BUILDING OPERATIONS RETURN TO CAMPUS PLAN
The Leadership Team would like to extend a warm welcome back to the staff within Building Operations that have been, or are soon to be contacted, to return to work on-campus. As has been previously communicated, we will continue to work through the details of our phased return to campus plan, including how many staff we need to be on campus given the ever changing number of students, faculty and staff returning to UBC. We will provide updates to staff as changes are made and additional staff are called upon to return to work on-campus or are required on campus more frequently.
We have developed a workplace Safety Plan for the University Services Building, Header House, Custodial Services deployment centres, and zone offices and have made these plans available for you. Safety Plans are to be reviewed by all staff and are there to support you in understanding updated general procedures and changes made to these location including; directional flow, maximum occupancy for offices and shared spaces, new entrance only/exit only doors and access control. Safety Plans have been posted to staff bulletin/memo boards within the shops and are available on the Building Operations website here: https://buildingoperations.ubc.ca/staff/
In addition to the Safety Plans, we will have a controlled return to work program that will be rolled out by our Directors to Managers, Heads and frontline staff. More information on this to come.
Important Campus Information:
Currently, most buildings remain locked to the public and we will continue to rely on this method of controlled access moving forward. We currently have 38 buildings being used by research and will communicate additional re-openings as buildings are approved to re-open by the Executive.
We have also set the amount of time that students, faculty and staff are to be on campus to better support our ability to complete work. Generally buildings will be available from 7:00am to 6pm Monday to Friday with UBC Executive approved use
For Buildings that have labs with 1-Shift per Day:
- Building can be accessible from 7:00 a.m.–6:00p.m Monday to Friday (7am is the correct time, please disregard 8am time in the e-mail from last week)
- Buildings must be vacated by 6:00p.m. for proper cleaning.
For Buildings that have labs with 2-Shifts per Day:
- Shift 1: Building can be accessible for Shift 1 from 7:00a.m.-12:00 p.m.
- Shift 1: lab must be vacated by 12:00p.m.
- Shift 2: Lab is accessible from 3:30 p.m.–8:00p.m.
- Shift 2: Building must be vacated by 8:00p.m.
In some special case where research has been approved by the Principal Investigator (PI) the lab can be used 24/7. And the PI will ensure signage is on this lab and our staff is not to enter this space unless for emergency purposes.
*The building must be vacated between shifts to allow for proper cleaning. Up to 120 lab spaces can be cleaned in this three-hour window.
MANAGING & WORKING DURING COVID-19
Find the latest updates on Coronavirus (COVID-19) and UBC’s response.
Review the updates for working at UBC during COVID-19. See FAQ’s and resources available.
Updates
Here are the latest updates from HR, including relevant UBC Broadcasts and updated FAQs:
- May 28, 2020: Additional questions relating to working from home with loaned equipment, purchasing new equipment, and T2200 Tax Forms. Read more.
- May 14, 2020: UBC Broadcast: UBC’s operational and safety planning. Read more.
- May 12, 2020: UBC Broadcast: Plans for the phased resumption of on-campus research. Read more.
- May 12, 2020: FAQs for managers updated with information regarding sick leave provisions. Read more.
- May 11, 2020: UBC Broadcast: UBC’s approach for the fall term. Read more.
- April 30, 2020: UBC Broadcast: COVID–19 — UBC planning update. Read more.
- April 28, 2020: UBC Broadcast: Extension of Remote Work Arrangements and on-campus research curtailment. Read more.
- View all updates
Featured Event for Working Well During COVID-19
Self-Care 101: Facilitated Webinar
This facilitator-delivered course focuses on increasing mental health literacy through self-care for individuals. You will learn about the body’s stress response and will have an opportunity to take a stress index, explore what self-care means to you and identify key UBC resources that can be engaged to support work life integration and positive mental health.
- Date: June 4 & 11, 2020
- Time: 9:30 a.m. – 10:15 a.m.
- Location: Online
Important Contacts
Advisory Services
Faculty Relations
Additional HR Contacts
TIPS TO FACILITATE A SAFE RETURN TO WORK DURING THE COVID-19 PANDEMIC
- Wash your hands often with soap and water for at least 20 seconds. Use hand sanitizer with at least 60% alcohol if soap and water are not available.
- Avoid touching your eyes, nose and mouth with unwashed hands.
- Stay home from work if you are sick.
- Clean and disinfect frequently touched objects and surfaces in your work area, including keyboards, phones, handrails, and doorknobs.
- Inform your supervisor if you have a sick family member at home with COVID-19.
- Avoid using other employees’ phones, desks, offices, or other work tools and equipment, when possible. If necessary, clean and disinfect them before and after use.
- Know what to expect for yourself. You may experience a variety of emotions after returning to work, which is normal. Talking about you feelings with someone your trust is a healthy way to process this evolving situation.
- Continue to take care of yourself. Eat well, get plenty of rest and exercise, spend time with those closest to you.
- Make sure your children know proper hygiene practices and let them talk about what is going on to help reassure them.
- Seek help if you need to. If your feelings are too much to bare, seeking help is a sign of strength, not weakness. Mental health problems – in general and in response to a major event such as the pandemic – are real, diagnosable, and treatable.
- Know your rights and the COVID-19-related guidance that has been given by WorkSafeBC (www.worksafebc.ca) and the British Columbia Centre for Disease Control (www.bccdc.ca)
TIPS TO FEEL RESTED, MOTIVATED, ENERGISED AND READY AND YOU RETURN TO WORK
The reduction of campus activities during the COVID-19 pandemic has resulted in many changes to our usual work routine. Our return to work can be made easier with a little advanced planning. Here are some tips to help you get organised so you can feel rested, motivated, energised, and ready for your return to work-life on campus:
- Have a couple of early nights prior to returning to work
Establish a sleep routine that allows your body to get accustomed to bed at the same time every night so you can get at least 7 – 8 hours of sleep. This will enable you to stay fresh and focused for the day ahead. Sleep deprivation has a negative impact on health, impairs judgement affecting efficiency, causes fatigue and reduces the ability to handle stress. Sleep deprivation can increase the risk of having accidents. Hopping into bed early is a wonderful way to let our bodies feel rested and fully awake in the morning.
2. Eat healthy and drink plenty of water
A healthy diet and lifestyle with the consumption of nourishing foods help to build up the right kinds of energy that won’t deplete rapidly or make us feel sluggish. Keeping up hydration levels by drinking loads of water helps to energise the brain and keep physical energy levels up.
3. Wake up early for exercise in the morning
Starting the day with light exercise can make us feel energised and invigorated… and it speeds up the metabolism.
4. Set your alarm for 2 reminders 30 minutes apart
Heavy sleepers can set an alarm that rings twice at two separate half-hour intervals. Chances are that you will get up out of bed fast the second time. Heavy sleepers might require more sleep that may also mean going to bed even earlier.
5. Prepare the day ahead – get organized
Washing, ironing and hanging up work clothes for the week or even the night before and making lunches a day ahead saves time in the morning. Avoid leaving anything you need to do for the morning.
6. Be mentally prepared
Write a ‘to do’ list with the things you will need to accomplish and start the day with a positive attitude.
STAFF ENGAGEMENT PLAN
Signing into Canvas is mandatory – please ensure you take the time to sign up as soon as possible if you have not done so already – we have already passed our original all-staff sign-in deadline of May 15th and need to get everyone signed in as soon as possible
Managers are receiving completion reports and will be following up with all staff that have not yet signed into Canvas. In the last week, we had an increase of 39 staff sign into Canvas, for a new total of 418 employees that still need to sign in.
Signing up for Canvas
Canvas is UBC’s Learning Management System. This is a new platform which holds all of UBC’s mandatory and elective courses. When you complete training on Canvas, it is tracked for you.
Canvas will be integrated with Workday so that all your UBC training, including safety training, is tracked in one place. You will be able to check yourself to ensure that all your training is up to date.
All UBC staff members must log into Canvas at least once so that training administrators can add you to courses in future.
Go to https://login.cpe.ubc.ca/ and Login with your CWL and password (full instructions included in the how to guide provided by your Head/Manager)
ROAD WORK ON WESBROOK MALL
Road work on Wesbrook Mall by the Pharmacy Building beginning June 8th impacting Pharmacy Loading Bay:
A note from Krista Falkner, UBC Transportation Engineer:
As you likely already noticed, we are in the midst of rebuilding Wesbrook Mall this summer. We are in the process of confirming the scope of work to the east of the Pharmacy Building. The work will tie in to the work to the north, which will result in a bus lane, a general-purpose travel lane and a grade separated bike facility. As a result, the changes for Pharmacy will be limited, but I’ve included a snapshot of the plans below for you to see.
Image: For reference, North is to the left. The Pharmacy loading bay is shown. The sidewalk will stay as it is today, but the letdown to the driveway will shift east.
The planned dates for construction of the southbound lanes of Wesbrook Mall are:
- June 8th through July 13th,
- Aug 17th through Sep 18th
We are doing work in stages by lane, so that is why they will be coming by twice. The work from June 8th to July 13th will be in the lane closest to the building.
WEEKLY TIP: HOW MUCH WATER SHOULD I HAVE FOR AN EMERGENCY?
TIP: Plan to have at least four litres of water per person per day for drinking, personal hygiene, preparing food and dishwashing. A family of four should store 48 litres of water for a 3 day period. Don’t forget to have some extra water for your pets.
For more information about water storage and treatment, visit Government of Canada’s website at: https://www.getprepared.gc.ca/cnt/rsrcs/faq-en.aspx