UW–Madison : Update On Employee Caregiving Resources

Press release from the University of Wisconsin-Madison:

October 14, 2021

Read this message in:

October 12, 2021

Colleagues,

As the fall semester begins its second month, we want to thank all of you for your support and for embracing our return to our vibrant and beautiful residential campus. The energy and enthusiasm of 47,936 students living, taking classes, and working with us is remarkable.

As everyone is aware, the arrival in the U.S. of the more infectious Delta variant of COVID-19 means we are still operating among an elevated rate of cases across the country, including here in Wisconsin. The continued uncertainty has raised renewed concerns about disruptions, particularly for caregivers of unvaccinated children and of elderly or immunocompromised family members. UW−Madison will continue to be flexible as disruptions related to COVID-19 occur by providing options to employees, including:

Unfortunately, not every situation can be accommodated such as when a determination has been made that remote work is not feasible or that the work must be done at a particular time and in a specific venue, such as is the case with in-person instruction or managing certain research experiments.  In situations involving instructional responsibilities, please communicate with your department chair and school/college leadership for assistance in addressing the circumstances in a manner consistent with course learning objectives and obligations.

Employees seeking assistance in balancing work and caregiving responsibilities are encouraged to share their concerns with their supervisor or department chair to explore possible options to address their needs. Please be supportive of each other in these very difficult times. Every employee concern will be individually evaluated by supervisors based on duties, work environment, and workplace needs.

Employees who have questions or concerns about particular requests or options available to them are asked to consult with their college, school or divisional human resources representative. Additionally, the Office of Human Resources has family caregiving resources available for employees at https://hr.wisc.edu/covid19/family-caregiving/.

We appreciate your continued efforts to support our campus community.

Sincerely,

John Karl Scholz

Provost

Rob Cramer

Interim Vice Chancellor for Finance and Administration

Steve Ackerman

Vice Chancellor for Research and Graduate Education

This press release was produced by the University of Wisconsin-Madison. The views expressed here are the author’s own.