Return To Office Guidelines
May 12, 2021
SEPTA's mission is to provide clean, safe and reliable transportation to the people of
southeastern Pennsylvania. In order to complete this mission, we employ thousands who work to deliver transportation services throughout our region, and this work has continued through the pandemic. Our business and administrative departments provide support to the work done by these front-line employees. These departments are as critical to our mission as those who directly provide transportation to our communities.
In order to fulfill our role as a transportation agency in the best and most efficient manner, it is important that our administrative staff perform their duties primarily from our main headquarters building at 1234 Market Street and other SEPTA facilities.
As we prepare to welcome the region back to SEPTA, collaboration and creativity will become more important than ever. Some of our best decisions come from hallway and lunchtime conversations, meeting new people in person and impromptu team meetings. Being present in our business setting facilitates collegiality and a sense of community that is essential to our success as a public service provider. We should be engaged in person as much as possible with the public and employees we have chosen to serve.
We also recognize that our employees who have been able to work remotely during the pandemic have been productive and effective. Many have enjoyed the flexibility afforded by alternative work arrangements and have flourished. We want to allow some continued flexibility in recognition of the new realities of the workplace for those employees who work in departments and professions for which remote work is possible.
Accordingly, and consistent with the announcement that the City has lifted restrictions including no density limits for offices effective May 21st, we will embark on a phased-in return to office for those who are still teleworking. The General Manager's team is working out of the 1234 Market Street location a minimum of four days a week. We will also ask that those who directly report to an AG M level manager return to the office a minimum of three days a week by June 1. Likewise, all departments should be staffed by at least one person every day of the week no later than June 14, with a full return to office by all staff by Tuesday, July 6th.
We will enact an interim teleworking policy later this month that will allow some telework through the remainder of the calendar year. We plan to discuss the interim policy with employees to determine how best to move forward with a final policy by the end of the calendar year. We anticipate that there may still be questions about return to the office not addressed by these guidelines.
Safety and Security
Employees must continue to follow social distancing guidelines (6 feet) along with frequent hand washing or hand sanitizer use when water is unavailable. Our workspaces have been configured to ensure social distancing. Employees may still utilize technology in lieu of in person meetings in order to maintain social distancing. IT has recently upgraded our Internet connection that is now 20 times faster/larger than the previous Internet connection. We are monitoring the access daily and as staff come back into the office. Conference rooms will also be made available with internet capability in order to facilitate social distancing while allowing some face-to-face meetings. Use of facemasks remains mandatory for all employees working indoors. At 1234 Market Street, we have installed state of the art air filtration that includes MERV 14 filters and a bi-polar ionization system.
Employees are further reminded to avoid touching their faces and should not engage in hugs, fist bumps, or handshakes as forms of greeting. Shared high touch surfaces such as keyboards and telephones must be cleaned before and after use.
If a SEPTA employee tests positive, their supervisor is required to follow SEPTA close contact protocols and a possible quarantine for the positive employee and close contact employees. The protocols are the same for all SEPTA locations, including 1234 Market. SEPTA is tracking all close contact and positive cases to help minimize the potential exposure to our employees.
Employees are reminded to stay home if they are not feeling well. A temperature screener is located at the entrance to 1234 Market Street and at our other locations. Employees are encouraged to utilize the temperature screener to ensure that they do not have a fever before entering the building.
Many of our employees have been vaccinated, which will protect from serious complications from COVID-19. The high vaccination rate among our employees will further help curb the spread of the disease. Employees are encouraged to use this phase-in period for return to the office as an opportunity to re-learn their normal commuting routines, become accustomed to being in the office again and to make arrangements for family care situations. You should, as always, direction questions regarding these guidelines to your manager.
Sincerely,
Leslie Richards Richard Burnfield Robert Lund
General Manager Deputy GM/Treasurer Deputy GM