Employees with Serious Illnesses
Employees with Serious IllnessesUPPS No. 04.04.44
Issue No. 6
Effective Date: 02/05/2018
Next Review Date: 12/01/2022 (E4Y)
Sr. Reviewer: Assistant Vice President, Human Resources
01.POLICY STATEMENT
01.01This policy provides guidelines for faculty and staff employees who have serious illnesses, for supervisors and managers responsible for these employees, and for dealing with the concerns of co-workers.
02.GENERAL CONSIDERATIONS
02.01A serious illness is any medical condition that is likely to result in significant impairment of mental or bodily function, is likely to be life-threatening, or is likely to pose a significant health risk to others.
02.02The university recognizes that employees with a serious illness may wish to continue to work.
02.03The university also recognizes that continued employment for an employee with a serious illness may be therapeutically important for remission or recovery, and may prolong that employee's life or quality of life. As long as the employee meets the performance standards of his or her job,and poses no health hazard to other employees (as determined in Section 02.04), he or she may continue to work. Supervisors and managers will be sensitive to their conditions and see that, to the extent possible, the employee is treated like other university employees.
02.04Concurrently, the university strives to provide a safe work environment for students, other employees, and the public. The director of the Student Health Center, the director of Environmental Health, Safety & Risk Management, and the TSUS associate general counsel will confer and make recommendations to the appropriate vice president regarding precautionary actions that should be taken to ensure that an employee's condition does not present a significant health or safety risk to others.
03.RESPONSIBILITIES
03.01Employees are encouraged to report any serious illnesses that cause disabilities to their supervisorsif they would like to request workplace accommodations. Employees should refer to UPPS No. 04.04.60, Workplace Accommodationconcerning reasonable accommodations.
03.02Employees who have a serious illness should refer to UPPS No. 04.04.30, University Leave Policy concerning Family Medical Leave and other leave options.
03.03Human Resources will assist supervisors and employees with a serious illness with insurance, leave, benefits, and other work-related matters.
03.04The following people will participate in determining the appropriateness of an employee’s request for an accommodation: the director of the Student Health Center, the assistant vice presidentfor Human Resources, the assistant vice president and director of Student Diversity & Inclusion/ADA coordinator, and members of the Workplace Accommodation Interactive Team (as identified in UPPS No. 04.04.60).
04.PROCEDURES FOR MAINTAINING CONFIDENTIALITY
04.01Information about an employee’s serious illness is confidential, and any disclosure requires the written consent of the employee or authorization as provided in Section 02.04. Upon receiving the employee’s written authorization, supervisors may consult with the assistant vice presidentfor Human Resources to discuss:
a.university policy concerning any action that may need to be taken; and
b.reasonable accommodations for the employee with a disability consistent with the needs of the work unit and other employees.
05.PROCEDURES FOR DEALING WITH CO-WORKERS
05.01Supervisors and managers should:
a.be sensitive and responsive to co-workers' concerns; and
b.ensure that the work of the unit continues and that the ill employee is not harassed or discriminated against by other employees because of a disability.
05.02If an employee becomes aware of a person having an illness that may be a direct threat to other employees, students, or the public, the employee should immediately report the illness to Employee Relations, in Human Resources, who will consult with the director of the Student Health Center.
06.REVIEWERS OF THIS UPPS
06.01Reviewers of this UPPS include the following:
PositionDate
Assistant Vice President, December 1 E4Y
Human Resources
Director, Student Health CenterDecember 1 E4Y
Chair, Staff CouncilDecember 1 E4Y
Chair, Faculty SenateDecember 1 E4Y
Director, Environmental Health,December 1 E4Y
Safety & Risk Management
Asst. Vice President and Director, December 1 E4Y
Student Diversity & Inclusion/
ADA Coordinator
Chief Diversity Officer & Director,December 1 E4Y
Equity & Access
07.CERTIFICATION STATEMENT
This UPPS has been approved by the following individuals in their official capacities and represents Texas State policy and procedure from the date of this document until superseded.
Assistant Vice Presidentfor Human Resources; senior reviewer of this UPPS
Vice President for Finance and Support Services
President