November 6, 2020
We are planning for a spring semester with more face-to-face classes because we know they are critical to our students’ academic success. This will require an increase in staff working in person in some of our campus offices, particularly those where employees directly support our students and faculty.
Based on divisional and departmental needs and with supervisor approval, some staff may be able to do most or all of their work remotely.
Divisions, departments and supervisors should be planning for what the spring semester will look like for their staffs, and they are encouraged to communicate their expectations to employees as soon as possible. Supervisors should talk with their employees soon about whether they will be expected to work on campus in the spring — either all the time or sometimes.
Next week, UCF will launch a new process that will apply only to staff who will be expected to work on campus. Through this process, staff can seek an exemption that would allow them to work remotely — if they can perform appropriate job responsibilities remotely with approval from their supervisor.
Staff will be able to request exemptions if they or anyone who lives in their household is age 70 or older (as of Jan. 1, 2021) or meets at least one of the following medical conditions that the CDC has determined increase the risk of severe illness from COVID-19:
- Cancer
- Chronic kidney disease
- COPD (chronic obstructive pulmonary disease)
- Heart conditions, such as heart failure, coronary artery disease, or cardiomyopathies
- Immunocompromised state (weakened immune system) from solid organ transplant
- Obesity
- Pregnancy
- Sickle cell disease
- Smoking
- Type 2 diabetes mellitus
This process also will include documentation that must be filled out by a medical professional — except for requests related to age. If you know you want to go through this process, you may want to schedule an in-person or telehealth appointment with the appropriate medical professional. Because forms will be ready next week, you can schedule appointments starting the week of Nov. 16.
The office that will process exemption requests is the Leave Administration unit in UCF Human Resources that handles all medical requests, such as for the Family and Medical Leave Act. They keep all medical information entirely confidential, and supervisors will not see it.
In planning for the spring semester, we are maintaining our precautions to protect our community’s health and well-being. All of our COVID-19 policies, including physical distancing and wearing face coverings, will remain in effect. Should public health conditions require a change, we are ready to pivot to more remote teaching and work at any time if necessary.
Thank you for your dedication to UCF.
Maureen Binder
Associate Vice President
Chief Human Resources Officer