Your digest

Townhall recording and post-event survey now available: Employees who were not able to join us for Tuesday’s live townhall can now access a recording of the event on the COVID-19 employee portal. Access information quickly and easily by using the jump-to question menu directly below the video. Help us improve future live events by sharing your views via this short survey (three minutes) by April 1 at 4 p.m. ET. All answers will remain completely anonymous. An Outlook invite for our next live townhall on Tuesday, April 27 at 1 pm. ET will be sent to you shortly. 

Have you been vaccinated? Here’s why it’s still important to follow safety protocols:

As we start to see more Canadians being vaccinated over the coming months, you may be wondering whether adhering to the safety protocols we’ve all become accustom to is still necessary. To put it simply — yes, it is. Whether you have personally been vaccinated, or everyone around you has received the vaccine, safety measures such as mandatory masking, physical distancing, wellness checkpoints and hand hygiene continue to play a critical role in reducing the transmission of COVID-19.

Based on recent National Advisory Committee on Immunization (NACI) guidance, there is insufficient evidence on the duration of the protection of COVID-19 vaccines and the effectiveness of the vaccine in preventing asymptomatic infection and reducing transmission. For this reason, here at Canadian Blood Services, all current COVID-19 mitigation strategies in our environments will remain in place for all employees until guidance from public health authorities directs otherwise.

Safety is our highest priority, and we will continue to align with the recommendations from the Public Health Agency of Canada. For more information on our COVID-19 safety measures, visit blood.ca/wellness and learn more about our COVID-19 response for employees, including PPE, vaccines and more on your COVID-19 portal.

Participate in Earth Hour this weekend: This year’s Earth Hour — 8:30 p.m. Saturday, March 27 — is an opportunity to participate in the world's largest grassroots environmental movement. “While corporate initiatives are important, the actions of individuals are even more valuable because their cumulative impacts on the environment can be much greater,” says Carlene van der Heiden, manager of environmental services. “That’s the logic behind ‘think global, act local’ and it also inspires the green teams established in several Canadian Blood Services locations across the country.” Get inspired to participate in Earth Hour by learning about some “green” initiatives happening right here at Canadian Blood Services. Read more on Connect.

Hometown Hockey to feature Hockey Gives Blood before Saturday’s NHL game: Tomorrow, Rogers Hometown Hockey will air a special story featuring one of our national partners, Hockey Gives Blood.  In the segment, viewers will also meet Alicia Souveny, a blood recipient and junior hockey team trainer from Edmonton, Alta. In February 2019, Alicia exited her vehicle following a minor collision and was struck by an SUV on a busy highway. She required more than 20 units of blood to survive. When they heard about the accident, the Edmonton Oil Kings teamed up with Hockey Gives Blood to help support Canadian Blood Services through blood and financial donations. Tune into Roger’s Hockey Central pre-game show prior to the Edmonton Oilers vs. Toronto Maple Leafs game on Saturday night to hear more of this inspiring story (check your local listings for start time).

Question of the day: Will I be able to take time off work to get the COVID-19 vaccine?

With vaccine roll-out underway across the country, many of you are, or will soon be, eligible to book your vaccination appointment dependent on local eligibility and sequencing criteria.

Canadian Blood Services is supporting employees through advocacy efforts, regional monitoring and coordination with local public health authorities as required. We are also reviewing our internal measures to ensure we can continue to support employees who are eligible to receive the vaccine.

As an organization, we are encouraging all employees to be vaccinated as soon as possible, and we recognize that there may be cases where eligible employees are only able to schedule their vaccination appointment during their regular working hours.

To support our teams, employees will be paid for their regular scheduled time if they need to be away from work to attend a vaccination appointment. Please notify your manager/supervisor as far in advance as possible, so operational needs can be coordinated.

Learn more about the COVID-19 vaccine at www.blood.ca/employees/vaccines.

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About your digest

This 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.  No access to email? No problem — all this information and more can be found on blood.ca/employees from any device, no login required.    

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