Dear colleagues:
I would like to express my sincere gratitude to each of you for all your incredible efforts and dedication over the past 8 months in response to the COVID-19 pandemic. During this extraordinary time, you have stepped forward with flexibility, resilience and determination to support our students, deliver our programs, continue your work as researchers and innovators, and ensure that the important work that is done across the University of Windsor continues. We have adapted, and created new and innovative solutions as we continued to meet our important institutional mission. Together, we have moved into uncharted territory.
During these challenging times we all have been tested in ways that we could never have imagined. We have dealt with additional stress, anxiety and pressure in our work, family and personal lives. In appreciation and gratitude for everything that you have done and continue to do, I am pleased to announce the following:
- The university will be providing two (2) Paid Mental Health Days to our full-time staff and faculty. These two days are designed to help relieve stress and provide an opportunity to disconnect and unplug from work. These days are to be taken as full days before April 30, 2021. Employees are asked to follow departmental protocols for requesting/scheduling these days.
- The University will implement three consecutive meeting-free days from February 16 – 18. These will be declared as meeting-free days across the University and have been scheduled to occur adjacent to Family Day (February 15) and the traditional day that the University of Windsor is closed (February 19). Please book these meeting-free days in your calendar. These days are a great opportunity for focused time to accomplish tasks and move projects forward, or you may want to schedule a well-deserved vacation time with an opportunity to disconnect.
- For our essential services employees, who have worked on campus day in and day out, we wish to acknowledge your unwavering efforts by instituting shift rotations, until December 31, 2020, that will provide for some well-deserved time away from campus. This rotation is specifically for our Campus Community Police, Energy Conversion Centre, Environmental Services, Maintenance and Food Services groups. We are working with supervisors to implement these rotations, and employees will be notified.
It is my hope that these measures can bring some relief to the stresses that you may be experiencing in your work and personal life.
Once again, thank you for your dedication, creativity, and hard work as we continue to navigate this challenge together.
Stay safe and well,
Robert Gordon, PhD
President & Vice-Chancellor