New Policy for Non-essential Business Travel for all Lower Sioux Employees

Memo: Employee Personal Travel, Temporary Suspension of Nonessential Business Travel and Time Off

Due to Lower Sioux Indian Community’s (“Community”) commitment to employee safety in light of the COVID-19 (coronavirus) outbreak, effective immediately, all nonessential business travel will be suspended until further notice. The Community will continue to monitor the situation and provide guidance as more information on the extent and severity of the outbreak becomes available.

Travel Cancellation Procedures

If nonessential business travel has already been booked, please work with your manager to cancel properly to receive an airfare and hotel refund or credit if applicable. Set up phone or online conferencing with clients or other business units to replace the in-person meetings, if possible. Please make sure your manager knows the status of all meetings cancelled due to this temporary suspension.

Essential Travel

Essential business travel should be limited to those situations where business cannot reasonably be conducted without face-to-face interaction or visits to specific locations. Your manager must approve all travel (including trips that were previously approved) until further notice. Essential business travel is limited to within the State of Minnesota and is restricted to ground transportation only.

Employees who become ill during or upon returning from essential business travel with virus-like symptoms will need to contact a health care provider as well as the HR department for direction as soon as possible.

Procedures Upon Return from Personal Travel

At this time, we ask that you restrict personal travel outside Minnesota.

Employees must disclose to Human Resources and department manager any personal travel plans for travel outside of Minnesota and method of transportation. Upon return again, Human resources and your manager must be contacted as we have implemented a fourteen (14) day waiting period from your return date home prior to returning to work. Employees may use PTO towards the 14-day period. If there is not sufficient PTO, the employee must take unpaid leave. Human Resources can be reached at extension 8650 to report this information.

Employees who become ill during or upon returning from personal travel with virus-like symptoms will need to contact a health care provider as well as the HR department for direction as soon as possible.

Please contact the human resources department at extension 8650 with any questions or concerns.