AU is presently examining re-opening its campuses in the autumn. So far, AU has not significantly consulted with its staff about their concerns.
Last week, the Membership Engagement Committee (MEC) conducted a brief consultation with its members and identified 10 areas of concern. These concerns and recommendations were provided to David Head (who is chair of AU’s COVID committee) by email on Monday. A copy of that email is reprised below.
MEC would like to thank AUFA members who took the time to provide feedback on their concerns. We are hopeful AU will address these concerns as it plans to re-open its campuses.
Rhiannon Rutherford, Chair
Membership Engagement Committee
Dear David,
AUFA understands that AU’s COVID committee is considering issues related to re-opening AU’s campuses. AUFA members have identified several issues that require attention. AUFA has grouped these concerns thematically and has developed some recommended actions.
Working from Home
Childcare
The disruption of schooling and other childcare services means many AUFA members must perform childcare during some or all of the workday. This issue appears to be a long-term one. Childcare work is affecting productivity, availability, and stress levels. Members are hiding these issues because of President Fassina’s assertion that AU will not be able to retain staff who cannot work full-time. It will be operationally and legally necessary for AU to accommodate these family obligations.
Recommendation: AU clarify that childcare will not be grounds for dismissal or other sanctions and assist supervisors to work with affected staff to adjust workload, hours, and expectations during disruption of childcare.
Teleworking
Many AUFA professionals indicate a desire to continue working from home, at least some of the time. Some AUFA members will require this option because they live with immune-compromised family members. Other members would like to work on campus.
Staff members working from home require financial support to (1) set-up adequate home offices as well as (2) operate those offices. Staff members also express a need for places where they can hold face-to-face meetings. A lack of support for home office work will negatively affect recruiting. Where operationally feasible, accounting for members’ preferences would be desirable.
Recommendation: AU allow staff members to choose the degree of teleworking that they desire and provide financial support necessary to set-up and maintain a home office for teleworkers.
Exams
Accessibility and Technology
Online exam platforms do not work for a significant minority of students, including some students who have disability-related accommodations. Some online platforms are struggling to manage the additional volume.
Recommendation: AU return to offering in-person exam writing as soon as possible. If AU wishes to move to online-only exams, this transition requires better technology, including technology that can address the needs of students with disabilities.
Workload and Resources
Creating, delivering, troubleshooting, and managing exams that are not online or for which alternative assessments are required place a heavy workload on affected staff members. The resulting extra workload is negatively affecting staff members’ health and ability to carry out other duties. This is simply unsustainable. This workload caused by adapting exams is unevenly distributed (within and between units). Historic inequities in resources between units are being intensified by the lack of additional support allocated to address this issue.
Recommendation: Workloads must be adjusted (or overload paid) to compensate for alternative assessments while in-person exams are suspended. Additional resources may be required by some units to manage alternative assessments.
Safety on Campus
Physical distancing and PPE
Many locations do not provide adequate space between work stations, between work stations and passage ways, or in exam spaces to maintain physical distancing. Alberta is also now recommending the use of PPE (e.g., masks, handsanitzer) in public.
Recommendations: Work stations should be re-allocated or reconfigured to allow social distancing. Until such time, teleworking should be maintained. If reconfiguration entails costs, units should not have to bear those costs. AU should provide staff members with access to adequate PPE, including masks and hand sanitizer before they are returned to campus work spaces.
Common spaces
Spaces shared with other organizations (e.g., building foyers, elevators, and washrooms) as well as common spaces within AU locations (kitchens, stairwells, washrooms) require greater cleaning. Pre-COVID changes to AU’s cleaning contract in Athabasca resulted in a much lower level of cleanliness and are inadequate given increased demands.
Recommendation: Shared spaces in leased buildings require a commitment for enhanced cleaning by building operators. Common spaces within AU spaces should either be closed or subject to enhanced cleaning.
Visitors
Visitors to campus pose a risk of transmission that must be addressed.
Recommendations: Visitors should be excluded from AU sites until barriers are installed and adequate social distancing can be maintained.
Outbreak protocols
AU requires a process to identify and manage suspected and confirmed COVID cases among AU members. This may include instructing supervisors to approve or direct working from home and developing a mechanism by which to notify staff of potential exposures.
Recommendation: AU must (1) commit to disclosing all suspected or confirmed COVID cases, (2) shut down locations with suspected or confirmed cases, and (3) empower supervisors to direct working from home when workers exhibit possible COVID symptoms.
Teaching and Research
Teaching
Staff in programs that have provided face-to-face instruction have been required to move those courses into an online format. The additional work of the initial move plus future work in revising these courses (based on initial experience) is not being adequately recognized or accommodated.
Recommendation: Workloads must be adjusted (or overload paid) to compensate for transitioning in-person instruction online.
Research
Some academics are unable to access research materials or participants while others are unable to present research. The delays in research will have implications for annual assessments as well as tenure and promotion reviews. AU needs to accommodate delays and unrealized plans caused by events out of the control of academics.
Recommendation: AU must (1) allow staff to extend probationary periods, or (2) negotiate adjusted probationary criteria to account for COVID impacts. AU must adjust annual workplans and assessments to account for COVID impacts on research. AU must allow for delays in research and professional development leaves to account of COVID impacts on research.
We hope the committee will take these concerns and recommendations into consideration. Given our experience so far with COVID, we also hope that AU will willing to adjust its policies and procedures to account for new developments.
Jolene Armstrong, President