This message was sent on April 6.

Dear Reynolda House Museum of American Art part-time hourly employees,

We are living in an unprecedented moment in which COVID-19 is impacting every part of our home and work life. Since closing Reynolda House Museum of American Art to staff and the public on March 13, it has been difficult to predict when we will return to a normal schedule of operations. During this time, I have worked closely with the Museum’s senior leadership team and Board as well as Wake Forest administrators to make hard, yet necessary decisions. Although part-time hourly employees will be paid for scheduled hours through the April 3 pay period, Reynolda House is unable to sustain payments for future hours not worked.

Given the measures that North Carolina Governor Roy Cooper has recently enacted, forecasting the closure of public schools until May 15 and a stay-at-home order until April 30, I write to inform you of the following.

  • Reynolda House part-time hourly employees will no longer be scheduled to work until further notice due to COVID-19, and you should consider applying for unemployment benefits. If you choose to apply for unemployment benefits, please be certain to identify your reason for being temporarily out of work is related to the coronavirus or
    “COVID-19.”
  • Governor Cooper has lifted many of the usual requirements to qualify for unemployment benefits in order to assist North Carolina citizens dealing with a temporary job loss. Learn more at https://des.nc.gov/need-help/covid-19-information. Refer to the document titled “Resources” for step-by-step guidance.
  • Your position has not been eliminated and we anticipate that, as circumstances permit, you will return to the same job position.
  • If you have any questions, you may send a message to AskHR@wfu.edu to request assistance. Any staff facing a specific short-term hardship should contact Peggy Beckman in the Wake Forest Chaplain’s Office (beckmapp@wfu.edu) about their circumstances, and she will follow up with additional information.

Rest assured, Reynolda House will remain a valued centerpiece of the arts and cultural community of Winston-Salem and our Wake Forest campus. I also know how beloved it is by our staff. Your commitment to serving and greeting our visitors, protecting our collections, keeping our public and workspaces clean and sharing our resources is valued by all who visit Reynolda when it is open for normal business operations. You will be missed in this interim period, and I will eagerly, yet patiently, await the day that we can announce our reopening to staff and the general public.

Attached to this message are two documents:

  • A copy of the message above on Reynolda House letterhead
  • A resource document prepared to assist you

Be safe and stay well.

Sincerely,

Allison Perkins
Executive Director, Reynolda House
Wake Forest Associate Provost for Reynolda House & Reynolda Gardens

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