Montgomery College Employee Matters (newsletter nameplate)

Office of Human Resources and Strategic Talent Management | Vol. 2, No. 41 | November 3, 2021

Image of Monty the Raptor wearing a mask at his desk in the office showing a thumbs up

Full Onsite Return to Campus Begins Monday, November 8. Are You Ready?
Important Information and Reminders

  • COVID‑19 vaccination status due 5 p.m., Friday, November 5.
  • Face mask requirement remains in effect.
  • Weekly COVID‑19 testing is required for non-vaccinated status for employees who have requested an exception.
  • Disciplinary action protocols for non-compliance are now online.
See in-depth information in the articles below.
Photo of a blank COVID-19 vaccination record card

Two Days Left! Submit COVID‑19 Vaccination Status COB November 5

All Montgomery College employees are required to submit their verification of full vaccination against COVID‑19 by 5 p.m. on Friday, November 5, to allow time for processing before arriving onsite November 8. 

Requirements for Partially Vaccinated Employees

Employees who are vaccinated after November 8, 2021 will be considered partially vaccinated as of the date of their first dose, and they must follow the other requirements of these protocols:
  1. Notify HRSTM Employee Exception by 5 p.m. on Friday, November 5, 2021 regarding their COVID‑19 vaccination status, including the date of the first dose (Pfizer or Moderna) or single dose (Johnson & Johnson), and the date scheduled for the second dose (if applicable).
  2. Adhere to the College’s COVID-19 testing protocols until the employee is fully vaccinated.
Employees who do not complete the COVID‑19 vaccination process after the allotted time to become fully vaccinated are subject to progressive discipline consistent with these protocols.

Face Mask Requirement Remains in Effect

As a reminder,  face coverings (masks) are still required for all individuals who are indoors, regardless of vaccination status. Masks should cover both your nose and mouth. View the full memo from Interim President Charlene Dukes about the face mask requirement.
Photo of vial of COVID-19 vaccine and needle

COVID‑19 Vaccination Disciplinary Action Protocols Now Online

Montgomery College’s Employee COVID-19 Vaccination, Safety, and Disciplinary Action Protocols related to non-compliance with COVID-19 vaccination and testing requirements, including Compliance FAQs, are now available on the COVID‑19 Vaccines webpage. This disciplinary process applies to employees who have not complied with the vaccination requirement.

Weekly COVID‑19 Testing Required for Employees Who Submitted Exceptions to Vaccination

Employees who have been approved for an exception or who have an exception request under review (i.e., in pending status) will be notified and provided information and instructions on the weekly COVID‑19 testing requirement. Additionally, supervisors will be notified if the employee is required to follow the College’s COVID‑19 testing requirement; however, supervisors will not be informed as to the reason. Information and instructions on the weekly testing requirement will also be shared with the supervisors. 
Employees who do not obtain an approved exception must submit verification of COVID‑19 vaccination. The employee’s supervisor will be notified and will receive instructions for compliance. 
Image of Monty the Raptor performing an ice skating jump with the text “You’ll Flip for These Benefits! MC Open Enrollment—go for the gold.” and MC logo

Open Enrollment Ends on Friday, November 12

As you choose your elections for 2022, open your benefits playbook and compete to win a gold, silver, or bronze prize during open enrollment by entering this year’s contest. You can win big during Montgomery College’s open enrollment period, October 25 through November 12, by logging into Workday, using the Alex virtual benefits advisor, attending a virtual wellness class, and more. See contest details.

Important Tasks to Complete During Open Enrollment

  • Log in to Workday to review your current benefits, update your beneficiaries, and your emergency contacts. As we prepare for a successful transition of payroll in Workday in January 2022, we encourage all employees to review and confirm their benefits elections to address and correct any errors or inconsistencies in advance.
  • Confirm HSA and FSA elections. As you know, employees must always elect Flexible Spending Accounts (FSA) and/or Health Savings Accounts (HSA) each and every plan year. Note: HSA and FSA elections will not automatically roll over to 2022; employees must make an active election for these plans.
  • Confirm or waive the current Supplemental Retirement Account (SRA) election, if an account is already established. Only existing, unchanged SRA elections will roll over to 2022. New SRA requests should follow the current process outside of the open enrollment period.
  • Attend one or more vendor-provided Informational Sessions.
Have questions? Schedule time with a member of the Benefits Team or contact HR Benefits for more information.
Illustration of a generic calendar page with the day circled and a clock showing 5 p.m.

Sick and Safe Leave: Carryover Deadlines and Changes for 2022

Sick and Safe Leave (SSL) is provided under the Maryland Healthy Working Families Act (MHWFA) for the College’s part‑time credit and noncredit faculty, casual temporary staff, and student aides/Federal Work Study students not otherwise eligible for regular leave accrual. Please note that the last day for part-time SSL-eligible employees to use any excess balance (over 40 hours) of SSL hours this calendar year is November 24, 2021. SSL in excess of 40 hours will be forfeited.
Effective January 1, 2022, all full‑time, benefits‑eligible employees with a secondary part-time job are ineligible to earn or use SSL. These full‑time employees with part‑time jobs have until December 23, 2021, to use their available SSL balances; all unused SSL hours over 40 hours will be forfeited.
Regular full‑time, benefits‑eligible employees who are eligible for regular leave and do not have a second part‑time job are not eligible for SSL, and therefore are not currently affected by the SSL forfeiture deadline. All employees need to be aware of this change should one be eligible and interested in having a second part‑time job in the future, but no action is required at this time if you are a full‑time, benefits-eligible employee. View the full memo for more information. Contact Leave Requests with any questions.

Important Dates

Friday, November 5

All employees must verify by 5 p.m. that they are fully vaccinated against COVID‑19. For more information, see the COVID‑19 Vaccines webpage.

Monday, November 8

Full onsite return to campus begins. Telework plans phase in with one telework day per week. See the memo.

Wednesday, November 10

Town Hall with Dr. Charlene Dukes, 2 p.m., live on MCTV’s cable channel and the Town Hall webpage. Email your questions to TownHall.
Workday Core Concepts Training, 2 p.m. Register on MC Learns through Workday.

Friday, November 12

Open Enrollment deadline; submit elections by 5 p.m.
Open Enrollment Go for the Gold contest ends at 5 p.m.
Review and confirm or update direct deposit and tax withholding elections for the January 2022 transition of payroll to Workday.

Monday, November 15

Workday Period Activity Pay Training, 2 p.m. Register on MC Learns through Workday. (Recommended for administrative aides and WDCE partners)

Wednesday, November 24

Sick and Safe Leave (SSL) deadline for part‑time, SSL‑eligible employees to use or lose leave over 40 hours. See the memo.

Thursday, December 23

Last day to use or lose annual and personal leave. See the memo for carryover limits. Any unused leave will be lost as of December 24, 2021.
Last day for full‑time, SSL‑eligible employees to use or lose leave over 40 hours. See the memo.

Weekly Stretch Breaks

Join us for virtual stretch breaks. See schedule.
App icon for Workday Personal Information

Is Your Contact Information Up to Date in Workday?

In alignment with the College’s COVID‑19 Health and Safety Plan, and to assist in contact tracing, we ask that all employees update their home contact information and emergency contact information in Workday. See the Workday job aid for step‑by‑step instructions. You can access Workday on MyMC.

Return to Campus

Employee Guidance

Guidance and resources for MC employees as the College begins shifting back to onsite, in‑person operations
Return‑to‑Campus Timeline for Employees
COVID‑19 Vaccinations
Report COVID‑19 Vaccination Status
Employee COVID‑19 Vaccination, Safety, and Disciplinary Action Protocols
Employee FAQs
Daily COVID‑19 Symptom Self-Assessment
MC Next Generation Wellness (logo)
The MC Next Generation Wellness program offers online classes daily, including arms and abs, barre, cardio and core, Pilates, yoga, yogalates Zumba®, and more. Visit the Wellness page for the fall schedule.
All new and past wellness members must enroll via Workday to receive wellness information and incentives.
ENROLL
Visit MC Wellness for forms, resources, and more.
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Join MC Employee Facebook Group

Stay up to date on the latest news by joining our private MC employee Facebook group. This group is only open to MC employees and will require approval to join.
Let’s stay connected.

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