July 2021

July 9, 2021 | Announcement of Return to Onsite Work

This note was sent to faculty and staff from Beth Beam, Assistant Vice Chancellor Organizational Excellence & HR

Dear UW Bothell Staff,

Let me begin by again acknowledging the many UW Bothell staff members who have been on campus since the start of the pandemc. Your ongoing contributions have been critical to remote operations — and remain so even as we now turn our collective attention to Back to the Workplace planning.

As was the case with our remote operations, the plans to bring other staff members back to campus this fall will align with public health and UW guidance. Our goal is to have onsite operations by September 13, 2021, before the start of autumn quarter. I am sending this message as far in advance of the quarter as possible to give you time to plan within your unit and so that the Organizational Excellence & Human Resources team can support your successful return to campus.

Although we don’t know what the public health guidance may be in September, please know that the safety of our students, staff and faculty is always our highest priority. The University has developed and implemented robust safety guidance and protocols that all employees are expected to review and follow.

Understanding and complying with safety procedures is a shared responsibility, and thus each of you will be required to:

• Participate in a one-time safety training – All employees will receive training on the University’s COVID-19 Prevention Plan and your unit’s safety plan.
• Vaccinate against COVID-19 – All employees are required to be vaccinated against COVID-19 by autumn quarter in order to work onsite, unless the employee requests an exemption for medical, religious or philosophical reasons. Once you are fully vaccinated, please complete your vaccine attestation form. This should be done prior to commencing onsite work.
• Adhere to the latest face covering and distancing policies – All employees must follow the recently updated UW COVID-19 Face Covering Policy. Following federal, state and local health guidance, face coverings are optional for fully vaccinated individuals at UW campuses and facilities as of July 7, 2021, with specific exceptions that include health-care and child-care facilities, and UW shuttles.

If you have been working remotely, your manager will be working with you to discuss and plan the return to onsite work. Note: Onsite work can include a hybrid work arrangement (partial telework and partial onsite work each week).

If you anticipate you will need a disability accommodation to continue working fully remotely, please reach out to OE/HR at uwboehr@uw.edu for assistance.

We are also planning for onsite campus events to become acquainted and reacquainted with each other and to celebrate all of our efforts over the past year plus. Watch for more information about this soon.

Thank you — again — to everyone, and I look forward to seeing you in person rather than through the Zoom.

Regards,

Beth Beam (she/her)
Assistant Vice Chancellor Organizational Excellence & HR