A Hurricane Season Reminder about the Severe Weather Policy

Last year, Duke enacted its severe weather policy as Hurricane Isabel made landfall along the East Coast. As hurricane season nears, faculty and staff are encouraged to review Duke's severe weather policy to ensure they understand their role and responsibilities during such periods.

During severe weather or emergency conditions, Duke University and Health System must maintain essential services including hospital operations, keeping students safe in the dormitories, operating research facilities and providing necessary support and administrative services.

Because of these responsibilities, it is important that Duke faculty and staff be prepared to operate safely and perform essential services efficiently during these conditions. The severe weather and emergency conditions policy was established to ensure appropriate staffing and effective planning for those emergency periods.

Service Categories and Support Services

To ensure that Duke maintains essential services and operations during severe weather, all jobs are categorized into three service categories: Essential Service, Reserve Service and Delayed Service. Supervisors should assign a service category assignment for each employee and review responsibilities with each employee when the severe weather policy is activated.

• For jobs classified as Essential Service, you must report to or remain at work when the severe weather policy is activated.
• For jobs classified as Reserve Service, you will be assigned as Essential Service or Delayed Service at the time the severe weather policy is activated.
• For jobs classified as Delayed Service, you do not report to work or remain at work when the severe weather policy is activated.

In addition, each department is responsible for communicating support services that will be provided for Essential Service staff. Support services can include child care, meal passes, sleeping arrangements, parking and transportation.

Compensation When the severe weather policy is active, all hourly-paid staff designated by their supervisors as Essential Service will receive a 10 percent base pay premium for hours worked on-site during any shift. Exempt staff are paid a fixed monthly salary as required by the Fair Labor Standards Act and are not eligible to receive the 10 percent base pay premium.

Absence If you are absent from work when the severe weather policy has been activated, you may use accrued vacation, discretionary holidays or Paid Time Off (PTO) from the short-term bank to cover the absence. If your job is classified as Essential Service, and you are absent when the severe weather policy has been activated, your absence will be considered an unscheduled absence. If you are an hourly-paid staff member and have prior approval from your supervisor, you may also perform your job functions off-site or make up missed work time within three months.

Additional Information To find out if the severe weather plan has been activated or for updated information, the following phone numbers are provided based on where you work:

Duke University and Medical Center: 684-INFO (4636) Duke University Hospital: 681-SNOW (7669) Durham Regional Hospital: 470-SNOW (7669) Raleigh Community Hospital: 954-3003 Non - clinical staff in the PRMO: 620-5005 Clinical staff in the PRMO: 613-7650 Private Diagnostic Clinic: 613-7650

More information about the policy can be found at www.hr.duke.edu/weather.