Employees out of compliance with the university’s COVID-19 vaccination policy will face additional accountability measures. These take effect Nov. 8 for staff and at the end of the academic semester for faculty.   

The measures apply to faculty and staff on the Ann Arbor, Dearborn and Flint campuses. Michigan Medicine has a separate, similar process that has been communicated to employees.

The university’s vaccination policy is a public health measure implemented to protect students, faculty and staff from COVID-19 infection.  Only a few hundred employees are believed not to be in compliance. The large majority of them are temporary staff.

Under the vaccination policy, faculty and staff must be vaccinated or receive an approved medical or religious exemption. Anyone not fully vaccinated is required to complete weekly COVID-19 testing.  

Employees considered not in compliance include those:

• Granted an exemption but not compliant with weekly testing.
• Without verified vaccination or an approved exemption, but compliant with weekly testing.
• Without verified vaccination or an approved exemption and not compliant with weekly testing.

Staff will have until Nov. 8 to report the start of their vaccination process or request an exemption. Staff who are not compliant by then will not be allowed to work — and will not be paid — for 30 days. If they do not come into compliance by Dec. 8, their employment will be terminated. 

Staff who fail to comply with the testing requirement are not allowed to work — and will not be paid — until they come into compliance. If they do not come into compliance, they will be subject to progressive discipline leading to termination. 

Faculty who are not compliant with the vaccine mandate will be placed on a 30-day unpaid leave at the end of the academic semester. If they do not come into compliance by the end of that period, they will be subject to the applicable dismissal process.

Employees working fully remotely are not required to test unless they need to work on-site or interact with others in-person as part of their work. They are required, however, to be vaccinated or receive an exemption.

At Michigan Medicine, employees not in compliance with the vaccination policy as of Nov. 1 will follow the standard discipline policy, which provides for a five-step process from verbal warning through discharge.

Employees covered by a collective bargaining agreement that are not currently subject to the mandate will not be affected. They must continue to wear face coverings and complete the daily screening using the ResponsiBLUE symptom-tracking app.

Anyone hired into a job covered by a collective bargaining agreement after the policy took effect is subject to the mandate as part of pre-employment screening.

University Human Resources will coordinate with schools, colleges and units to notify staff this week and encourage them to come into compliance with the policy.

Federal vaccination mandates may create additional requirements for U-M employees. Upcoming mandates include one for federal contractors that is effective Dec. 8, large employers and Medicare and Medicaid-certified facilities. Information about these mandates will be available soon.