Dear Colleague:

Happy New Year!

I write with some reminders and updates regarding Covid-19, access to campus, remote work, and plans for the Spring semester.

Employees must continue to wear masks when in public areas on campus, when meeting with others, and at all times when social distancing is not possible.  Please also continue to heed directional signs, washing your hands and using hand sanitizer, and sending your Covid screening forms to covidscreening@anselm.edu.  As a reminder, these forms should be filed each day that you on campus.

Employees who are able to work remotely are encouraged to do so. Please work with your supervisors and coworkers to establish departmental schedules that reduce density in work areas and allow for social distancing.  Employees are encouraged to avoid in-person meetings. I anticipate that most employees who can perform some or all of their tasks remotely will be asked to do so during the Spring semester, subject to departmental needs and supervisor approval.

Employee on-campus testing is resuming this week, and surveillance testing will commence again next week. As a reminder, surveillance testing is encouraged, but not required, for all employees who work on campus. There is also limited availability for employee testing on a volunteer basis. If you would like a Covid test, please email me to make an appointment.

Due to frequently-changing state quarantine requirements, any employee who plans to travel outside of New England should reach out to me to discuss returning to on-campus work, and consider the state guidance when making plans. At this time, employees are required to self-quarantine at home for a period of time after travel and before returning to campus. The College offers testing to employees upon their return.  You can review the State of New Hampshire’s travel guidelines at https://www.dhhs.nh.gov/dphs/cdcs/covid19/documents/travel-guidance.pdf.

Employees who have been in contact with someone who has tested positive for Covid-19, or who have reason to believe they may have contracted the virus should not come to campus. If you believe you have been exposed, please contact me or Maura Marshall, Director of Health Services (mmarshall@anselm.edu), to discuss your specific situation. On campus testing may be available in these circumstances.

Employees who are unable to work while self-isolating or in quarantine due to potential or actual Covid-19 exposure should contact me to discuss pay continuation during the time they are required to be out of work.

This has been an exceedingly difficult time for many of us. We have all been grappling with Covid-19 for nearly a year. Some of us are struggling financially, some are feeling overwhelmed with worry or with health issues, many are missing family members, and a lot of us are juggling unprecedented needs at home with increased and new demands at work. I encourage each and every one of you to seek support for yourself during this time, even if that support is simply a friendly ear on the phone or over Zoom. If you feel able to give support, I urge you to reach out to friends and colleagues to check in on them. The HR team and I are here to assist you by providing guidance about health and other benefits, confidential discussions about how to navigate situations at work or work-life balance, and, if necessary, available leave options should you need to care for yourself or a family member. 

Finally, I am attaching information about the College’s Employee Assistance Program, which provides confidential help and support for a variety of situations. While the College provides access to the program, no College employees are advised of the names of employees who use the services, so getting help from the EAP is entirely private. The EAP is free and available to all College employees, whether or not they are enrolled in our other benefits programs.

If you have any questions or concerns, please let me know.

Warm regards,

Molly

Molly McKean, J.D., SHRM-SCP
Executive Director, Human Resources
Saint Anselm College
100 Saint Anselm Drive #1716
Manchester, NH 03102
p. (603) 641-7258
f.  (603) 222-4014
www.anselm.edu