EVP/COO Rachael Nava sent the following message to all UCOP staff on Thursday, Nov. 18, 2021:

Dear UCOP colleagues,

In August, we postponed our return to on-site operations to January 2022 and promised to review the return date in mid-November. After discussions with President Drake and UCOP leadership, we have decided to move forward with a modified approach that takes into account the possibility of a winter spike in COVID-19 cases, allows flexibility and an adjustment period in returning to on-site operations, and lowers the density in our buildings. Our updated plan is:

• We will postpone the planned return scheduled for the first week of January.
• We will use a “slow build” approach for all locations with move-ins and on-site work starting the week of January 31 and building through April 2022. This helps keep our office population lower during the winter months and allows those who will have an on-site or hybrid work arrangement to work with their managers to gradually adjust to their full required on-site schedule. For example, someone who will work 3+ days on-site could transition (with the approval of their manager) from one day per week on-site early in the process to 3+ days by mid-April 2022.
• We expect to have our full future operations state — on-site, hybrid and remote — in place by April 30, 2022.

Plans will vary by location based on business needs and circumstances. For instance, Oakland will take the office consolidation work into consideration, with department move-in dates communicated mid-December. Our UCDC location is already operating on-site, and seismic work will affect the plan for our Sacramento office. UCPath’s leadership team is preparing a return to on-site plan in alignment with the phased approach.

The return to on-site plans will also be informed by the final outcome of our Future of Work process. The first steps — position eligibility assessment and employee preference selection — are complete, and HR is conducting a UCOP-wide position eligibility equity review to ensure overall consistency and equity across UCOP. Over the next few weeks, division leaders will approve work arrangements for their divisions, and BASC will complete their work on preliminary space planning.

Employees will be notified in mid-December of their approved work arrangements. Managers and supervisors will work with employees to support them during the transition and provide them notice of at least 30 days to prepare and make arrangements for family care or other personal matters.

We are planning a town hall to share information and answer questions. Details will be forthcoming in Link. If you have questions regarding our return date or our Future of Work efforts, please feel free to talk with your manager or email UCOP-FutureofWork@ucop.edu.

As always, please continue to take care of yourself and stay safe. I wish you and your family a happy Thanksgiving.

Sincerely,
Rachael Nava
Executive Vice President and Chief Operating Officer

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