As
West Virginia University prepares to welcome back students, faculty and
staff to campus for the fall 2021 semester, the University has developed plans
and guidelines for employees to ensure continued adaptation of new ways of working
and operating in as safe a manner as possible.
Telecommuting Agreements for Remote and Hybrid Employees
To prepare to reconfigure the workspace within many campus buildings and introduce
new programs, policies and services for remote or hybrid employees, supervisors
were asked to confirm or update the long-term work arrangements for their direct
reports in the
Applaud HR system prior to
May 31. These arrangements include:
- Remote Work Schedule – Employees will work remotely at all times. However, these employees occasionally may be on-site for a meeting or to attend a University function or event. A remote worker typically will not maintain a designated physical office or cubicle space on campus.
- Hybrid Work Schedule – Employees will work on-site for a specified number of days each week on a regular schedule. The scheduled days the employee works on-site may vary from week to week.
- On-site Work Schedule – Employees will work on-site at a WVU campus or location in a dedicated workspace on a regular schedule.
The information captured in Applaud was used to prepare Telecommuting Agreements
for employees who will continue working in a remote or hybrid capacity.
The University will begin rolling out these updated agreements on
June 14.
WVU staff employees who will continue working in either a remote or hybrid capacity
on or after
July 1 will receive an email from
Employee Relations with instructions to complete their Telecommuting Agreement
in the Blue system — the same platform used to manage the annual performance review
process for staff.
If they have not already done so, remote and hybrid employees should meet with
their supervisor to discuss specific details related to their schedule prior to
completing their agreement.
Once employees have signed and submitted their Telecommuting Agreement, it will
be routed to their first- and second-level supervisors for final approval. Employees
will be able to view/print their final agreement within the Blue system after all
signatures are received.
All remote or hybrid employees must complete their Telecommuting Agreement by
June 23. Supervisors must approve agreements for their direct reports
no later than
July 2.
Telecommuting Agreements will be effective
July 1, 2021, through
June 30, 2022 (or at such time that there are changes to an employee’s
job status or position that may require a different work arrangement).
Workplace Reconfiguration
Based on the number of staff employees who will be working in a remote or hybrid
capacity, the University will be working throughout the coming weeks and months
to reconfigure workspaces within many campus buildings. Planning is underway and
additional details will be shared later this summer.
Elements of reconfigured workspaces will include “hotel space” for remote and hybrid
employees, which can be reserved in advance, and conference rooms with enhanced
video capabilities and docking configurations.
Employee Programs and Discounts
The University is unable to provide a stipend towards home internet costs for remote
and hybrid employees. And while WVU has explored potential reduced rates from local
internet service providers for faculty and staff, discounts for employees are not
available at this time due to limited competition among providers in most cities.
The University also has looked at potential discounts from cellular providers.
U.S. Cellular offers 25% off current and future rate plans for WVU employees. AT&T
Wireless offers a discount of up to $10 per line (four lines minimum) depending
on the plan selected.
Further, Staples offers a 20-25% discount on office equipment and furniture to
WVU employees.
These discounts — along with several other local and national deals — are available
to all WVU benefits-eligible faculty and staff, WVU Research Corp. employees and
WVU Retirees Association members via the
WVU Perks employee discount program.
Campus Health and Safety
WVU has
lessened some restrictions around mask wearing and out-of-state travel
for people who have been fully vaccinated against COVID-19 and verified their vaccinations
with the University.
Guidance for Campus Visitors
Visitors whose physical presence is required on campus to perform certain services
must follow current Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and Occupational
Safety and Health Administration guidance as well as federal, state and local guidelines.
Compliance by visitors with
WVU’s health and safety measures also will be required.
All visits to campus must continue to be coordinated with the appropriate WVU host
with as much advance notice as possible. The host will be responsible for sending
the
Visitors and Contractors Self-Screening Checklist and asking the visitors
to complete the checklist prior to the visit.
All initial job candidate screenings should continue to occur via telephone or
video conference (e.g., Zoom or Microsoft Teams). In-person interviews should be
limited to final candidate pools and follow WVU’s current health and safety guidelines.
For the remainder of summer, all non-essential visits by suppliers, contractors
and vendors to WVU’s campus will continue to be discouraged. Discussions or interviews
for bid proposals should be conducted via telephone or video conference and follow
procedures outlined by
Procurement Contracting and Payment Services.
Contractors and construction workers engaged in new construction, renovation and
capital improvement projects who have been approved to continue to work on-site
must complete the
Visitors and Contractors Self-Screening Checklist and follow WVU’s current
health and safety guidelines. Contractors and construction workers also should
follow the
Guidance for the Construction Workforce and other federal, state and local
guidelines.
Get Your COVID-19 Vaccine
WVU’s goal remains to ultimately reach an
80% vaccination rate for the University community, which includes
students, faculty and staff. If those
targeted milestones of increased vaccination rates are reached, the University
will be able to relax certain restrictions and allow specified activities to resume.
Vaccine clinics are available at WVU’s Morgantown campus, as well as in the
community. The Beckley and Keyser campuses no longer are operating vaccine
clinics.
Students, faculty and staff who have yet to be vaccinated should visit the
West Virginia Department of Health and Human Resources website or
vaccines.gov to find local options.
At this time, WVU is not requiring vaccination, but it is strongly recommended.
As the
Emergency Use Authorizations are lifted by the Food and Drug Administration,
the University may consider requiring COVID-19 vaccines for those who are
not medically exempted.
Vaccine Verification System
All students and employees who have been fully vaccinated for COVID-19 must
verify their vaccination with the University in the
COVID-19 Vaccine Verification System by
Aug. 1. Those who do not complete the verification process will
be considered unvaccinated this fall.
Employees and students should access to the Vaccine Verification System and
complete the acknowledgment form via StarRez (WVU’s housing portal):
myhousing.wvu.edu. View
full instructions on the
Return to Campus website. The
current vaccination rate of the campus community also is available
on the site and is updated every Tuesday.
Additional Updates
Stay tuned to
enews.wvu.edu and MOUNTAINEER E-News — as well as
students.wvu.edu and Unews — for additional updates about the
fall semester, which will be shared throughout the coming weeks.
In the meantime, visit the
Return to Campus website for the latest information, including
COVID-19 dashboards.