Ohio Administrative Code › Title 3337 - Ohio University › Chapter 3337-40 - Policies on Discrimination and Benefits › Section 3337-40-51 - Declaring an emergency closure, early release, or delay

Current through all regulations passed and filed through July 1, 2024
(A)
			 Overview
This policy provides guidance for
				declaring an emergency university closing, early
				release, or delay and establishes guidelines for the compensation of
				classified and administrative employees during an emergency. This includes
				administrative hourly, administrative salary, and classified bargaining unit
				employees. Bargaining unit employees covered under a collective bargaining
				agreement should refer to their current contract or specifics of
				participation.
This policy does not apply to student employees at Ohio
				university.
Only the president of Ohio university (or their designated
				representative) has the authority to declare an emergency,
									 close
				or delay the university, or cancel classes
									 for the main campus, regional
				campuses, or regional teaching sites of Ohio university.
Emergency closings announced by other
				agencies, such as Ohio government offices, local city and county officials,
				etc., do not apply to Ohio university employees. However, the president, or
				their designee, will close the university and cancel classes for a campus
				whenever the campus county sheriff's department declares a level III snow
				emergency for that county.
Communication of a declared emergency will be released through
				university communications and marketing. Closing and opening times for the
				impacted campus(es) will be announced through all media, the "OHIO" home page,
				and "OHIO" alert.
In a declared emergency, certain
				employees may be required to work to provide essential services for the
				impacted campus(es). These essential service employees will be designated and
				contracted by their department heads or supervisors and will be assigned to
				work schedules as required by the emergency situation.
Employees who have not been designated
				as essential service employees. but are scheduled to work, will not be required
				to work during a declared emergency unless they are assigned and work a one
				hundred per cent remote appointment.
During a declared emergency, employees
				should not report to and be on campus unless they have been designated as
				essential service employees by their supervisors and asked to report to
				work.
When the university is not closed,
				employees are expected to report to work, or call in, if the inclement weather
				prevents travel. Employees will be expected to use personal leave or vacation
				time for those occasions when they must miss scheduled work.
(B)
								
								Compensation
Once a
				declared emergency occurs, employees on site who are not
				designated as essential service employees
									 are sent home.
				
									and will be paid at their regular rate from the
				time of the declared emergency until the end of their regularly-scheduled
				shift. 
									Employees working remotely, other than
				those assigned to a one hundred per cent remote appointment, who are not
				designated as essential service employees, will be paid at their regular rate
				from the time of the declared emergency until the end of their regularly
				scheduled-shift.
Essential service employees who are
				required to work during a declared emergency, but are unable to report to work,
				must notify their supervisor and may be paid at their regular rate for any
				hours they normally would have been scheduled to work.
Essential service employees paid on an hourly basis who are
				required to work during a declared emergency will be paid at their regular rate
				and, in addition, will be paid at their overtime rate for any hours actually
				worked (one hour regular pay plus one hour of overtime pay at 1.5 times regular
				rate equals 2.5 times regular rate during a declared emergency).
Salaried employees, other than those
				assigned to a one hundred per cent remote appointment, who are required to work
				during a declared emergency will receive their regular salary and will be
				granted the equivalent time off at a mutually agreeable time between the
				employee and their supervisor, to be used by the end of the fiscal
				year.
Those assigned to a one hundred per
				cent remote appointment, who are scheduled to work, will be paid their regular
				rate of pay.
During a declared emergency, employees may need to work extra
				shifts, different times of day on different days, etc. Therefore, the total
				rate of pay for an hourly employee will be used to determine all overtime pay
				(i.e., shift differential would not apply during an emergency if an employee
				does not normally receive it in their total rate but would receive it if it is
				a part of their normal total rate).
The option of receiving overtime pay or compensatory time off
				at the time and one-half rate will apply, consistent with departmental
				policies. Only hours worked in excess of forty can be banked as compensatory
				time. Using the two pay codes below the pay premium for working during a
				declared emergency, but does not always result in actual overtime
				worked.
For hourly employees, any hours worked on-site during a
				declared emergency should be reported on the time sheets as "emergency worked"
				(entered as time in and out) and "emergency closure" (entered as a total amount
				of time similar to paid time off (PTO)).
Any hours scheduled but not worked during a declared emergency
				should be reported on the time sheet as "emergency closure." Employees who are
				on travel status during a declared emergency shall receive their normal rate of
				pay only.
Employees who are on approved leave of
				absence, seasonal or indefinite layoff, or any other inactive pay status are
				not eligible for compensation during a declared emergency.