As the summer begins, I want to thank each of you for your ongoing commitment and support of students and each other. The last 15 months have been difficult. Many of you have been coming to campus and adapting to evolving health and safety measures, while others have been working remotely delivering services and teaching in new ways. Everyone has been balancing work, home life and other responsibilities, coupled with the fact that we have not been able to spend time with friends and family.

Although there is some uncertainty about how the province’s reopening plan will continue to proceed, I hope you will have time this summer for some important rest and relaxation. Recognizing that everyone’s facing different challenges, please remember to connect with friends, family and peers regularly and to take advantage of the many supports available to you.

Some of these supports include:

• Specific training that will be made available to managers and employees by the Organizational Effectiveness department which will focus on supporting hybrid work arrangements, skills development and well-being. Find some of these resources using this link: well-being resources
• Access to resources available via our EAP services provider at https://lifeworks.com/en/resource

Looking ahead to the fall term, I know we are all eager to know how classes and our work will be impacted. We expect fall to be a term of transition, with increased opportunities for on-campus, and in-person interaction and activity. There will also be more employees working on campus. As departmental on-campus plans are completed by teams across the college this month, we will have a better sense of exactly what that will entail.

As we shared with students earlier this month, our plans for the fall are based on assumptions about the continued availability and public participation in the provincial vaccine rollout, as well as future public health guidelines and government regulations. Managers are actively planning for the academic and service models that will be needed when students return to campus in September. We will need to be adaptable to meet student needs as the fall term progresses and as public health measures evolve.

While we will have more on-campus activity, we are still following current physical distancing requirements which will impact everyone’s work interactions. Some employees will be asked to continue to work remotely, while others will be required to be on campus. Please speak with your manager over the next couple months to ensure you understand your team’s plans for the fall term.

We will continue to share updates this summer with employees by direct email and in Communiqué. Our Updates, FAQ and Return to Campus pages will continue to be updated to provide key resources and information about our current situation and what to expect when coming to campus.

As fall term plans continue to come together, we remain guided by the Humber at Home Pledge. Let’s continue to:

• Be respectful of individual circumstances and supportive of colleagues
• Prioritize our own health and wellness
• Be thoughtful about how we conduct meetings and use technology
• Be dedicated to opening the lines of communication
• Adjust our expectations and respect boundaries

Thank you for all that you do for Humber students and for each other.

Be well,

Lori Diduch
Vice-President, Human Resources and Organizational Effectiveness