Research and work

As stipulated in the Directive for the Implementation of the Bavarian Regulations on Infection Prevention and Control Measures, employees are requested to work remotely after 10 May 2020 until further notice, insofar this is possible according to their position and operational circumstances. A workplace may be regarded as eligible for remote working if the employee can access e-mails through webmail and make any necessary telephone calls from their home office. Staff may also for example, record a message on the office answering machine informing callers to contact them via e-mail to arrange a call back.

In the current situation, remote working in accordance with data protection requirements may be approved directly by managers who will then notify the relevant office in Department P – Human Resources of this approval.

If work needs to be carried out that can only be completed on site or if employees would like to return to their place of work, managers in the various institutions must take responsibility for carefully planning the transition from predominantly remote working to returning to work – potentially also only on a partial basis – on university premises. Work on site must to organised in such a way that the hygiene regulations are closely observed at all times.

There is currently no general obligation to work on site.

The waiver of the requirement to record working hours still applies.

As stated in the circular from the Bavarian Ministry of Science and the Arts dated 17 March 2020, these measures do not apply to Universitätsklinkum Erlangen due to the duty of staff to care for patients, with particular focus on prioritising care for coronavirus patients.

• Tips: How to work effectively from home
• Services and instructions from the Erlangen Regional Computing Centre
• Current measures and information from the Erlangen Regional Computing Centre

The rules surrounding procurement of goods and services have been simplified in view of the coronavirus crisis. Further information is available on the website of the Department of Finance and Property Management (H).

With DFNconf, a Jitsi server operated locally at the Erlangen Regional Computing Centre (RRZE), MS Teams and Zoom, FAU has various web conference platforms which you can choose from depending on what you need them for. An overview is available on the RRZE website . Information on coaching sessions is available on the ILI website ‘schnell digital’.

• Multimedia Centre at the RRZE

The practical guidelines from DGUV provide instructions for in-house first aiders on giving first aid whilst complying with measures for preventing infection.

The German Resuscitation Council (GRC) has amended its guidelines for resuscitation due to the current pandemic. The aim of these measures is to ensure maximum protection against Covid-19 for laypeople carrying out first aid or for medical staff.
In accordance with the guidelines, resuscitation performed by laypeople and first aiders on casualties not known to them should be limited to cardiac massage and the use of publicly accessible automated external defibrillators (AED). Mouth-to-mouth resuscitation should not be used in these cases.

For the resuscitation of children, the guidelines advise the following: ‘Mouth-to-mouth resuscitation plays an important role for children requiring resuscitation […]. The decision to perform mouth-to-mouth resuscitation should be made […] with the awareness of a potential risk of infection.’

Further information is available on the website of the Occupational Medical Service.

Funding providers such as the DFG and AiF have published information in respect of the coronavirus crisis. These have been collected in the Administration Handbook on the website of the Department of Finance and Property Management, H3

Occupational Safety offers information on measures and advice as well as specific guidelines for working in research or workshop areas in the Administration Handbook.

In the event of a viral infection, public servants and employees are deemed unfit for work. Public servants who are unfit for work continue to be paid. Employees who are unfit for work continue to have their salary paid for a period of six weeks.

Please submit the usual form to report that you are unfit for work and ensure that Department P – Human Resources are notified of a coronavirus infection in an anonymized form (for example via your manager or faculty administration to meet the reporting obligation required by the Bavarian State Ministry of Science and the Arts.)

In order to make it clearer, we would like to provide you with a breakdown of each of the possible instances of a suspected case of infection:

If members of staff are obliged to self-isolate on the orders of the health authorities in Germany pursuant to section 30 IfSG (Law on Prevention and Control of Infectious Diseases in Humans) and are unable to report for duty/work as a result, the following applies:

Public servants are released from the obligation to work pursuant to section 10 (1)(2) URIMV (Bavarian Regulation on Leave and Maternity Protection) and are under no obligation to make up for working time lost as a result. The same applies to employees.

An informal application to the Department of Human Resources for release from the obligation to work is required, and the superior has to be informed.

• Office P2 Academic staff
• Office P4 Non-academic staff
• Office P3 Part-time academic staff

Public servants who are abroad and are unable to return to Germany due to orders issued by security authorities regarding quarantine measures are released from the obligation to work pursuant to section 10 (1)(2) URIMV and are under no obligation to make up for working time lost as a result. The same applies to employees. An informal application to the Department of Human Resources for release from the obligation to work is required, and the superior has to be informed.

• Office P2 Academic staff
• Office P4 Non-academic staff
• Office P3 Part-time academic staff

Public servants who are abroad and are unable to return home due to orders issued by security authorities are released from the obligation to work pursuant to section 10 (1)(2) (URIMV) and are under no obligation to make up for working time lost as a result. The same applies to employees. An informal application to the Department of Human Resources for release from the obligation to work is required. Please also inform your superior.

• Office P2 Academic staff
• Office P4 Non-academic staff
• Office P3 Part-time academic staff

Members of staff who are required to stay at home to care for their children due to the general closure of schools and childcare facilities may be granted leave and are under no obligation to make up for working time lost as a result, providing that:

1. Operational circumstances permit the employee to be granted leave
2. Remote working is not possible
3. Leave is necessary to ensure the adequate provision of childcare.

Leave will only be deemed necessary to ensure the adequate provision of childcare when the employee has exhausted all alternative options. Under these conditions, individuals aged over 60 will not be considered as able to provide replacement childcare. All employees should consider the options of using flexible working time or requesting leave for some of their working hours or days.

The obligation to provide childcare must be clearly explained and verified, especially for children that are aged 14 and above. There is no fixed age limit for the above rules, the decisive factor is the extent to which each individual child requires care.

Requests for leave or an extension to leave must be made informally to your manager. Proof of the closure must be attached to the informal application for leave, unless the closure is common knowledge. The relevant office at Department P – Human Resources must be informed of the application for leave.

Employees are not generally permitted to bring their children with them to the workplace. Under certain exceptional circumstances and only if there is no other option to ensure the continuation of operations, parents may be permitted to take their children with them to work temporarily.

The release from the obligation to work does not apply to school holidays.

Pregnant women are currently prohibited from working on site. This prohibition of employment shall not apply, however, if the pregnant woman can work remotely.

Measures for members of staff with underlying health issues entailing an increased risk of infection with the coronavirus (e.g. Leukaemia, diabetes, lung disease) should be coordinated with their doctor.

a) Private travel abroad cannot be forbidden under public service law, as this concerns the public servant’s conduct outside the workplace. All that applies in this instance for public servants and employees alike is the Infection Protection Law. By the same token, requests for leave cannot be rejected (even if the destination is known). However, it is in the member of staff’s own interests not to travel abroad. This most definitely applies when travelling with children.

b) If employees are affected by quarantine measures whilst on leave, their leave ends as soon as the quarantine measures come into effect. From that point on, members of staff are considered not on leave but rather released from the obligation to work.

c) The usual recommendations for good hygiene should be observed.

d) Members of staff cannot be released from the obligation to work if the journey abroad is undertaken in spite of the recommendations given above.

Members of staff in direct contact to people working from home upon orders of another employer are obliged to work as normal:

• Remote working (provided data protection provisions are observed and IT security guaranteed) is possible if approved by their manager.

Members of staff with relatives who absolutely require care and who cannot arrange for care to be provided in any other way:

• Remote working (provided data protection provisions are observed and IT security guaranteed)
• If that is not possible, then release from the obligation to work (remuneration will continue to be paid)

If you require a release from the obligation to work, please submit an informal application setting out the need to provide care and obtain notification of approval from your manager.

If you have a certain role which means that you work at Universitätsklinikum Erlangen (e.g. as part of a research collaboration, doctoral thesis, clinical work whilst studying medicine), the instructions issued by Universitätsklinikum Erlangen will apply to you. Please check the staff portal of Universitätsklinikum Erlangen.

Please send an e-mail without delay to P2 (full-time academic staff and public servants), P3 (part-time academic staff) or P4 (non-academic staff) at the Department of Human Resources if anyone at your institution is affected by any of the cases stated in nos. 1 (Members of staff who have contracted the virus) and 2 (Suspected cases) of the cases outlined under ‘Measures relating to employment and public service law’ above.

Please indicate how many members of staff are affected and details of how they are affected (nos. 1 and 2 under ‘Measures relating to employment and public service law’).

FAU is obliged to report the collected data back to the Bavarian State Ministry of Science and the Arts twice a week.

If you have any questions regarding measures under employment or public service law, please contact P2, P3 or P4. Please also forward applications for a release from the obligation to work to them.

Business trips can only be approved if they are absolutely necessary. Video conferences and conference calls must be used where possible.

Any general authorisation for business travel shall cease to be valid until further notice.

Please proceed as follows if travel expenses have already been incurred for events which have been cancelled or for journeys which have been planned and approved for the purposes of university business or continuing education but now have to be cancelled:

Cancel all bookings as cost-effectively as possible.

• Please note that irrespective of the service provider’s (cancellation and rebooking) terms and conditions, costs will be refunded if the services are cancelled by the service provider. It is worth getting in touch with the service provider, e.g. by phone, if you haven’t heard from them.
• Complete a travel expense claim form for any expenses incurred for accommodation or travel which cannot be cancelled or any cancellation costs incurred. Please include the relevant invoices or print out the cancellation regulations as proof of costs incurred. Submit the travel expense claim form together with the approval/authorisation to carry out a journey and if applicable the official letter cancelling the event or a screenshot of the relevant website to P6 or settle accounts directly with your Chair.

Refunds of flight costs from airlines, travel agents and booking portals

The airline is obliged to refund the costs of the flight in accordance with the EU Regulation on Air Passenger Rights (EC) No. 261/2004. The Bavarian Travel Expenses Act (BayRKG) stipulates the assertion of these rights (Section 20 BayRKG).

A sample letter for asserting your rights is available on the website of the ‘Verbraucherzentrale’ consumer advice association. Please ensure you send the letter as a registered letter with acknowledgement of receipt.

Please read the instructions provided by the travel expenses office for further information.