COVID-19 Employee Updates | November 5, 2020

Dear Colleague:

I hope this finds you well and staying safe. I wanted to take an opportunity to provide you with an updated summary of information for CSUN employees during the COVID-19 pandemic as well as policies and resources for those working on campus and remotely.

As a reminder, the CSUN as One website is an up to date resource for additional questions you may have. Please view the website regularly.

Spring 2021

All CSU campuses will remain in a primarily virtual environment through the spring 2021 semester to maximize health and safety. Should circumstances change, we will communicate further.

This means all employees who can work from home will continue to work from home during the spring 2021 semester.

Training

All employees (even those continuing to work from home) are expected to complete an online training course called “Returning to Campus Guide for Employees” no later than December 31, 2020. Please refer to details shared in my message on July 28,2020.

The 23-minute online course provides information on CSUN’s COVID-19 guidelines and shared responsibilities, as well as strategies for limiting the spread of the disease. Human Resources will assist department heads who are responsible for tracking the training completion for their workgroups.

A safe work environment is only possible when everyone participates; therefore, some of these actions will require your active engagement. Because of the “connectedness” nature of our work and the volatility of the pandemic, we must share the responsibility of protecting ourselves and each other.

You can directly access the training hosted in CSU Learn, the Campus Learning Management System, by logging into the CSUN Portal here.

For questions or issues with accessing the training, email CSU-Learn @csun.edu.

Working on Campus

Remember, if you are approved to work on campus by your supervisor:

• Prior to reporting to work, and on a daily basis if scheduled, submit an Employee Screening Survey via the CSUN app or the myNorthridge portal; based on your result, you will receive an immediate message and email stating you are cleared to report to work or to stay home with further instructions; if cleared for work, share the email with your administrator.
• If you have not already completed the training noted above, please do so ASAP.
• Wear face coverings at all times; The face covering may be removed in a private office or cubicle with 6-foot distancing.
• Maintain 6-feet social distancing.
• Adhere to hand washing and work-space hygiene requirements.

For more information on health & safety, visit: https://www.csun.edu/csunasone/health-and-safety.

COVID-19 Leaves

CSU Coronavirus Paid Administrative Leave (CPAL) will end on December 31, 2020 and will not be renewed. Federal Families First Leave (FFFL) is scheduled to end on December 31, 2020. We are not aware that FFFL will be continued beyond this date.

We encourage employees to start exploring options for spring 2021 which may include alternate leave options, reduced work schedules and/or flexible schedules to allow for work while balancing other COVID impacts.

Please contact Employee Relations for additional information at er@csun.edu or 818-677-6566.

Current CSU related leaves as identified in our Collective Bargaining Agreements will continue to be available.

Additionally, full time faculty may have the option to request a voluntary reduction in time base thru the VRTB program. The deadline to apply for participation in the VRTB program for spring 2021 is December 21, 2020. For more information on the VRTB program, please contact michelle.kilmnick@csun.edu and for information on alternate faculty leave options, please contact Faculty Affairs at faculty.affairs@csun.edu.

REPORTING SUSPECTED/CONFIRMED COVID CASES

CSUN cares about your health and safety and continues to track reported COVID-19 cases among members of our campus community, including students, faculty, and staff. If you are diagnosed with COVID-19 by your doctor, even if you haven’t been on campus, please notify CSUN Pandemic Manager, Yolanda Chassiakos, MD, by emailing linda.reid.chassiakos@csun.edu and providing a contact phone number where you can be reached. Your information will remain confidential at the Klotz Student Health Center, and Klotz will make a confidential courtesy call to confirm that you have necessary healthcare and will help you identify any close contacts on campus for whom quarantine and testing are recommended.

Virtual Resources

Human Resources has compiled resources from across campus to help you teach and work remotely and created a Resources for Successfully Telecommuting web-page. Here you'll find information to help you work efficiently and safely, as well as resources and suggestions on keeping your mind and body healthy, or fun things you can do while staying safe at home.

Direct Deposit & Cal Employee Connect

All employees not on direct deposit will have their state payroll checks distributed by U.S. Mail to their home address on file as a measure to promote proper social distancing, and assist in transitioning workloads to support the Fall 2020 semester. In order to avoid unexpected mailing delays, we highly encourage you to consider enrolling in direct deposit. More information and the enrollment form can be found in Payroll Basics.

We also suggest enrolling in Cal Employee Connect (CEC), the State Controller’s Office (SCO) secure web-based employee self-service portal available to California State employees.

This tool allows California State University (CSU) employees to view up to three (3) years of pay warrant/direct deposit advice statements and annual W-2’s issued by the SCO online, anytime! Grab your latest pay warrant and register today! Learn more, including how to register at www.csun.edu/payroll/cec.

Employee Assistance Program - MyLifeMatters.com

In these difficult times, your Employee Assistance Program benefits provider, LifeMatters, is well-prepared to deliver the quality services you and your household members are accustomed to receiving. They are providing telephonic and video counseling sessions through their national network of Master’s level counselors using a HIPAA compliant telehealth platform in addition to a special COVID-19 section that is updated on an ongoing basis. Please contact them for support at MyLifeMatters.com (password matadors).

If you have questions that are not addressed above or in the CSUN as One site, please contact Human Resources/Employee Relations at er@csun.edu, or (818) 677-6566.

Thank you.

Kristina