Information for Employees

RIT is grateful to our employees for their remarkable and tireless work during the COVID-19 pandemic. Additional information for employees and managers can be found on the COVID-19 Employee Information and Resources webpage.

Voluntary Vaccine Reporting

RIT is asking faculty and staff to voluntarily report their vaccine status via the RIT Oracle Employee Self-Service portal in order to get a sense of the campus community's overall vaccination rate. Public health experts agree that having substantial vaccine coverage is crucial to controlling the virus and ending the pandemic.

The overall population vaccination rate will be shared on RIT’s COVID-19 dashboard and may be used in managing expectations and messaging for students and families. The data may help shape safety policies, subject to New York state guidelines, including the required level of protective measures (e.g., masking rules, size of in-person gatherings, etc.)

Returning to Campus and Vaccination Status

RIT is still operating under reduced capacity guidelines from New York state, but we expect those restrictions will change as vaccination rates increase. As conditions permit, we anticipate that the majority of our faculty and staff will be able to return to campus by the first week of August.

RIT strongly encourages all community members to receive the COVID-19 vaccination. Vaccinations are readily available in our region and we are all now eligible. Faculty and staff are asked to please voluntarily report their vaccine status via the RIT Oracle Employee Self-Service portal. Employees can receive up to four hours excused time off with pay, per injection, to receive the COVID-19 vaccination during scheduled work hours. 

Faculty and staff (including temporary staff, visitors and contractors) are no longer required to submit proof of having received a vaccine for the 2020-2021 flu season in order to work on campus.

Faculty and staff who have been working remotely and are returning to campus are required to either submit documentation of a negative COVID-19 test no more than two weeks prior to their return to campus, or attest that they have completed a COVID-19 vaccination regimen via the RIT Oracle Employee Self-Service portal.

Preparing for Spring Semester

Employees working on campus in spring 2021 are required to obtain both a negative COVID-19 test and a 2020/2021 seasonal flu vaccine. The COVID-19 test and flu vaccination are not required of employees who will be on campus for a brief visit no more than once a month (e.g. to pick up mail)​ or if they visit campus and remain outdoors.​ Employees with approved accommodations may also be excused from these requirements.

A new remote work attestation must be entered in Oracle for spring for any adjunct working 100% remotely or any regular faculty or staff employee working 100% remotely outside of New York state.

COVID-19 Testing and Reporting

Employees are to upload COVID-19 test results (positive or negative) into Oracle every time they are tested. In lieu of a negative COVID-19 test, faculty and staff can provide proof of COVID-19 vaccination.

New York State has set up a free testing site at Monroe Community College. Details and registration are available online. You may also call 888-364-3065 to schedule an appointment. Appointments are booked in advance, so we suggest scheduling an appointment immediately to ensure you meet the timeframe of your campus arrival.

You can also contact your personal health care provider or find other testing locations.

At the MCC testing site, individual test results are sent to the individual by phone, text, or they can access the online patient portal. Using the online patient portal, take and save a screenshot of your test results.

For test results from a personal health care provider or other private testing site, take a photo, screenshot, or scan a copy of the results.

Once you have received your test results, log into Oracle’s MyInfo application and select RIT Employee Self-Serve. Using the link “COVID-19 Test Results,” answer the questions in that section and upload a copy or screenshot of your results in this application. Your manager will verify the test result.

If you received a positive test result, that should also be reported in Oracle using the steps provided above. You do not need to upload any documentation of your positive test result. The Director of Environmental Health and Safety will automatically be notified.

If you do not have regular access to a computer and cannot access Oracle, you can show your test results to your manager and they will be able to update Oracle.

Immediately upon notification of a positive test result, RIT initiates our protocol, which includes confirming whether the individual has recently been to campus. If so, RIT works with the Monroe County Department of Public Health to perform contact tracing. Those within the RIT community deemed to be close contacts, if any, are notified of possible exposure and directed accordingly. Other employees likely are not notified when a co-worker tests positive. Other protocols (cleaning, etc.) are initiated as needed. Managers determine remote work adjustments and/or temporary office closure as appropriate.

Daily Health Screen

Faculty and staff can access the Daily Health Screen online at dailyhealth.rit.edu or by calling 585-438-5257. When an employee does not complete the Daily Health Screen, their supervisor is notified. Employees should notify their supervisor in advance if they will not be able to complete the Daily Health Screen.

Faculty and staff providing an attestation confirming that they will not be physically present on campus during the summer (May 17 through August 15, 2021) are not required to complete the Daily Health Screen for those days that they will not be on campus.

Employees do not need to complete the Daily Health Screen and will be automatically marked as Excused on the Daily Health Audit under the following circumstances:

  • On Short Term Disability (STD)
  • On Personal or Professional/Career Development Leave
  • On Military Leave
  • Employees with an approved attestation they work 100% outside NYS
  • Adjuncts with an approved attestation they work 100% remotely
  • Student employees, student co-ops, and graduate research assistants who have completed the student remote attestation

Employees do not need to complete the Daily Health Screen and will be marked Excused by their supervisor on the Daily Health Audit for the following:

  • When an employee is out ill for multiple days for the same illness, they need only complete the Daily Health Screen for the first day.
  • When an employee has been instructed to quarantine by Rochester Regional Health Occupational Medicine, their Primary Care Physician or the Department of Health for their county
  • When an employee is unable to complete the screen due to inaccessibility of cell phone service or internet (prior notification to supervisor should have been provided)
  • When the supervisor is aware that an employee is too ill to complete the Daily Health Screen
  • When employees who regularly work fewer than 9 months per year are outside of their appointment period. (e.g. research faculty working only in January and February would be marked excused in the months they aren’t working)

If you answer YES to the Daily Health Screen, employees are instructed to contact Rochester Regional Health’s Occupational Medicine COVID-19 Hotline at (585) 450-8199 to discuss their health screen information with a health care professional. RRH OccMed will determine a course of action, which may include:

  • Clear to return to work
  • Monitor symptoms
  • Quarantine
  • Obtain a COVID-19 test
  • Contact their primary care physician

RRH OccMed will confirm the course of action and return-to-work status via email with the employee and the supervisor.

COVID-19 on Campus

If a student tells an RIT employee that they have tested positive for COVID-19, the employee should tell the student to contact the Student Health Center and remind them to complete the Daily Health Screen. The contact tracing teams at RIT and at the Monroe County Health Department carefully review individual’s actions and risks to others following notification of a positive COVID-19 test. They will reach out to those who are actual close contacts.

To date, there have not been any cases of COVID transmitted in the classroom or lab settings due to the adherence to our safety and cleaning protocols.

Returning to Campus

Before returning to campus for the Fall Semester, RIT is requiring all employees to:

  • Get a COVID-19 test and provide proof of a negative result using the RIT Employee Self Serve portal prior to coming to campus.
  • Take an online training session on protecting yourself from COVID-19. Human Resources is sending instructions for taking this course to all employees.
  • Respond to a daily RIT Health Screen, seven days a week, even if you are not coming to campus.

Support for Employees

RIT has a membership with care.com which provides unlimited access to Care.com to find caregivers, tutors, errand runners, senior caregivers, pet walkers and sitters, housecleaners, and more. More information on the partnership is available on Human Resources' Dependent and Childcare Resources page. Faculty and staff can also find information from local school districts and community-based organizations.

RIT’s Employee Assistance Program (EAP) offers work-life specialists who will provide customized resources for child and elder care, pet care, and home repair. The EAP also provides confidential counseling on topics related to job pressures, problems with children and stress, anxiety, and depression.

Frequently Asked Questions

RIT strongly encourages all community members to receive the COVID-19 vaccination. Vaccinations are readily available in our region and we are all now eligible. We are currently studying the issue of employee requirements. More information for employees and how to voluntarily report your vaccine status is available. RIT will require full COVID-19 vaccination for undergraduate and graduate students prior to coming to the Henrietta campus for Fall 2021.

The last test result should be no more than two weeks from the return to campus date.

We strongly recommend that students, faculty, and staff do not travel outside the Finger Lakes Region (Monroe and adjacent counties) unless absolutely necessary. If travel must occur, please remember to follow all safety precautions and refrain from participating in group gatherings where distancing and masking is not occurring.

Be sure to close the tab/window each day after successfully submitting your Daily Health Screen, and open a new tab/window the following day to complete that day’s screen.

No. The time it will take to complete the Daily Health Screen will be minimal. On average it should take less than one minute per day. It would present practical, administrative difficulties to track a non-exempt employee’s time in increments of one minute or less. Additionally, applicable law does not require an employer to pay employees for time deemed to be minimal.

No. Faculty and staff should go to a testing facility or their personal physician for testing.

Faculty and staff who have concerns about returning to work on campus due to a medical condition that places them in a higher risk group or those who wish to seek an accommodation in order to perform the essential functions of their job, should fill out an accommodation form.

RIT encourages employees with these specific workplace challenges to work directly with their supervisor to make arrangements that meet the needs of employees and RIT. RIT’s Department of Human Resources also has created the Dependent and Childcare Resources page, where faculty and staff can find information from local school districts and community-based organizations.

Employees testing positive, or residing with someone testing positive, for COVID-19 will be required to report this information using the RIT Employee Self Serve portal. Positive test information will automatically be reported to the Director of RIT’s Environmental Health and Safety. Employees should also update their answers in the Daily Health Screen.

All employees should follow RIT’s normal process for reporting absences due to illness and RIT’s Short Term Disability process based on their employment category: