530 - Policy on University Quarantine Orders
Subject: University Quarantine Orders
Section: U530
Date: November, 2020
Purpose:
To provide for the administration of a paid absence for employees who need to comply with a quarantine directive from a University COVID-19 contact tracer.
who is governed by this policy:
This policy applies to all staff employees.
Policy statement:
A. Employees who receive a quarantine directive from a University of Chicago COVID-19 contact tracer will continue to be paid for regularly scheduled work days during their absence provided the following conditions are met:
- The quarantine directive must be issued by a University of Chicago contact tracer;
- The investigation of the contact tracer concluded, the employee was in close contact with an infected person in the course of performing their duties for the University; and
- The employee’s job duties cannot be performed remotely.
B. Employees will be required to provide a copy of the communication from the contact tracer to their supervisor to confirm the start/end dates of quarantine.
C. Hourly non-exempt employees will be paid for their regular working hours at their regular hourly rate.
D. Employees will continue to accrue sick, vacation, and personal days during their absence.
E. This paid absence applies to employees who meet the above criteria for the duration of the quarantine order, typically fourteen (14) calendar days or fewer.
F. Employees will be paid for missed regularly scheduled workdays during the quarantine period, however this shall not exceed ten (10) workdays. Should an employee need to extend their absence beyond the period of the proscribed quarantine, the employee may use their accrued time if circumstances allow or contact Leave Administration for other options.
G. Payroll will enter this time in Workday as Quarantine Pay.
H. Whether the employee can perform their duties remotely will be at the discretion of the supervisor and the unit management.
Key Definitions:
Word/Phrase | Definition |
University of Chicago Contact Tracer | A member of the Department of Safety and Security COVID-19 Contact Tracing program charged with the responsibility of conducting contact tracing interviews with affiliates who have potentially been exposed to the virus through close contact in an effort to reduce the spread of the virus on campus |
roles and responsibilities:
Governed Party | Roles and Responsibilities |
Employee | The Employee is responsible for following the Supervisor’s time off request procedures and recording sick leave use. |
Supervisor | The Supervisor is responsible for setting time off request procedures, ensuring they are followed, verifying the use of sick leave is appropriate, monitoring for pattern absences, and approving sick leave use in the time off calendar. |
HR Partner | The HR Partner is responsible for ensuring employees are categorized accurately to ensure sick leave is accrued and used correctly. |
related information:
Policy U304 Compensable Time, Record-Keeping, and Tracking Absences
Policy U522 Family and Medical Leave of Absence
Policy U526 Victims’ Economic Security and Safety Leave
Policy U529 Temporary Supplemental Sick Leave
Policy U703 Progressive Corrective Action
Illinois Workers’ Compensation Act
Illinois Occupational Diseases Act
key contacts:
Name | Extension | |
Center of Expertise - Employee & Labor Relations | elrelations@uchicago.edu | 4-7345 |