Annual Reminder: Suspended Operations
This is the University’s annual reminder to help ensure that your unit is prepared for the possibility of severe weather or other events that could disrupt transportation locally, or require the University to temporarily suspend nonessential operations.
This winter, with the University already in modified operational status due to COVID-19, the potential effect of a temporary suspension of nonessential operations is minimized because many employees will be able to continue working from their alternative work locations.
Nonessential staff
Under current COVID-19 modified operations, the majority of the University’s nonessential staff are teleworking. If UW temporarily suspends nonessential operations due to severe weather or for other reasons, nonessential staff who are teleworking are encouraged to continue to do so during the operational suspension. Those who cannot telework or are unable to continue teleworking due to power outages, changes in telework circumstances as a result of operational suspension, or other impacts should follow the UW Suspended Operations Policy.
Essential staff
Under the UW Suspended Operations Policy, only staff performing essential functions and who are not in positions that lend themselves to telework are required to report to work on-site during suspended operations.
Decisions to suspend non-essential operations on the Seattle, Bothell, or Tacoma campuses are made independently based on the prevailing conditions in their respective locations. If operations are suspended mid-day (between 8 a.m. to 5 p.m.), your department’s designated emergency contact (usually a dean or vice president) is responsible for disseminating the information. Employees may also call the UW’s toll-free emergency information line at 1-866-897-4636 or visit the UW homepage for suspended operations information.
If you have questions about HR practices during suspended operations and inclement weather, please contact your unit’s Human Resources Consultant. If you have questions about or need assistance with business continuity planning, please contact UW Emergency Management.
You can find helpful tools for assisting with suspended operations on the ISC’s website. Managers can review which employees in their Sup Org hold “essential positions” and quickly prioritize who to contact in case of suspended operations by running the R0023 Emergency Contacts by Organization report in Workday (to find the report, type R0023 into the search box in Workday). In addition, non-essential employees can review the ISC’s Suspended Operations webpage for guidance on how to record time when operations are suspended.