COVID-19 HR Guidance to Managers and Employees
Hiring Guidelines
- UIC COVID-19 Guiding Principles for Hiring (5/4/2020)
- Civil Service Hiring (3/19/2020)
- UIC HR and OAE Guidance Regarding Candidate Interviews (3/19/2020)
- UIC HR Operations (3/18/2020)
Return to Work Resources
Resources for the safe resumption of operations in your departments
Communications
- City of Chicago Emergency Travel Order and UIC employees (10/14/2020)
- Chicago Campus Fall Safety Update (9/2/2020)
- Return to Work Employee Notification (8/20/2020)
- Employee COVID-19 safety training (7/8/2020)
- Updated CDC guidance on accommodations for high-risk employees (7/1/2020)
- Restore Illinois Phase 4 UIC Campus Operations (6/26/2020)
- UIC Return to Work – Phase 3 Recovery – Information for Employees and Managers (5/26/2020)
- Restore Illinois Phase 3 UIC Campus Operations (5/21/2020)
Planning and Guidance
- Guidance and Workplace Expectations for Employees and Supervisors (5/26/2020)
- Telecommuting Guidelines Update (5/21/2020)
FAQs
Q: My child’s school is giving me a choice between having my child attend in person or participate in a remote learning program for the fall. I signed up for the remote learning alternative because, for example, I worry that my child might contract COVID-19 and bring it home to the family. Since my child will be at home, may I take paid leave under the FFCRA in these circumstances? (added 08/27/2020) [Updated to reflect the Department’s revised regulations which are effective as of the date of publication in the Federal Register.]
A: No, you are not eligible to take paid leave under the FFCRA because your child’s school is not “closed” due to COVID–19 related reasons; it is open for your child to attend. FFCRA leave is not available to take care of a child whose school is open for in-person attendance. If your child is home not because his or her school is closed, but because you have chosen for the child to remain home, you are not entitled to FFCRA paid leave. However, if, because of COVID-19, your child is under a quarantine order or has been advised by a health care provider to self-isolate or self-quarantine, you may be eligible to take paid leave to care for him or her.
Q: My child’s school is operating on an alternate day (or other hybrid-attendance) basis. The school is open each day, but students alternate between days attending school in person and days participating in remote learning. They are permitted to attend school only on their allotted in-person attendance days. May I take paid leave under the FFCRA in these circumstances? (added 08/27/2020) [Updated to reflect the Department’s revised regulations which are effective as of the date of publication in the Federal Register.]
A: Yes, you are eligible to take paid leave under the FFCRA on days when your child is not permitted to attend school in person and must instead engage in remote learning, as long as you need the leave to actually care for your child during that time and only if no other suitable person is available to do so. For purposes of the FFCRA and its implementing regulations, the school is effectively “closed” to your child on days that he or she cannot attend in person. You may take paid leave under the FFCRA on each of your child’s remote-learning days.
Leave Resources
Resources for FFCRA Leaves
Leave Resources
- University of Illinois System HR Families First Coronavirus Response Act
- FFCRA Employee Certification Form
- UPB PARIS Resource Page – job aids to assist in payroll adjustments using new COVID-19 earn codes
- UIC HR COVID-19 Resource Guide
- Navigating COVID-19 Leaves Webinar (4/22/2020)
- Navigating COVID-19 Leaves Webinar Presentation Slides
Communications
Communications sent regarding COVID-19
July
June
- UIC Employee Assistance and Wellness Resources (6/18/2020)
- Academic Vacation Leave Rollover (6/1/2020)
May
- FFCRA and Holiday Pay (5/28/2020)
- UIC COVID-19 Guiding Principles for Hiring (5/4/2020)
April
- Families First Coronavirus Response Act Leave Form (4/13/2020)
- Earnings Codes for Hourly Employees Being Paid But Not Working (4/8/2020)
- COVID-19 Employee Health Information (4/6/2020)
- Civil Service Vacation Leave Accrual Limit (4/6/2020)
- Civil Service Employees Vacation Leave Accrual (4/3/2020)
- Families First Coronavirus Response Act (4/2/2020)
- Continuation of Remote Work (4/1/2020)
- COVID-19 reminder: keep your guard up (4/01/2020)
March
- Families First Coronavirus Response Act (3/27/2020)
- Telecommuting Updates (3/26/2020)
- GEO Leave Time (3/25/2020)
- Governor’s Stay at Home Order and Essential Employees (3/23/2020)
- UIC Hourly Employee Pay Directive (3/20/2020)
- Civil Service Hiring (3/19/2020)
- Department Specific Instructions to Employees (3/19/2020)
- UIC HR and OAE Guidance Regarding Candidate Interviews (3/19/2020)
- UIC HR Operations (3/18/2020)
- Human Resources guidance during COVID-19 (3/15/2020)
- Further Guidance for Managers From UIC HR Regarding COVID-19 (3/13/2020)
Additional Resources
- A link to UIC Today for all updated COVID-19 information: https://today.uic.edu/coronavirus
- Off Campus use of University Equipment (Please select Download Option to complete form)
- UIC HR Telecommuting Agreement
- Centers for Disease Control
- City of Chicago COVID-19 Response
COVID-19 FAQ
Below are some frequently asked questions and answers regarding COVID-19. If you have additional questions or require clarification, please contact UIC HR at 312.996.0840 or uichrwelcomecenter@uic.edu.
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Updated 07/27/2020
International Travel
The U.S. Department of State, Centers for Disease Control (CDC) and World Health Organization (WHO) have all issued global health and travel advisories. The University strongly urges UIC community members to avoid travel to any country with a CDC Level 2 or Level 3 risk designation. The CDC Level 3 countries are listed on the CDC website and may change daily. A full list of CDC travel advisories can be found here.
Faculty, staff, and students should exercise caution and if at all possible, avoid making future international travel arrangements to CDC Level 2 (currently Japan) countries. If travel is deemed necessary, we strongly urge faculty and staff to enroll in the UIC Travel Roster, where they can also sign up for insurance (https://oge.uic.edu/international-travel-safety-enrollment/) and with the U.S. Embassy in each country they are visiting (Smart Traveler Enrollment Program, known as STEP).
Additionally, travelers should prepare for the possibility of local quarantines in some locations; flight cancellations; and that return to the U.S. from some international destinations may be delayed or even impossible. Travelers to any international destination should recognize the potential for challenges in returning to the U.S.
University employees who believe they have an essential business reason to travel internationally by air may request approval through their unit executive officer e.g. dean, vice provost, vice chancellor) and then to the Chancellor, VC Health Affairs or Provost, depending on the traveler’s reporting line, for final approval. It is expected that permission to travel internationally will be granted only in the most limited of circumstances.
If travel is deemed necessary, faculty and staff to enroll are urged to enroll in the UIC Travel Roster, where they can also sign up for insurance (https://oge.uic.edu/international-travel-safety-enrollment/) and with the U.S. Embassy in each country they are visiting (Smart Traveler Enrollment Program, known as STEP).
All individuals returning from travel abroad should be advised of the following information from Homeland Security: https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/travelers/from-other-countries.html and follow any requirements of the City of Chicago and or Illinois Department of Public Health, whichever applies.
Personal international travel
The University strongly urges UIC community members to avoid personal travel to any country with a CDC Level 2 or Level 3 risk designation.
For more information on Travel, refer to the COVID-19 Road to Recovery page – Travel section.
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We have been anticipating receiving workers’ compensation (WC) claims in relation to the spread of the coronavirus. I am providing a category of employees and a description of why they may be eligible for Workers’ Compensation coverage. The IL Workers Compensation Act does provide occupational diseases coverage for employees. In this case, the Coronavirus would be considered an occupational disease, therefore, the below will only address coverage as it pertains to the Occupational disease section of the Act.
Health Care Field – We consider this category as front-line employee’s. This includes: Physicians, Nurses, Technicians and anyone who provides direct patient care.
- Front-line medical professionals will most definitely be covered under the IL Workers’ Compensation Act for occupational disease because their exposure is greater than that of the general population. A direct exposure can be proven.
- All other employee’s working in the health care facility. This includes: BSWs, Police Officers (security), etc. If a direct exposure is established, for example: cleaning a patient’s room who was later diagnosed as having the virus and no PPE (personal protection equipment) was worn. They would be covered by Workers’ Compensation.
Non-Health Care: This includes all employees.
- In most cases, non-health care employees are not covered by the IL workers’ compensation occupational disease act. For the claim to be accepted, the employee must show that there only exposure occurred at work and not the general population. The work environment had to have placed them at a greater risk than that of the general population. In these cases, workers’ compensation would not be paid unless the exposure was determined to be work related.
Employees working from home:
These employees would not be entitled to workers’ compensation for an occupational disease.In an effort to be consistent in applying WC benefits we recommend that first visits be paid on behalf of all personnel working in locations where patient care is provided – UI Hospital, University Health Services, McKinley, etc. At this time we plan to take the approach that subsequent bills will not be paid until it is determined the contamination was work-related (direct contact with a person known to be infected for example).
In keeping with the normal practice for exposure-type claims, first visits for employees in non-healthcare providing locations will not be paid.
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- Under normal circumstances, if leadership would have sent an employee home who is exhibiting illness symptoms this would be no different.
- Employees who are exhibiting concerning health symptoms should be sent for evaluations.
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Updated 07/27/2020
University-sponsored domestic travel
The university is limiting domestic travel for faculty, staff and students to pre-approved travel for essential university business. Currently, there are no federal restrictions on travel within the U.S.
Those who believe they have an essential business reason to travel by air may be able to request approval through their unit executive officer (e.g. dean, vice provost, vice chancellor) and then to the Chancellor, VC Health Affairs or Provost, depending on the traveler’s reporting line, for final approval. It is expected that permission to travel will be granted only in the most limited of circumstances and caution should follow CDC guidelines for travel in the United States. In some special circumstances, such as Athletics, a blanket approval may be granted by the Chancellor in conformance with NCAA directives.
The City of Chicago has issued an emergency travel order directing travelers entering or returning to Chicago from certain U.S. states experiencing a surge in new COVID-19 cases to quarantine for a 14-day period from the time of last contact within the identified state. This currently includes the following states, and is updated every Tuesday, and go into effect the following Friday at 12:01 a.m. As of 7/24/2020, the list includes the following states and updates are posted here: https://www.choosechicago.com/plan-your-trip/covid-19/
Travelers from the following states should quarantine upon arrival in Chicago: Alabama, Arkansas, Arizona, California, Florida, Georgia, Idaho, Iowa, Louisiana, Kansas (added 7/24) Mississippi, North Carolina, Nevada, Oklahoma, South Carolina, Tennessee, Texas, and Utah.
See also: https://www.chicago.gov/city/en/sites/covid-19/home/emergency-travel-order.html
Personal domestic travel
Employees are urged to follow CDC guidance regarding domestic travel risks and for those employees living in Chicago, compliance with the above restrictions imposed by the City as indicated above.
Individuals who have been working remotely should continue to do so during this quarantine period. For employees who have been working on-site, the department may choose to allow the employee to work remotely during the quarantine period if operationally feasible. If the employee is required to work on-site and remote work cannot be assigned or completed the employee must utilize benefit time. Under FFCRA, the employee would be eligible for 80 hours (two weeks) of sick leave time as a result of the local order. If the employee has exhausted use of FFCRA, the employee must utilize their university benefit time.
For more information on Travel, refer to the COVID-19 Road to Recovery page – Travel section.
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- How does the supervisor/manager record the time off?
- The University will allow all employees who are under quarantine/self-isolation due to COVID-19 to be paid during that time. If the employee is ill, they must record time off as sick leave.
- What happens if the employee does not have enough time in their leave bank?
- Civil Service employees may contact their department and/or college HR officer to apply for a Special Leave of Absence.
- How does the supervisor/manager record the time off?
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Contact a medical provider and your supervisor.
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Employees who are not reporting to work will be assigned by their supervisor to work remotely and will not be required to document benefit time. Employees who have been asked to work remotely and are unable to do so may be required to document leave time.