Employees

Prior to approving any kind of Leave Requests submitted by their direct report(s), Line Managers are required to ensure that the leave requested is not to be used by the employee to travel outside Qatar without having the employee understand the following limitations and risks related to the current situation:

• The Alternate Work Location should be in Qatar. Working remotely from outside Qatar is not available for employees who decide to travel after the Working Remotely Program was activated by Qatar Foundation (QF), which commenced March 12, 2020.
• Traveling outside Qatar during the pandemic comes with multiple risks: the closure of international airports that prohibit employees from returning to Qatar upon concluding their Approved Leave; being exposed to the virus while mingling with others during travel; having to be in isolation (quarantine) for 14 days upon return, etc.
• If the employee determines the need to leave the country during the pandemic, then it must be understood that it will be out of the employee’s own Annual Leave, which must be submitted through ERP and is organically routed for approval by the employee’s Line Manager.
• If the employee’s Annual Leave is exhausted, and they were not able to return to work in Qatar as scheduled, then Unpaid Leave must be submitted through ERP for approvals. Unpaid Leave is not automatically granted to the employee as it requires the Line Manager’s approval, the approval of the Department Head, and the approval of the Chief Human Capital Officer (CHCO) as outlined in the HC Policy Manual: “8.2.5 LEAVES OF ABSENCE WITHOUT PAY section a) Up to 15 working days per year on approval of concerned Director and CHCO.”
• If the Annual Leave and the 15 working days of Unpaid Leave are exhausted, and the employee is unable to return to work in Qatar, then the employee must apply in ERP for a Long Leave of Absence Without Pay. As outlined in HC Policy Manual 8.2.6 LONG LEAVE OF ABSENCE, this requires the Line Manager’s approval, the approval of the Department Head, and the approval of the CHCO.
• The employee must make every effort to return to Qatar when it is allowed.
• Upon return to Qatar, and according to the current measures, employees will be required to self-isolate or be placed in quarantine for 14 days.  If the employee was not able to work remotely during the self-isolation period, then that will also be deducted from the employee’s own leave (Annual or Unpaid Leave).
• The employee’s position may be jeopardized should they be unable to return for an extended period. QF reserves the right to terminate the services of an employee services who is on Authorized Leave of more than six months. Therefore, if the employee could not return on time, the following policy may apply (outlined in 8.2 OTHER AUTHORIZED LEAVES OF ABSENCE, 8.2.1 Basic Policy): e) Positions of employees on authorized leave of more than six (6) months will be filled. g) Notwithstanding the above, QF does not guarantee the employee a position upon their return and is not obliged to offer the employee an alternative position.

For further inquiries on the above, kindly contact er@hbku.edu.qa.

Hamad Bin Khalifa University (HBKU) continues to implement precautionary measures to support the health, well-being, and safety of its community members and their families. 

Under the current circumstances, the HBKU Facilities Operations and Safety office is  supporting employees and contractors who operate on campus, by providing daily site observations and advice on best practices for a safe workplace, overseeing and ensuring good housekeeping and decontamination practices, as well as recommending proper personal protective equipment and sanitizers as required.

For further reference, members who have access to HBKU facilities are requested to follow the COVID-19 workplace safety guidelines listed here.

Hamad Bin Khalifa University (HBKU) continues to take measured steps to support the health, well-being, and safety of our community members and their families. As such, the HBKU Facilities Operations and Safety office have provided guidance and tips on working remotely, which can be accessed on the information page through the link below.

Students and employees are encouraged to reference the coronavirus information page, which aims to provide essential information and updates regarding coronavirus (COVID-19) as well as important contacts, resources, and answers to frequently asked questions.

Hamad Bin Khalifa University (HBKU) treats the health and safety of its community as a top priority. Amid the ongoing coronavirus (COVID-19) situation, HBKU’s graduation ceremony for the Class of 2020, which was originally scheduled to take place on May 3, 2020, has been postponed. This is in line with the announced postponement of QF Convocation. 

We will continue to monitor the situation, and will announce a new date for the graduation ceremony at the earliest opportunity to ensure that our graduates have the opportunity to celebrate their tremendous achievements.

Further information regarding academic degrees will be communicated separately to our graduates.

Following a meeting of Qatar’s Supreme Committee for Crisis Management regarding further precautionary measures to contain the spread of the coronavirus (COVID-19), all incoming flights to Hamad International Airport will be suspended starting from Wednesday, March 18, for an initial period of 14 days.

In view of this, Hamad Bin Khalifa University remains fully committed to operating remotely, ensuring research and educational continuity.

HBKU employees who wish to travel should note the precautions set by the Ministry of Public Health (MOPH) at all times. In addition, employees affected by the travel restrictions are advised to contact HBKU Human Resources and inform their line managers accordingly for further steps. 

Qatari employees outside the country would need to adhere to the national policies in place in that country with the readiness of the country's embassies to provide the necessary services, including facilitating the procedures for returning to the State of Qatar if needed.

With the remote working approach, Hamad Bin Khalifa University remains fully committed to ensuring research and educational continuity. 

Line managers are requested to oversee workflow to serve their unit function and continue to be as effective as possible while operating remotely; ensuring employee work hours are met and team assignments are completed.

HR electronic requests will continue to be processed through the Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) system, which can be accessed through eservices.qf.org.qa 

For further Human Resources (HR)-related queries, please contact your HR focal points:

To support our community members during the period of remote working, the HBKU IT team will be using the following protocols:

Please note that the following tools will be required to telecommute and stay connected:

In an effort to safeguard the health and wellbeing of our community, Hamad Bin Khalifa University (HBKU) continues to take measured steps to reduce the risk of infection and transmission of COVID-19.

Given the developing situation, HBKU employees are advised to work remotely from Sunday, March 15, until further notice and are expected to continue fulfilling their duties in coordination with their respective line managers. Members involved in critical business functions are required to operate on site and will be informed accordingly. 

For technical queries, please contact the HBKU IT team (hbkuitsupport@hbku.edu.qa) for support.
 

Please be informed that, due to the current situation regarding the coronavirus (COVID-19), further precautionary measures have been announced by the Ministry of Education and Higher Education in an effort to protect the health of students and the wider community in Qatar. 

To this end, Hamad Bin Khalifa University will be suspending classes from tomorrow, Tuesday, March 10, 2020, until further notice. Students are advised to coordinate with faculty members to work remotely and continue studies online until advised otherwise.
 

In order to safeguard the health and safety of the Hamad Bin Khalifa University (HBKU) community amid the ongoing coronavirus (COVID-19) situation, HBKU’s senior management has agreed to postpone or cancel all public entity functions, both locally and internationally, from now until the end of June 2020. Events scheduled to take place after June will be evaluated in the coming weeks as we continue to monitor the situation. 

The Class of 2020 graduation ceremony is still scheduled and set to take place on Sunday, May 3. 

We understand that the decision may cause some inconvenience for our entities; however, the health of our members, their families and the wider public is our number one priority as we continue to monitor updates regarding COVID-19. 

For further inquiries on the above, kindly liaise with the Interim Provost’s Office and Vice President of Research’s Office.

At Hamad Bin Khalifa University (HBKU), our priority is to safeguard the community, while maintaining operational continuity as far as possible. In line with the recent Qatar Foundation Maktabi circular, kindly note the following:

Please be informed that a number of inaccurate news articles relating to the coronavirus COVID-19 in Qatar have been circulated.

Various media outlets outside of Qatar have reported two coronavirus cases occurring at Hamad Bin Khalifa University (HBKU), which is entirely false. Likewise, information circulating regarding a complete travel ban to and from Qatar is incorrect. 

To this end, we recommend that students, faculty, researchers and staff reference official sources to obtain accurate information, including Qatar Foundation’s Maktabi Portal and Qatar’s Ministry of Public Health.