New York State Governor Andrew Cuomo has signed and updated an executive order indicating that non-essential personnel work from home and that all organizations allow no more than 25 percent of their employees on premises at any one time.

In order to continue effective operations, the College has developed a listing of personnel that have been deemed essential and will be required to be on campus beginning Monday, March 23. An essential employee is any person whose job function is necessary for the effective operation of the College or who must be physically present to perform their job. 

All employees, whether you are classified as essential or not, are expected to be on duty beginning at your normal starting time on Monday, March 23. Employees deemed essential will receive a separate communication from their supervisor informing them to report to work in-person on Monday. If an employee does not receive a specific communication from their supervisor, they are expected to be working from home during their regular work hours.

The College’s needs, as they relate to essential staffing, will be evaluated continually and are likely to vary according to operational requirements. The College or its departments may change an employee’s designation as either essential or non-essential at any time and, as such, an employee may be recalled at any time for essential operations (supervisors must give one-day notice as per guidance at link below). Communications on changes to an employee’s status will be distributed as needed, and employees are asked to remain flexible in order to accommodate changes in status.

For those non-essential employees working from home, your supervisor will collaborate with you to develop tasks that will support operations and help us move our academics and services to a distance format. Please be patient as supervisors may need time Monday to first organize duties for essential personnel before developing plans for those working from home. It is acceptable to stay current with email and complete other tasks, as suitable, until your supervisor can share a more detailed plan for you.

In the coming days, the College will be reviewing all part time positions to determine if the responsibilities of these positions can be performed remotely. While this is being reviewed, all part-time employees will receive pay for their standard work week schedule.

It is important to understand that the determination of “essential” employees for the purpose of our response to COVID-19 is not a value judgement on any employee’s worth or contributions to the College, but rather a determination of who must physically be on a campus at this time. We value all of our employees, as each of you provide “essential services” to the College. But as we respond to evolving distancing recommendations, only a small number of employees will be required to physically appear “in-person” on one of our campuses.

Please refer to the two links below for additional guidelines on telecommuting, and our established procedures for employees to report possible symptoms of the COVID-19 virus.

Human Resources Telecommuting Guidance

COVID-19 Symptom Reporting Guidelines

Regards,

Iris Martinez-Davis

AVP for Human Resources