The University of Oregon has made several changes to its leave policies to help employees whose ability to work has been affected by COVID-19 (coronavirus), including school and child care closures, personal illness or the need to care for an ill family member.

The first course of action is to explore flexible work options, such as remote work or flexible schedules, where possible. Because flexible work arrangements are not always appropriate or viable due to personal and operational realities, the UO has implemented an emergency sick leave program and a temporary expansion of the Family Medical Leave Act and the Oregon Family Leave Act in accordance with federal and state regulations.

Employees who have worked at UO for at least 30 calendar days and are unable to work or telework due to a need to care for a child when a school or place of care has been closed due to COVID-19 may take up to 12 weeks of protected leave between April 1 and Dec. 31. Guidelines for temporary expanded FMLA due to school or place of care closures and OFLA protections are available on the Office of Human Resources website.

The emergency sick leave program provides employees with access to an additional sick leave benefit that covers two weeks of work. Full-time employees receive 80 hours of emergency sick leave, and part-time employees receive a prorated amount based on their work schedule. The program went into effect March 20 for SEIU employees and March 23 for all other employee groups.

UO emergency sick leave may be applied to cover missed work due to care of children during school or day care closures due to a public health emergency, as well as various health-related reasons. Visit the COVID-19 Leave Options webpage on the HR website for more information about UO emergency sick leave as well as other leave options specific to various employee groups.

UO emergency sick leave can be applied through the usual time reporting process used by units or departments. No separate approval process is required. Employee should contact their supervisor or their unit’s or department’s payroll administrator for further assistance and additional guidance.

The payroll department provides time entry guidance in the payroll-related news section on its website.