As we approach the increasing potential for adverse winter weather conditions in our region, this communication serves as a reminder and summary of current Adverse Weather Policy including operating conditions, employee designations and guidance for accounting for time during adverse weather events.
Our campus Adverse Weather and Emergency Closing Policy has recently been updated to be fully compliant with current state policies and related rules issued by the UNC President. The updated policy can be viewed at: http://policy.appstate.edu/Adverse_Weather_and_Emergency_Closing.
Under current policy, campus chancellors have discretion to determine the operational status appropriate to maintain essential operations and provide for employee safety, based on winter weather conditions. These options include:
- Condition 1 (Reduced Operations): The University remains open, but certain non-mandatory operations may be reduced due to more limited staffing. Mandatory employees must report to or remain at work. All other employees have the option to report late, leave early, or not work at all; however, the employee is responsible for informing his/her supervisory chain in a timely manner of all such decisions. Employees must code available leave or may be allowed to make up any work time missed during a Condition 1 event, unless the supervisor authorized off-site work arrangements or the Governor issues an Executive Order permitting leave with pay for any missed work time.
- Condition 2 (Suspended Operations): The University remains open on a very limited basis, but has formally suspended all but mandatory operations due to minimal staffing levels. Employees designated or temporarily assigned as mandatory must report to work as directed; all other employees may not report to work or must leave the workplace when this status takes effect. Employees must code available leave or may be allowed to make up any work time missed during a Condition 2 event, unless the supervisor authorized off-site work arrangements or the Governor issues an Executive Order permitting leave with pay for any missed work time.
- Condition 3 (Closure): Due to significant and sustained emergency conditions, University facilities are closed; this can apply to the entirety of the University or one or more specific buildings based on the type of incident involved. All or only a limited number of mandatory employees may be directed to remain at or report to work under this condition. This is intended to assure an orderly shutdown of campus facilities and to sustain only the most critical campus utilities and services. All other employees, including those who are otherwise designated as mandatory but not needed for the particular event, are not permitted to report to or remain at work. Employees shall not be required to charge leave or make-up any work time missed during a Condition 3 event, unless the duration of the event necessitates a differing decision by direction of the President or by Executive Order of the Governor.
Note that campus chancellors may not declare Condition 3 at the time of an adverse weather event. If an adverse weather event actually results in sufficiently severe conditions, we may appeal to UNC General Administration to apply the paid leave provisions applicable to Condition 3 after the fact.
Our updated policy includes a list of operations designated as “mandatory operations” to be maintained during adverse weather events. Generally, employees whose work is necessary to maintain these mandatory operations are designated as “mandatory employees.” Current Adverse Weather and Emergency Events Policy requires that each employee be informed of her/his mandatory or non-mandatory status for purposes of adverse weather events. With assistance from departments across campus, we have added this status to each employee job description and, with assistance from Business Systems, employees may now review their designations through Banner Employee Self Service. We ask that all employees please log into Employee Self Service and click the Adverse Weather Mandatory/Non-Mandatory link to review their designations and guidance on accounting for time missed due to adverse weather. Please visit this tutorial (PDF, 148 KB) for detailed instructions on navigating to the Adverse Weather Mandatory/Non-Mandatory link in Employee Self Service.
Guidance for coding time missed due to adverse weather is posted on the Human Resources website at: Adverse Weather Guidance (PDF, 152 KB). Along with this guidance, we will post the date, time, duration and operational level of all adverse weather events at this location for reference in completing payroll time sheets.
All changes in campus operational status due to adverse weather events will be communicated with as much notice to the campus community as possible. Changes in campus operational status affecting the start of any workday will be communicated not later than 5:30 a.m. on the affected day. All weather-related communications will be made via university email, Twitter at @appstateclosing, the University homepage, recorded messages at 828-262-SNOW and, if appropriate, through media such as WASU and Booneweather.com.
Please take time to review our updated campus policy and related time-recording guidance. If you have questions regarding any guidance we have provided please contact the Office of Human Resources at 828-262-3187.