COVID-19 Staff FAQ

We acknowledge the magnitude of change everyone is dealing with, as they work from home and take care of family and loved ones. Please see the Tips for Managing Remote Workers. Managers and supervisors are encouraged to utilize these suggestions as they manage staff working from home.

Additional resources for employees working remotely may be found on our COVID-19 HR Resources page.

Technology resources can be found here or you may contact the IT Help Desk at (408) 554-5700 for assistance.

All SCU employees are required to comply with the vaccination mandate by providing proof of vaccination or by submitting a valid exemption form. Employees with a valid and approved vaccination exemption are subject to additional health and safety protocols, including and not limited to weekly routine testing. 

As announced, faculty, staff, and students must obtain a COVID-19 booster vaccination as soon as they are eligible. All faculty, staff, and students must upload their vaccination information by March 17, 2022, which is six months from the September 2021 date when students were required to have received their second Pfizer or Moderna dose, or single Johnson & Johnson vaccine. Employees may visit the Vaccine Resources section of the COVID-19 HR Resources page to obtain directions on how to upload their record to Workday. The only exception to this booster requirement will be for those who previously obtained a University-approved COVID-19 vaccination exemption. 

The University provides free on-campus testing for students and employees. Information on the on-campus testing options is available on the SCU Testing site.

The County of Santa Clara also provides free testing. Please visit their website for more information.

Lastly, benefit eligible employees have access to COVID-19 testing through their medical provider.  For testing information provided by healthcare providers, employees are encouraged to contact their health care insurance provider to confirm coverage and applicable co-payment levels. https://www.blueshieldca.com/ or www.kp.org

Employees must report a positive COVID-19 test here. Employees are also encouraged to inform their managers of off-site positive results and contact HR to obtain related information and resources. Employees also must follow the isolation protocols before returning to campus.

Please visit the SCU COVID-19 Dashboard.

If you are identified as a close contact, please visit the Contact Tracing and Disinfecting Protocol section of the SCU COVID-19 Dashboard site for guidance.

Please closely monitor emails sent to the community. These messages can also be found in the recent campus messages that are posted on the Prepared SCU website sent to the campus community.

In some cases and depending on the circumstances, employees who are not able to work due to COVID-19 related circumstances may be eligible to receive compensation and or short-term leave payments. 

Employees who are not able to work due to COVID- are encouraged to contact Indu Ahluwalia at iahluwalia@scu.edu to obtain more information. 

Please visit the SCU Employee Assistance Program website to obtain resources and information related to anxiety and stress management during this time. You may also reach out to Human Resources for resources.

 Please visit the Health and Safety website of guidance and protocols.

Employees who are approved to work remotely and who take time off from work must report time off in alignment with the applicable time off policy and payroll practices.

As with our normal practice, staff employees who are out of work for an extended period of time due to medical circunstances should contact Indu Ahluwalia, Senior Leave Specialist. Depending on the circumstances, the staff employee may be eligible for short-term disability benefits.

At Santa Clara University we deeply value the diversity of our community. We are committed to fostering a community that values diversity and also models the principles of inclusive excellence. It is important we equip ourselves with facts and take on the responsibility of dismantling myths and stigmas. It is essential that we share accurate information during this time of heightened concern. Commitment to our Jesuit values of inclusion, respect, and care for the whole person has never been more critical. 

Important facts to know:

• COVID-19 does not recognize race, nationality or ethnicity.
• Wearing a mask does not mean a person is ill.
• You can interrupt stigma by sharing accurate information.
• Speak up if you hear, see or read misinformation or witness or experience harassment or discrimination.

As always, you may report concerns of discrimination to the SCU EEO/Title IX Office.

You may reach out to Human Resources to explore resource options.

Backup care is available for benefit-eligible employees. The backup care is provided through Bright Horizons Care Advantage which provides access to backup care at a subsidized rate. To Register and Receive Care: www.careadvantage.com/SCU Back-up New User Access: Back-Up Username: SantaClara Back-Up Password: backup12 OR CALL: 877-BH-CARES (242-2737)Note: the benefit is limited to up to ten days per year of care and dependent on child care provider availability.

The Office of Equal Opportunity and Title IX operations, will continue its work  remotely for the health and safety of our community.  Anyone impacted by discrimination, harassment and/or sexual misconduct is encouraged to contact the Office of Equal Opportunity and Title IX office immediately to make a report [https://www.scu.edu/title-ix/reporting/] and/or to inquire about resources  available both on- and off-campus. Staff are available to provide information, guidance, and other resources to address concerns during normal business hours for remote or telephone meetings and consultations. 

Investigations and hearings will be conducted remotely, and remedies provided, to assure that any discrimination, harassment, sexual harassment, sexual violence, intimate partner violence, stalking, retaliation, or other sexually discriminatory behaviors are addressed promptly.  Please note: University policies (www.scu.edu/title-ix/policies-reports/) on discrimination, harassment and sexual misconduct apply to behaviors that occur in person between members of the university community, but also apply to online and virtual misconduct.  Any behavior that is prohibited by policy is also prohibited in cyber-forms, including cyber-harassment, cyber-bullying that is sex-based, and cyber-stalking. Members of the community are expected to maintain a tone of civility and respect under remote conditions just as they would if they were at work or in class physically.

For more information please go to: https://www.scu.edu/title-ix/

For information about remote support services, please see www.scu.edu/title-ix/resources/covid-19/covid-19

Per the Staff Vacation Policy, vacation hours cannot be converted to cash; therefore, staff employees are not able to donate vacation hours to the emergency relief fund.

Staff employees can donate vacation hours to the staff vacation general pool. Additional information regarding the vacation pool and donation of vacation hours can be found in the Donation of Vacation to Other Staff section of the Vacation Pay Policy and the Donation of Vacation Hours Form.

No, student employees are not allowed to work remotely (locations off-campus).

We recommend that supervisors maintain contact with their student employees to provide relevant updates. 

Student workers are valued and critical to our University mission. It is important to regularly check in with your student workers to make sure they are doing well. Should they need financial assistance or emergency funding, please direct them to the Financial Aid office (which is administering the SCU Emergency Assistance Fund). Please also offer our Food Insecurity resources.

The California Employment Development Department (EDD) sets and maintains the unemployment eligibility rules. Student employees should submit their unemployment benefit inquiries to the EDD. 

In general, however, student employees are not subject to unemployment insurance based on their Employee Type as established by the EDD (see page 15).