Emergencies/Natural Disasters/Business Continuity
College Emergencies and Natural Disasters
The details for implementing this policy are found in the college publication Disaster and Event Preparedness for Natural Causes, which provides basic guidelines for use by college personnel during a natural disaster. In addition, the plan will reduce confusion during the chaotic period which typically precedes and follows such a disruption.
Specifically, this plan is intended to:
- Save lives and ensure the health and safety of the SJC community.
- Preserve and protect campus buildings and facilities.
- Preserve the orderly functioning of the College community.
- Restore critical functions to the College and departments so the mission of the College can continue.
- Establish clear lines of authority and coordination within the College and with external constituencies.
- Establish within the College and departments, responsibilities and authority for mitigation, preparation, response and recovery from a hurricane, tornado or severe weather.
- Establish a basis and organization for the College and departments to respond to emergency situations, to include the coordination of disaster operations and the management of critical resources.
- Articulate procedures for the coordination of communications within the College and with external constituencies and stakeholders.
- Ensure that the College returns to a normal operating environment as soon as possible.
The College’s Crisis Management Team (CMT), as defined in the plan, will have complete command and control authority for the management and mitigation of events and circumstances impacting the College due to natural causes. Command and control authority by the CMT includes, but is not limited to, directing emergency actions, canceling classes, closing buildings, campus closings, and releasing all but essential employees. The CMT will conduct emergency meetings as necessary (some meetings may be conducted by telephone) to determine the course of action. When activated, CMT members or alternates are on call at all times.
Questions or inquiries regarding the College’s Disaster and Event Preparedness Plan for Natural Causes can be directed to the office of the Vice Chancellor for Administration, or the Safety Director.
Unscheduled School Closures
Release time for employees is not charged against an employees leave time. All full-time employees will be placed on approved emergency leave, including employees who would otherwise have been on approved paid leave. The following are not entitled to compensation under this policy and shall remain in their current status: Employees:
- On leave without pay;
- In receipt of workers’ compensation;
- On military leave;
- On suspension without pay;
- On Family Medical Leave; or
- On Development Leave
Employees on approved leave from work during the unscheduled closure for Vacation, Sick Leave (other than FMLA), Personal Business or using Comp Time, will not have that leave time charged against their balance.
Payroll During an Unscheduled Closure
The purpose of these guidelines is to provide information relative to work schedule assignments and pay practices for regular full-time and part-time employees in the event of a college declared emergency or natural disaster.
Definition: Essential/Designated Employees. Those employees designated essential by their supervisor and directed to work before, during and/or after an emergency or natural disaster. They are required to perform duties assigned by their supervisor that may not be consistent with normal responsibilities or work schedules.
- The pay of an employee not scheduled to work during the emergency closure will not be affected. Likewise there is no extra time off for an employee if an unscheduled closure occurs on an employee’s normal day off.
- Part-time employees who do not work during the closure will not be paid. Likewise, if required to work a part-time employee will be paid for any hours actually worked at their prevailing rate.
- Adjunct faculty who were scheduled to teach on the unscheduled school closure will be paid for their assigned classes. Absences by adjunct faculty for any other reason (personal business, illness, court appearances) will result in docked pay.
- Full-time faculty scheduled to teach an overload class on the unscheduled closure, will be paid for their assigned overload.
- Full-time non-exempt staff designated as essential employees and required to work the unscheduled closure due to a college declared emergency or natural disaster (maintenance, IT, police, etc) and/or remaining on campus, or other designated site, will receive compensation at their over-time rate of all hours actually worked during the college closure. The overtime rate for actual hours worked is in addition to the regular pay the employee will receive for the unscheduled closure.
- Full-time salaried/exempt employees designated as essential employees and required to remain on campus during a closure may receive regular compensation and a supplement as determined by the Chancellor. This payment will reflect the combination of hours actually worked, the number of hours non-exempt employees under this person worked and the duration of the closure.
- The provisions of compensation for all hours actually worked during the college closure do not take effect until the officially announced closure time and do not apply to:
- Time spent securing and preparing the work area prior to the college closure. These duties may include but are not limited to packing supplies and/or records; disconnecting and moving equipment; and spreading protective covering.
- An employee remaining on campus without the direction of supervision is not eligible for and will not receive compensation beyond that approved for employees released from work and sent home.
- The period of the college closure will be based upon the announced closing and opening times of the college.
- To ensure proper crediting of employee efforts, supervisors are expected to create and maintain a record of essential employees required to remain on campus, or other designated location, during an official college closure. Employees required to remain on campus, or other designated location, must have the approval of the Crisis Management Team to be eligible to receive payment.
- If a part-time hourly or full-time non-exempt employee is required to travel to perform an emergency assignment for the College, all time spent on such travel is considered work-time.
- If a part-time hourly or full-time non-exempt employee is required to remain in a College facility, or other designated location, to perform their assignment during a designated emergency, all time spent on-site is considered work-time.
- All full-time non-exempt employees who are required to work during a closure under these guidelines will be compensated as described until such time as the crisis is over and/or recovery efforts are underway.
In the event payroll must be processed during an unscheduled College closure, data used will be from the last processed payroll period. Adjustments will be made when the College reopens.
- Direct Deposit – Payroll for employees enrolled in direct deposit will be processed as soon as conditions allow. This may be accomplished from a remote location.
- Traditional Payroll checks – Payroll for employees paid by checks will be processed as soon as conditions allow.
