Table 2 Proposed solutions directed towards areas of most concern, provided by focus group participants
Area of Concern | Recommendation | Resources |
|---|---|---|
Parents/guardians with school age/younger children | Emergency child care services (back up, crisis care) Daycare options Educational support | Partnership with local companies and schools; stipend support for those in need; administrative support for coordination of learning groups; ability for employees to pool sick/vacation days for those in need; matching programs (i.e. database to connect faculty and staff with similar needs) |
Elder care support | Support groups such as psychologist/peer groups/expert groups (geriatricians/palliative care) to help with planning and experiences | Time for support groups; matching programs |
Returning back to “normal” to quickly | Develop return to work plans that are innovative and harness the positives from current experience | Divisions to collaboratively work with their teams to develop revised work policies that promote workplace flexibility and sustainability |
Flexibility (i.e. timelines for funding agencies, promotions, and work schedules) | Work with funding agencies to create flexible timelines/understanding of options with grants; offer deferrals/support/time to prepare dossiers for promotions when needed | Designate institutional lead to work with funding agencies on innovative and supportive timelines; develop expert panel; offer additional support for dossier preparation; flexibility with work schedules |
FMLA/PTO for COVID illness | Message faculty and staff about already existing benefits | N/A |
Financials and other uncertainties | Clear communications; continued transparency | N/A |
Resiliency/coping | Support programs | Support programs; advertisements of offerings; acknowledging the struggles and potential solutions through focus groups |