This has certainly been an unusual year, but none-the-less, Monday is Labor Day already.  Created and maintained as a national holiday for over 120 years., Labor Day is exactly what it sounds like: it is a day set aside to honor and commemorate all that labor unions have contributed to the work environment.  All of the gains achieved through the labor movement have had a tremendous, positive, and noteable impact on the wages, hours, and working conditions of this country.   Enjoy your holiday, celebrate safely.  9/4/2020

3 Items of Popular Interest: How to handle Back-to-School, the power outage from Storm Isaias last week, and the guidelines for out of state travel:

Power Outages From Storm Isaias (August 7):
A new Override Reason Code (ORC) has been created for use when an employee who has been teleworking during the COVID period is unable to do so, because of power/connectivity issues at the telework site.  The employee is responsible for contacting the supervisor to determine if the standard workplace can accommodate the employee’s coming to work while the power/connectivity issues persist, in light of current COVID guidelines for facilities.  For any day that the workplace cannot accommodate the employee’s reporting to the regular state worksite, the employee will be allowed paid leave in accordance with CGS 5-248(a).  The new Override Reason Code is PCC19 and is effective dated July 31, 2020.  The new ORC should be used in conjunction the Time Reporting Code (TRC) LOPD.

Back-to-Schools (August 10):
As the 2020-2021 school year approaches, employees are being informed that school districts in which their children are enrolled are offering multiple options, including returning to full-time in-school, remote learning, or a hybrid of in-school and remote learning methods; many are allowing families to select the method of learning they prefer.  As employees seek to address specific family situations, they may come forward to request a variety of scheduling options, including extended telework. How do we handle these various circumstances?  

Consideration of telework or schedule modifications that coincide with the academic needs of the child are made at the agency level on a case-by-case basis.  Decisions should be based on the organizational needs of the agency/agency operations, the agency’s approved re-opening plan, and the ability of the employee to remain
productive, including the employee’s level designation.   Employees should be encouraged to make such special requests as soon as possible, so that management may respond timely.

Out of State Travel (August 12)
An employee has returned to Connecticut after spending more than 24 hours in a state that is on the list of affected states. While the employee is quarantining, that state is removed from the list. Must the employee complete the required quarantine period, or can they return to work as of the date that state is removed from the list?
 
The employee must complete the quarantine period. If the employee is able to work remotely, the employee should work remotely; if not, the employee must code the absence in accordance with this guidance.

On June 24, 2020 Governor Lamont announced a travel advisory that individuals traveling from states with significant community spread of COVID-19 self-quarantine for 14 days from the time of last contact with the identified state. Many employees will continue to telework, so for those employees, resuming work after travel to an identified state does not involve return to the workplace. However, for those employees who must return to the workplace following travel to an identified state, the agency and the employee must recognize that additional time away from work will be necessary due to this reason. If paid leave under 5-248(a) has not been exhausted, then the employee may utilize that entitlement. Otherwise, leave accruals will need to be used or the employee risks being placed on an unpaid leave of absence. See Guidance under Level B.

The CDC recommends all nonessential international travel should be avoided.  Employees who travel outside of the U.S. must self-monitor at home for 14 days following their return. Many employees will continue to telework, so for those employees, resuming work after travel does not involve return to the workplace. However, for those employees who must return to the workplace, the agency and the employee must recognize that additional time away from work will be necessary due to this reason. If paid leave under 5-248(a) has not been exhausted,
then the employee may utilize that entitlement. Otherwise, leave accruals will need to be used or the employee risks being placed on an unpaid leave of absence. See Guidance under Level B.