Adverse Weather & Emergency Closing Leave Guidelines

Adverse weather may create difficulty for employees to report to work or make it advisable for employees to leave the workstation early. Employees who anticipate problems with transportation are encouraged to exercise personal judgment concerning road safety in their areas. Employees may use vacation, bonus or compensatory leave or make up the time missed when encountering hazardous road conditions.

Emergency closing conditions are conditions that necessitate the closing of the University or the curtailment of operations. Conditions that may be hazardous to life or safety and may warrant closing the University include: catastrophic life threatening weather (snow, ice, hurricane, tornado, earthquake, flood or other natural disaster), fire equipment failure, disruption of power and/or water, contamination by hazardous agents, terrorist acts or forced evacuations from the agency or work site.

The Office of the President has delegated to the chancellors of individual campuses the authority to make closing decisions. The Chancellor or designee will determine to what extent operations will be suspended or temporarily curtailed. All closings shall be reported to the State Personnel Director and to the Office of the President within five days after the occurrence.

• Authority and Decision-Making
• Notification to Personnel
• Accounting for Time Not Worked Due to Adverse Weather
• Accounting for Time Due to Emergency Closings
• Employees Deemed as Critical Personnel

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Authority and Decision-Making

When classes are in session: The decision to delay, cancel, or hold classes is made by the Provost, on the recommendation of the Director of Public Safety following the evaluation of campus and local area road conditions and forecasts. When possible, the decision should be made by 5:30 a.m. to enable notification in time for all to plan for the day appropriately. 

If classes are not in session: The decision to delay the arrival or release staff will be made by the Chancellor (or designee) on the recommendation of the Director of Public Safety following the evaluation of campus and local area road conditions and forecasts. When possible, the decision should be made by 5:30 a.m. to enable notification in time for all to plan for the day appropriately. 

The decision to close the campus will be made by the Chancellor, in consultation with the Director of Public Safety, and will only be implemented in the most extreme conditions.

Notification to Personnel

Employees may access the UNC Asheville Website at: http://www.unca.edu to receive the latest information regarding the University Adverse Weather and Emergency Bulletins.

Employees may call the designated Adverse Weather and Emergency Line at: (828) 259-3050.

Employees may also access this information from local news media (WLOS-TV 13)

It should be noted that these announcements do not apply to Critical Personnel.

Adverse weather and emergency closing messages to employees will be defined and announced in the below format:

Late Start : A two-hour window for staff to report to work in the morning during an official "Late Start," or during hazardous winter road conditions that are not severe enough to warrant canceling classes or closing the campus. Staff members may use earned compensatory, bonus, and vacation leave to pay for the lost hours, or may make up the time within the same month. This two-hour window may not be an option for certain staff members designated for emergency operations. 

Classes Cancelled (No Day Classes and/or No Evening Classes): When classes are cancelled, students and faculty are not expected to report to campus. As the university continues to operate, staff members who have not been designated for emergency operations should use their own judgment as to the relative safety of their coming to or staying on campus during this time. Those who are unable to come to campus or stay for the day are asked to notify their supervisor of their decision, and change their outgoing voice mail greeting for the time they plan to be away. Staff members may use earned compensatory, bonus, and vacation leave to pay for the lost hours, or may make up the time within the next 12 months. 

Emergency Closing: The Chancellor may close the University when extreme conditions warrant. Under these conditions, all employees who are not designated for emergency operations will be released from work until the University is re-opened. Employees will not be charged leave time for any Emergency Closing. The Office of the President and Office of State Personnel must be notified within five days of an official Emergency Closing.

Accounting for Time Not Worked Due to Adverse Weather:

Supervisors must make every reasonable effort to arrange schedules whereby employees are given an opportunity to make up time not worked, or to use vacation, bonus, and/or compensatory leave, or take leave without pay when needed to cover the adverse weather period. Since hours worked in excess of forty during a work week would constitute overtime for employees subject to the overtime provision of the Fair Labor Standards Act, it will be necessary for make-up time for employees subject to overtime to be limited to the work week in which the time is lost or in a week when the employee has not worked a full schedule due to such absences as holidays, vacation, sick leave or civil leave.

Employees who volunteer to make up adverse weather time on a scheduled holiday will not receive holiday premium pay or equal time off with pay.

If appropriate, supervisors may allow employees to telework or reassign the employee to alternate worksites within the same commuting area.

Time must be made up within twelve months from the occurrence of the absence. If the time is not made up within the twelve-month period, vacation leave must be charged or leave without pay taken.

Supervisors are required to keep written records of the makeup schedule that they approve and monitor.

Employees who are on prearranged vacation leave or sick leave will charge leave to the appropriate leave account with no provision for make-up time.

Accounting for Time Due to Emergency Closings:

Employees who are not required to work at an alternate site or as an emergency employee shall not be required to charge leave or make up the time.

Critical Personnel required to work during the emergency should be granted paid time off on an hour for hour basis for all hours worked. This time must be used within 12 months of its being awarded or it is forfeited. Supervisors should make arrangements for employees to take this time off. It should be used after compensatory time off, but must be used before vacation or sick leave.

If additional personnel, not in mandatory/essential operations, are needed for situations such as cleanup and recovery during the time the University remains closed, the Chancellor may elect to compensate them in the same manner as employees deemed Critical Personnel. 

Employees Deemed as Critical Personnel

Employees should consult the University of North Carolina at Asheville Emergency Operations Plan located in the offices of VC’s, Facilities Management and Planning, Human Resources, Communications & Marketing and Public Safety.

This Plan outlines and assigns responsibilities for addressing emergencies affecting the safety and well being of people and/or facilities at UNC Asheville.

 Supervisors designate employees to serve as Critical Personnel. Critical Personnel who fail to report to work at the designated time may be subject to disciplinary action and/or required to charge missed hours to leave or leave without pay as determined by management.

For more information related to leave, please see the Leave Policy #81.