THIS UPDATE IS NO LONGER CURRENT: Please see this post for most up-to-date guidance.
NEW and UPDATED: Inclement Weather Policy
Updated February 2023
In December 2021, CU Boulder updated inclement weather guidance for all employees. The full policy can be found here and the bottom line is that weather-related administrative closures or delays affect *everyone* working that day, including those working from home. When CU Boulder campus is closed, you’re no longer expected to work. The campus policy allows for exceptional circumstances, such as a long-planned remote meeting—employees should work with supervisors to understand the implications.
For NOAA Embedded Employees: Until now, CIRES asked all employees embedded at NOAA to follow the site status and policies of NOAA and the Department of Commerce, and in general, that required remote work on inclement weather days regardless of whether CU Boulder Campus was closed. This created significant challenges for our NOAA-embedded CIRES employees, and some inequity. Beginning now, we are asking all CIRES people who work at NOAA labs to follow the site status for CU Boulder Campus. This means that if CU Boulder Campus is closed due to inclement weather, or is delayed, you are not required to work those hours. If CU Boulder is open and NOAA is closed, the expectation is that you would work remotely if you are able. If you are unable to work due to childcare closure (CCC), internet or power outages at home, or are a full time in-person employee with no remote capability, please work with your supervisor and CIRES HR. DSRC-based employees still need to be aware of DOC Boulder Campus site status, as this can impact site access. CIRES employees embedded at NOAA should also continue to follow the NOAA federal calendar for annual holidays and early release.
Campus-based employees: Both in-person and remote regular employees will receive administrative leave for campus delays and closures. In the event of a delay, individual units may still hold meetings remotely, so please confirm necessary scheduling with your supervisor. If an employee chooses to work during a delay or needs to attend meetings remotely, administrative leave cannot be used at another time. Additional guidance is highlighted below. Please see this link for complete protocols, including guidance for our teaching faculty.
Details for employees working on campus or remotely
- Administrative leave is granted to regular employees for their scheduled work hours during the period of closure. You will not need to adjust your timesheets.
- Certain remote meetings may still need to take place. Check with your department for further guidance.
- University Staff employees who are eligible for overtime enter in admin leave for this day on their timesheets.
- Regular part-time employees or those paid on an hourly basis (such as variable percent employees) who are normally scheduled to work when a closure occurs are given paid administrative leave for their regular scheduled work hours. You will not need to adjust your timesheets.
- Temporary (including retirees hired into temporary positions) and student employees are not eligible for administrative leave.
- Employees who are already on approved annual, sick, or other type of leave when a closure occurs will not be given paid administrative leave for their scheduled work hours during the period of closure.
- If you experience a temporary power outage during work hours and are unable to work, you do not need to take leave or adjust your timesheet.
For Both CU Boulder-based and NOAA-based CIRES employees: please do not alter your timesheet, unless requested by CIRES HR.
FORMER GUIDANCE, NO LONGER RELEVANT IS BELOW FOR EASY REFERENCE): Updated February 2022
If you normally work at the NOAA labs, please follow your laboratory/center’s closure and telework policy. If you normally work on CU Boulder campus, please follow CU Boulder’s policy.
This means most NOAA-based people who are approved to work remotely are expected to work through inclement weather closures (whether called by NOAA or CU Boulder or both).
By contrast, CU-Boulder-based CIRES people follow the campus closure policy: Administrative leave is granted to any regular employee for scheduled work hours during the period of closure; though certain remote meetings may still need to take place—check with your supervisor for guidance.If you have questions, or if this protocol creates a personal hardship, please reach out to CIREShr@colorado.edu.
For those who are Boulder Campus located employees, please follow the site status for CU Boulder Campus.
For those who are embedded at the NOAA labs, please follow the DOC Boulder labs site status for NOAA Boulder, and for those at WPC in Maryland, please use site closure status for your building location.
