COVID Education Test

All Aspirus Managers and employees are encouraged to comply with Social Distancing Requirements at work, at home and in our communities to the extent possible.

For the purposes of this Process, Social Distancing includes: The practice of maintaining a greater than usual physical distance from other people or avoid direct contact with people/objects during the outbreak of COVID-19 in order to minimize exposure and reduce the transmission of infection¹.

Aspirus’ Social Distancing practice:

At Work

• Avoid in-person meetings. Use online conferencing, email or the phone when possible, even when people are in the same building.
• Unavoidable in-person meetings should be short, in a large meeting room where people can sit at least six feet from each other; avoid shaking hands².
• Eliminate unnecessary travel and cancel or postpone nonessential meetings, gatherings, workshops and training sessions².
• Do not congregate in work rooms, hallways, pantries, copier rooms or other areas where people socialize. Keep 6 feet apart when possible.
• Bring lunch and eat away from others.
• Clean surfaces that are frequently touched such as countertops, kitchen areas, electronics and doorknobs.

At home and away from work

• Follow WI and MI “Stay-at-Home” directives.
• Limit recreational or other leisure classes, meetings, activities, gatherings in public spaces, fitness facilities/gyms, etc., where close contact with others is likely².
• Stay home when you are sick, except to get medical care .
• Limit trips to the grocery stores and other public places and if possible, go out at lower traffic times.
• Avoid social gatherings in groups of more than 10 people^3,5.
• Stay at least 6 feet from other people, when possible³.
• Avoid eating or drinking at bars, restaurants, and food courts – utilize drive-thru, pickup, or delivery options⁴.
• Avoid discretionary travel, shopping trips, and social visits⁴.
• Do not visit nursing homes or retirement or long-term care facilities unless to provide critical assistance^4,5.

¹Merriam-Webster
²Society of Human Resource Management (SHRM): Social distancing Guidelines at Work
³Wisconsin Department of Health Services
⁴Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC): The President’s Coronavirus Guidelines for America
⁵Michigan Department of Health & Human Services

It is possible that COVID-19 protocols could impact employees’ compensation. Here are some guidelines:

• Employee absences from work due to illness, including COVID-19, may qualify for FMLA, Short Term Disability, and/or PTO may be used to cover such absences.
• Employees who are self-quarantined may use PTO for such absences. Self-quarantines do not quality for FMLA or Short-Term Disability benefits.
• Employees exposed at work to COVID-19 will be paid for time off due to such exposure, granted the exposure was not due to an employee’s disregard for policy.
• PTO Donation is not available for self-quarantine required as a result of personal travel.

View April Wage Commitment FAQs

All employees scheduled to work are expected to work in accordance with Aspirus and department policies; concern about COVID-19 is not an excusable absence.

All Aspirus employees must follow standard precautions, including:

• Handwashing
• Respiratory precautions
• Cough etiquette

Effective immediately, Aspirus encourages avoidance of large-group meetings where feasible, and limitation of meeting participants when possible. Employees are encouraged to use video conferencing and teleconferencing when possible.

Because COVID-19 volumes and surges could cause urgent demand for caregivers and support staff, Aspirus may re-deploy employees to meet patient needs. Travel time and lodging, when appropriate, will be paid to staff re-deployed per policy. All reimbursement requests should be submitted to local HR leaders, who will coordinate with their respective Finance Department.

Should there be a surge in COVID-19 cases in the Aspirus service area, our system could be called upon to take extraordinary measures to effectively serve the communities that rely on us. For example, Aspirus might direct employees in non-caregiving positions to work from home. Work with your manager to determine whether or not you are eligible to work from home. If so, your manager should initiate the request process on your behalf to be assigned a temporary work from home assignment.

Effective immediately and until further notice, Aspirus will not permit employees to attend in-person any conferences, CME or major training events outside the organization. Any requested exceptions should be directed to John Heisler, SVP and Chief Human Resources Officer. Inquiries regarding CME should be directed to Kim Entenmann, VP of Human Resources. The following guidelines apply:

• Employees who have incurred personal expense due to planned participation in a conference or CME training event and have followed the Corporate Business Travel and Education Policy, will be reimbursed.
  • Should cancellation fees, change fees, deposits or other reimbursements be made to the impacted employee by the conference, hotel, airline, or other entity at any time, the employee will reimburse Aspirus.
  • Employees receiving travel vouchers will not be reimbursed by Aspirus.
  • Aspirus’ intent is to keep employees financially “whole,” and not suffering financial loss or gain from cancellations.
• All reimbursement requests should be submitted to local HR leaders, who will coordinate reimbursement with their respective Finance Department.

Please refer to the Travel page in this section for the latest guidelines on personal travel and to report your travel to Aspirus Employee Health.

COVID-19 Travel Information & Reporting Form

Employees who exhibit symptoms of COVID-19 must:

1. Stay home
2. Immediately inform their supervisor that they will not be coming to work
3. Contact Aspirus Employee Health at 715-847-2785

Employee Health will complete an assessment and may notify the local Health Department to determine needed actions, such as testing for COVID-19, time off work or self-quarantine. Please note:

• Aspirus will suspend any corrective actions for absences related to any respiratory illness, included but not limited to COVID-19, upon verification from Employee Health.
• Aspirus Employee Health will email the employee, manager, HRBP and Leave Management Services with date, symptoms first started, date first removed from work and anticipated return to work.
• Employees must contact Leave Management Service for absence greater than 7 days due to an incapacitating serious health condition.
• Employees may take Paid Time Off (PTO) during this absence. If an employee is off work longer than 7 days due to an incapacitating serious health condition, the employee may be eligible for Short Term Disability.
• Employees must not return to work until cleared by Aspirus Employee Health.

If an employee experiences a COVID-19 exposure at work defined by the CDC as category high or medium, the employee will be sent home immediately. Refer to these guidelines. Then:

• The supervisor will contact the local Infection Prevention resource to report the incident and evaluate for possible exposure.
• Infection Prevention will contact Employee Health and submit a Safety Zone event documenting the exposure.
• Employee Health, Infection Prevention and the local Health Department will collaborate to follow up with the employee and determine next steps
  • CDC and Employee Health policies and procedures will guide any requirement to self-quarantine and return to work based on level of risk as documented by CDC (Low, Medium or High).
  • If an employee is exposed to COVID-19 in the normal course of care and is required to be quarantined after following all expected protocols, Aspirus will pay the employee during that time. If there was disregard for policy, the employee will not be paid regular wages and would need to take PTO or unpaid time off.
• Employees will be contacted by Leave Management Services to determine if they will be absent more than three days.
• Employee Health will determine when the employee may return to work.
• Lower level of exposure to COVID-19 must be reported to Employee Health to determine other protocols to follow, such as self-monitoring of symptoms.

Employees exposed to COVID-19 outside the work setting must:

1. Stay home
2. Immediately inform their supervisor that they will not be coming to work
3. Contact Aspirus Employee Health at 715-847-2785

In addition:

• Employee Health will discuss the exposure with the employee and determine the next steps in conjunction with the local Health Department.
• Employees may take PTO or unpaid time off during the absence.
• Employee must contact Leave Management Services to request a personal Leave of Absence.
• Employee Health will determine the employee’s return to work.
• If employee-to-patient and/or exposure to other employees is determined, Employee Health will work in conjunction with Infection Prevention and local and state Health Agencies for guidance.
• If an Aspirus employee’s household member is quarantined due to a COVID-19 exposure, the employee may continue to work. If the employee were to develop respiratory symptoms or their household member becomes positive for COVID-19, employee must contact Employee Health and will be quarantined and instructed to do self-monitoring.