Your digest

Update on return to office plan: Earlier this week, employees received a note from Graham with the latest on our goal for a safe return to office and virtual plan, including our first focus area — Phase 1. Learn more about how this affects you by visiting the dedicated return to office page on your employee COVID-19 portal.

Goodbye Skype for Business, hello Microsoft Teams: On Sept. 3, Skype for Business will shut down and be replaced by Microsoft Teams, which was rolled out to all employee computers in May. If you’ve yet to make the switch to Teams, there are many resources available to get you started! Join one of our Team’s training sessions to learn how to get started with the platform, watch our how-to video series and visit the FAQ on Connect. Learn more on Connect.

A thousand plasma donations and counting: Since he donated blood for the first time as a teenager, 60-year-old Allen Veale from Stratford, P.E.I. wagers he’s never missed an appointment. This month, he reached a major milestone — his 1,000th plasma donation. For Allen, the chance to donate as often as once a week makes plasma donation very appealing. “I think it gives me a feeling that I am able to contribute to those in need more often,” says Allen. “I don’t plan my donations around my life. I plan my life around my donations.”   Read more about Allen’s incredible journey on blood.ca/stories.

Staycation series — exploring Canada’s capital: Each week, we are sharing ideas to help you plan a safe, stress-free vacation that is closer to home this summer. Next stop in our series? Ottawa! Rich with history and heritage — the surrounding parks, communities, waterways and forests found in and around our nations Capital offer plenty of staycation spots to explore. Whether you’re looking to take the kids on an unforgettable sleepover on a 1967 Rail Caboose, or wind down in your own modern Airstream trailer on the water, these staycation ideas should help you plan your perfect (and safe) summer getaway. Pack your bags, grab the kids and plan your next trip by heading over to Connect.

Question of the day: What support is in place to help employees who are caregivers to young children or elderly family members find alternate care for their loved ones?

For many of you, caring for young kids and elderly loved ones, with limited resources for alternate care has been incredibly difficult. Our lives have become more complex since the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic, and the stress of being a primary caregiver can create distractions that affect wellbeing and workplace productivity.

Our employee assistance program (EAP) is here to help.

In addition to offering counselling services, our EAP can help you locate child and elder care. Through the FamilySouce work-life and personal convenience program, a team of experts are available to provide personalized advice, information and referrals for child care, elder care, education and even pet care!

How to access our EAP:

ComPsych Guidance Resources 1-855-454-2327 
Website: guidanceresources.com 
Canadian Blood Services Web ID: CBSEAP 

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