IT Virtual Town Hall - April 23

April 29, 2021

John opened the meeting by echoing President Peter Salovey’s response to the verdict on the murder of George Floyd. He reinforced that we have a long way to achieve a vision of liberty and justice for all in our nation, but that “we are advancing efforts on diversity, equity, and inclusion, not only within IT but more broadly, through coordination efforts from all.” He referenced work on personal and professional development topics that “make us better teammates and allies, more understanding neighbors, and more informed citizens.” John thanked the team for trusting and engaging on these topics.

Next, John shared updates related to the FY22 budget plan, which envisions IT beginning to pull back from some of the COVID-19 related work in the coming months. It also begins to contemplate a higher level of project activities than IT has had in the last year. In preparation for FY22, Lisa Sawin and the project management team are asking project teams to begin their planning now, to hit the ground running in July.

Stating that most staff and their loved ones should have had the opportunity to be vaccinated, and after sharing statistics on the efficacy of the vaccines, John encouraged those who have yet to get vaccinated to schedule an appointment.

Mark Manton, the ITS Health and Safety Leadership representative, then shared some information, including that Connecticut’s risk level is coming down and, as of April 21, there were 22 new cases from the day prior, per hundred thousand. There have been slightly more than 300,000 confirmed cases in Connecticut and 8,000 deaths. About 50 percent of Connecticut, over the age of 16, have been fully vaccinated. A little over 2 million doses of vaccine have been given in the state of Connecticut:

55% of those over 16
73 % of those ages 55 - 64
87% of those over 65

There is a wide disparity between vaccination rates of different towns. Towns with the lowest vaccination rate are at about 30% vaccination for people ages 16 and older, where those with the highest vaccination rates are covering about 70%. New Haven is at about 35% vaccination. Overall, the US is at about 39% vaccination with at least one dose. About a quarter of the whole country’s population is fully vaccinated. Connecticut is one of the top states in the country with those who are fully vaccinated. Our governor plans to loosen some of the restrictions, effective May 1 and May 19, provided rates don’t reverse course. The Emergency Operations Team discussed the new student vaccination requirement and changes to the business travel policy restrictions. Mark clarified that a seventh person had an adverse reaction to the Johnson & Johnson vaccine (out of 7 million); all of these blood clot issues occurred between 6 to 13 days after vaccination. All seven were female. Europe, which also paused distributions of the Johnson & Johnson vaccine, resumed its use on April 20. The Lead Admin call was regularly focusing mainly on COVID-related issues; however, we recently discussed the diversity hiring toolkit now available, so this shows that life is starting to return to normal. You can view information about what restrictions are in place, including how and when these will loosen, on the Connecticut website, which is interactive.

John then segued into answering several questions that have arisen related to return to work efforts, both through Ask John and those being submitted at the town hall. He acknowledged that many staff members have done well with remote working and that they find some aspects of returning to work to be pretty challenging. That said, he and many of the leaders at Yale believe our community is missing something - that basic human connection, that many of us want to experience again. While staff has done a tremendous job of leveraging pre-existing relationships as the basis of our culture, there is a concern that slowly, without more face-to-face interaction and campus time, our shared values will erode. John also recognized that COVID-19 has impacted team members in different ways. Working from home has not been unilaterally positive, with some new team members never having met IT colleagues face-to-face. “I look forward to an opportunity to have lunch at Pauli Murray surrounded by students, to participate in an event at the Schwarzman Center, or just walking to a meeting on Hillhouse Avenue,” he shared. He also emphasized that he wants to have an in-person holiday party to celebrate the staff’s achievements in a way that better expresses his gratitude and that of the entire campus. John hopes this helps IT, colleagues, to understand the motivation for attempting this return to campus and beginning to work toward being in the office more. As institutional leaders, John and others want to get back to some level of normalcy. They want to sanction some pilots and spend time and effort in refining practices without this immediate and overbearing pressure of a pandemic on everyone’s back.

John expects that the vast majority of personnel will be back on campus approximately on August 1. For logistical reasons, we may stagger that out over a couple of months - the team is still working this out. For areas where people have exceptions, there is a need to start to talk about it. If these need to differ from [an individual] approximately spending three days a week in the office, starting approximately August 1, John wants there to be documentation, so there is no ambiguity about what arrangement is being agreed. There are existing flexible work arrangement tools and templates on the It’s Your Yale website that may be useful for planning purposes, although John is not yet sure what final form these documents will take or what the process will look like. Part of the reason for describing everything in loose terms is due to a lot of uncertainty. The data is uncertain because there are dependencies on public health conditions and external factors determined by the state. So, the dates may continue to be adjusted. Recent questions to John have been reflecting on how the staff has had a lot of flexibility, and now the institution-wide response is that you are taking it away. John asks that you think back to just before the pandemic when the vast majority of people were in the office five days a week. There was a lot of hesitancy about flexible work arrangements. However, we have gotten past that, and the notion of approximately three days a week [in the office] without a lot of other caveats and clarification is a degree of freedom and flexibility we have never seen before. This presents a new opportunity, and John hopes everyone can see this.

The following questions, and John Barden’s answers, were taken from the April 23 virtual IT Town Hall meeting, including questions submitted via Ask John.

How were the members of the remote work practices committee selected?

There are a couple of different groups that have been formed. Under the workplace survey, we have an initiative that Ted Hanss has been shepherding with participation from Sandra Germanis. They asked for participation from a named individual from each Senior Leadership Team member, and those SLT members appointed somebody on their team to be their point person. Then they have engaged people as needed throughout the Organization for specific topics. There is also an institution-wide committee, which Sandra Germenis sits on for ITS and has been helping to support the long conversation that’s been happening around HR policy, IT needs, and support requirements for a long-term view of working remotely. Luis Ribeiro is also participating to support those discussions. We also have had this broader institutional discussion; however, if you have a point of view, and you don’t feel like you have a mechanism to share it, please raise your hand, either through the individuals I just mentioned, or send me a note. We are trying through the survey instrument and through other forms of engagement to make sure that we’re getting clarity on what your concerns are and how you’re thinking about future ways of working.

Several questions were asked about the safety of building spaces at 25 Science Park, specifically bathroom usage, conference rooms, ventilation, stairways, etc. Can you share what you know?

We have quite a few logistical items to work through, and we have some time. Win-Stanley, who operates that building, has had conversations throughout the pandemic. They have been working with both Facilities and Environmental Health and Safety to assure that they were meeting institutional guidelines. I suspect that we are awaiting confirmation on space requirements and public health measures, but I’m sure this will be determined by the time we return. People are setting up the right context for the conversations, but I do not have a detailed checklist that we could hand to Win-Stanley right now as a requirement of what they need to comply with to meet our expectations. Our timeline is based on what we believe to be the likely scenario and predicated on the expectation that it does not require significant alterations to facilities. That has been a guiding principle throughout this pandemic.

Can you address the need for flexibility for parents? Particularly, (as one staff member suggested) parents who are women and historically manage a larger share of responsibilities?

I am concerned, as is everyone who is involved in this conversation about all forms of either school, childcare, or options that provide people the level of flexibility they need to return fully. There are a lot of dynamics at play that are beyond our immediate control, including how school districts or individual childcare facilities are looking at these options. Things seem to be returning to pre-pandemic norms, but we will need to wait and see if, by August, those things have on track. If not, that is a condition we will have to take into consideration for our teams. I fully appreciate this concern and understand that it is a real issue. We are presuming certain things will be in place by August; to the degree those things prove to be wrong, I expect that we will continue to adjust.

Will we need to wear masks when we return to the office?

The institution has not made a formal decision on that yet. I would love to have that answer for you. EH&S is revisiting this requirement, but the general rule right now is that if you are in an open space, you are supposed to be wearing a mask. We will need to make sure that we have consistent standards by which people can operate. The expectation is that our public health conditions will improve by August to a point where we can revisit this. I do not yet know what that means, but it could still be that in meeting places or public spaces, we are expecting mask-wearing.

Will the vaccine will be mandated for staff and visitors?

You have heard what we have decided for students, which is unilateral - an expectation of vaccination for all undergraduate, graduate, and professional students prior to returning to campus in the fall who do not have a qualified exemption. The conversation is still outstanding regarding faculty, staff, and visitors. I expect a decision to be made before our return begins, but we have not yet made a formal decision in that regard. It has been getting a lot of active conversation. It is really up to EH&S and public health teams to make a determination. The majority of people who are talking to me from this call would prefer to know that everyone they interact with is vaccinated. There obviously are some concerns about and limitations to that. However, I have provided that information to the EH&S and public health teams, and they are assessing it along with other feedback from the rest of the campus.

How will parking be managed for those who are not full-time in the office - do we know if there will be any pro-rating or adjustments?

John Mayes and the team that runs parking have been continuing to update their webpage - I encourage you to keep watching that page. As I understand it, right now, they are reinstating parking fees in the fall. There is recognition that they have not made clear policy decisions about part-time or flexible work and how that might affect rates. I will provide an update if I become aware of any changes.

With having a hybrid setup, some labor grades are working at the same level of requirements as higher grades - will there be a review of duties and tasks in relation to pay grade and salary?

To the degree that is present, raise it with your supervisor and with our HR Generalist, Blanche. We are happy to take a look at these concerns individually, as we always have.

Will there be accommodations for high risk individuals or those who live with high-risk individuals?

As someone who lives with small children who are not eligible for the vaccine right now, I understand the concern. I do not have any specific information about a unilateral program around that, but if you have specific concerns, I encourage you to work with your supervisor and try to figure out how best to make it work. I do not yet know what that exactly looks like in terms of the process, but it starts with a conversation and openly discussing what your constraints might be.

At 25SP, bathrooms are single occupancy at this point. How many people can actually come back, based on that?

Many aspects of the return to work plan are predicated on improved public health conditions, and allow us to reassess our physical distancing and occupancy requirements. Additionally, most public health experts anticipate lower rates of transmission and subsequent relaxing of restrictions as vaccine rollout continues. We will continue to monitor these public health conditions as one of the most significant inputs into our return to work plan.

What support will be in place for those staff who are caregivers with young children who will likely not be eligible for vaccination until early next year and will likely face quarantine periods through the summer/fall?

Public health experts are beginning to assemble the data regarding the risk of transmission from vaccinated individuals. That data continues to evolve, but thus far looks promising – meaning relatively low risk. I expect this body of evidence will continue to grow over the coming months. As a parent with two children under age 12, I understand this concern and it is a topic of discussion in my household. Some members of our team may choose to take personal measures beyond CDC or university recommendations that make them more comfortable, such as choosing to continue to wear a mask in some moderate risk settings.

Will there be a plan of action for a potential “wave” of COVID strains come fall/winter, during traditional flu season, and potentially moving back to closed campus?

Public Health experts anticipate that incidents of COVID will continue to trend downward as vaccine rollout continues. We will continue to monitor the situation and recognize that we may need to adjust plans in the event of a significant growth in cases.

How did you go from the survey results which showed a distinct desire from non-managerial staff to continue to work from home (WFH), along with signals from SLT that we would be able to continue to WFH, to the current decision? Can you be transparent about who made those decisions? It’s sounding a lot like we’re moving away from offering individuals the opportunity to continue to work remotely. This message has gradually changed over this past year, leading us to believe we would have this opportunity, to now looking like we likely will not. It feels like a bait and switch. Was this intentional? And why do the opinions of those who want to return to in-person work, the minority, seem to be more heavily weighted?

And…

If the majority of ITS staff are very satisfied with remote work and believe it has contributed to their productivity, is it being considered positively by upper management?

As discussed in our last few town hall meetings, we have not yet finalized a perspective on “Future Ways of Working at Yale”. That discussion continues and is expected to establish long term policies regarding remote work. What has been decided by the Cabinet and Operations Leadership is that we are targeting the return to some level of normalcy on August 1 for the majority of staff. We want to inform long-term ways of working, and any potential changes to the practices of our highly collaborative community, without the immediate duress of the pandemic. As we return, we will sanction pilot activities and make informed decisions about what a hybrid environment (as opposed to fully remote experienced in the pandemic) would be like. The decision to evaluate a hybrid environment has been informed by your input, feedback from across the university, observing your high productivity while working remotely, and external factors such as higher education and IT-industry trends. We believe that this approach is balanced because it retains flexibility in the short-term while we develop a deeper level of experience and perspective about what is best for our future.

Can you explain how to square the flexibility you’ll allow people with children with the heteronormativity of those policies? Is there space to discuss flexible work arrangements if you’re someone with adult children or who has decided not to have children?

I would expect accommodations may need to exist for a number of different conditions, including K-12 school openings and childcare, eldercare, and public transportation constraints. Our reopening plan is predicated on broad service reopening. If those assumptions prove to be inaccurate, we will need to adjust or accommodate for these constraints.

Why will there be group meetings and in-person collaborations before August 1st?

And…

What are expectations of in-person conference room activities upon return based on comfort of staff? Being required to be at a desk is different than to be required to be in a confined room with others.

There may be some in-person meetings prior to August 1. Recall, we have approximately 70 IT team members on-site every day. We hope to enable those who wish to be on campus beginning June 1. With a significant and growing presence on campus, the probability of some in-person meetings is growing and is permissible even under the current health guidelines. Our return guidelines (approximately 3 days a week, targeted to start on August 1) provide flexibility about how to approach presence in meetings and will inevitably result in meetings being conducted in a hybrid model. If you have discomfort being in the room as some of these early meetings resume, I suggest you work with your manager to determine how best to participate – be it remotely from home during an off-site day, or from your desk, or in-person following then-current public health guidelines.

Peter Salovey’s email of 3/29/2021, mentioned a staggered schedule between August 1st and October 1st. But IT Update says an agreement must be in place first for remote after August 1st. What will the agreement detail and when can we submit them?

And…

Around the time that Yale announced staff would return to campus on August 1st, Policy 3503 was removed from the Yale Policy website (this policy includes guidance on flexible work arrangements). Is this policy being revised, and if so, when will it be re-published?

In the town hall, what we discussed was my expectation that the vast majority of IT personnel will be back on campus approximately 3 days a week, targeted for August 1. For logistical reasons we may stage these returns over a couple of months, which aligns to how President Salovey framed his note. For the exceptions where that is not possible, I’d like to be sure that these exceptions have been clarified and reviewed to avoid ambiguity and misunderstanding. I would expect to use the existing “Flexible work arrangement (FWA) planning worksheet” or something very similar. For more information, visit It’s Your Yale.

John closed by saying he hopes the written responses to these questions are helpful, and if not - please send him an email or reach out through your leadership channel. He stated he is very appreciative of the questions and the engaged discussions. He thanked the staff for continuing to support Yale. He shared that he is enthusiastic and optimistic about what lies ahead. Although there is still a lot that is unknown, John thinks we will see continued clarity and a continuing relaxing of expectations around the management of COVID-19 as more people are vaccinated, and the public health situation continues to improve. “In the interim, thank you and stay safe,” he concluded.

The date and time for the next IT Virtual Town Hall will be May 27, from 9:00 a.m. to 9:30 a.m.