On December 3, 2020 California Department of Human Resources (CalHR) Director Eraina Ortega notified state department leadership that effective Monday, December 7, with some exceptions, state offices will close in response to the California Department of Public Health’s new Stay at Home Order. Offices will remain closed for at least three weeks.
Departments must immediately review their Continuity of Operations/Continuity of Government plans and determine which critical functions require staff to continue to report to the workplace. The CalHR direction provides that “all staff not performing critical functions at the workplace should remain at home teleworking, or if no telework is available, provided Administrative Time Off (ATO).”
The “critical functions” of essential government services has not changed and includes:
- Government Leadership
- Emergency Management
- Social Services/Education
- Information Technology/ Communication
- Public Safety/Regulatory Enforcement
- Medical/Health
- Critical Infrastructure
- Food Supply
- Environmental Protection
- Public Information
- Unemployment Insurance Claims Processing
- 24/7 Institutions (prisons, state hospitals, veterans homes, etc.)
- Essential Government Services
The CalHR instruction includes prioritizing telework for at risk employees (age 65 or older and those with chronic health conditions) and providing telework for all employees eligible for telework. ATO is only provided as a “last resort.” When ATO is approved, it is approved regardless of an employee’s available leave balance.
If you have questions about the new Stay at Home Order and CalHR direction, please contact your ACSS Labor Relations Representative.