Human Resources Supporting Remote Work Amid COVID-19

As the challenges of the COVID-19 pandemic developed, Baylor University had to take quick action to protect students, staff and faculty. The health and safety of the campus community, the ongoing continuity of our academic mission and the continuity of business operations were top priorities of the University. In response to state and city orders and the guidelines provided by the CDC, a bevy of new policies had to be implemented quickly and accurately in order to support the Baylor community.

Approaching this challenge head-on in early March, Baylor Human Resources was quick to accommodate remote work for faculty and staff who were at high risk as identified by CDC and individuals who had been advised by a health authority not to come to work. Remote work accommodations expanded in the week following encouraging employees who were able to perform their work from home, or who needed to work from home based on CDC guidance, to do so.

Cheryl Gochis, vice president of Human Resources and chief human resources officer, highlighted the priority Baylor places on the health of faculty and staff, and encouraged employees to give attention and care to their health and well-being.

“Early on in the development, we recognized the importance of allowing our employees to work remotely for their and their family’s safety and holistic well-being,” Gochis said. “It has been a challenging and dynamic situation, but the health and safety of our campus and community have always been our priority.”

Continuing their work to carefully heed the recommendations of federal, state and local officials as the coronavirus (COVID-19) continued to spread throughout the community, state and nation, on March 23, the decision was made to limit on-campus operations and in-person services in tandem with reducing physical staffing in offices on campus. This meant that, over the course of a few weeks, a majority of the Baylor Staff transitioned to working remotely.

“We have employees at Baylor who work very diligently,” said Gochis. “As the situation progressed, we wanted to ensure that Baylor faculty and staff had the resources needed to maintain their work and productivity while continuing to take care of their health and the health of our community.”

To make this transition to remote work as seamless as possible, the Human Resources team worked to expand the telework accommodations and provide additional resources for faculty and staff.

• Staff: baylor.edu/keepworking
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A systematic plan for returning faculty and staff to their campus work environments is in development and is grounded in the city and county guidelines. Please watch your Baylor email for additional developments on return-to-work plans.