UC San Diego Campus Notice
OFFICE OF THE CHIEF HUMAN RESOURCES OFFICER
December 22, 2021
Updates from Human Resources
ALL STAFF AT UC SAN DIEGO (excluding UC San Diego Health)
The information in this campus notice applies to campus staff. UC San Diego Health and Health Sciences staff should refer to Pulse for the most up-to-date information.

Updates from Human Resources
Yesterday, Chancellor Khosla announced some important updates to campus operations in response to the anticipated increase in new COVID-19 cases caused by the omicron variant. To protect yourself and others during this time, UC San Diego strongly recommends getting vaccinated or boosted now, avoiding large gatherings and testing regularly. 

Per yesterday’s announcement, staff employees should be aware of the following updates to campus operations:
  • Remote Work: From January 3-17, 2022, campus supervisors should encourage remote work if operational needs allow it.
  • Testing Upon Returning to Campus: All students and campus employees, regardless of vaccination status, must complete a SARS-CoV-2 test through UC San Diego on the day they return to campus for the Winter Quarter 2022. Learn more about testing options, including self-administered test vending machines.
  • Required Ongoing Testing: During the Winter Quarter 2022, individuals who are not vaccinated and individuals who are vaccinated but have not received a vaccine booster will be required to test for SARS-CoV-2 two times per week, between three and five days apart.
  • Events and In-Person Activities: In-person gatherings prior to January 17 must be shifted to remote modalities or rescheduled to a later date. 
The safety of our campus community is our primary concern. Decisions about campus health and safety guidelines are based upon current data and our understanding of this evolving pandemic. We will provide further updates to campus operations as needed and as we continue to gather and analyze data about the COVID-19 landscape.  

New Statewide Indoor Masking Mandate: The California Department of Public Health announced a month-long mask mandate that began last week. The mandate requires everyone to mask indoors in all public settings, regardless of vaccination status. UC San Diego has required masking indoors, regardless of vaccination status and with limited exceptions, throughout the past 20 months. As such, the campus policy for face coverings will remain in effect, unchanged, until further notice. 

Update to Vaccine Mandate Compliance Dashboard: As part of UC San Diego’s efforts to ensure compliance with the UC vaccine requirement, campus supervisors have access to a dashboard that allows them to view compliance with the mandate among employees, volunteers and others they directly supervise. As COVID-19 health and safety guidelines evolve, there have been recent updates to the color-coded compliance categories in the dashboard. 

Please note the specific requirements for employees who display in the dashboard as the purple Compliant* category. These employees are in compliance with the UC vaccine policy, but have additional requirements including twice weekly testing and restrictions related to eating and drinking indoors. Check the dashboard legend frequently for additional updates in line with yesterday’s amended Testing Policy.  Learn more about the supervisor dashboard. 

A Few Important Year-End Tasks

Sign Up for an Electronic W2: The deadline for requesting an electronic W-2 for your 2021 tax information is January 10, 2022. Electronic W-2 forms are safe and convenient; your W-2 can’t get lost, stolen or misplaced and you can download/print at any time. 
  • To request an electronic W-2, visit log in to UCPath and click on Employee Actions > Income and Taxes > Enroll to Receive Online W-2. If current status says CONSENT RECEIVED, no further action is required – you are already signed up for the electronic statement. Be sure to confirm that your email address is correct.
  • Please note: UC does not send actual W-2 statements to employees by email or text. You SHOULD NOT open any attachments or click on any email links that claim to give you access to your W-2! If you receive an email or text that has a link or an attachment for viewing your W-2, it is a phishing scam designed to gain access to your private information. 
More details can be found on the Tax | W2 Statements page of our website and at UCnet.

Review Your Benefits Confirmation Statement: Before you head out for the winter break, take a moment to review the UC Benefits Confirmation Statement which you received from UCPath earlier this month. Read through your elections and confirm that your benefits are accurate, including Voluntary Disability plans, Flexible Spending Account and dependent’s personal information and coverage. If you see any discrepancies, you can visit UCPath, click on "Ask UCPath" to submit an inquiry using the "Open Enrollment" topic in the drop down selection. You may also contact the UCPath Center to speak with an associate at 855-982-7284.

Check Your Work Location Status Form: Have you made changes to work location or schedule recently? Make sure to update your Work Location Status form. And even if your work schedule or location has not changed, take a moment to log into the form and confirm that the details are correct. This information is important for campus safety and space planning and for gathering accurate data relating to workplace flexibility. 

On the Horizon: Dates and Deadlines

Winter Holiday Schedule: UC San Diego (excluding the hospitals and clinics) will officially close for seven days between Thursday, December 23 and Friday, December 31, 2021, four of which are paid holidays. Learn more about Winter Curtailment. 

Live Scan Office Hours During Curtailment: The Live Scan office will be closed during the winter curtailment, and there will be limited services and coverage for consumer reports, skills assessments and SkillSurvey reference checks. Recognizing that some departments will remain open during the curtailment, Live Scan office staff will monitor incoming communications and requests intermittently and respond as necessary. 

In addition, the Live Scan office will not be processing fingerprints during the winter curtailment and for the first two weeks of January, per yesterday’s campus operations update. During this time, hiring departments will need to order Consumer Reports instead.

Reflections and Gratitude for our Staff Community

While the past year has presented new and ever-evolving challenges, it has also been a time of growth and positive change. As I shared in our Staff Town Hall earlier this month, we’ve made significant strides as a staff community, including innovating the way we serve and support our students and infusing more flexibility into the workplace than ever before. 

In my time serving as interim Chief Human Resources Officer this year, I have been inspired by the resilience and tenacity I see in UC San Diego staff, especially the many staff in my portfolio who have worked on campus throughout the pandemic. Please know how proud I am to work alongside you and how deeply grateful I am for all you contribute to UC San Diego. 

I send you best wishes for a restful and rejuvenating holiday season and I look forward to continuing our work together in the coming year.

Pierre Ouillet
Vice Chancellor and Chief Financial Officer
Interim Chief Human Resources Officer
University of California San Diego, 9500 Gilman Drive, La Jolla, CA, 92093