post the open positions.  Students will be directed to check the TruPositions website for open positions.

COVID-19 Updates and Resources