What happens if an employee cannot perform duties remotely and has used all of their available leave? Can they continue to get paid?

All OSU employees:

Employees who are not able to perform their duties remotely and cannot be reassigned to other work for the sponsored project and have exhausted COVID-19 Leave, accrued paid leave and any supplemental programs (as listed below), cannot continue to get paid for work that has not been rendered. This applies to all sources of salary funding (state, gift, grant, other funding). If you believe that you or an employee will be in this situation, please contact your Human Resources (HR) Strategic Partner.

OSU research employees:

OSU encourages principal investigators and research supervisors to identify meaningful work for research employees that brings value to the university’s mission and advances a research project and scholarship. During the university’s response to the COVID-19 pandemic and to the extent possible, PIs and supervisors should reassign graduate research assistants, research associates and faculty research assistants to undertake work that might fall outside of an originally intended work plan but still is in keeping with the intent of the project or grant and advances their research. 

Leave Benefits for All OSU Employees:

As a reminder, all OSU employees who are not able to work due to the university’s COVID-19 response – or due to their own personal wellness or family circumstances – may use the following leave, if eligible.

  • Use first: OSU-provided 80 hours of paid COVID-19 leave. This paid leave is pro-rated to the FTE of an employee’s current appointment. This 80-hour benefit is consistent with recently required federal COVID-19 benefits and is not meant to be in addition to federally mandated time. 
  • Then use: Accrued personal sick leave, personal leave and accrued vacation that an employee may have available.
  • In addition: All employees have supplemental leave programs. Academic and professional faculty may request use of the Unearned Sick Leave Advance program. Classified employees and Graduate Assistants have use of donation programs contained within the respective collective bargaining agreements between their union and the university.
Last Modified: 
April 12, 2020