Dear CIRES Community Members,
I know you are inundated with emails at the moment, but many of you have reached out to my team with questions about how time should be charged during this COVID-19 situation, and I wanted to answer that as well as speak briefly to another key issue: your emotional well-being.
As we shift into this new mode of working, the social distancing/telework environment can pose a number of challenges for a variety of reasons — our personal circumstances, the nature of our jobs, our need for social interaction, etc. So I just wanted to make you aware of some resources that are available to you for support. These include:
- Silvercloud – SilverCloud is a confidential online portal that offers secure, immediate access to online programs for stress, anxiety and depression.
- The Real Help Hotline at 833-533-CHAT (2428). The Real Help Hotline gives you access to professional counselors who can offer assistance finding local resources or provide immediate crisis counseling. It’s a free and confidential service and it’s available 24/7. The service is available to all members covered under any of CU’s medical insurance plans.
- Faculty and Staff Assistant Program is now offering Telehealth video-conferencing, which is an encrypted platform that is completely confidential and HIPPA compliant. Please contact FSAP if you would like to schedule an appointment and an FSAP counselor will reach out to you within 24 hours.
Also, many of you have expressed concern about one thing in particular, how time is to be charged for people who:
- are unable to telecommute during the mandatory phase because their work cannot be done at home, or
- are serving as a caregiver to children, elderly or other dependents.
The CIRES administrative team is working with colleagues in the Research and Innovation Office (RIO) and the broader university to get guidance next week to CIRES researchers in these two circumstances, and we will provide more information to our CIRES community as soon as it is available. This is a very high priority for both CIRES and RIO administrations.
Our team is working hard to support you. Please feel free to reach out to us as needed.
Be well,
Waleed Abdalati
CIRES Director
