I hope everyone is doing well. As we start a new academic year, we will be welcoming some faculty and staff back to campus. We will also be welcoming staff back to the virtual office and classroom from vacations and summer breaks. It’s great to have you back.
For the last several months, we have been planning and putting health and safety protocols and procedures in place in preparation for September. I would like to thank all the staff members who have contributed to these plans for their work and their insights.
Health and safety is a shared responsibility. For the last several weeks, we have been sharing details to support and inform members of the Humber community so that we can keep ourselves and each other safe. In this afternoon’s Communiqué and on our COVID-19 Resources for Employees website hrs.humber.ca, you will find a Return to Campus video designed to give employees a sense of what you can expect on campus this Fall.
Health and Safety Highlights:
- The Return to Campus Agreement: You will have received this by email from dse@camail.docusign.net. Please ensure you have signed the agreement, even if you are not scheduled to return to working on campus this fall.
- Humber Guardian App: All members of the Humber community who will be coming to campus must complete the self-assessment in this app before entering campus each day. Public Safety staff may ask to see that you have completed the assessment and are approved to enter.
- Mandatory Training: Everyone must complete the COVID-19 Awareness Training for Humber employees before they physically return to campus, or by September 15, 2020, whichever comes first. The training is available on Blackboard and instructions for accessing it can be found here.
- Mandatory face masks: Masks are mandatory within all areas of campus buildings, with the only exemptions for employees working in private offices and/or personal work spaces where 6ft of physical distancing can be maintained. In addition, students and employees who are unable to safely wear a mask due to medical reasons will be exempt. If you are returning to campus this Fall, your department or faculty will have two reusable cloth masks for you when you arrive. Please bring a mask with you to enter campus and travel to your work area.
Managers will be reaching out to all their staff with further information about any specific departmental or faculty plans. If you have not heard from your manager before the semester resumes, please reach out to them for further information. Upon return to campus, professors will be provided with information to assist with questions that they may be asked in relation to health and safety in the classroom and in anticipation of concerns with respect to COVID-19.
We are also holding an HR focused Town Hall this Wednesday, September 2 from 12:30 p.m. to 2 p.m., where you will have an opportunity to hear more about the return to campus plans and ask any questions you might have. Please REGISTER HERE. Once you register, the participant link will be sent to you via Outlook calendar invite. You can submit questions in advance by email to humanresources@humber.ca.
As always, we will continue to share any new information through email, Communiqué, and humber.ca/updates. I also encourage you to visit humber.ca/campus-return and hrs.humber.ca for additional information and resources.
If you have specific questions or concerns as we start back into the fall semester, please speak with your manager. For confidential health and safety related concerns, Hiren Patel, Senior Abilities and Accommodation Specialist, can be reached at hiren.patel@humber.ca.
I wish you a successful term. Welcome back.
Stay well,
Lori Diduch
Vice-President, Human Resources and Organizational Effectiveness