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COVID-19 - UCR Staff Q & A

The UCR Covid-19 Staff Q & A is a resource for UCR staff to get information and policy updates regarding the campus impact from the COVID-19 including: Paid Administrative Leave, Telecommuting/Parking and Students and Other Part-Time Employees. We have prepared two sets of Questions and Answers for employees as it relates to COVID-19 – UC Systemwide (UCnet) and UCR Supplemental Q & A. For a printable version of this page, please click here.

Updates

UCR Supplemental Questions/Answers Related to Employees

General
  • 1. As of 4/02/2020 – is the UCR campus closed?

    Update: The Riverside County Public Health Officer has issued a revised public health order, extending the current physical closure of the UC Riverside campus for all but essential personnel supporting critical university functions through June 19, 2020.

    “Closed” in this context means all offices, units or departments will not have staff on campus unless they are essential personnel, and many staff may be working remotely. In addition, all on-campus events are cancelled until further notice. All in-person, non-essential gatherings on campus are suspended until further notice.

Paid Administrative Leave

Telecommuting

  • 14. How do I know if an employee I supervise is a good candidate for telecommuting?

    To assess whether remote work is operationally feasible, refer to the Assessing the Feasibility of Remote Work during the Novel Coronavirus 2019 (COVID-19) Outbreak Guidelines.

  • 15. Do employees need to complete the UCR Telecommuting Agreement if they are approved?

    No, due to the unique circumstances, workload constraints and the sense of urgency of the situation, completing the form is not necessary

  • 16. Is there any guidance available to assist the campus with technology and telecommuting?

    The following must be true in order for a staff member to use the “Remote Desktop Connection” application to remote into a device on campus:

    1. The campus device must currently be powered ON
    2. The user must know the name OR IP address of the device
    3. The campus device must be configured to allow Remote Desktop Connection OR the device must operate on a managed desktop (managed by ITS)*
    4. The user must connect to a campus Virtual Private Network (VPN) on their home device
    5. The user must have the “Remote Desktop Connection” application installed on their home device

    If the above criteria are not met, the employee will be unable to remote into their workstation computer.

    *ITS has updated its systems so that all managed desktops are currently configured for Remote Desktop Connection.
    Please also note that staff will not need the ability to remote into a workstation if they have taken their campus laptop or desktop home. In this event, they will need to connect to their home internet and a campus VPN (see instructions above) in order to access secured campus resources, such as files and applications that must be accessed via the UCR network.

    Please review the Clarification on Remote Work Options for Staff.

    Resources to help staff work remotely, including instructions on remote desktop connection and VPN connection, can be found at https://keepworking.ucr.edu/.

    If you require additional technical support for remote work outside of the resources provided on the Keep Working site, please submit a remote work support ticket. Instructions can be found here.

  • 17. Must employees who are telecommuting continue to pay for their monthly parking pass?

    Parking permit payroll deductions are charged in arrears. Meaning, for those who are paid monthly, the deduction on the 1st of the month is for the previous month’s parking. For those paid bi-weekly, the parking deductions are for the previous month’s parking. We are following our normal policies for parking permit refunds. Since we are already 2 weeks into the month of March, no refunds will be issued for March and the March parking charges will be on the April checks.

    We will be suspending all April payroll parking charges. There is no longer a need to cut your permit in half and email the picture. Please keep your current parking permit so you may use it when the campus reopens.

    How Parking Deductions are Taken Out of Your Paycheck
    3/2/2020 3/18/2020 and 4/1/2020 4/1/2020
    4/1/2020

    4/15/2020 and 5/13/2020
    (charges suspended)

    5/1/2020
    (charges suspended)

     

Student and Other Part-Time Employees

  • 18. What are TAs, Graduate Research Assistants and Undergraduate Student Employees eligible for?
    • TAs and Graduate Research Assistants are eligible for the same policy considerations, including the option for up to 128 hours of paid administrative leave (if they qualify). Graduate Research Assistants should consult with their supervisor/PI on their eligibility for paid administrative leave, as we expect there will be on-campus research work for them as campus research work will not be restricted. TAs should consult with their supervisor particularly how they can fulfill their role when courses are not being taught in person. UCR will provide more details for TAs prior to the start of Spring quarter. We understand that some TAs and Graduate Assistants may have more than one supervisor, for separate appointments, and therefore they will need to check with each appropriate supervisor.
    • Undergraduate Student Employees are eligible for the same policy considerations, including the option of up to 128 hours of paid administrative leave, if they qualify. Some undergraduate student employees may have their duties impacted by the campus actions relative to in-person class meetings, and UCR will work to provide additional guidance for these individuals prior to the start of spring quarter.
  • 19. How is the paid administrative leave calculated for student or other part-time employees, including per diem employees?

    The total amount of paid administrative leave available to a full-time employee is 16 days or 128 hours. On a one time and non-precedent setting basis, the University will determine the pro rata entitlement to paid administrative leave (under Executive Order 3/16/2020) for per diem and variable percentage appointees covered by other appointment types pursuant to a formula based on the actual time worked in accordance with the table below reflecting a two (2) month period.

    Pay Cycles Pay Period Covering:
    Bi-Weekly January 12, 2020 through January 25, 2020
    January 26, 2020 through February 8, 2020
    February 9, 2020 through February 22, 2020
    February 23, 2020 through March 7, 2020
    Monthly January 1, 2020 through January 31, 2020
    February 1, 2020 through February 29, 2020

    Lookback hours added together = LH

    Total full-time Hours = FH – this can vary by pay period but is typically 320 hours for 4 bi-weekly periods

    Step 1
    Add up LH
    Step 2
    Determine FH for relevant pay period
    Step 3
    LH/FH = Percent time
    Step 4
    128 * % time = Allotment
  • 20. Are Federal Work Study Student Employees eligible for Pay Continuation?

    Yes, through June 14, 2020 only if they are still working and still have remaining Federal Work Study funds.

  • 21. How do Federal Work Study Student Employees indicate they are using Pay Continuation in TARS?

    There is a new pay continuation TARS code for Federal Work Study student employees. The new leave code is "ADMFWS – Administrative – Fed Work-Study Pay" and is located under the Sick Leave options for biweekly employees. These employees should use this TARS code if they are still working and still have remaining Federal Work Study funds. Only employees on Federal Work Study will have this code available to them for Pay Continuation up until June 14, 2020.