COVID 19 Safety Plan: Toronto
Overview
In order to adhere to the Ontario Government’s plan for reopening, we have assessed our workplace in order to identify places where the risk of transmission is introduced. This plan has been developed to mitigate risk and ensure the health and safety of our Toronto owls. We will continue to assess the office after operations resume to ensure risks are identified and managed.
Our Approach
The virus that causes COVID 19 spreads in several ways, including through droplets when a person coughs or sneezes, or from touching a contaminated surface before touching the face. The best way to protect owls is to encourage owls to stay home if they are sick and if they need to come into the office, remind them to wash their hands often and follow precautions to keep themselves and others safe. As an organization, we will commit to implementing strict cleaning protocols, providing ample hand sanitizing stations and disinfecting wipes, and requiring owls to wear masks in the office.
A re-orientation video has been developed and is mandatory viewing for each owl returning to the office. This video reinforces the new normal for the office environment and the things we are doing to keep them safe.
Our New Normal
To ensure a safe and healthy work environment, we will require owls returning to the office to sign an agreement and formally acknowledge that:
they are not currently experiencing any symptoms of COVID 19;
have not been exposed to anyone (that they know of) who actively has or has symptoms of COVID 19 within the last 14 days;
and that they comply with the new code of conduct.
New Code of Conduct:
Safety first
: We welcome owls back into the office, but please act responsibly to keep everyone safe. Stay home if you have any flu-like symptoms and inform your manager if you have a suspected or confirmed case of COVID 19.
Wear a mask:
You are required to wear a mask while moving around in the building, office and while commuting on public transportation.
Maintain Physical Distance
: You must maintain a distance of approximately 6 feet (2 metres) from other owls at all times and practice physical distancing to the greatest extent possible.
Follow directional signage
: You must comply with directional signage in kitchen, hallways, elevators, meeting rooms, washrooms and on floors.
No visitors
: Hootsuite is restricting visitor access to our offices for the foreseeable future. Do not bring any customers, friends or interviewees into the office.
Do your part to keep the office clean
: You are required to disinfect your workstations and chairs at the end of every day.
Phased Re-Entry
In order to slowly reintroduce owls back into our offices, we have developed a phased approach. The balance of our workforce will continue to work from home for the immediate future. We will continue to review and adjust plans throughout the phases as necessary.
Phase 1B
: 15% of Toronto based owls that need/want to come back into the office. We will allow a maximum of 18 owls in the office.
Phase 2
: 30% of Toronto based owls that want to come back to the office. In this phase we will allow a maximum of 36 owls in the office.
Phase 3
: Full workforce is allowed to return to office.
Operational Requirements
New Cleaning Protocols:
Hootsuite’s cleaning vendor will provide more frequent cleaning of the kitchen, photocopiers, door handles, and all other high touch surfaces. The cleaning vendor will also be sanitizing assigned workstations at the end of each day, from Monday to Friday.
Additional hand sanitizer bottles will be provided throughout the office, disinfecting spray and paper towel will be provided at the end of each bank of desks, kitchen, meeting rooms, and phone booths. Owls will be required to sanitize their workstations at the beginning and end of every day.
Shared Kitchen Equipment
Phase 1B owls will be required to bring their own cutlery, dishes and mugs to work and will be responsible for cleaning their own dishes. Hand sanitizer will be provided in the kitchen so that owls can sanitize their hands after touching the coffee machine, fridge and microwave door handles.
HVAC
Hootsuite will work with Oxford to increase the air flow so that it pushes more fresh air into the office. Preference for 100% fresh air circulation. All HVAC systems will be run longer every day.
Signage
There will be signage throughout the office to encourage owls to follow the code of conduct, adhere to directional signage, use hand sanitizer, how to put on and take off a mask etc.
Maintaining Physical Distancing
Physically distanced space plan
The office space plans have been adjusted to reflect physical distancing requirements, ensuring there is a minimum of 6ft between owls. Owls are not to sit at their regular home desk and are required to sign up for a hot desk here. Owls must sit at their hot desk while working in the office. Departments will be limited in the size of teams able to work in the office - in order to prevent entire teams from being impacted in the event of an outbreak in the office.
Directional signage
Directional signage will be installed in common hallways. Elevators will have a maximum capacity of 4 occupants. There will be signs indicating where to stand to ensure proper social distancing when riding in the elevator.
Masks
Owls will be required to wear masks while in the office. If owls are working at desks and are abiding by physical distancing requirements, they can remove their masks. However, when owls are in common areas, they will be required to wear their masks. Hootsuite will provide reusable masks for owls in the office and if they forget their reusable masks, disposable ones will be available for their use. Owls are required to wear a mask in the washrooms, elevators and while walking around the office and other times when social distancing is challenging to maintain.
Meeting Rooms
Small meeting rooms will be closed and larger meeting rooms will have their capacity reduced during Phase 1B. Hoot Park, Forest Hill and Bloor Loft 5 will be opened and available for booking.
Isolation Room
One meeting room, Egglinton, will be designated an “isolation room” in the event an owl becomes sick while working in the office. This room will be labelled and unavailable for other uses. It will have two plastic chairs that are easy to disinfect, hand sanitizer, disposable water bottles, disposable masks and other materials to ensure the owl is comfortable while a ride home is coordinated. Owls who need to make use of the Isolation Room will need to follow the reporting protocol detailed below.
Outbreak Protocols
Feeling sick while in office
In the event of an owl feeling sick in the office in a Hootsuite office, the following steps will be taken.
Owl
notifies their manager that they are feeling sick.
Manager
directs the owl to the designated Isolation room (Egglinton) until they can be sent home or receive medical attention.
Manager
sends the owl home and instructs them to contact their local health authority for guidance, stay away from the office and self-monitor while self-isolating for 14 days, and communicate with their People Partner if COVID 19 symptoms arise.
People Partner
will connect with Facilities to pull an access report and notify impacted owls, on a confidential basis, that they may have come into contact with someone feeling ill and that they should stay home from the office and self-monitor for 14 days.
Owl
: If the owl confirms a COVID 19 case, or if the symptoms suggest a COVID 19 case, additional steps will be taken as per below.
Positive diagnosis while working in the office
In the event an owl has a positive diagnosis for COVID 19 and they have been working in a Hootsuite office, the following steps will be taken:
Manager
emails their People Partner to notify of a positive diagnosis. The manager communicates to the owl with a positive diagnosis that they will be required to stay home until they are cleared by a doctor to return to work.
People Partner
notifies Facilities of the location/building the owl was working in and the last day they were in the office. People Partner does not disclose the name of the owl.
Facilities will:
Pull an access report for the last 14 days. If access reports are not available, all owls that were working in the office during the 14 day period before diagnosis will be notified and asked to work from home for 14 days before coming back to the office.
Post on Workplace that all owls working in that location must go home immediately and the building will be closed for 48 hours due to a COVID 19 positive case.
Connect with the local cleaning team and Oxford to have building sanitization scheduled. Facilities will cancel all desk bookings for the next 48 hours in that location and notify owls of the cancellation. Facilities also will also notify other contractors / vendors that may have been exposed.
People Partner
will review access reports and cross reference the times the owl was in the building. People Partner will notify those that have crossed paths with the unidentified owl that they need to self-quarantine for 14 days. If the owl came into significant contact with a large number of colleagues, consider whether to voluntarily contact public health authorities to receive advice and assistance. If the owl has reason to believe that the infection occurred at the workplace or in the course of employment, work with Legal and the health and safety committee to determine whether to notify the regulator.
Facilities
will communicate via Workplace when the building is open again.
Risk Identification and Mitigation
Risk Factors
Areas of concern
Risk Mitigation Strategy
High risk transmission areas
Meeting rooms, desks, phone booths, kitchen, washrooms
Small meeting rooms and most phone booths will remain closed during Phase 1B. Large meeting rooms will have reduced capacity. Teams will be encouraged to meet virtually where possible.
Kitchen will be sanitized 3x a day from Monday - Friday.
New space plan will space occupants a minimum of 6 ft. apart.
High risk teams
People team
Interviews/meetings are being done virtually.
Sales teams
Sales calls are being done virtually.
Shared equipment
Printer, Google Meet hardware, equipment, and coffee machine
High touch surfaces will be sanitized 3x a day from Monday - Friday.
High touch surfaces
Door handles, elevator buttons, photocopy buttons, coffee machine, light switches
High touch surfaces will be sanitized 3x a day from Monday - Friday.
Antimicrobial film will be wrapped around door handles and other high touch surfaces around the office
Ongoing communications and updates
Hootsuite Executives will continue to provide frequent and transparent communications on Workplace as long as is required. This plan will be a living document and will be updated and revised as we move through phases.