Resources for Telecommuting and FAQs - Cloned

Holding Meetings

Location doesn’t matter when you have reliable online tools to help you connect and collaborate with colleagues. The Columbia Law School community has access to the Zoom platform, allowing users to hold tele- and video conferences. All Law School employees will have access to a Zoom Pro account. Please feel free to reach out to the IT Helpdesk with any questions related to Zoom. The Zoom Help Center is also an excellent resource for one-minute video introductions and how-to tools.

In addition, CUIT provides access to a range of Google Apps that may help you and your team work remotely. Applications like GChat and Drive are helpful for communicating and collaborating on documents. To learn how to set up GChat and access Drive, consult CUIT and Google’s support documentation.  Columbia faculty and staff have access to Linkedin Learning (formerly Lynda.com), which has a training session on how to fully utilize Google Hangouts and GChat.

Call Forwarding

In the event employees are advised to work remotely, it is recommended that employees forward their office phones.

For employees using NetPhone, CUIT has a user guide with instructions for call forwarding. Look for the “Forwarding All Calls” drop-down option under the “Receiving Calls” header and then click “Features” which will load a page where you can make several changes.

For employees with a ROLM phone, CUIT provides instructions for forwarding calls. Instructions can be found on the ROLM phone tutorial, under the “FORWD” tab.

If you are unsure if you have a NetPhone or ROLM phone, ask your systems administrator or consult Law School Helpdesk by emailing [email protected].

Managing Employees

Please find below some resources that may help managers and employees work together effectively in a fully remote business operation: 

• Building and Leading High-Performing Remote Teams
• Resources for Managing Teleworkers
• Teleworking Employees: Set Guidelines, Priorities

If you are working remotely, especially on a personal device, be aware of data security issues. Some data (e.g. payroll information, student records) requires additional precautions when accessed on personal devices. Consult with your supervisor on handling sensitive information, and consult CUIT's Office of the Chief Information Security Officer for more information on best practices, data protection, and more.

For questions related specifically to remote working technologies, email [email protected] and someone from our IT Helpdesk team will reach out to provide assistance. For questions related to Human Resources matters, please reach out to our Human Resources department.

As of March 22, all non-essential employees have been instructed to work remotely. Routine use of offices and workstations will be prohibited.

As of March 22, only limited essential staff responsible for the ongoing operation of physical and IT infrastructure will be permitted to work on campus. Those reporting to campus should take care to observe appropriate precautions and social distancing measures. 

Those members of our community who are not able to perform their job responsibilities remotely should speak with their department head, who will then consult with CLS Human Resources.

During an emergency, essential personnel provide services that relate directly to the health, safety, and welfare of the Law School in order to ensure continuity of key operations. As in the case of closure due to inclement weather, the Law School has identified specific departments and individuals that are considered essential to maintain these operations. Essential departments at the Law School are: Building Services, Human Resources, Information Technology, Law Library, and the Columbia Law Emergency Response Team (CLERT).  

As of March 22, only limited essential personnel who have been identified to support critical physical and IT infrastructure will be asked to report to campus.

You may return to your office or workstation to retrieve materials necessary to work remotely. When considering this, employees should inspect their home work environment in advance and consider what will be essential to continue working, as we are trying to limit the number of return trips to campus. If administrative staff determine that they need to retrieve items from their workstations, they should notify their supervisor as soon as possible to coordinate a timeline for doing so. Department heads should schedule non-overlapping return trips for their employees, and retrieval visits should be kept as brief as possible (and employees should remember to bring an adequate bag for transporting your necessities).

Our primary objective is to reduce the density of our campus environment. With that in mind, faculty wishing to engage in virtual teaching from their offices or classrooms, or conduct core research or practice activities, may do so, provided that they observe social distancing measures and limit their time in the building. Faculty should endeavor to work remotely to the greatest extent possible.

Non-essential administrative staff should not report to work on campus unless directed to do so by their department head.

While the Law School buildings will remain open and accessible, faculty are asked to limit their time on campus to the greatest extent possible.

Regularly scheduled food service throughout Law School buildings (e.g. student cookies in Student Services) will be suspended. At this time, use of designated common areas (e.g. Faculty Lounge and Staff Lounge) is prohibited other than in exceptional circumstances. Those utilizing general common areas should take care to observe personal hygiene and social distancing measures, including disinfecting surfaces, avoiding gathering in groups, and remaining at least six feet apart from one another.

Faculty and essential personnel may return to campus to retrieve mail from the Information Center. Library book circulation has been suspended and all urgent book requests will be reviewed by Library leadership on a case by case basis.

We are currently evaluating mail forwarding with the central University. 

If an employee is unable to report to work due to childcare issues as a result of a public health emergency, NYC Sick Leave provides 40 hours per fiscal year of paid leave for such situations.

Additionally, employees have access to the Back-Up Care Advantage Program through Bright Horizons. However, employees are not allowed to use Bright Horizons Back-up Care for 14 days following the last potential exposure if any member of their household has (or has been in close contact with anyone who has) a suspected or confirmed case of COVID-19, or has recently traveled to a high-risk country. For more information on this policy, visit this page.

Columbia University's Employee Assistance Program (EAP) offers free, confidential help and support available 24/7. Employees can access short-term counseling by phone by calling (888) 673-1153. 

Additional resources and help can be accessed through Columbia University's Office of Work/Life, such as access to physicians 24/7 via Virtual Visits.   

There is a webinar, Emotional well-being in times of uncertainty, led by a licensed psychiatrist, created to help cope with the stress related to COVID-19. It includes strategies for resilience and emotional well-being, and tips for supporting others, including children and teens.

If you are enrolled in the Transit/Parking Reimbursement Program (T/PRP), you can make changes—reduce or suspend contributions—to your account at any time through CUBES.

Changes made on or before the 20th day of a month will be effective the first day of the following month (March 20 change effective April 1). Changes made on or after the 21st day of a month will be effective the first day of the second following month (March 21 change effective May 1).

If you have a Dependent Care Flexible Spending Account (FSA) and your child care needs have changed due to COVID-19 closures, including working remotely, you can reduce or suspend your Dependent Care FSA through CUBES. This change of situation will be considered a qualifying life status event.

If you have a Healthcare Flexible Spending Account (FSA), per IRS regulations, you cannot change your contributions to the plan mid-year without a qualifying life status event. Working remotely due to COVID-19 is not a qualifying event. FSAs are valid for the January 1 to December 31 plan year.

If an employee is working remotely, especially on a personal device, be aware of data security issues. Some data (e.g. payroll information, student records) requires additional precautions when accessed on personal devices. Consult with your department head on handling sensitive data. You may also consult with CUIT's Office of the Chief Information Security Officer for more information on best practices, data protection, and more.

Equipment that is normally transported to and from work, such as laptop computers, tablets, and other portable technology equipment, as well as some office supplies and non-confidential paper files, may be taken to your remote work location. At this time, faculty and staff are not permitted to remove desktop computers from their workstations. A limited number of exceptions may be granted by supervisors and will be evaluated on a case-by-case basis.

We are currently in the process of evaluating the technology needs and resources to accommodate remote work for all non-essential employees. If non-essential support staff are unable to work remotely, the University will continue to honor its commitment to compensating union employees.

• Student casuals who are working remotely should continue to enter their hours into TLAM and submit for supervisor approval.

• For those students who are not able to work remotely, the University has made a commitment to pay them their regularly scheduled hours through May 15.

  • CLS Human Resources will be reaching out to those students and their supervisors directly.