Employees: Remote Work Update

Good afternoon, colleagues,

I want to again share New Year’s greetings and prayers for each one of you.

As we begin spring semester and in-person instruction on campus, I wanted to remind our employees about the remote work expectations currently in place from the Michigan Occupational Safety & Health Administration (MIOSHA).

In MIOSHA’s COVID-19 Emergency Rules, which were issued in late October 2020, the state of Michigan “prohibits in-person work for employees to the extent that their work activities can feasibly be completed remotely.”

While the Michigan Department of Health & Human Services current epidemic order on Gatherings and Face Masks remains in effect through Jan. 15, 2021, these guidelines from MIOSHA for employers and employees and remote work are in effect for the remainder of this spring semester (through April 14, at least). These guidelines are driven by a continuing desire to mitigate the risk and spread of COVID-19 in the workplace in Michigan wherever possible.

As a result of these state rules, I wanted to again confirm that Andrews University employees who can effectively work remotely should make, or reconfirm, formal arrangements to do so in writing with your vice president or academic dean.

In turn, the Michigan guidelines also require that “each supervisor must keep an up to date record of employees who have been approved for work on campus and ... that this will change depending on the cycle of the academic year and level of campus activity, such as when students are on campus.”

In particular, the implications of these Michigan COVID-19 Emergency Rules will impact positions on our campus that don’t regularly require in-person, frontline contact with students and fellow employees or which don’t require your physical presence in the office where you work.

If you feel that the roles and staffing in your given area of responsibility cannot effectively be conducted from a remote location, you will need prior authorization from your vice president or academic dean.

Thank you for your understanding and support in these challenging times and for your continued prayers and support for these efforts to control the spread and risk of COVID-19 in our community and our state.

Regards,

Darcy de León
Director
Office of Human Resources