Human Resources

Drake has lifted its mandatory face covering policy. All faculty and staff—along with students, vendors, and visitors—are permitted to continue wearing face coverings at their discretion. There may be certain circumstances where a face covering remains required if it is part of a reasonable accommodation under the Americans with Disabilities Act. Individuals impacted by such an accommodation will be informed of this requirements. Consequently, employees should continue to have face coverings available, should one be needed. 

Remote work arrangements will be made by managers at the department level. Absent an agreement approved by your manager, employees are expected to resume their regular work assignments starting with the Fall 2021 semester.

If you are vaccinated and you comply with applicable self-monitoring and safety-precautions, your risk of contracting COVID-19 at work is low. If you are not yet vaccinated, the best way to protect yourself is to get vaccinated, while also complying with applicable self-monitoring and safety precautions.

It is wonderful when Drake employees take pride in helping their teams. However, your team is also counting on you to not bring sickness to campus—whether it is COVID-19, the flu, or even just the common cold. If you are sick, please stay home. We do not want any illnesses spread at work. Equally important, we want you to take care of yourself and you’ll need rest to get better. Contact your manager if you are not feeling well to work out a plan. If symptoms are severe, please contact your healthcare provider.

Yes—and it’s a great option! Doctors on Demand Services provides virtual visits with board-certified doctors via live video from your smartphone, tablet, or computer.

As with any other disability accommodation discussion, Human Resources is your key contact. We facilitate the interactive process between the employee, their manager, and, when needed, the employee’s healthcare provider. We will strive to find a reasonable and appropriate accommodation, whenever one is feasible. Any medical information is maintained by HR as confidential—your manager does not learn the details of the medical documentation, just the range of options for accommodation that we need to explore. Reach us at drakehr@drake.edu.

Your accrued sick leave is available when a health condition prevents you from working. In addition, accrued sick leave is available when your immediate family member’s illness or injury requires your care. Immediate family members are defined as your spouse/partner, child, mother, father, brother, or sister (or the same relatives of your spouse/partner).

This has been a tough year—we understand! Remember that Drake offers an Employee Assistance Program (EAP) through Employee & Family Resources. This is a free and confidential benefit that is available for all faculty, staff, and their family members. This is a wonderful benefit that often goes underutilized.

Please consider reaching out to Employee & Family Resources by calling 800-327-4692 or online at www.efr.org/myeap. This year has taken a toll on many of us. Please also consider sharing your symptoms and concerns with your healthcare provider.