Duquesne University has announced that it is creating a system for employees to donate extra sick or vacation days to other employees unable to work from home or who do not have any leave days left. The announcement, sent out to employees via email, is intended to provide five days worth of additional support to employees who would otherwise be furloughed when they run out of sick or vacation time, Chief Human Resources Officer and Assistant Vice President John Greeno said.
The university has made a number of other moves intended to buoy employees, including granting an additional ten emergency leave days, removing restrictions on the use of leave days, and expanding teleworking as much as possible.
“We’re doing everything we can to keep people afloat here,” Mr. Greeno said.
The move comes as colleges across the country face budget crunches in the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic. The loss of room and board revenue, hits to endowment funds, and increases in financial aid allotments are all factors weighing on higher education institutions.
Mr. Greeno said that the majority of people unable to work from home — and thus remain on the university’s payroll — are over 100 facilities employees such as groundskeepers, cleaning staff and maintenance workers. While many have accumulated stores of sick and or vacation days, new hires and non-union employees are more vulnerable.
He estimated that the program would initially benefit around 20 employees, but that the number could grow over time as the crisis wears on. While he emphasized that the university could not commit to paying all of its employees through the length of the crisis, he said that anybody who is furloughed would retain their benefits.
Duquesne Media and Communications Manager Rose Ravasio said in an email statement Friday morning that 71 employees had donated 377 days worth of time for their colleagues as of 9:30 a.m.
University of Pittsburgh spokesperson Kevin Zwick said in an email statement that Pitt this week created a voluntary sick day bank to help support employees who may fall ill. They also granted ten additional sick days and lifted a cap on vacation time accrual.
First Published: April 17, 2020, 10:18 p.m.