Road to Recovery #7 - September 3 - return to campus beginning September 8
Dear faculty and staff,
Effective August 31, Western moved into Phase 4 of the return to campus. This phase allows for 40 per cent occupancy on campus at any one time. Please note that the 40 per cent refers to employees only. Learning spaces will remain at 20 per cent until further notice.
Beginning September 8, the School is pleased to begin a phased return to campus for staff and faculty to roll out throughout the next two weeks. The plan is for individuals to be working at least two days per week at intervals, as long as prescribed public health guidelines can be met (e.g. adequate physical distancing.)
All returning employees will be required to complete the Return to Campus Questionnaire each day they work on campus. This will assist with contact tracing and occupancy-level tracking.
To plan for this return, each department is requested to submit a personnel plan to their Chair, Chair/Chief or supervisor for review and approval, outlining the schedules for their teams.
Dean’s Office teams are requested to submit their plans to Karen Gingrich in Human Resources and Kevin Inchley in Facilities Management. Given the layout of the Clinical Skills Building, the Directors located on each floor are asked to develop a plan together ensuring total occupancy levels comply with the University’s Phase 4 guidelines.
Please consult with your leader if you have special considerations requiring accommodation.
It’s important to note that opting out of the province’s return to school program does not qualify as a reason to work from home.
If computer equipment is required at home and work for the employee, and the department cannot accommodate the additional equipment needs, the employee is expected to come to work. Please contact Schulich IS if you have any computer equipment questions or needs.
In situations where the space inside a department cannot safely accommodate employees even with an alternating schedule or by rearranging furniture or adding plexiglass barriers, employees are asked to continue to work from home.
Phase 4 and the return to campus should be viewed as a fluid situation. As such, staffing plans may need to be amended as warranted by external circumstances. We know that this may cause some disruption and we appreciate everyone’s patience and flexibility as we move forward with this next phase.
You can learn more online about Western’s planned return to campus.
Thank you.
