Tuesday, December 5 2017
TO: Campus Community
FR: Cynthia Señeriz, Director, Human Resources
RE: General reminder concerning staff leave requests due to natural or other emergencies
In response to the current wildfire in Ventura County, Human Resources is providing guidance to staff employees and supervisors with questions related to leave requests and available resources for those impacted by wildfires. Our campus management and emergency planning team are monitoring the Thomas Fire and will provide information to the UCSB campus community as developments warrant. The following guidance is applicable to requests for time off from work due to natural or other emergencies.
Requests for time off:
Staff employees who are unable to travel to the campus due to road closures, evacuations, or fire related emergencies, should contact their supervisors as soon as possible to coordinate requests for time off from work. Staff employees may consider using compensatory time off and vacation leave or request unpaid administrative leave due to natural or other emergencies. If applicable to their particular circumstance, policy-covered employees may utilize sick leave, family and medical leave, and unpaid personal leave consistent with PPSM 2-210 Absence from Work (http://policy.ucop.edu/doc/4010406/PPSM%202.210 ), Section III.F.1., and local procedures. Please refer to the applicable collective bargaining agreement for represented employees. When considering employee requests, we strongly encourage supervisors to make every effort possible to help their staff in identifying available options, consistent with policy and collective bargaining agreements.
UC employee resources:
UCSB employees have access to Academic & Staff Assistance Program (ASAP) services which offers free counseling and referral assistance for employees and eligible family members and can help individuals coping with anxiety, stress, loss, and more. More information about ASAP services is available at https://www.hr.ucsb.edu/hr-units/employee-services/asap
Emergency loans are available to UCSB employees who have an immediate need for funds as the result of an emergency and have no other source of money available within the time necessary to act, or who have a dire personal financial hardship. The University has affiliated with two credit unions to offer emergency loans. Contact information for these credit unions is available at https://www.hr.ucsb.edu/hr-units/employee-services
Power outages:
Facilities Management is advising the campus community to expect periodic power and communication outages in South Santa Barbara County, so at a minimum be careful to save your electronic documents in progress and keep your cell phones charged. The intermittent power outages will impact elevator service in buildings.
For questions pertaining to staff, please contact Amy Arnold, Senior Human Resources Analyst, x4068
For questions pertaining to building access limitations during power outages, please contact Jennifer Loftus, Deputy ADA Compliance Officer, x7025
For questions pertaining to academic appointments, contact the following:
Faculty and teaching titles: Karen Moreno x5429
Research titles: Joanna Kettmann x5048
Postdocs and graduate student employees: Billy Ko x4441
Thank you.