August 13, 2020
Building Safety Concierge Program Launch – We need your help!
To: Council of Deans, OHR Partners
From: Ann E. Cudd, Senior Vice Chancellor and Provost; David N. DeJong, Acting Senior Vice Chancellor for Business and Operations and Vice Chancellor of Human Resources
We are all accountable for supporting the safety of the Pitt community. As we unite in this mission, we are proud to announce Pitt’s Building Safety Concierge Program, a network that will be powered by employee volunteers to provide additional safety assistance at key campus building entrances.
Those who volunteer to serve as Building Safety Concierge providers will be stationed at building entrances to support three duties:
- Serve as a positive safety resource, reminding Pitt affiliates about the need to wear face coverings and maintain physical distancing, as well as providing face coverings, safety literature and guidance on where entrants can locate hand sanitizing stations and have health questions answered.
- Convey building use requirements, provide guidance about entry procedures including the need to swipe/tap Pitt ID cards to enter and remind members of the public that buildings are only open to Pitt affiliates at this time.
- Report incidents of safety non-compliance, entry congestion or other issues related to building access to respective university departments.
We need your help in building our network of Building Safety Concierge providers, and in making this important safety initiative a success. We are asking University leaders to help us raise awareness for the program, and to enable and encourage employees in their areas to volunteer. Of course, we also welcome your participation!
Across all campuses, we are seeking faculty and staff volunteers to staff concierge entry stations to be established at strategic locations for two hour shifts Monday-Friday from 8 a.m. -6 p.m. For staff, hours spent in service in this capacity count towards weekly time commitments. Employees otherwise working remotely are eligible to participate, and free parking will be provided to participants. Staffing support will be needed for campuses operating in Guarded Posture. A self-scheduling system will be established in the coming week, and when it is available, we will update this message and provide a link to enable self-scheduling.
Please note that Building Safety Concierge providers will serve in a distinct role from Pandemic Safety Ambassadors who are resources within their units to support the implementation of the unit’s Area Activity Plan. Pandemic Safety Ambassadors can also volunteer for Building Safety Concierge shifts as their schedule permits. We continue to seek help in building the network of Ambassadors, so your help with this is also appreciated.
Faculty and staff volunteers will work alongside access control employees and student workers in supporting the program. All concierge service providers will receive training, and will work with materials and equipment provided by the departments listed above. Concierge stations will be equipped with ID card readers, temperature scanners, work tables protected by plexiglass screens, and hand sanitizing units. They will be stocked with disposable face coverings and program literature.
Special thanks goes to the Office of Public Safety and Emergency Management, the Office of Environmental Health and Safety, and the Business and Operations Administration teams for providing administrative support for employee volunteers participating in this new program.
Please help us spread the word on this campus need, encouraging faculty and staff members to provide a few hours of their time each week (as they are available) to assist. Please keep in mind that this is a completely voluntary program and no one should feel compelled to participate. As noted, we will get back to you with more information regarding the program, including a link to the scheduling tool, as soon as it is available.
H2P!