Offices

While construction remains an essential service, member company offices are considered the same as other professional office settings and subject to the following restrictions:

• Any workplace, except work camps and essential and critical services, with transmission of 3 or more cases will be required by health officials to close for 10 days. Any workplace that does not comply will be subject to enforcement. This is a new restriction announced yesterday and mandatory as of May 5th.
• Working from home remains mandatory unless the employer requires the employee’s physical presence to operate effectively.
• Where at work for operational effectiveness, employees must mask for all indoor settings, except in work stations or where two-metre physical distancing or adequate physical barriers are in place.

General recommendations for members:

• We are not aware of any firm definition for ‘operational effectiveness’ at this time but assume it could require employers to provide sound rationale as to why an employee(s) cannot perform their duties while working from home.
• Prepare a COVID safety plan for staff that remain in office and keep it on-hand.
• Remaining staff will be required to wear a mask except when they are alone in a cubicle or office.