Understand your COVID-19 leave options 

As members of the UC ANR community continue to be impacted by stay-at-home orders, school closures and health concerns due to COVID-19, it is of great importance that we remind employees of their options when it comes to paid leave and workplace flexibility. We are committed to providing our employees with a flexible, safe and healthy work environment while we continue to deliver extraordinary programming throughout California. We highly encourage all employees and supervisors to check in with each other regularly to reassess individual situations and discuss ongoing needs and expectations. To the extent possible, supervisors should be flexible about work schedules for employees with family care needs.

A number of leave options are available to UC ANR employees (both staff and academic) whose ability to work at full capacity is impacted by the COVID-19 situation:

• COVID-19 Paid Administrative Leave – On March 16, President Napolitano issued an Executive Order outlining expanded paid administrative leave to address the extraordinary demands placed on UC employees due to impacts related to COVID-19 on themselves and their family members.
• Families First Coronavirus Response Act (FFCRA) – Effective April 1, 2020, the FFCRA provides employees with paid sick leave and expanded family and medical leave for specified reasons related to COVID-19.
• Others – Eligible employees continue to have access to traditional options such as flexible work schedules and standard UC leave programs.

Human Resources is available to help employees and supervisors understand the leave options. The UC Office of the President has developed COVID-19 Related Leaves and Job Protections Guidance with detailed information. The leave options are complex, and there is not a one-size-fits-all solution. Should you have further questions please feel free to visit the UC ANR Leave of Absence webpage or contact Jodi Rosenbaum at jrosenbaum@ucanr.edu. 

Inventory of IT assets 

Cyberattacks against many organizations are increasing. Although we have the necessary network safeguards in place, we still rely on you as an essential first line of defense against attackers. As part of this effort and to maintain IS-3 security standards at UC ANR, we are required to keep an inventory of all IT assets owned by ANR. The ANR IT asset inventory is a list of all computing and networking related devices owned and managed by ANR. These devices include computers (desktops, notebooks, servers), network devices (switches, routers, etc.), printers, appliances, etc. However, to simplify the asset inventory process, we created an online survey that is available for everyone on the UC ANR Portal main page.

This asset and data inventory will help us in multiple ways, including the following:

1) Provides a record of assets for accounting/tracking purposes. 
2) Provides information useful during technical support or in the event of loss/theft or procuring software licenses. 
3) Serves as an important piece of information for business continuity planning.

Curious about the IS-3 policy? Find more details at https://policy.ucop.edu/doc/7000543/BFB-IS-3.

By April 30, 2020, everyone must register ANR-owned devices currently in use. For any assistance or questions, please contact help@ucanr.edu.

Extending the academic advancement clock

The COVID-19 pandemic has altered the way in which each of us lives and works. We have a creative and talented team across the state that is able to pivot in response to disruptions. Implications of COVID-19 on one's academic program are program-specific and continue to evolve. UC policy allows an academic to request an extension of their academic advancement review due to implications caused by a natural disaster. The COVID-19 pandemic constitutes a natural disaster. Consistent with actions taken by our campus partners, any UC ANR academic who feels an extension is necessary will, upon request, be automatically granted a 1-year extension if they are up for a merit, a promotion or a term review for review periods ending Sept 30, 2020, through September 30, 2022. Campus-based CE Specialists who are reviewed through their campus, should consult their campus regarding their merit and promotion process. For more details please see the announcement on the Academic HR website available here. 

Celebration corner

CalFresh Healthy Living, UC in Butte County is partnering with Enloe Medical Center and the “Stay Healthy at Home" campaign. UCCE donated over 1,000 herb seed packets for the medical center to mail out to patients/customers as an uplifting spring mailer that also included a link to the Butte Cluster Nutrition FaceBook page and an instructional video for planting the seeds.

Elaine Silver, Nutrition Educator with CalFresh Healthy Living, UC in San Francisco and San Mateo Counties, was able to virtually deliver a cancelled in-person training with 12 managers of a San Francisco Childcare Organization without a glitch.

4-H in San Benito County started a project to share messages of kindness with emergency workers and people who may be feeling sick or lonely. Watch the video at https://vimeo.com/406316032.

Glenda Humiston 
Vice President