Faculty Information

After consultation with the Office of State Human Resources (OSHR), the UNC System Office issued new work and leave provisions effective Aug. 1 until revised or rescinded. The following changes are in effect beginning Aug. 1:

• Employees who cannot telework: Administrative Leave COVID-19 is no longer available for employees who cannot telework due to the nature of their jobs. Employees must use their own accrued leave or accrued paid time off for hours not worked.

• Elder care needs: Employees who need to use Administrative Leave COVID-19 for elder care needs due to COVID-19-related elder care facility closings can receive administrative leave at two-thirds of their pay for a maximum of 12 weeks. This mirrors the childcare provisions of the Families First Coronavirus Response Act (FFCRA). Once this leave is exhausted, employees must use their own accrued leave or accrued paid time off for hours they did not work.

• Employees still under mandatory quarantine and not cleared to return to work: Employees who have exhausted all their FFCRA Emergency Paid Sick Leave, all of their accrued leave and all of their accrued paid time off, employees who cannot work due to being subject to quarantine/isolation order, due to being advised to self-quarantine, or due to experiencing COVID-19 symptoms and awaiting a diagnosis will receive Administrative Leave COVID-19 at 100% of their pay. 

Employees who have exhausted all of their leave and paid time off could be eligible to receive donated leave from the COVID-19 leave bank. See below for more information.

Expanded Community Service Leave
Permanent SHRA and EHRA employees who wish to volunteer time with non-profit organizations on COVID-19 relief activities may use up to 80 hours of Expanded Community Service Leave. Employees must gain approval from their supervisors before using this leave. These hours are accounted for separately from an employee’s regular community service leave allotment. Additional information about accounting for this time will be provided at a later date.

Childcare
We understand the decision for all public K-12 schools to embrace some form of online instruction in the fall may cause challenges for our employees. We are working with the UNC System on further guidance on how this may be addressed. As a reminder, up to 12 weeks of Families First Coronavirus Response Act (FFCRA) leave remains available to eligible employees with childcare issues as a result of COVID-19.

Employees are encouraged to talk with their supervisor about potential options for teleworking or flexing their work schedules to meet childcare needs. In addition, employees are encouraged to reach out to the employee assistance program (EAP) for resources to address child/elder care issues.

Families First Coronavirus Response Act 

The federal Families First Coronavirus Response Act (FFCRA) was enacted to address the impact of COVID-19 in the United States. This includes two types of leave that apply to the University and provide paid leave benefits to eligible University employees. This regulation is effective April 1, 2020, and expires December 31, 2020. More information and resources are available on HR’s FFCRA webpage.

COVID-19 Leave Bank