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Adverse Weather/Emergency Event Information for System Office Staff

System Office Status: Normal

Notification Procedures

During adverse weather and emergency events, status updates will be communicated by email and text, and will be posted on the UNC System Office website.

All UNC System Office employees with cell phone texting capabilities are required to register their phone number to receive text alerts. This is intended as a safety measure to ensure timely notification of critical updates to all employees. To register your cell phone, or update your number, log onto ConnectCarolina. You will need your UNC Onyen to log in. Instructions to update your cell phone and other personal information are located at Connect Carolina Personal Information Updates. To ensure you receive System Office-specific text alerts, see the Phone Number section of these instructions.

Public announcements about closings or late openings applicable to other state agencies or UNC-Chapel Hill do not apply to UNC System Office employees.

Key Policy Communications

  • SHRA-EHRA Adverse Weather Policy

National Weather Service (NWS) links:

State of North Carolina resources:

  • Visit ReadyNC.gov for additional information on weather preparation, as well as information on power outages.
  • Visit DriveNC.gov for current travel conditions from NCDOT.

Adverse Weather and Emergency Condition Levels

ADVERSE WEATHER CONDITION LEVELS

The President has the authority to declare three condition levels under this policy. This determination takes into consideration information from the National Weather Service (NWS), local law enforcement, and others, but does not require that a NWS weather warning be in place to designate a condition level. If a condition level has not been designated, then employees are expected to report to work as usual.

  • Condition 1 (Reduced Operations): The institution remains largely open but may have some reduced operations due to limited staffing. Non-mandatory employees must use their discretion in determining their safety to report to or remain at work.
  • Condition 2 (Suspended Operations): The institution remains open on a limited basis and has suspended all but mandatory operations. Non-mandatory employees must not report to or remain at work.
  • Condition 3 (Closure): Due to severe conditions, the institution is closed for business. Non-mandatory employees must not report to or remain at work.

These condition levels also may be applied to specific locations or buildings (e.g., extended outage of heat or air conditioning, burst pipes causing flooding, etc.) and to related employee groups, based on the scope, severity, and nature of the weather or emergency event.

RECORDING ABSENCES UNDER CONDITIONS 1 and 2:

Employees must record available leave for any work time missed during a Condition 1 or 2 status, unless the employee’s supervisor authorizes offsite work (e.g., teleworking) during the Condition status.

  • Employees who are already out on approved leave will charge the approved sick, annual, compensatory, or bonus leave, with no provisions for make-up time.
  • For other employees, compensatory time balances, if available, must be applied to absences first before leave, leave without pay, or make-up time.
  • Employees may use annual/vacation and/or bonus leave to cover Condition 1 or 2 absences.
  • Supervisors may advance employees annual/vacation leave that would be accrued by the end of the calendar year.
  • Temporary employees are paid only for hours worked and are not eligible to receive paid time off.

MAKE-UP TIME:

  • System Office will allow employees to make-up time within 90 calendar days for time missed during the Condition 2 status, with approval from your supervisor.
  • Employees do not have access to code make-up time as “Administrative Absence” in TIM. Therefore, any make-up hours approved by your supervisor to be recorded as “Administrative Absence” should be emailed to the Payroll and Leave Coordinator.
  • Supervisors and employees must use the attached make-up time agreement to record all make-up hours. This time must be made up within 90 calendar days of the occurrence. 
  • Overtime can be used to make up time but overtime should only be used due to business needs as determined by the supervisor.
  • Supervisors are encouraged to provide employees flexible schedule opportunities for the remainder of the work week (Monday through Sunday) for employees to make up time lost this week.
  • Supervisors are encouraged to provide employees flexible schedules during available holiday weeks to work additional hours to make up time lost to an event.
  • If make-up time is not approved and an employee does not have or chooses not to use annual and/or bonus leave, the employee will take leave without pay.

MANDATORY EMPLOYEES:

  • Overtime-eligible mandatory employees who were specifically required to report to the worksite will be awarded equal time off (ETO). ETO will be awarded on an hour-for-hour basis.
  • Overtime-exempt mandatory employees are not eligible to receive ETO.

QUESTIONS:

  • For questions regarding accounting for time missed in TIM, please contact the UNC System Office Payroll & Leave Coordinator at 919-843-5674.