UHR Videos Address Recent Guidance on Face Coverings

University Human Resources has produced two videos and a set of talking points to help our university community acclimate to NC State’s new guidance regarding wearing face coverings inside NC State facilities.

As of March 7, face coverings are optional in most campus indoor locations, including classrooms and other instructional settings. 

Helping Supervisors Understand the Impact of Recent COVID-19 Changes

The new guidance caused some anxiety among some employees and supervisors when the university first announced it. Amy Orders, director of Emergency Management and Mission Continuity, asked an informal group of university leaders to meet and discuss how to address employees’ discomfort. The idea to create the videos and talking points resulted from those discussions, said Ursula Hairston, assistant vice chancellor for HR Strategy.

UHR produced one video for supervisors and another for all employees. UHR created the talking points to help supervisors navigate conversations about the guidance with employees.

The purpose of the supervisor video is to help supervisors understand their role in setting the tone in the workplace, Hairston said. “Supervisors have to actually take an active role in helping people feel comfortable with the new guidance,” she said.

Helping Employees Understand the Impact of Recent COVID-19 Changes

Hairston said the point of the employee video is to remind employees that most NC State employees can now make their own decisions about whether to wear a face covering at work, and they should respect whatever decision their colleagues make.

“The employee video is really trying to help employees feel comfortable with the fact that regardless of what they may believe, they may have to see and engage with people that don’t believe the same thing as them, and that’s OK,” she said. “Differences are not divisive. Disrespect is.”

The videos and the talking points are on the Pack Is Back website under the “Employee and Supervisor Resources” dropdown menu.