Employee Information

Staff should be functioning at full capacity; however, shared office time should be minimized. In those workspaces that limit the ability to adhere social distancing guidelines, staff should rotate between teleworking and on-campus work. Those in vulnerable populations will be accommodated to the extent Human Resources policy allows and in conjunction with the supervisor.

Employees who have tested positive or who have symptoms of COVID-19 should seek medical care, notify their supervisor and stay at home. 

Employees who are well but who have a sick family member at home with COVID-19 should notify their supervisor and may stay home and telework when possible. The employee should follow GDPH recommendations in caring for their family member. 

High-Risk Populations

Upon request, individuals who are at higher risk for severe illness with COVID-19 will be given an opportunity to continue to work remotely. The GDPH and CDC have stated that people of any age with the following conditions are at increased risk of severe illness from COVID-19:

• Older ages: The CDC no longer gives a minimum age for those at risk. The USG will continue to use 65 as its measure for evaluating requests for alternate work arrangements. Individuals who are younger than 65 can provide documentation from a healthcare provider that their age is a determining factor for risk that should prevent them from working on campus as scheduled
• Cancer
• Chronic kidney disease
• COPD (chronic obstructive pulmonary disease)
• Immunocompromised state (weakened immune system) from solid organ transplant
• Obesity (body mass index of 30 or higher)
• Serious heart conditions, such as heart failure, coronary artery disease, or cardiomyopathies
• Sickle cell disease
• Type 2 diabetes mellitus
• Asthma (moderate-to-severe)
• Cerebrovascular disease (affects blood vessels and blood supply to the brain)
• Cystic fibrosis
• Hypertension or high blood pressure
• Immunocompromised state (weakened immune system) from blood or bone marrow transplant, immune deficiencies, HIV, use of corticosteroids, or use of other immune weakening medicines
• Neurologic conditions, such as dementia
• Liver disease
• Pregnancy
• Pulmonary fibrosis (having damaged or scarred lung tissues)
• Smoking
• Thalassemia (a type of blood disorder)
• Type 1 diabetes mellitus

The UNG Office of Human Resources has an Accommodation Request Form for employees to use in making such a request. Documentation for underlying medical conditions will be required as a part of the request. All requests should be submitted to the UNG Office of Human Resources, who will review the request and, upon approval, work with the employee and immediate supervisor to document and provide for the alternate work arrangement.

All non-essential travel by USG employees is prohibited until further notice. The USG will provide updated information as the situation changes.

Intercampus travel should be restricted to essential UNG business only.

Travel for faculty and staff in the USG will continue to be informed by the most current guidance for state agencies and travel guidance from the CDC.

It is recommended that future guidelines for in-state and out-of-state travel include a list of approved areas/states dependent upon COVID-19 transmission. 

Faculty and staff who are traveling back to their campus from a region that is in the midst of a COVID-19 increase should follow the appropriate CDC guidelines related to self-quarantine.

1. Available Leave
   1. An employee may take up to eight (8) hours of Non-Closure Emergency Leave to receive a COVID-19 vaccine.
   2.  An employee may also take up to sixteen (16) hours of Non-Closure Emergency Leave if he or she receives a COVID-19 vaccine and experiences severe negative side effects that prohibit him or her from performing their duties of employment.
2.  Process and Procedures
   1. An employee who uses such leave must provide proof of vaccination to their supervisor.
   2. An employee who uses such leave for the purpose of recovering from negative side effects of a COVID-19 vaccine shall also provide documentation from a medical provider to his or her supervisor, if requested.
   3. An employee who uses such leave must request the leave through their supervisor in accordance with the institution’s leave procedures.
   4. Leave must be entered and documented in the system by a supervisor or practitioner as Non-Closure Emergency Leave to ensure proper tracking and reporting. The respective leave codes are as follows:
      1.   00NHP – Non-Closure Emergency Hourly Paid
      2.   00NSP – Non-Closure Emergency Salary Paid
   5. After an employee has exhausted Non-Closure Emergency Leave balances, an employee may use other available leave as appropriate.
3. Effective Dates
   This temporary Non-Closure Emergency Leave policy for COVID-19 vaccination is effective as of March 31, 2021.  It will expire at the conclusion of the Public Health State of Emergency declared in the Governor’s Executive Order No. 03.14.20.01 and last renewed by Executive Order No. 03.31.21.01.

Employees may need to take leave should their dependent’s school or childcare facility experience a closure or return to remote learning. The Expanded Family Medical Leave federal program expired on December 31, 2020 and is no longer available for leave due to the unavailability of school or childcare. These requests should be made according to standard sick and/or vacation request procedures.

Any temporary alternative work arrangement requests related to the above should be discussed with both Human Resources and the employee’s immediate supervisor.

Telework options should be allowed for employees who can conduct their job duties remotely without interruption or disruption to services. The employee’s manager (as defined by the institution) is authorized to determine which employees under their supervision are in roles where telework is an option. Employees requesting telework considerations based on a personal health condition that is considered high risk per CDC Guidelines due to COVID-19 should complete the ADA Accommodation Request Form for an alternative work arrangement.

A record should be maintained of which employees have been authorized for telework. For more information, please review UNG’s teleworking policy.

Flexible schedules should be utilized to reduce the number of employees physically on campus to the minimal level required at any given time to sustain service, safety and compliance. Flexible schedules should span normal service or may also be extended to non-standard hours to support social distancing. Please keep a record of changes to employee schedules.