A message from Vice President of Human Resources Bryan Garey
HR guidance on employee pay during modified university operations
To all Virginia Tech employees:
We are all experiencing the impact of COVID-19 on Virginia Tech and our operations, so it is not surprising that many of us have expressed concern about our jobs and future employment. Virginia Tech cannot accomplish its mission without our talented faculty, staff, and wage employees.
I want to assure you of our commitment to retaining our talented employees as we navigate a challenging future over the next several months. Please review the guidelines below for details and pay guidance by employee type. Because the information may be complex, we are asking that if you have specific questions, please connect with your supervisor or HR representative so that we can address your concerns.
We hope to rebound quickly from this health crisis. We will assess the ongoing financial impact on the university and will keep you informed as our plans emerge. For now, we hope this message will allow you to focus on your health and your loved ones and the important work you are doing to keep Virginia Tech moving forward during this crisis.
We appreciate your ongoing commitment to our university during this difficult time.
Bryan Garey
Vice President for Human Resources
T&R Faculty:
Virginia Tech’s Faculty Handbook provides pay guidelines for tenure-track and tenured faculty and faculty appointed to non-tenure track positions. These guidelines are not impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic. For research faculty with salary support from extramural grants and sponsors, departments will work with the sponsoring agencies to confirm their ongoing support; in those instances where such support is not possible, we are exploring the feasibility of providing bridge support using other departmental funding.
Administrative and Professional Faculty:
The Faculty Handbook also provides pay guidelines for administrative and professional faculty. These guidelines are not impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic. Decisions regarding future pay will be made according to the conditions in the Faculty Handbook. This includes employees who work remotely, are assigned by their unit supervisor to fulfill critical on-site functions, are temporarily reassigned to other duties, or are asked to remain “on-call” should they be needed to work.
Salaried Staff:
State guidelines provide pay guidance for salaried staff, including university and classified positions. Decisions regarding future pay will be made according to state guidelines. This includes employees who work remotely, are assigned by their unit supervisor to fulfill critical on-site functions, are temporarily reassigned to other duties, or are asked to remain “on-call” should they be needed to work.
Non-student Wage Workers (1500-hour wage):
Non-student wage workers will be paid for their hours worked during this time. This includes employees who work on-site, work remotely, or are assigned by their unit supervisor to fulfill critical on-site functions.
If non-student wage employees are not working as a result of the impact of COVID-19, they will placed in an “on-call” status and will continue to be paid their average weekly wage through the end of the 2019-20 academic year.
Adjunct and Wage Faculty (P14 employees):
Instructional faculty in a wage faculty role who are expected to teach classes online will continue to be paid while working remotely.
Wage faculty who are in administrative functions will continue to be paid. This includes employees who work remotely, are assigned by their unit supervisor to fulfill critical on-site functions, are temporarily reassigned to other duties, or are asked to remain “on-call” should they be needed to work.
All adjunct and wage faculty employees will be paid based on the initial P14 offer.
Emergency Hire and Sporadic/Seasonal Workers:
If emergency, sporadic, or seasonal employees are needed to work during this time, departments will pay them for the hours they are asked to work. This includes employees who may be working on-site or remotely.
If the work cannot be done on-site or remotely, emergency hire, sporadic, or seasonal employees will not be paid.
Student Wage Employees:
If student wages employees are able to work, they may continue working at the discretion of the department, and they will be paid for the hours they work. If possible, students should work remotely.
If student wage employees are unable to work on-site or remotely, employees in these roles will not be paid. If this action causes financial distress, students should contact the Dean of Students Office, which can help by providing financial assistance or working with students to find jobs needed by the university.
As a reminder, students should not return to a campus location to work in a student wage job.
Federal Work Study Student Employees:
Students working under a federal work-study program will continue to be paid at their agreed-upon hours and rates through the end of the academic year.
“On-call” definition:
As Virginia Tech works to modify operations during the COVID-19 impact, employees may be asked to remain at home “on-call.” This may occur when an employee is not able to do their normally assigned job on site or remotely. These employees must remain ready and available to work should they be called upon, unless they are using approved leave. An employee in an “on-call” status may be asked to provide support for another role in the home or other unit. On-call employees will continue to be paid.
Clarification on modified operations:
COVID-19 has created a unique and unprecedented circumstance for Virginia Tech, which has resulted in the university modifying how we operate in order to continue providing critical services where we need to, while moving the majority of other functions online or remote, including academic instruction.
Virginia Tech remains operational to provide critical services. The university has not declared an authorized closing as defined in University Policy 5600: Authorized Closings and University Policy 4305: Authorized Closings Leave Policy. Should the university further modify operations or declare an authorized closing, information will be communicated to the Virginia Tech community.
Contacts for questions:
- If employees have questions about their assigned duties, they should contact their supervisors.
- If employees or supervisors have other HR-related questions, they should contact the HR Service Center at hrservicecenter@vt.edu.
Helpful resources:
