Identifying COVID-19-related furloughs

April 16, 2020

Tori Tragis

— by Dan White, chancellor

In Wednesday’s budget column I shared UAF’s strategy for implementing temporary COVID-19 furloughs and that I had requested UAF’s provost and vice chancellors to identify employees that fall into one of the following categories. 

1. 100% furlough reduction – job function is not required during COVID-19 due to duties performed. For example, if the job is a salesperson in a store that is closed, the job cannot be performed. 


2. Partial furlough reduction – job function is needed but not at current percent of effort. 
   
   
   
   1. Job function is only partially needed as some of the functions can be performed remotely but in-person functions cannot be performed during COVID-19. 
   
   
   2. Job function timeframe is shortened due to COVID-19. For example, the entire contract period does not need to be performed in the summer because summer programs will not be in person.
   
   
   
   

Our original plan was a staggered release to affected employees starting tomorrow, but I was asked by UA Human Resources to forward a more complete list of UAF employees identified for temporary COVID-19 furlough by tomorrow, Friday, April 17. The system office will review the list and notify me when it has been approved. I expect notifications to come out tomorrow afternoon. In the meantime, I’m hopeful that some positions identified for temporary COVID-19 furlough may be shifted to another department that is in need of additional support. Please be aware that these furloughs would not start tomorrow. Tomorrow is just the start of the 30-day advance notification.

Please remember that temporary COVID-19 furloughs can be lifted at any point in time as work becomes available. Employees who are put on temporary COVID-19 furlough are eligible for unemployment benefits. Please visit the Alaska Department of Labor and Workforce Development website for information on how to access those resources and the UA coronavirus FAQ website for more information about these furloughs.

Thank you for your continued commitment to UAF in the midst of all of this uncertainty.