Faculty & Staff

With the return to in-person learning, employees are required to be on campus this fall. Exceptions will be notified by their supervisor.

Before returning to work on campus, employees must:

• View the eight-minute COVID-19 training module video on OWL.
• Complete the 'Return to Campus' questionnaire on Qualtrics  before each work shift/visit to campus.
• Stay home if you are feeling unwell. Complete the  Absence Notification Tool on My Human Resources and notify your supervisor.

Once on campus:

• Wear a three-layer non-medical mask provided by the University. These are required indoors and outdoors when physical distancing is a challenge. 
• Wash hands thoroughly and often and avoid touching your face.
• Disinfect your desk, work area, computer equipment and tools frequently.

The policy applies to all students, employees and visitors of the university and its affiliated university colleges: King’s, Huron, and Brescia.   

Western's Employee and Family Assistance Program (EFAP) can be accessed 24 hours a day, seven days a week. 

Western’s Family Practice Clinic remains open, however, only those with an in-person appointment scheduled should visit UCC 11. We are currently booking appointments via email.

Clinic hours are Monday to Friday from 8:30 a.m. to 4 p.m. No walk-ins will be seen, you must have an appointment. If you are a patient with the Family Practice Clinic, you can book an in-person or telehealth appointment with a doctor by emailing us at fpcappt@uwo.ca . We continue to provide virtual health & wellness care Monday-Friday 9am-4pm, feel free to email us for support.

Please note: any patient experiencing symptoms of COVID-19 will be redirected to an assessment center for evaluation.

As we continue to monitor the ongoing COVID-19 situation, our hours of operation may change. Please email the clinic for the most up-to-date hours. We ask that you avoid booking non-essential medical visits as much as possible during this time.

Please visit Western Technology Services (WTS) for assistance with online teaching, Zoom, Microsoft Teams, Owl, Blackboard Collaborate, WROAMS, etc. You can also call the WTS Helpdesk at 519-661-3800 or submit a service ticket for assistance.

Employees must use Western’s Absence Notification Tool  or call Human Resources at 519-661-2194 and select option 3, and should also continue to follow normal departmental communication processes for absence notification. The tool is designed to provide the University with the vital information to track and monitor unanticipated absences from scheduled work during the COVID-19 pandemic. A newly adopted policy requires all Faculty and Staff members (including part-time, contract, Postdocs, Graduate Teaching Assistants and Student Employees) to report each day of an unanticipated absence using the tool.

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On September 1, all campus parking lot gates will be lowered and Parking & Visitor Services will resume collecting fees for parking services. Access to parking areas will once again be with active paid permit or pay-as-you-go visitor parking. Enforcement staff will be monitoring lots to help ensure a smooth return to campus for the entire community. Permit holders are reminded to park in their designated lots.

Any further questions can be directed to the Parking team at wparking@uwo.ca. Visit the Parking website for further information: www.uwo.ca/parking

Employees who were scheduled to work and reported their absence on the Absence Notification Tool or by contacting Human Resources may or may not be paid, depending on the employment policies or collective agreement provisions applicable to your role at Western.

Doctor’s notes are not required for absences shorter than 21 working days.

Student-staff employees will be required to report to the Student Illness Notification Tool and the employee Absence Notification Tool .

Faculty, staff and graduate students can request three-layer non-medical masks or eye protection through their faculty or unit designated requisitioner.

Everyone on campus is required to wear three-layer non-medical masks supplied by the University, rather than cloth masks, indoors and in the presence of others. NOTE: Anything above level 2 can also be worn, for example the KN95. 

Accommodation requests by Faculty and Staff can be made via Employee Well-being. Graduate student accommodation is made through Accessible Education.

If you are required to participate in  Western's COVID-19 rapid antigen testing program, Western has partnered with Shoppers Drug Mart, and Loblaws grocery stores with pharmacies, to provide this testing free of charge at these  London locations.

When there is a case identified in a classroom or unit, we directly and immediately inform students and instructors (in the case of a class) and employees (in the case of a unit). For cases in residence, students are immediately moved to an isolation location off-site, and we take direction from the MLHU regarding close contacts and other investigative measures. For more information, visit:  https://www.uwo.ca/coronavirus/contact-tracing.html

All visitors to Western must follow these directions with respect to COVID-19 protocols, to ensure the safety of our campus community:

Before coming to campus

• If feeling unwell, stay home.
• Complete the Ontario Public Health self-assessment questionnaire https://covid-19.ontario.ca/self-assessment/
• Symptoms of COVID-19 include, but are not limited to: cough, fever, shortness of breath or difficulty breathing, runny nose, stuffy nose, sore throat, painful swallowing, headache, chills, muscle or joint aches, feeling unwell in general, new fatigue or severe exhaustion, gastrointestinal symptoms (such as nausea, vomiting, diarrhea, or unexplained loss of appetite), loss of sense of smell or taste, or pink eye.  Stay up to date on the symptoms related to COVID-19 by visiting https://www.ontario.ca/page/covid-19-stop-spread#section-0

Once on campus

• Practice physical distancing. When possible, stay two metres apart.
• Wear a three-layer non-medical mask . This is required when in the presence of others and in common and shared spaces on campus.
• Wash hands thoroughly and often and avoid touching your face.
• Disinfect your work area, equipment and tools frequently.
• Wear gloves when delivering or removing items from campus locations.
• Please visit https://www.uwo.ca/coronavirus/health-safety.html to learn about the steps that Western is taking to keep our campus community safe. 

We are currently in Step 3 of the Province of Ontario's Roadmap to Reopen.

• Capacity in research spaces has risen to 100 per cent, provided PPE and cleaning requirements are met.
• Human face-to-face research involving non-campus personnel requires verification of full vaccination status.
• All other previously permitted research models can continue. Please discuss all new research studies with your decanal support unit.
• Three-layer masks are required for all researchers, trainees and research participants on campus.
• Researchers and participants working within two metres of each other must also wear safety goggles, with further protection provided by a face shield if recommended by their supervisors.

Please see the Western Research COVID-19 update page for current notices.

Three-ply masks are required for all researchers, trainees and research participants on campus. Researchers and participants working within two metres of each other must also wear safety goggles, with further protection provided by a face shield if recommended by their supervisors.

Wash your hands frequently, do not touch your face and clean surfaces.

Please note: the “ Return to Campus Questionnaire” must be completed before each return to campus. Please also review the recommended health and safety measures.

All employees must complete a Health Assessment Questionnaire prior to returning to work. Individuals will receive a unique link in a daily reminder email (please do not share your link) or alternatively, they may go directly to the questionnaire on Qualtrics.

Research personnel are expected to clean surfaces and tools prior to, and following, use. In addition, Facilities Management caretaking staff will clean floors using a hydrogen peroxide-based cleaner (ES65H) on a weekly basis and will empty garbage receptacles. They will focus on cleaning high-touch surfaces, such as door handles and light switches at least daily using disinfectant cleaner.

In instances where research with participants is permitted, based on Western's Research Recovery Plan:

• Stop the test and inform everyone in the room why.
• Ask all participating people to watch for symptoms.
• Clean the room as usual following a research study, which includes wiping everything down (deep cleaning only for confirmed cases, which would include the addition of e-cleaning).
• Anyone with COVID-19-like symptoms should be tested based on clinical assessment.
• a) If results are negative:
  • Inform your team to watch for symptoms; individuals need to self-isolate until 24 hours after symptom resolution.
• b) If results are positive:
  • Individuals need to self-isolate for a minimum of 14 days from symptom onset.
  • All people in the lab who were exposed should be tested and, while waiting for test results, must quarantine.
  • The local health unit (in our case MLHU) receives positive test results, and will step in for contact tracing and provide recommendations.
• Clean the room as usual after a research study, which includes wiping everything down (deep cleaning only for confirmed cases, which would include the addition of e-cleaning).

In instances where research with participants is permitted, based on Western's Research Recovery Plan:

• Stop the test and inform everyone in the room why.
• Inform your team to watch for symptoms.
• Inform your team that this matter is confidential.
• Anyone with COVID-19-like symptoms should be tested based on clinical assessment.
• a) If results are negative:
  • Inform your team to watch for symptoms; individuals need to self-isolate until 24 hours after symptom resolution.
• b) If results are positive:
  • Individuals need to self-isolate for a minimum of 14 days from symptom onset.
  • All people in the lab who were exposed should be tested and, while waiting for test results, must quarantine.
  • The local health unit (in our case MLHU) receives positive test results, and will step in for contact tracing and provide recommendations.
• Clean the room as usual after a research study, which includes wiping everything down (deep cleaning only for confirmed cases, which would include the addition of e-cleaning).

Additional Resources:

• For up-to-date guidance on testing in the Middlesex-London region, please see the London Health Sciences Centre’s Pathology and Laboratory Medicine website
• Middlesex-London Health Unit
• Western University COVID-19 information

Delays to research programs may occur as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic. It is important to keep research sponsors apprised of the status of research projects that are subject to agreements with contractual obligations. If you have questions/concerns about existing research agreements, please contact crt@uwo.ca. Our team will help you discuss the status of your research project with the sponsor and find solutions during this uncertain time.