Childcare and Caregiver Support

• Campus Childcare Center
• Employee Assistance Program
• Child Care Consultation & Referral*
• Elder Care Consultation & Referral*
• Dependent Adult Care Consultation & Referral*
• Handshake (Career Services) Classified Postings for Childcare/Caregiver Support**
• Provost’s statement regarding IAS and Faculty Personnel Review

*These links take you to the university's Employee Assistance Program (providing employees access to resources including support for emotional, financial, or legal assistance - and more).  These links require a username to be entered, it is SOWI.

**Career Services has created a "classifieds" advertisement section for employees to post for possible caregiving positions to which student's can apply.

As communicated to campus in the spring, COVID-19 Emergency Leave and Emergency Family Medical Leave benefits have expired.  Employees may continue to request Family/Medical Leave or other leaves of absence using existing options.  For a listing of leave options, please visit: https://www.wisconsin.edu/ohrwd/benefits/leave/ 

While UW-La Crosse continues to encourage flexibility, when appropriate, it is important to note that all remote work or telecommuting arrangements are now exclusively managed through the UW System Administrative Policy 1228 on telecommuting.  Employees are expected to be on-site to ready the campus for the fall semester, however, in some situations employees may work with their supervisors and division leadership to determine if their position would have the ability to work remotely.  The request to work remotely requires approval by the supervisor, division leadership, Human Resources, and in some cases, UW System.  For more information visit: https://www.uwlax.edu/human-resources/common-requests/common-requests-quick-links/telecommuting/  

UWL supports supervisors in considering flexible or remote work options, when appropriate, in cases where an employee may need to be away from the workplace to care for an ill family member or provide childcare for their child who requires isolation or quarantine.  It is also important that employees work collaboratively and quickly in communicating their circumstances and changes in their work arrangements to their supervisors so continuity of operations can be quickly established. 

Employees who must care for family members, (i.e. partner, children, parents, etc.), may work with their supervisor to seek approval to work remotely during the isolation/quarantine period, or until their family member has returned to good health.  In these circumstances, supervisors should ensure the employee can complete required work assignments and be agreed upon work hours to respond to requests. Should leave need to be extended beyond the isolation/quarantine period, other leave options or work arrangements must be explored.

Employees who may not be able to work remotely may utilize available leave time, or if appropriate, Family Medical Leave or other Leaves of Absence benefits.  

Additional tips for understanding and managing burnout and stress, please visit: https://www.theseniorlist.com/caregiving/caregiver-burnout/ 

• Working remotely and supervising remotely

Consult with Human Resources for additional guidance and strategies to help support employees through COVID-19 closures.

HR recommends:

• Continue with virtual meetings/check-ins. If not possible and in-person meetings occur, offer the option for employees to teleconference into the meeting.
• Consider - and be flexible with - an employee's request for working remotely or schedule flexibility.  Some positions may have the ability to support remote work - others may not and leave options can be explored.
• Consider workload implications before the assignment to an employee. Consider delaying if not an essential project.
• Supervisors should be aware of gender and other inequities caused by the pandemic and work to minimize.

 Additional Reading from the Web:

• How working parents can prepare for COVID closures (HBR)
• Lessons learned from real parents on juggling work and childcare (HBR)
• 8 ways managers can support employee's mental health (HBR - note section on flexibility and accommodation)

As communicated to campus in the spring, COVID-19 Emergency Leave and Emergency Family Medical Leave benefits have expired.  Employees may continue to request Family/Medical Leave or other leaves of absence using existing options.  For a listing of leave options, please visit: https://www.wisconsin.edu/ohrwd/benefits/leave/ 

While UW-La Crosse continues to encourage flexibility, when appropriate, it is important to note that all remote work or telecommuting arrangements are now exclusively managed through the UW System Administrative Policy 1228 on telecommuting.  Employees are expected to be on-site to ready the campus for the fall semester, however, in some situations employees may work with their supervisors and division leadership to determine if their position would have the ability to work remotely.  The request to work remotely requires approval by the supervisor, division leadership, Human Resources, and in some cases, UW System.  For more information visit: https://www.uwlax.edu/human-resources/common-requests/common-requests-quick-links/telecommuting/  

UWL supports supervisors in considering flexible or remote work options, when appropriate, in cases where an employee may need to be away from the workplace to care for an ill family member or provide childcare for their child who requires isolation or quarantine.  It is also important that employees work collaboratively and quickly in communicating their circumstances and changes in their work arrangements to their supervisors so continuity of operations can be quickly established. 

Employees who must care for family members, (i.e. partner, children, parents, etc.), may work with their supervisor to seek approval to work remotely during the isolation/quarantine period, or until their family member has returned to good health.  In these circumstances, supervisors should ensure the employee can complete required work assignments and be agreed upon work hours to respond to requests. Should leave need to be extended beyond the isolation/quarantine period, other leave options or work arrangements must be explored.

Employees who may not be able to work remotely may utilize available leave time, or if appropriate, Family Medical Leave or other Leaves of Absence benefits.  

Additional tips for understanding and managing burnout and stress, please visit: https://www.theseniorlist.com/caregiving/caregiver-burnout/