For Faculty and Staff
These Q&A's have been updated based on the College's March 18, 2020 decision to move classes online. They will be updated as needed. If you have specific questions, please contact Human Resources at 508-565-1105 or hr@stonehill.edu.
Work Guidance
While every effort will be made to move employment searches forward in the future, the College has currently frozen hiring in response to the pandemic.
With Governor Baker's extension of self-isolation to May 4th, all full-time staff and bargaining unit employees are asked to utilize their earned vacation time between now and June 30th on days when they cannot perform their work remotely.
In response to the pandemic, only contractual and emergency expenditures, which require Vice President approval, will be permitted through June 30th.
Sickness and Childcare
If you are experiencing flu-like symptoms or other symptoms such as severe fever, severe cough, or issues breathing normally we want you to utilize sick time and, even if you are deemed an essential employee, stay home.
We also want you to follow your own doctor's recommendations and protocols concerning contacting and visiting you doctor's office. Follow medical guidance you may receive concerning monitoring, testing, and self-isolation. If a medical professional recommends that you self-isolate or stay home for an extended period of time, the College will work with you to minimize the impact to your compensation.
A non-salaried (non-exempt, hourly) employee will receive their full compensation during a medically recommended isolation period even if they cannot complete the normal work hours in any given week.
If a medical professional has recommended self-isolation to an employee who is a member of a bargaining unit, that individual will be compensated at their normal pay rate for the period of isolation. In all cases the College will require a doctor's note, however, realizing the strain on medical offices at this time, the doctor's note may be provided during or after the period of recommended isolation.
Time away from work during a medically recommended isolation period will not count against an employee's sick time accruals, however, for the purposes of the Family Medical Leave Act and all other long-term illness policies, time away will be tracked and calculated using the normal process for pro-longed illness.
Employees can use vacation time, personal days, etc. as needed. However, we also understand that this is a unique situation, so the College is authorizing department heads to work on creative and flexible schedules to assist employees. Accommodations may include, teleworking, a temporary change in shift, and modified schedules (extended days, other days off).
The College adheres to federal and state laws concerning the Family Medical Leave Act. Please contact HR for assistance with the FMLA process.
Yes, if you are a benefit eligible employee, this is considered a qualifying event. You can complete the Qualifying Event Form located in the Employee Portal under Resources and then Forms. In addition, you can learn more about the plan options by reading our FY2020 Open Enrollment Newsletters also in the Employee Portal, Resources and then Benefit Information. We will also need a letter from their former employer stating the last day of coverage. As always, please reach out to the Office of Human Resources with any questions or concerns.
Travel
The College has canceled all non-essential travel through the fall semester. No employee should attend a business conference or board a business flight at this time. If you have questions about whether or not travel is essential, please speak with your department head who will make determinations in consultation with the Divisional Vice President.
While such decisions are yours to make, the College recommends following the advice of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts. The Governor has recommended that all employees within his Executive Division reconsider such travel. We believe this is good advice for everyone. The College will not be able to assist with return from abroad should an employee get stranded. The College also cannot mitigate loss of wages if you are not able to return to work from a personal trip.
I have another question. Who do I call?
The Human Resources Department is committed to providing quality services to all members of the Stonehill College community in the areas of recruitment, wage and salary administration, employee and labor relations, benefits, training and professional development, as well as interpretation of policies and procedures.
COVID-19 Resources
For additional sources of information on coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19), please see the links below from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), World Health Organization (WHO), and Massachusetts Department of Public Health (Mass. DPH).