As of right now, Cal Poly has no plans to furlough its employees, according to University Spokesperson Matt Lazier.
With the statewide stay-at-home order still in place, those who can, work from home. The university’s coronavirus frequently asked questions page reads that as of March 17, “All employees not essential to the safety, health, and well-being of the campus community are asked to stay home.” Those whose jobs cannot be done online, are not able to work at all.
“Employees who are unable to telecommute are being placed on COVID-19 paid leave,” Lazier said.
All CSU employees who cannot telecommute will receive a one time allotment of up to 128 hours of paid time off that can be used until December 31, 2020 for COVID-19 related absences. This includes all benefits-eligible employees, academic student employees, and non-represented student assistants. For employees who work less than full time, the paid administrative leave will be prorated, according to a CSU statement.
The Emergency Operations Center is developing gap analyses to determine where employees are needed most at this time and to identify whether some employee duties can be changed for the time being to supplement those needs, Lazier said.
Part-time student employees working for Cal Poly Corporation, such as those who work at on-campus dining venues, are currently unable to work. There are no plans to rehire until the university opens back up.
The Coordinators of Student Development are still working on campus, as University Housing remains open. These employees run the administrative coordination of resident halls, live in different learning communities on campus and have a multitude of jobs including University Hearing Officer for behavioral students, supervision of graduate/undergraduate student staff, and provide on call coverage.
Universities nationwide have announced plans to furlough or layoff employees in the past few weeks.
The president of Drew University in New Jersey announced plans to furlough 70 employees through at least May 31. Guildford College in South Carolina has furloughed 250 employees.
The furloughs are primarily targeting non-faculty employees of these universities.
Furloughs come when there are changes to revenue, such as potential changes in student financial aid and any increases in costs due to the change to a virtual environment, according to an article from Inside Higher Ed.
Correction: The headline was updated to reflect that given the fluid situation around COVID-19, personnel compensation could change.