After months of working from home, employees at Glen Oaks Community College will return to the office. Glen Oaks President Dr. David H. Devier announced the plans in an email to employees Tuesday.
“After some deliberation, among the Glen Oaks Covid task force, the committee determined that all employees will be expected to return to work on-campus, effective Tuesday, July 6,” said Devier. This change does not affect course schedules for faculty.
Earlier the task force had been considering an August date, but shifted the timeline due to a number of changes.
- The COVID vaccine became widely available to anyone over the age of 12 much quicker than anticipated.
- The Michigan Occupational Safety and Health Administration (MIOSHA) emergency rule prohibiting in-person work was lifted May 23, 2021.
- All Michigan Department of Health and Human Services (MDHHS) gatherings and face masks orders are scheduled to be lifted July 1, 2021.
- COVID cases have been greatly reduced.
“The committee felt that it was important to allow employees ample time to prepare for their return to in-person work, perhaps get vaccinated if they haven’t already, and get ‘back into the flow’ before we begin the fall semester on August 30,” said Devier.
The college continues to work in a safe manner with safety protocols in place that include masks and daily health checks for unvaccinated employees.
“We provide a service to the community, and while our employees have been able to provide services considerably well throughout the pandemic, the time is right to return to campus,” said Devier.