The COVID-19 outbreak has quickly propelled us into new ways of working at UBC. At the end of June, I asked you all to participate in HR’s Future of Work Survey to help us consider what working in this environment will mean and what our future workplace could look like.
We had a good response and your participation was important in shaping our understanding of what flexibility and remote work might look like as well as the supports you may need to continue to do your job well. When we combine these results with other data, like the WES survey, we can now see how remote work is effective for some team members while there is still a need to be able to bring people together on campus to build relationships and foster collaboration.
While we have new insight, this does not mean we will be making any significant changes for the next little while — we will still be working from home wherever we can. However, we have created Covid Safety Plans to bring some team members back in the fall where it is required. If that means a change to your current circumstances, your leader will work with you on what is best for you and our stakeholders. As always, please speak to your leader if you have questions.
Our first priority is to support the long-term health and wellbeing of students, faculty, and staff above all other considerations. Our continued goal is to ensure we can effectively work together to provide the best service and solutions for our stakeholders. Your leaders will continue to engage you in discussions — and where we make changes they will continue to engage with you to ensure effectiveness for you and the university.