Harvard University is a 24-hour, seven-days a week, and 365-days a year operation. There may be times due to an emergency or catastrophic event that Harvard University may decide to curtail operations or close. Department/unit managers are responsible for determining the critical functions of their own unit that may not stop during the interruption of normal operations.

Critical functions may vary based on the circumstances of the specific incident. In all situations, some positions will be required to maintain critical functions. To the extent possible, department/unit managers are to identify in advance, through the business continuity planning process, the positions that are responsible for performing critical functions and designate them as critical positions.

Harvard University Full Critical Position Policy

Brief overview of the new Critical Position Policy: