Reminder: Workplace Guidance for Staff

January 27, 2022

Dear Colleagues,

The spring semester is off to an excellent start despite the ongoing challenges from COVID-19. Yale College classes started this week, and in-person teaching in the classroom resumes on February 7. Across the campus community, the rate of infection driven by the Omicron variant has significantly declined off the peak reached in the first week of January, consistent with the pattern across Connecticut. In addition, compliance with the vaccine booster mandate is strong and continues to increase across students, faculty, and managerial and professional staff, and we are working closely with union leadership to extend across the bargaining groups. Given this improving outlook, we write to provide an update regarding workplace guidance for staff.

Staff work arrangement through June 2022

On February 7, we will resume the workplace guidance for staff that we previously communicated on December 3, 2021. This aligns staff guidance with the resumption of in-classroom teaching. A summary of that guidance is as follows:

  • Staff currently coming to campus should continue their on-campus work arrangements.
  • Staff working in “hybrid” work arrangements prior to recess should expect to continue through the end of the academic year in June 2022. We are resuming the requirement for such staff to return to campus at least two days per week. Vice presidents and deans or their designees should determine the appropriate pacing as their staff members return to campus during February and may increase the time required to work on campus to support the school’s or unit’s operations.
  • Vice presidents and deans or their designees who have specific teams or roles for whom they would like largely remote work to continue should contact the Future of Work at Yale committee for review and approval. Requests for ongoing largely remote work will be evaluated against specific criteria such as the nature of the work, unique skills required, technology considerations, and competitive market dynamics.
  • Additional guidance for largely remote work and hybrid work arrangements will be disseminated to unit leaders and managers in the coming weeks. In the interim, leaders and managers should contact their HR Business Partner for advice.

Booster requirement

As a reminder, the university requires that all faculty, managerial and professional staff, postdoctoral associates, and postdoctoral fellows, other than those with approved exemptions, must:

  • Receive a COVID-19 booster by January 31, 2022, if currently eligible, or within seven days of eligibility if not eligible on January 31, 2022. Eligibility varies depending on the vaccination previously received, and our vaccination statistics indicate that the vast majority of faculty and staff are already eligible according to the following schedule:
    • Five months after receiving a second dose of Moderna or Pfizer, and
    • Two months after receiving a Johnson & Johnson vaccine.
  • Upload or confirm documentation of their booster through the Employee COVID-19 Vaccination Portal by the corresponding date above.

Boosters are currently available through the Yale COVID-19 Vaccine Program and vaccination sites across the state. The Campus COVID Resource Line is available to help individuals schedule appointments (203-432-6604).

For staff represented by bargaining units, information about boosters will be provided in a separate communication.

Thank you for your commitment and dedication to Yale’s mission as we navigate these unusual times. We look forward to seeing you on campus soon.

Sincerely,

Jack Callahan Jr., Senior Vice President for Operations
John Whelan, Vice President for Human Resources