Daily COVID-19 digest

What did you think of our live Q&A?

We are constantly looking at ways we can improve our live events. We’ve had a lot of fun with our new platform, Microsoft Teams, which has enabled us to effortlessly reach employees across the country. We want to continue to make these events as engaging as possible — please let us know what you thought about the event by taking a moment to fill out this short survey (one minute). Your input is valuable and helps us improve your experience.

We’ve also changed the way we produce the recording of the event for those of you who can’t join us live. You can now access the recording on your COVID-19 employee portal and jump to the questions that interest you the most by clicking on the question bar directly below the video. We will be bringing you these events every two weeks, so make sure to keep an eye out for details on our next live Q&A coming soon.

Dedicated return to office page: The return to office and virtual work plan will consider how we will safely return to work at our sites as well as how we will continue to support those working virtually. The process will go in phases and may vary across locations. One way we will keep you updated and engaged in the process is through our dedicated return to office page on your COVID-19 employee portal. This page will be updated regularly and include the latest information, updates and answers to your frequently asked questions.

Wellness Wednesday — unleash your creativity: Studies have shown that creating art can have significant mental health and wellness benefits: it can relieve stress, encourage out-of-the-box thinking and allow us to express our experiences in ways that are sometimes too difficult to put into words. Let’s be honest, though — art can sometimes be intimidating for those of us who don't regularly immerse themselves in the creative process. That’s why Julia Deacon, coordinator, philanthropy, is here this Wellness Wednesday to share a fool-proof art technique that anyone can use to tap into their creative side. The best part of this easy technique? You likely won’t even need to go out to get supplies — you can create something beautiful simply by using everyday items you have lying around the house.

Question of the day: Is it safe to say that we are suspending all business travel for the remainder of the year?

In normal times, business travel has been an important part of our work at Canadian Blood Services. It enables relationship building, understanding of our business on a deeper level and strengthens connections with co-workers and stakeholders.

While we hope to see a time where we can resume business travel, following the guidance from the Public Health Agency of Canada, we are recommending against all business travel outside of the country and asking that non-essential business travel within Canada be deferred. It is too early to tell whether this will extend until the end of the year, or what business travel might look like if or when it returns.

If you have questions about whether business travel meets the threshold of “essential”, please discuss this with your leader or your PCP business partner. In the meantime, we along with the rest of world are embracing virtual means of communications to meet our business objectives. We will continue to follow the guidance provided by public health and provide updates to employees as they become available.

About the daily digest

This daily digest will highlight the latest policy and employee support measures, resources to help you manage our new reality and original content like articles and videos to remind us that what we do matters. Things are moving quickly, so you can expect to hear from us daily. No access to email? No problem — all this information and more can be found on blood.ca/employees from any device, no login required.

Click here to read past editions of the daily digest.

Have questions? Check out blood.ca/employees or email us at communications@blood.ca.