Redeploy Georgetown: COVID-19 Response

(Details listed on this page will be in effect until May 21, 2021)

The Department of Human Resources has designed the Redeploy Georgetown program to address the emerging needs of the university and the availability of staff to fill those needs on a short-term, temporary basis. Georgetown’s hybrid operational status in Spring 2021 creates work in areas supporting our health and safety efforts, which includes roles involving visitor registration, wellness screening and perimeter access support. These new work areas will require a redeployment of staff in targeted areas. This program is a cost-saving measure and an attempt to minimize furloughs, salary reductions, and layoffs while still fulfilling Georgetown’s educational and research mission.

Redeploy Georgetown: COVID-19 Response assigns available staff members to temporary assignments supporting these public health measures.

Redeploy Georgetown: COVID-19 Response is an expression of our values and culture. It is an opportunity to support the community and rise to meet the challenges we now encounter. It is an essential program in the university’s efforts to meet the shifting needs of our community while keeping our workforce fully employed.

Redeployment Guidelines

A Redeploy Georgetown assignment is short-term work to be performed outside of the regular scope of an employee’s primary position. Participation in the program has no impact on an employee’s primary reporting structure, job title, compensation or benefits eligibility.

The complete Redeploy Georgetown Guidelines are delivered to employees at the beginning of a redeployment assignment.

Redeployment Process

  1. Campus leaders selected employees for participation in the program based on the best interests and business needs of a department in accordance with the program’s guidelines.
  2. The Department of Human Resources notified selected employees of their redeployment assignment in writing.
  3. Selected employees were also notified of the process for requesting an accommodation related to their Redeploy position through the Office of Institutional Diversity, Equity, and Affirmative Action (IDEAA). IDEAA conducted an individualized review of each accommodation request and ensured that each eligible employee received an accommodation tailored to their specific needs.
  4. The Department of Human Resources scheduled employees for training and orientation sessions for necessary for their assignments.
  5. Redeploy assignment managers notified redeployed employees of their schedules..
  6. Employees began their Spring 2021 redeploy assignment.

Frequently Asked Questions

Redeploy Georgetown was created to fill important health services roles needed to execute the the Spring 2020 operational plan with existing Georgetown employees. The program is a redeployment of staff aimed to engage our employees as part of a creative solution to ongoing COVID-19 challenges and keep our workforce fully employed.

Positions temporarily assigned for the Redeploy Georgetown Program were selected based on an assessment of available work and the University’s strategic needs in accordance with the Redeploy Georgetown Guidelines. Your existing manager was notified of your selection for Redeploy; you will continue to report to your existing manager (primary manager) while receiving work and schedule information from your Redeploy manager (assignment manager).

Redeploy assignments are expected to last for the duration of the Spring 2021 semester, and may be extended or shortened at the sole discretion of the University.

Employees who request to end their redeployment assignment will be relieved of all duties (both of the primary role and of the redeployment assignment) and will be placed on an unpaid leave for remainder of the Spring 2021 semester.

Your assignment manager will notify you of your schedule ahead of your redeployment start date. The notice you received from the Department of Human Resources includes your assignment manager should you have any questions about your schedule. In general, employees assigned a 40-hour redeploy assignment will be expected to work business hours, Monday through Friday, unless otherwise indicated by the assignment manager.

Total hours worked are not intended to exceed 40 hours/week, or regularly scheduled weekly hours of the employee’s primary position. Hourly, non-exempt, employees cannot work overtime hours without prior approval of both the primary manager and the assignment manager, in accordance with current overtime policies. The primary manager will be responsible for approving all hours in GMS.

Employees on assignment must discuss time-off requests with both their primary managers and their assignment managers. Time off request approval in GMS will remain the responsibility of employees’ primary managers.

Redeployment assignments will have no impact on an employee’s primary job title, salary, full-time equivalency, benefits eligibility or paid leave accrual.  None of the characteristics of an employee’s primary position will change as a result of redeployment.

Redeployment assignments will not impact an employee’s primary reporting structure. An employee’s primary manager will remain unchanged. However, for the purposes of the short-term redeployment assignment, each participating employee will be responsible for reporting to their assignment manager and completing all duties of the short-term redeployment assignment to satisfaction.

Hourly/non-exempt workers will continue to complete and submit their timesheets as usual in GMS. Approving timesheets remains the responsibility of the manager of the employee’s primary position. Primary managers must  work with assignment managers to validate hours worked.

The Georgetown University Community Compact (“Community Compact”) is our joint commitment to care for the well-being of our community. Faculty, staff, and students who will be on any university-owned, managed, or controlled properties (“campus”) have the responsibility to conduct themselves in ways that limit the spread of COVID-19 and promote the health and safety of all community members. 

The Community Compact contains the COVID-19 Health and Safety Measures which community members must agree to follow. Faculty, staff, and students who will be on campus, and students living in the Neighborhoods, are required to sign the Community Compact. 

Please visit our Health and Safety Information page to learn more about Georgetown’s health and safety guidelines, COVID-19 testing requirements and related information.

Please visit our University Operations page to learn more about Georgetown’s procedures regarding access to university buildings and other University operations. 

Regular testing is required, based on the frequency with which an employee is on campus. Complete details about testing requirements and processes can be found on the university’s Health and Safety Information website.

On reporting to your redeployment assignment, your Manager will provide – as part of your welcome and orientation – masks, hand sanitizer, and – depending on your duties – gloves.  These materials will continue to be available to you as needed throughout your deployment.

Beginning Monday, January 25, employees participating in the Redeploy Georgetown program will receive free parking in the Southwest Quadrangle, accessible via Canal Road entrance.

Cost: Free to Redeployment Program participants.

Garage access:

Redeployed staff have been approved to use parking access cards for the garage.

Redeployed staff who have an old SW Garage parking pass may continue to use it until further notice.

Those who need a new SW Garage parking pass may receive one as early as your first day of parking.  When you arrive at the SW Quad garage, please tell a garage attendant that you need a new parking pass.  In turn, you will be provided a sticker for display during that work day.  Then proceed to the Office of Transportation Management (OTM), taking the garage elevator to the Mezzanine Level.

Once there, please identify yourself as a Redeployment participant to an OTM staff member, displaying your  GUID.  In turn, you will be provided a SW Garage parking pass to use until further notice.

You may park in any parking space, unless it is specifically identified for special use.  For community safety reasons, you may not park in areas other than clearly drawn parking spaces.

Contact information for the Office of Transportation Management (OTM):

Email: otm@georgetown.edu 

Phone: 202-687-4372

Parking pass hours: M-F, 9 am to 4 pm, Monday through Friday, except University holidays.

Location: Kennedy Hall. Take the elevator in SW Garage to the Mezzanine Level.

The Georgetown University Transportation Shuttle maintains operations on a modified schedule. More information can be found on the Office of Transportation Management website. For public transportation options, visit the Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority (WMATA) website to plan your trip using Metrobus or Metrorail.

Beginning Monday, January 25, redeployed staff members are welcome to one meal each work day at The Table in Leo J. O’Donovan Hall during the following hours:

  • Monday – Friday, 9:00am – 7:00pm
  • Saturday & Sunday, 10:00am – 7:00pm

Your GoCard will be “loaded” with a credit for one O’Donovan meal each work day.

Enter O’Donovan Hall through the doors at Tondorf Road and Library Walk.  Once you are inside the lobby, an O’Donovan Team Member will ask you to display a GREEN GU360 badge on your GoCard so you may pick up your meal.  Absent a GREEN GU360 badge on your ID, you must leave the premises immediately.

Once you receive access, walk downstairs to The Table, where an O’Donovan’s cashier will “swipe” (remove) one meal from your GoCard.

You will see several restaurants from which to choose your meal.  Once you have decided on your meal, get into the correct restaurant’s line to request your preference.

All restaurant meals will be served in to-go packaging, allowing you to exit the building immediately after receiving your meal package. 

There is limited seating in Leo’s Market, with priority in-house seating intended for students.  Further, in the interest of community safety, please depart O’Donovan’s, taking your meal elsewhere to enjoy. 

We encourage you to shorten your time spent at O’Donovan Hall by viewing the daily menu in advance at Hoya Eats so that you are ready to order immediately upon entering the restaurant area.

If you elect not to fulfill your Redeploy assignment due to dependent care obligations, you will be placed on unpaid leave. As a reminder, GU offers the following resources to help you with dependent care assistance:

Dependent Care Support Resources for Faculty & Staff During COVID-19

Launched in September, benefits.georgetown.edu/covid-childcare provides faculty, staff and AAPs with information on available child care resources. You may also be eligible for financial assistance for eligible dependent care expenses through a GUCares grant. Learn more at benefits.georgetown.edu/gucares.

Discounts from GUAdvantage

From child care centers, tutoring, laptops and Au Pair placement services, explore the employee discounts available at beneplace.com/georgetown. Enter password “GUSAVES” when registering.

Support and Resources from Bright Horizons

Georgetown University currently partners with Bright Horizons to provide eligible faculty, staff and retirees with access to the following benefits:

Nationwide Caregiver Search Platform

Free annual membership to sittercity.com allows employees to:

  • Search from among millions of caregiver profiles; 
  • Post jobs for one-time, recurring, or full-time caregiving; and,
  • Review feedback and conduct background checks

Child Care and Education Discounts

Through the Bright Horizons Care Advantage Program, employees have:

  • The ability to jump ahead on wait lists for Bright Horizons centers;
  • Registration fee credits at hundreds of child care locations; and,
  • Tuition discounts of 10% or more at partner centers nationwide

Eldercare Planning Resources

Bright Horizons provides:

  • Tools for locating and evaluating facility-based care and in-home care agencies;
  • Resources for understanding and preparing for ongoing needs; and,
  • One-on-one consultations available

An employee can choose to be placed on unpaid leave if the individual prefers not to to accept a Redeployment assignment.

Yes, employees who choose not to accept a Redeploy assignment can use their paid leave, including COVID19 PTO if available. When your existing paid leave has been exhausted, you will automatically move to unpaid leave status. Employees going on unpaid leave are not eligible for Donated PTO.

If you are currently enrolled in medical, dental, and/or vision insurance, and choose to be enrolled in coverage during your unpaid leave, you will pay the entire (employee and the employer share) cost of premiums while on unpaid leave. If you choose not to continue your medical, dental, and/or vision insurance coverage during your unpaid leave, you will have an opportunity to re-enroll upon your return to paid status. If you are enrolled in flexible spending accounts, supplemental or dependent life insurance, you will be disenrolled from these policies for the duration of your leave. You will have the opportunity to re-enroll when you return to paid status. While on unpaid leave, you will not be eligible to receive disability benefits and, therefore, will not be charged for long-term disability premiums. Tuition Assistance Benefits (TAP) are not available during your unpaid leave.  You can view a full summary of continuation of benefits during an unpaid leave here. If you are using your paid leave wages (PTO) before commencing an unpaid leave of absence, your current benefits and premiums will remain in place until you move into an unpaid leave status.

Individuals do not accrue paid leave during periods of unpaid leave lasting longer than one month.

An employee is expected to provide at least two weeks’ notice of resignation or a change in employment status with the university. The primary manager  must work with the employee and the assignment manager to ensure the completion or transition details of any pending assignments or projects on which the employee was working.  HR Client Services Partners can assist with this transition.

Redeployed employees will have access to the university buildings that are necessary to fulfill their assignment duties. Please follow the guidelines for requesting campus access through your EVP’s office if you need to access your workspace.