Non-teaching employees, administrative associates, academic non-teaching personnel, and other designated faculties, in a memorandum released on August 17, are now allowed “to resume physical reporting to work” in Jacinto Campus. 

This memorandum was posted in response to Davao City’s designation under Modified General Community Quarantine (MGCQ) last August 14.

The said memorandum cited references from Inter-Agency Task Force (IATF) Resolution Number 63 and Section 7 of the Omnibus Guidelines on the Implementation of Community Quarantine in the Philippines, acknowledging the said staffs to return for work.

With this, Matina and Bangkal campuses’ non-teaching staff could follow their work schedule on the given pre-identified workspaces within the Campus.

Academic teaching personnel and faculty members, stated in the memo, “will continue to work from home as online classes remain, except those who opt to work in the Jacinto Campus.”

Moreover, employees under offices responsible for supporting online operations of classes should report to the said campus.

Need for flexible work schedules

As a response, an administrative associate who had done both virtual and face-to-face work, in an interview, recognized that workers still have physical work to consider.

Moreover, the associate pointed out that employees’ struggles upon work are still significant even if the city is in MGCQ.

Employees’ struggles, according to the administrative associate, include transportation upon entering and leaving the campus, and health safety assurances on the virus.

The associate then hopes that the University would consider its employees a flexible work schedule shifting mechanism.

“If pwede sana i-arrange at ayusin namin sa higher admins na i-allow kami (the employees) na hindi naman siguro daily na pwede, at least, shifting workforce,” the associate said, recognizing employees’ struggles upon the MGCQ announcement.

“…considering din our situation [and] the condition under COVID, and yung mga stuggles [and] difficulties ng mga employees in terms of transportation, health, [and] safety sa mga tao,” the associate cited.

Along with the memorandum, the University also provided an 11-page Health and Safety Protocol to ensure employees’ safety on the COVID-19 virus.

The said protocol provided safety tips and guidelines before, during, and after office work inside the campus.