July 9, 2020

Dear SUNY Poly Employees,

Beginning the week of August 3, 2020, employees who cannot perform all or portions of their job duties from home will be required to report for on-site work to perform those specific on-campus functions. Please note that if you can perform all of your job duties from home utilizing current telecommuting arrangements, you will continue to telecommute.

We have created a comprehensive document to address workplace safety specific to COVID-19. The SUNY Poly Guide to Returning to the Workplace covers the policies and protocols for responding to the COVID-19 pandemic which are rooted in safety for our faculty, staff, and students, as well as the public with which we interact, and is available here: https://www.sunypoly.edu/sites/default/files/fall2020plan/Guide-for-Returning-to-the-Workplace.pdf.

The following is a quick overview for employees returning to the workplace.

When do I come back to the office?

Beginning August 3, employees with on-campus responsibilities should be scheduled to return for the minimum time required by their supervisor. Please contact your supervisor to coordinate your return date. Do not assume that you are or are not returning to the workplace; communication with your supervisor is required to make this determination.

Those returning to the workplace can anticipate reporting in a coordinated and/or staggered manner, in order to maintain a reduced population density. Therefore it is imperative that you communicate with your supervisor prior to returning to campus.

What do I need to do before I return?

1. Complete Online COVID-19 Training. Prior to August 3 or your return to campus date, whichever is later, employees must complete a brief online training which includes watching a short video entitled, “New York State COVID-19 Response: Return to Work Training” (NYS Department of Labor).  Employees must complete the training and acknowledge that they reviewed the training materials at the following website for the Utica campus: https://forms.gle/swP8G4bcrhkYVE1z8 and https://sunypoly.edu/covid19/training-albany-campus.html for the Albany campus. This requirement applies to employees who are just returning to the worksite AND those who have already been working on site.  
    
2. Complete a daily Health Screening Assessment. Each day you will be on campus all employees are required to submit a brief Health Screening Assessment (https://sunypoly.edu/covid19/screening.html), prior to, or within one hour of being on campus. Employees without web access will be provided a paper form from their supervisor.
    
3. Coordinate with your supervisor to obtain a university-provided cloth face covering. To obtain a face covering, contact your supervisor first as they are the point of contact. The Online training form also has an option to request a face covering. If you encounter an issue locating or using your face covering, please contact the Office of Environmental Health & Safety (“EHS”) in Utica at (315) 792-7101 or via email at clives@sunypoly.edu; or in Albany, contact EHS at (518) 956-7229 or SUNYPolyEHS@sunypoly.edu. You may use your own face mask/covering as long as it covers both your nose and mouth.
    
4. Read the SUNY Poly Guide for Returning to the Workplace. You are required to read this document in full prior to returning to the workplace. If you have any questions, please contact your supervisor. If your supervisor cannot address your question, they will refer you to the appropriate SUNY Poly office.
    
5. Update your Telecommuting Work Plan. If you are not returning to your in-office work location full-time, you need to coordinate with your supervisor to modify your established telecommuting work plan. This is not the form that is filed with HR; it is the plan you and your supervisor agreed to with respect to the work you would do remotely. With some in-office work being completed on a weekly basis and other work being done remotely, you and your supervisor will need to re-coordinate the best schedule and workflow to re-establish or re-evaluate priorities.

Additionally, those employees who have been traveling out of state must abide by New York State Department of Health guidelines, which are being updated in real-time based on a state’s COVID-19 impact. Some of these guidelines include required 14-day quarantine following travel to listed states. This information can be found here:

https://coronavirus.health.ny.gov/system/files/documents/2020/07/nys-covid-travel-advisory-faq_0.pdf

SUNY Poly is committed to providing a safe and healthy workplace. As we continue to work through this pandemic together, we look to each other as a community to be supportive, kind, caring, and mindful of the welfare and wellbeing of ourselves and those around us. By implementing the appropriate use of PPE and adhering to the SUNY Poly Guide for Returning to the Workplace, our actions can support these important efforts which will prepare us to responsibly return. We look forward to having you back on campus.

Thank you,

Sean Clive

Director of Environmental Health and Safety (Utica)

SUNY Polytechnic Institute

Tom  Diamond

Vice President of Environmental Health and Safety (Albany)

SUNY Polytechnic Institute

Rhonda Haines, PHR

Vice President for Human Resources

SUNY Polytechnic Institute