The WVU Employee Relations team recognizes many employees may have questions about what WVU’s decision to temporarily shift most undergraduate courses online means for faculty and staff, and we wanted to provide supervisors with additional guidance.
Campus Operations
Campus operations in Morgantown will continue as planned during the next two weeks. Employees should continue to work in their current capacity (on campus, remote or hybrid) during this time. However, WVU will temporarily suspend and reduce the number of in-person recreational activities for students and further limit capacity at campus events, which potentially could affect your staffing plans for these activities and events.
Start of the K-12 School Year
West Virginia K-12 schools are beginning classes today (Tuesday, Sept. 8), and many employees with school-age children will be adjusting to new routines in the coming days. Further, Monongalia County remains in red status, which means the school year will begin remotely and in-person classes will not commence until the county returns to yellow or green status.
This always is a challenging time of year for many employees with children, but it is especially difficult in light of the COVID-19 pandemic. Please continue to be flexible and understanding with employees who have school-age children and allow them to flex their schedules or work from home if necessary and appropriate given the employee’s role.
Potential Personnel Actions
Some employees may have concerns about the financial implications of WVU’s decision to pause face-to-face undergraduate instruction in Morgantown and whether this decision potentially could result in any personnel actions (e.g., additional temporary furloughs).
WVU’s goal is to maintain our workforce for the entire 2020-2021 academic year, and there currently are no plans for any personnel actions in response to this decision.
However, as discussed during a Campus Conversation last spring, COVID-19 has resulted in the loss of several revenue streams at the University during the past several months. WVU has enacted multiple measures to address our financial situation (e.g., limiting travel and other expenses and delaying or suspending capital projects), but the reality remains that we still are facing many budgetary uncertainties.
The University remains hopeful additional personnel actions to address our current budgetary conditions will not be necessary. However, if these measures are required, we will continue to be transparent and engage our entire campus community throughout the process.
Safety Protocols
It is imperative that our faculty and staff model the behaviors we expect of our students by following WVU’s safety protocols. Please encourage your team members to continue to wear a mask, practice good hand hygiene and maintain physical distancing at all times while on campus.
Please also be sure your employees continue to complete the required daily wellness survey each day (including weekends) — regardless of whether the employee is working on campus or in a remote or hybrid capacity.
Thank you for your continued leadership during these unprecedented times. Contact Employee Relations at EmployeeRelations@mail.wvu.edu or 304-293-5700 ext. 5 with any questions.