Employee Handbook – Section 311 Emergency Campus Closing

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311 Emergency Campus Closing

 

311.1 Purpose

Boston University seeks to prioritize the safety of all members of its community at all times. There will be occasions where the University’s operations must be suspended, or the University must close and cancel classes, due to weather or other emergency-related conditions.  When these situations arise, the University’s operations will shift to on-campus essential operations.

 

311.2 Definitions

Eligible Staff – all full-time and regular part-time non-represented staff employed by Boston University.  Represented employees should refer to their respective collective bargaining agreement for information governing emergency campus closings.

On-Campus Essential Services – staff members whose work requires an on-campus presence and are expected to report to work even when the University announces an emergency closing.   On-Campus Essential Services include:

Charles River Campus:

• • • Animal Care Services
    • Dining Services
    • Environmental Health and Safety
    • Facilities Management & Operations
    • Fitness and Recreation Center (if students on campus)
    • Mail Services
    • Network Services/Information Systems and Technology Help Desk/ Learning and Events Technology
    • Occupational Health
    • Public Safety
    • Research Lab Personnel (including post doctorate fellows)
    • Residence Life
    • Residence Safety
    • Student Health Services
    • University Libraries (if students on campus)
    • WBUR (selected staff)

Boston University Medical Campus:

• • • Alumni Medical Library (if students on campus)
    • Animal Care Services
    • Environmental Health and Safety
    • Facilities Management & Operations
    • Occupational Health
    • Public Safety
    • Research Lab Personnel (including post doctorate fellows)

Staff in departments not listed above may be required to work on campus due to seasonal or operational demands.  Those staff members will typically be notified of the requirements upon hire.

All Other Staff – staff members whose jobs are not defined as On-Campus Essential Services described above.

Emergency Closure
In the event of unforeseeable business interruption where notice is not possible, the University will close impacted operations, and staff who perform On-Campus Essential Services will be expected to report to campus and paid under the guidelines of this policy.  All Other Staff are not required to report to campus or work remotely and will be paid for their regularly scheduled hours when their campus is closed for emergency reasons.

 

311.3 Notification of On-Campus Essential Status

Staff will be notified during the hiring process if their work is considered an On-Campus Essential Service for emergency closure purposes.

Eligible staff who were not previously notified during the hiring process, will be notified by the issuance of this updated policy.

 

311.4 Decision, Notification, and Announcements

The decisions as to whether to close the Charles River, Fenway, or Medical campus(es) will be made independently by the University’s Senior Leadership and will be communicated to the University community as follows:

• University Home Page, bu.edu
• University Emergency Notification System
• The Emergency Line (617-353-7669)
• BU Today
• Social Media
• BU Email
• Local television and radio stations

 

311.5 Pay and Benefits

Pay

On-Campus Essential Services
To recognize the significant efforts from staff members performing On-Campus Essential Services during an emergency campus closure, non-exempt staff who are required to work on campus during an emergency campus closure will be paid for the total number of hours worked during the scheduled workweek and will earn one and one half (1 ½) hours of Compensatory Time Off for every non-overtime hour worked during the period for emergency closure. At the discretion of the Department Head, the staff member may receive one and a half times (1 ½) their base hourly rate for every non-overtime hour worked during the period for emergency closure in lieu of Compensatory Time Off.

Exempt staff who are required to work on campus during an Emergency University Closing will be eligible for Compensatory Time Off equal to the amount of time worked during an emergency closing.

Compensation of All Other Staff
All Other Staff members will be paid regular pay for their scheduled hours of work using the Department Closure Pay Code.

Reduced Schedule
When the University reduces work schedules as a result of an emergency closure, staff who have completed all other scheduled work hours in that workday (and are released from work as a result of the closure) will be paid at their regular rate of pay for the period from the announcement of the emergency closure to the end of their regularly scheduled workday using the Department Closure Pay Code.

Benefits

All eligible staff maintain their regular benefits during an emergency closure period.

 

311.6 Other Provisions

During periods of inclement weather and other events or conditions impacting access to campus, staff members should allow themselves extra commuting time to arrive safely to work on schedule.

On occasion, the University may announce a delayed opening. In these circumstances, All Other Staff members will be paid for their regularly scheduled hours.  Staff performing On-Campus Essential Services will be compensated as described above for emergency University closings.

Staff who are absent from work because of inclement weather conditions, when the University’s campuses remain open, must inform their supervisor of the absence at the start of their scheduled workday. Under these circumstances, absences must be deducted from the staff member’s accrued vacation, personal days, available Compensatory Time Off, or taken as Unpaid Time Off.

If the University closes a campus for any reason during a staff member’s scheduled day off, there will be no change to the staff member’s time off and the absence must be charged to the staff member’s accrued vacation, sick, personal or compensatory time leave.

 

311.7 Related Policies

301  Vacation Leave
303  Personal Days
309  Compensatory Time Off
313  Unpaid Time Off

 

 

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THIS POLICY STATEMENT IS PART OF THE EMPLOYEE HANDBOOK, AND SHOULD BE READ IN CONJUNCTION WITH ALL OF THE POLICIES THAT COMPRISE THE HANDBOOK. THE PROVISIONS OF THE EMPLOYEE HANDBOOK DO NOT CONSTITUTE AN EMPLOYMENT CONTRACT AND DO NOT ALTER THE AT-WILL STATUS OF AN EMPLOYEE.

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