Macquarie U creates two long weekends for staff

Vice Chancellor S Bruce Dowton announces MU “will effectively close down” on Monday September 20 and Friday October 22, “to allow staff to stop work and take time to rest and recharge.”

“I want to acknowledge the Macquarie community for their dedication and resilience shown during this difficult period,” he said Friday.

He also urges everybody to make noon – 1.30pm meeting and phone-free every day, “to ensure staff have some time to step away from their desk, have a proper lunch break, spend some time with their family or take a walk. ” Professor Dowton adds the university executive will ask its leadership teams to implement.

The VC also asks managers “to be accommodating” of the need for work flexibility among staff with carer/parenting responsibilities, those who need can take a day a week of family/carer leave.

Paid pandemic leave is common in Melbourne but this is the first example CMM knows of in NSW – as lockdown continues there may be more.

Time for jabs at Uni Sydney

Uni Sydney permanent and continuing staff can now take vaccination time as leave – casuals can claim it as COVID-19 “special leave.” Uni Sydney is the sixth NSW university t provide jab leave, following Australian Catholic U, Uni Newcastle, Uni New England, Uni Wollongong and Western Sydney U.