Penn State Health extends employee pay and benefits security through June 6
Our initial commitment to extend pay and benefits is set to expire with the pay period ending this Friday, May 8. I know that many of you are concerned about what happens after that date. As I said when we made our first pay and benefits security announcement several weeks ago, Penn State Health will continue to review our pay and benefits practices to ensure that as this situation evolves, we remain competitive, supportive of our workforce and ready to meet the needs of our patients.
As we continue to manage through the significant operational and financial effects of the COVID-19 pandemic, out of respect for your commitment to our patients and your colleagues, Penn State Health will extend our pay and benefits security program for a few more weeks. Whether we can guarantee salary and benefits for all employees beyond this latest extension will depend greatly on our patient volume and our ability to manage expenses in the weeks and months ahead.
Employees who are currently redeployed to alternative duties during their regular hours, and staff who are asked to stay home without work as a result of reduced hours will continue to receive their current regular compensation through June 6 (end of biweekly pay period for paychecks issued on Friday, June 12). Employees also maintain their customary benefits during this time, even if working in alternative roles due to COVID-19. Redeployment efforts are in place across Penn State Health to help keep employees working their regular hours.
More than 5,000 employees of Penn State Health, its hospitals and clinics continue to work remotely during the pandemic to help reduce the potential spread of the virus. As Pennsylvania begins to relax its stay-at-home orders, Penn State Health is considering how best to safely bring people back to work. This includes determining which employees can continue to work off-site and how to reconfigure work spaces to support social distancing practices in the workplace. Please be patient and flexible as we work through the details.
Out of concern for the safety of our patients and staff, we remind you that if you are sick you should not come to work. Since mid-March and until further notice, unscheduled absences due to illness do not count towards the Penn State Health attendance policy. This temporary exclusion of unscheduled absences also allows missing work due to lack of child care or elder care resources as a result of COVID-19 closings.
I remain deeply grateful for the courage, flexibility and dedication our Penn State Health workforce has shown over these past several week. While there are still many challenges ahead of us, your actions prove that we can and will meet them together. Thank you.
Steve Massini
CEO, Penn State Health
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