Tip of the Month

December 2022

EMPLOYEE RELATIONS

Friendly reminders and updates as we enter the cold season!

Sick Leave

• Managers may request a note from an employee’s health care provider after the employee has missed a full workweek.
  • However, a physician’s note may be requested at any time when a manager suspects sick leave abuse.

See full policy for more information: Sick Leave Policy.

• Managers should not ask employees about their private medical information.
  • Examples would include asking about the employee’s diagnosis, doctor’s name, medications the employee may be using, pregnancy status, etc.

• Managers may ask employees about their general state of well-being (ex. How are you feeling? Do you feel sick?) and work ability. (ex. When do you expect to return to work? Do you feel able to perform your job functions?)

• Managers should not access employee health records to find information on employees’ illness or absence. (This is a HIPAA violation: see HIPAA Sanctions Policy for more information.)

• If needed, employees may apply for FMLA when they have been employed for at least 12 months and have worked at least 1,250 actual work hours during the previous 12-month period.
  For contact information and questions, see the FMLA Benefits page.

Administrative Leave Compensation – Positive Test Results

This information is taken from the Drug-Alcohol Policy 3.1.14, page three:

The employee will be placed on administrative leave without pay until the test results are received and evaluated. If the test results do not indicate misuse of drugs or alcohol, the employee will be paid their regular salary for the administrative leave time.  If the test results indicate misuse of drugs or alcohol, the employee will not be paid for the administrative leave time; however, the employee may utilize accrued paid leave time, if any, to compensate for these hours.  The Drug Screen Authorization Form and the Administrative Leave Form is accessible here and must be completed in this process.

Student & Employee Health Services (SEHS)

Due to a recent change, employees are only required to complete the online screening if they have symptoms or have been in close contact with an individual who has an active COVID-19 infection.  Managers should receive an email notification from SEHS regarding individuals not cleared for work.  Managers may follow up with SEHS if there are questions/concerns.  Contact SEHS at 501-686-6565 for more information.

Inclement Weather

As soon as the decision to declare Inclement Weather or Other Emergency Situation has been made, the designated hospital representative on duty will notify the Office of Vice Chancellor for Communications who will convey the decision to the greater UAMS community and the media. Notification to employees will be made via global email, the UAMS website, and RAVE alert. See the Inclement Weather Policy for more information.

For more information, review ER website at https://hr.uams.edu/employee-relations/ or Compliance360 at https://inside.uams.edu/compliance/uams-policies/