Virtual Breakfast Forum – May 20, 2021
Rousing Discussion at Forum
On today’s call, members enjoyed a rousing conversation around employers requesting to know about employees having received the vaccination. An article was circulated to the group as a discussion point on the “grey line” between work and home life.
Some of our members reported keeping some sort of loose records on who is vaccinated, and who is not, which is helpful in terms of job or task allocation. Keeping formal records can present legal/ethical issues, and as such, many of our members reported that they will not keep any formal records, but rather continue to follow the guidelines set out by Public Health Authorities, and encourage vaccination. These same members reported that they will not restrict employees or prevent them from doing their jobs. They reported that their intention is to build a culture of a family atmosphere.
One member in the healthcare field reported that there is already legal precedent that you could require vaccinations among your staff, provided you have valid workplace reason. If the crux of an organization’s work is being done inside, in close quarters with other staff or the general public, it presents a valid reason to require vaccinations. Having a workplace policy in place, such as a condition of vaccination to board and fly on an airplane would be one way for employers to keep their customers and staff safer.
It is important to build a culture of good safety practices in the workplace. It should be top of mind to create a culture of employees being mindful of safety at home as well as at work. One way to encourage this culture would be to host a yearly Health and Wellness program, including onsite vaccinations, to show that as leaders, our staff’s health is a priority. We will keep monitoring the legal precedents that come about in the months and years to come, and continue to follow the lead of our Public Health Authorities.
On June 3rd, we are opening up our Virtual Breakfast Forum, lead by Dr. Joti Samra to members and their guests, with the hope of growing our membership. Please invite any other Executives to join this forum.
Nov. 2nd is our 2021 Round Table, which we are hoping to have in person, in Vancouver, hosted at the Vancouver Club. We are happy to announce the Keynote speaker: Tamara Vrooman, CEO at YVR, Chancellor of Simon Fraser University, and Chair of the Board for the Rick Hansen Foundation.
