Supervisors

The following webpage contains COVID-19 guidance developed for students, faculty, staff, residents and fellows at Eastern Virginia Medical School (EVMS). This guidance was periodically reviewed and updated between March 2020 and June 2024.

Last Updated: 01-07-2022

Supervisor Protocol

If you are notified that an employee thinks that they have COVID-19 symptoms or thinks that they may have been exposed to COVID-19, or if you see one of your employees with COVID-19 symptoms follow the instructions below.

Employees can find guidance on the Faculty, Staff, Residents and Fellows page of the What Should I Do? section.

Ramp-Up Plan

EVMS has developed a Faculty and Staff Ramp-Up Plan for faculty and staff who have been working remotely due to COVID-19. Faculty and staff who have completed all of the Ramp-Up plan requirements and who have been notified that they are in compliance, will be able to return to job duties on campus effective June 15, 2020. In your role as a supervisor you will be instrumental in ensuring adherence to the Ramp-Up Plan requirements. Below are key compliance and policy issues that you need to be aware of. If you have any questions about the Plan you can ask your Department Chair/Head or review the Plan posted on the COVID-19 webpage.

Remote Work

• Remote work is still encouraged with approval by you and your Department Chair/Head.
• While we encourage supervisors to allow remote work when possible, you are not required to approve remote work and can require employees to return to campus.
• If an employee has concerns about returning to campus you should contact Human Resources to discuss the situation before making any final decision regarding remote work.

General Requirements

• EVMS has implemented a Universal Masking Policy. When on campus, employees must wear a cloth mask at all times (with the only exception being if they are in their office by themselves).
• If you observe employees who are not adhering to this requirement, it is your responsibility to address it. If, after discussing the issue, the employee remains non-compliant, please report the issue to Human Resources. 

Safe Work Practices

• A minimum of 6 feet distance should be maintained between personnel in common areas such as hallways, breakrooms, offices, classrooms, and lecture halls.
• Meetings should be conducted virtually unless it is essential to meet in person, in which case social distancing must be observed.
• Employees should be given several brief breaks throughout the day for handwashing.

Self-Monitoring

• All faculty and staff are required to self-monitor daily for symptoms of illness. Supervisors need to periodically remind staff that if they feel ill or are sick THEY ARE NOT TO REPORT TO WORK.
• Employees need to follow their normal call-out procedure AND you must direct them to complete a screening questionnaire that is located on the COVID-19 webpage.  
• We greatly appreciate your cooperation and assistance ensuring compliance with this essential component of our plan to maximize the safety of our faculty and staff.

Managing Difficult Conversations

Unfortunately, there will be some members of the EVMS community who will want to ignore the universal masking and social distancing polices. We cannot allow that. The protections only work if everyone follows the safety protocols all the time. We expect supervisors to monitor the safety behavior of their colleagues and intervene when necessary. EVMS has standard procedures that address what to do when EVMS policies are not being followed. If you are unsure as to how to proceed, please contact Human Resources for guidance. Additionally, we have prepared a helpful video clip that you may find useful in your supervision of a non-compliant colleague.