Introduction

Following the global Coronavirus pandemic, the past year has been extremely trying for all of our team members, and our whole organization owes a debt of gratitude to all the hard work that people have contributed in order to keep our day-to-day operations running as smoothly as possible despite the many logistical obstacles that have been put before us.

Now that a vaccine is more widely available, we are looking at returning to some sense of normalcy and having as many staff members return to the office as is safe to do so.

This policy document details how we see this working, and what changes you can expect to see over the coming weeks and months.

Vaccine Requirements

We highly recommend all staff members to receive one of the approved COVID-19 vaccines as soon as possible. This is both for your safety, your family's safety and the safety of all staff members, vendors and clients.

You may be asked to provide evidence that you received the vaccine, in the form of a medical practitioner's note. Once you receive the vaccine, be sure to keep any such notes (a photo of the note may be sufficient) to present to Human Resources should the need arise.

If you are unable to receive the vaccine, or have strong feelings against receiving the vaccine, please contact the Human Resources department to discuss whether we can make accommodations.

In some cases, because we cannot vouch for clients or vendors receiving the vaccine, it is possible that your responsibilities demand you to be vaccinated, and refusal to receive the vaccine may result in you being unable to continue with us in your current capacity. In that case we will try to reassign you to a different team, department or project. If we are unable to accommodate such a transfer, and if there are no other options, we may have to terminate your employment with us.

You may be asked to return to the office before you are able to receive your vaccine. If this is the case, rest assured we will make necessary accommodations to ensure your safety to the greatest degree possible. 

Finding a Vaccine Provider

We understand that not all localities have vaccines available at the present time. We do anticipate that over the next several months all staff should be able to find a vaccine provider.

To assist in this process, the Human Resources department have been provided access and resources to assist you in the process of finding a nearby vaccination provider. If you have difficulty finding a place to receive your vaccination, please contact your Human Resources department for assistance in making a scheduled appointment.

Return to the Office

IMPORTANT: If within the past 24 hours you have had any symptoms of illness (including, but not limited to, fever over 100.4F, sore throat or cough (not caused by allergies), headache or nausea) we ask that you do not come into the office. Instead, call your supervisor to indicate you will be taking a sick day. You should not return until you are free from symptoms for 24 hours.

Should you feel another staff member is present but exhibiting symptoms, please contact Human Resources.

Whether you have received your vaccine or otherwise, when entering the office you will be required to continue wearing a mask while you are working until you are directed otherwise. This will likely remain in effect until all staff members are vaccinated, and we are fairy confident that our visiting clients and vendors are not at risk of catching Coronavirus from our staff members.

If needed, accommodations will be made in the seating chart to ensure that seated workers are adequately spaced to reduce the risk of transmission to any staff members who are not yet vaccinated. Also, every desk should have a hand sanitizer available, which should be used on a regular basis to clean hands.

Should you have symptoms but are still able to work, we ask that you continue to login remotely from your home. These services will continue to be available until further notice.

Return Schedule

We ask you to notify us once you have received your full dosage of the vaccination. For vaccines that come in two doses, you should notify us only after you receive the second dose. You may need to provide evidence that you have received the full dosage.

You may take 1 sick day off work when you take the full dose (second dose, or full dose). This is to ensure that any side effects have subsided. This sick day will not be counted against your personal days.

Whether you are vaccinated or not, we are currently asking that all management position staff return to the office on the week starting [Insert Day Here].

Remaining staff members will be asked to return to the office on the week starting [Insert Day Here].

Normal office hours will be resuming, and you will be expected to be present at [Insert Start Time Here].

Until further notice, we will operate on a 3 day in, 2 day out schedule. That means you will be asked to be present in the office for 3 days of the week, and may work from home for 2 days. We will continue this until we are confident that all staff can be in the office at the same time without jeopardizing safety.

Each staff member will be notified by their supervisor of the days they will be expected to be present in the office. For the days they are not expected to be present, they should continue working remotely.

Once allocated, the days assigned to you cannot be negotiated or swapped out for other days.

Because of this arrangement, not all staff will be present in the office at the same time. While this may be cause some logistical difficulties in arranging meetings, we ask that you ensure that you keep any relevant remote workers notified and involved in all meetings and decisions that occur on-site in the office.

Loaned Hardware

If you borrowed a laptop or other hardware in order to work from home, you may keep this loaned computer equipment for the time being. You will be asked to use this if you exhibit symptoms or if you need to work from home for any other reason.

In the near future, when the office is fully open, we may require this computer equipment be returned.

Visiting Client Sites

We shall be resuming visits to client sites (for meetings, training etc.) after [Insert Day Here]. Until notified otherwise, when visiting client sites you will be required to wear a mask and retain appropriate social distancing, including refraining from handshakes.

You should exercise the same precautions when visiting client sites as you would visiting the office. If you have had any symptoms of illness over the past 24 hours, notify your supervisor to make alternative arrangements to meet with the client. Under no circumstance should you visit a client if you have had any recent symptoms of illness.

If the client prefers to meet over video conference or through a telephone call, please respect that decision and make necessary accommodations.

Further Questions

If you have any further questions about this policy, please contact your supervisor or the Human Resources department.