Nov 23 2020 Community Mtg Questions
Answers to the below questions will be added as we hear back from administration officials.
Staff Advisory Committee Questions
- How was the Staff Advisory Committee chosen?
- Why create another Staff Advisory Committee when there are elected delegates who represent EHRA and SHRA Non-Faculty Staff? How were members selected?
- Would there be open opportunities for other staff members who are interested in being part of this Staff Committee?
Communications Questions
- Per Communication: If you are meeting twice a week, how about a weekly or biweekly email that lets faculty and staff know what is currently going on. So that everyone is getting the same information at the same time. In addition, communications coming from the top down are often filtered or not complete.
- As Leaders of the University, how do you feel about the shared sentiment of SHRA/EHRA staff including housekeepers, facilities personnel, security guards and administrative workers are feeling increasingly anxious about being last on the chain when it comes to decisions?
Testing/Vaccination Questions
- I know that healthcare personnel are going to be prioritized when a vaccine is made available. What about other university personnel, or those of us that work in clinical research and live in both worlds?
- How does the Spring testing policies compare to Duke’s ?
- Will off campus students have testing requirements?
- If a student tests positive what will happen?
- If staff has to get tested once a week, is this considered “work time” or must we take leave to cover the time it takes to get tested?
- The optional testing for employees so far has been once a week but the wait can be over an hour and it can be at a time that interferes with work. Will testing for employee’s be available more frequently?
- What kind of testing will be used? nasal swab, etc.
- We are so grateful that UNC has arranged to keep furloughs and lays off very minimal. Thank you! Should the vaccine prove to not be effective or take many months to implement across the country, is there a plan to allow teleworking until it is absolutely safe to return?
- Will UNC-CH be part of vaccine distribution and will they develop HR requirements on vaccines?
- Would the University Leader’s advocate for Staff and Faculty to be considered as essential employees when it comes to vaccines?
Return to Campus/Community Standards Questions
- What will campus density (staff population) look like?
- We are so grateful that UNC has arranged to keep furloughs and lays off very minimal. Thank you! Should the vaccine prove to not be effective or take many months to implement across the country, is there a plan to allow teleworking until it is absolutely safe to return?
- Will all lab courses and studio classes will be on campus?
- The original return to work date was Jan 4th. Do we have a new return date?
- Latest guidance we got from school of medicine for return to campus for office staff is January 4. Updated guidance would be appreciated as that date is coming up fast.
- I am exposed to people who don’t fully comply with distancing and masking measures almost every time I work on site, and the only solution that has been offered is to call campus police if people refuse to wear a mask. This is inappropriate and/or not applicable for the encounters I’ve had. What do I do if a superior or colleague disregards standards? Is the burden always on me to remind people to follow standards? I’ve come to expect to do so, a major source of anxiety.
Effects of the Pandemic Issues/Budgetary Questions
- As Leaders of the University, how do you feel about the shared sentiment of SHRA/EHRA staff including housekeepers, facilities personnel, security guards and administrative workers are feeling increasingly anxious about being last on the chain when it comes to decisions?
- Before the pandemic facilities and the university was facing a tsunami of retirements and the loss of that institutional knowledge. The pandemic has exacerbated that fact and now we face the realization that many of those positions will not be filled. The pandemic will end, and we will face a knew normal but the physical plant will continue to carry the burden of maintaining our buildings but now with reduced staff and knowledge.
- In some areas, there has been a loss of staff which means their responsibilities have fallen on other staff members who are already working very hard; we have been told there won’t be any financial compensation for additional duties that may continue for up to a year. What can be done to help those employees that have suddenly had additional duties that may continue indefinitely? When will departments be able to return to hiring? and how
- Why is it so terribly difficult to get staff properly compensated for all the extra work especially in light of all the staff vacancies not being filled? Everyone else has a fairly simple process but staff are being asked to take on a ton more work with no additional compensation. Additional duties are being denied and staff are exhausted. This does seem like a double standard in relation to how faculty are given additional pay for their time. What can we do to make this process easier?
- Has any money been saved by having people that can work remotely work remotely?