COVID-19 Work From Home Arrangements Guideline

COVID-19 Work From Home Arrangements Guideline

1. Introduction

2. General Principles

Appendix A: Staff Social Media Policy Appendix B: Employee Code of Conduct Policy Appendix C: Staff Appropriate Use of Technology Policy

1. INTRODUCTION

The York School has continued to monitor the COVID-19 situation and has designed this guideline to help supervisors and employees assess the suitability of temporary special work from home arrangements. Given the evolving nature of the situation, it is not possible at this time to define all situations that may result in work from home arrangements being appropriate.

All work from home arrangements are to be coordinated with the employee and supervisor. All arrangements for work from home are based on operational requirements.

The optimistic and energetic spirit from our employees at The York School has never been more needed due to these unprecedented times. Thank you as always for the support and partnership in learning. Please do not hesitate to reach out to Human Resources (​yorkhr@yorkschool.com​) with questions about The York School’s guideline.

HUMAN RESOURCES KEY CONTACTS:

Janet MacMillan - CFO and Interim Director of Human Resources jmacmillan@yorkschool.com 416-488-9925

Sarah Meikle - Human Resources Coordinator smeikle@yorkschool.com 416-926-1325 ex. 1481

General Inquiries: yorkhr@yorkschool.com

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2. GENERAL PRINCIPLES

We encourage every member of our community to use this opportunity to strengthen the established relationships and build new relationships with students, parents and other staff members.

The School’s response to safeguard the health of every employee and student continues to evolve as we learn more from all levels of government, and as we receive new directives from our public health authorities.

As each new plan has grown, you; the faculty and staff at The York School have responded with remarkable flexibility and understanding.

WORKING FROM HOME: Defined as an arrangement whereby an employee fulfills their job responsibilities at a remote location that is not operated by the employer – e.g., office space in an employee’s residence – for one or more days per week. Requests to commence a temporary special Work From Home arrangement related to COVID-19 may be initiated either by the employee or by the School.

GENERAL GUIDELINES: ● The proposed arrangement must be reasonable and include a rationale linked to the COVID-19 health matter. ● The general nature of the work must be suitable for a Work From Home arrangement as determined by the employee’s Supervisor. ● The Work From Home arrangement should maintain an employee’s regular hours of work and income, such that it does not affect the employee’s pension and benefit plans provided by the School. ● If a Work From Home arrangement is approved, the arrangement does not change the employee’s basic terms and conditions of employment with the School under the employment contract, policies, and laws. ● A Work From Home arrangement of a set length does not constitute a guarantee of continued employment during that time. The School retains its contractual rights, including the right to assign work, to reorganize the workplace and the work, and/or to terminate employment with or without cause pursuant to the employment contract and laws. ● In some cases, a Supervisor may require the employee to report to the Supervisor in different ways or with a different level of frequency than when the employee is working on School property, to keep the Supervisor up-to-date on the work of an employee who is not on-site every workday. For example, the Supervisor may wish to schedule additional update meetings, have updates provided by email, or implement other schedules and methods of reporting. ● The School will not subsidize the cost of the employee’s remote workspace, including equipment or supplies unless deemed necessary. ● The approval of a Work From Home arrangement in response to the impacts of COVID-19 is not a guarantee that the employee will be approved for a Work From Home arrangement in the future. ● A Work From Home arrangement under this Guideline is temporary and will end no later than when the reason for the request (e.g. self-quarantine, Government Mandate) has been resolved. ● Notice of the Work From Home arrangement should be provided as soon as reasonably practicable in the circumstances.

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●

Termination of a Work From Home work arrangement does not constitute termination of employment, constructive or otherwise.

PERFORMANCE OF JOB DUTIES DURING WORKING HOURS ● Just as the employee is required to do while working on the School premises, the employee is expected to perform work duties in the normal course and must be available and accessible during agreed upon working hours. ● The employee is intended to be prioritizing work during normal working hours, although Supervisors are expected to allow appropriate flexibility for employees who need to schedule their work around childcare, eldercare, or other caregiving obligations arising from the impacts of COVID-19 (including closures or cancellations of the normal childcare/eldercare etc providers). ● Should other personal obligations arise during Working From Home, employees should follow the normal process they would follow if such obligations arose while the employee was working on the School premises.

Faculty Working Hours: As required by the CLP in your division. These requirements will be set by your division principal.

COMMUNICATIONS The employee Working From Home must be reachable by telephone or instant messaging, email or other agreed upon method of contact during the agreed upon hours of work to the extent that they would be available if working on School property.

REQUESTING SICK TIME, VACATION, OVERTIME, PERSONAL DAYS ETC. The normal departmental processes apply for seeking approval for overtime, and requesting vacation, personal days, or other absences. Supervisors who are uncertain whether such requests are compatible with the Work From Home arrangement can contact Human Resources for clarification. For clarity, Work From Home arrangements, in and of themselves, shall not trigger overtime.

Faculty Process for Submitting Time Off: The process is the same as before, all time off should be submitted through Payworks. Please make sure you notify your supervisor as soon as possible and submit the request through Payworks. We still retain a duty of care to monitor sickness and wellbeing of staff. Your Supervisor will work with the Faculty member to arrange the coverage for the portion of the CLP that the faculty member is unable to deliver.

Faculty are still required to have lesson plans prepared for the classes they are missing online.

The faculty member covering the class will need to access this material. It is recommended the faculty member pre-record the lesson for the day they will be absent but if it is not feasible, they will need to have a lesson plan prepared in advance for the faculty member covering the class.

SUITABLE WORK SPACE ● The employee is responsible for providing a suitable remote workspace (e.g., taking into account considerations of safety, ergonomics, privacy and confidentiality. ● Typically, this will be within their residence (where they are the owner/occupant). ● The offsite workspace should be regarded as the telecommuter’s private work space during their designated hours of work and respected accordingly.

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● ● ●

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The arrangement is designed for the employee who will work independently away from the office, e.g., in their home.

The offsite workspace is not for receiving visitors, holding meetings, receiving supplies, or otherwise conducting duties with others.

If the employees working from home need to meet with others for any reason in the performance of their duties, arrangements should be made for virtual meetings using Google Hangouts.

The School will not be held liable for any accidents or loss to third party residents or visitors to the home office.

EQUIPMENT AND SUPPLIES For purposes of this Guideline, the term “Equipment” includes but is not limited to any information technology, hardware, software, and connectivity. ● The School will not subsidize the cost of the employee’s remote workspace, e.g., computer hardware or internet service at home. ● If the School provided any equipment or supplies before the March Break they remain the property of the School, and subject to the employee being required to maintain them and return them at the end of the Work From Home arrangement or earlier if requested by the School. ● Please refer to the ​Staff - Appropriate Use of Technology Policy​ in Appendix C.

REPORTING OBLIGATIONS ● The employee will be advised if required to report to their Supervisor (and maintain contact with co-workers) in a different way or with a different level of frequency while working from home. ● The employee is responsible for notifying their Supervisor and IT at helpdesk@yorkschool.com as soon as possible in the event of equipment or connectivity malfunction. In such cases, it is expected that every reasonable effort be made by the employee to minimize work disruption. ● All usual reporting obligations exist during times they are working offsite, including the obligation to report to the supervisor in accordance with normal departmental practices in the event the employee is sick or otherwise unable to work during scheduled working hours (including, for example, attending a medical appointment or other personal obligations).

PRIVACY AND CONFIDENTIALITY At the School, information that is not public must be treated as confidential. ● All such requirements must be met by the employee in respect of any electronic or hardcopy information or records outside secure School environments or that the employee accesses electronically from offsite. ● The employee must take all reasonable steps to secure and maintain the confidentiality of all School information and documents. Such steps will include protecting such documents from being damaged, destroyed, stolen, copied or otherwise accessed by unauthorized individuals. ● The School documents that are to be disposed of or destroyed in the course of the employee’s work are to be disposed of or destroyed on site at the School. ● If a breach of privacy/confidentiality occurs, the employee must inform their Supervisor as soon as reasonably possible. ● Breaches of privacy/confidentiality arising during the course of working from home will be assessed on their individual facts and may result in disciplinary action up to and including the termination of employment.

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Working From Home employees must comply with all School guidelines to protect School data and the use of computer hardware and software, including, but not limited to: ● Using strong passwords as required for YorkNet and other departmental accounts. ● Do not use the same password for more than one service ● Do not use an unsecured wifi network ● Do not save documents or any York School related data anywhere except for the employee’s own Google Drive, not local devices. ● If another household member is using the same device, make sure to properly log out and protect the school’s data with a secure password ● School related work should be performed on York School devices running current versions of software. The employee must report any data security breaches to their Supervisor and local IT department as soon as reasonably possible. ● Electrical Safety is another important aspect of using York School devices and employees should review the following guidelines: ○ Adequate surge protection is utilized with all electrical equipment ○ Outlets are not overloaded ○ Power bars are used in place of extension cords where possible. If ○ extension cords are used they are CSA approved and grounded by three prongs ○ Electrical cords in good condition and working properly ○ Electrical cords neatly secured, out of the way, and anchored when possible ○ Minimal clutter around all electrical equipment (for ventilation purposes) ○ Electrical panels are properly covered and easily accessible

CONTINUITY OF PAY: The School is making every effort to support employees with flexible work arrangements including working from home whenever possible. Employees who can work remotely are expected to be working.

The School is committed to ensuring that all faculty and staff will continue to be compensated in the event of any cancellations, programming reductions, government required shutdowns, or any other operational closures until such time as the school premises are allowed to be reopened.

Employees will be provided regular updates as information becomes available.

Scenario

Full-Time Employee

Casual Employees

Self-isolation

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Paid regular salary Employees in roles suited for working remotely are expected to be working

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Paid for scheduled shifts during isolation period

Sick leave

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Paid for sick days No requirement for medical notes Expected to submit sick day absences through the same process

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Paid for scheduled shifts during period of illness No requirement for medical notes

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Caregiver Issues Due to School and Daycare Closures

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Paid regular salary Employees in roles suited for working remotely are expected to be working

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Paid for scheduled shifts until April 6, 2020

If employees are unable to secure childcare, they may utilize the following options: ● Work from home (if the duties of their job and their childcare responsibilities allow). ● Use personal / lieu days ● Request to use vacation days.

STAFF VIRTUAL ETIQUETTE: Dress Code for Video Conferencing For non-academic roles that are external facing, please make sure to dress professionally and be aware of what is in the background of your webcam. For internal meetings, there is no dress code required but please maintain professionalism. Faculty should maintain a sense of professionalism when presenting in front of students or parents. Professional boundaries are governed by our Staff Code of Conduct​. Please see Appendix B.

Google Chats & Video Conferencing Reminder to all staff, google chats and video meetings can be recorded and should be used in the same context of how you would write an email to another colleague. Please exercise the same professionalism.

The York School programs and applications should only be used for communication with Students. Please see our ​Staff Social Media Policy​ in Appendix A.

STAFF PARKING: The York School has temporarily suspended the monthly parking fee. This will be reflected on each employee’s pay statements who use staff parking beginning in April and continuing until employees are allowed to return to the school premises.

WORK PHONES For Non-academic Staff, we will be forwarding all work calls to your personal cell phones. This way, all staff do not give out personal cell phone numbers and are still able to answer phone calls.

Staff who require this service will have submitted the request via the Google Form sent out from Human Resources. We encourage all staff to change the setting on their phones to not show caller ID when reaching out to parents.

Long Distance Phone Calls: Recognizing that some staff have international phone numbers they may need to call, the school encourages you to use alternate methods of contacting individuals through Google Hangouts Audio, SKYPE or Zoom. The school strongly recommends the use of these methods.

If staff are not able to use these methods, please reach out to your supervisor in advance.

COPING WITH STRESS We know this is a difficult time. Please know that support continues to be available to you, including the School’s Employee & Family Assistance Program through Homewood Health.

If you have broader questions relating to COVID-19 and the School’s planning, we encourage you to reach out to Human Resources or the Head of School.

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APPENDIX A:

SOCIAL MEDIA POLICY – STAFF

Last Updated March 2020

INTRODUCTION Social Media is defined as an Internet-based community where members post information and media pertaining to themselves and have the opportunity to find and interact with other members, particularly those with shared real-life interests or experiences.

Social media and electronic communication encompass software, applications, including those running on mobile devices, e-mail, texting, blogging, messaging or video chat software and websites, which enable users to interact, create and exchange information online. Examples include, but are not limited to, sites such as Instagram, Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, Flickr, YouTube, Wikipedia, Picasa and Snapchat.

Professional Boundaries Social media is becoming increasingly popular with people of all ages and, in some cases, has become a virtual meeting place for school personnel and students. Maintaining professional boundaries in all forms of communication, technology-related or not, is vital to maintaining appropriate professional relationships with students, parents/guardians and other stakeholders.

The faculty of The York School (the “School”) use social media to create professional interactive virtual communities for students and the school’s wider community. Social media enables connectivity in the school’s community as parents/guardians, students and other stakeholders benefit from access to assignments and school updates or can engage with educational connections outside the classroom.

All staff must be aware that the educational use of social media and electronic communication requires cautious and professional use by everyone. School employees are governed by the school’s Acceptable Use of Technology Policy requiring respectful and responsible conduct.

Every staff member must know and maintain proper professional boundaries with students, even when students initiate electronic interaction. Staff members are prohibited to connect to student’s personal sites and can only engage in communication in the school’s established curriculum and social media venues. It is up to staff members to know and respect proper professional boundaries with students, even when students initiate electronic interaction.

At all times, school staff must use such social media tools in ways that are consistent with the mission and vision of the school and that comply with the Ontario College of Teachers’ professional advisory entitled “​Use of Electronic Communication and Social Media​”, approved on September 27, 2017.

School staff can be vulnerable to unintended misuses of social media and electronic communication. Even the most innocent actions can be easily misconstrued or manipulated.

School staff should never share information with students in any environment that they would not willingly and appropriately share in a school or school-related setting or in the community.

The off-duty conduct of our staff members matters. Sound judgment and due care should be exercised by staff members at all times, even when off-duty. The Supreme Court of Canada has ruled that a teacher's off-duty conduct, even when not strictly an exercise of one’s duties, is relevant to their suitability to teach. School staff should maintain a sense of professionalism at all COVID-19: Work From Home Arrangements Guideline

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times – in their personal and professional lives. Avoiding improper, unethical or illegal activities is paramount in maintaining a safe and inclusive School environment. Employees should refer to The York School’s Off Duty Conduct Policy for more information.

GUIDELINES School staff should adhere to the following guidelines when using online social media applications that may be frequented by current or former students of the school or their families:

Interact with Students Appropriately

● As a digital citizen, teachers will model the behaviour they expect to see online from their students. ● Alert students to appropriate online behaviour and the proper use of comments and images. ● School staff will maintain their professional persona by communicating with students electronically at appropriate times of the day and through established education platforms (i.e., a web page dedicated to a school program, project or class, or a School-approved communication platform such as Moodle). ● Maintain a formal, courteous and professional tone in all communications with students to ensure that professional boundaries with students are maintained. ● Avoid exchanging private texts, phone numbers, personal e-mail addresses or photos of a personal nature with students. ● Decline student-initiated “friend” requests and do not issue “friend” requests to students. ● Decline parent-initiated “friend” requests and do not issue “friend” requests to a parent. ● Social network “friend” requests may be accepted only with alumnae over the age of 18. ● Notify parents/guardians and the applicable School administrators before using social media or networks for classroom activities. Please read the Acceptable Use of Technology Policy and other School policies, as well as your employment policies carefully. Staff members may be required to request permission from the School to create social media accounts or pages or website for School-related activities.

Understand Privacy Concerns ●

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School staff will set and maintain strict privacy settings by choosing settings that limit what others can do. Blanket invitations that use e-mail contacts automatically should be avoided. Students should not be among those who are allowed to post on a staff member’s personal social media location but are welcome to publish through school-sanctioned sites.

Assume that information that they post can be accessed by the School.

Monitor regularly all content that they or others post to their social media accounts and remove anything that is inappropriate.

Ask others to remove any undesirable content related to them.

Recognize that many former students have online connections with current students, and that information shared between such staff and former students is likely to be seen by current students as well.

Monitor content on their own social media feeds, accounts and profiles, and remove inappropriate content from them.

Maximize privacy and social media settings to ensure that students cannot view or post content to your profile.

Join online communities and groups with discretion and by exercising caution.

Recognize that anything posted online is traceable, even if deleted.

Review the privacy settings and terms and conditions for digital media or communication platform or technology they use or join; COVID-19: Work From Home Arrangements Guideline

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● ● ●

Obtain the appropriate consent forms before posting student work, digital pictures or information about the School and School-related activities.

Ensure that content they post does not infringe on copyright or other intellectual property laws of any person.

Exercise caution when hyperlinking or reposting content, especially if the content is controversial or expresses views on individuals or organizations.

Act Professionally ●

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●

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Respect the privacy and confidentiality of information pertaining to students, parents, staff and other members of the School community. Postings in personal blogs or websites shall not reveal confidential information about any member of the School community. This includes personal information, online pseudonyms or nicknames, photographs or videos of students or staff, financial information, school plans, marketing materials or School development information.

School staff will consider whether any posting may reflect poorly on them, the School or the teaching profession. Social media sites should will not be used to attack, threaten or intimidate colleagues. Staff members will respect the privacy and feelings of others.

Be transparent and authentic. School staff must use their professional identity at all times.

Staff who use social media for school purposes must do so using their own name or the name of the course, not a pseudonym or nickname.

Do not post online criticism about students, colleagues, the school or others within the School community, including impulsive, inappropriate or heated comments.

Ensure that comments do not incite others to make discriminatory, harassing or other professionally unacceptable comments. School staff will actively monitor their site, threads and blogs for inappropriate responses and, if necessary, follow up through established reporting protocols.

School staff are aware of and will comply with the school’s Acceptable Use of Technology Policy and other policies regarding the use of social media/e-communications and the appropriate use of electronic equipment.

School operated social media accounts ● ●

Only authorized staff members may use or post on School-operated and owned social media accounts and profiles.

Linking to School social media accounts and profiles, such as through “@” replies, using hashtags or giving online “shout outs” should be done with discretion and in keeping with staff members’ obligations under other School policies and rules.

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APPENDIX B

EMPLOYEE CODE OF CONDUCT

Last Updated March 2020

In keeping with the mission, vision, and values of The York School (the “School”), all School employees occupy positions of trust and confidence and, as such, are expected to discharge their duties and responsibilities with integrity and professionalism.

The School has established an Employee Code of Conduct to create and maintain a culture of integrity through clearly defined rules and expectations for all employees.

It is imperative that School employees act, and be seen to act, in the best interests of the School’s students. It is the responsibility of the School to promote student achievement and well-being through the delivery of effective and appropriate education programs and the effective stewardship of the School’s resources.

Further, the inherent right of all individuals to be treated with dignity and respect is central to the values and beliefs of the School​. The School is committed to maintaining an educational community which fosters mutual respect for the dignity and well-being of all employees, volunteers and students.

All employees of the School are required to assess every decision and every action on behalf of the School to ensure it is in compliance with the School’s mission statement, values and policies.

For all purposes of this Code of Conduct, reference to parents includes, where applicable, custodial and non-custodial parents and/or guardians; reference to the School community includes students, teachers, parents and guardians, administration, and volunteers.

ADMINISTRATIVE GUIDELINES The Employee Code of Conduct establishes the standards that govern the way all employees of the School are expected to interact with each other, students, parents, volunteers, suppliers and the community. In addition, some employees owe professional responsibilities to professional associations, self-regulatory organizations or regulators. Within this framework, employees are expected to exercise good judgment and be accountable for their actions.

Under the Ontario ​Human Rights Code​, every person has a right to equal treatment with respect to services, goods and facilities, without discrimination because of race, ancestry, place of origin, colour, ethnic origin, citizenship, creed, sex, sexual orientation, gender expression, gender identity, age, marital status, family status, or disability. The School recognizes that inappropriate and unacceptable behaviour towards another member of the community requires a serious response.

This Code of Conduct is to be read in conjunction with all other applicable School policies.

1.

Complying with the Law (a) All employees shall comply with the letter and spirit of all of the laws of Canada and the Province of Ontario and any contractual obligations resulting from the employees’ duties, responsibilities, assignments, and/or any contractual obligations of the School.

2.

Personal Integrity

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(a)

Criminal Offence All employees will inform Human Resources when charged with a criminal offence in Canada or another country or when subject to an investigation by the Ontario College of Teachers. Certain employees subject to professional responsibilities and/or licensing requirements, may also be required to report the situation to the applicable regulator.

The Human Resources Department will gather information to determine the need to: (i)

remove, reassign or suspend the employee with pay pending the determination of the court proceedings or an investigation by the Ontario College of Teachers; and/or

(ii)

take disciplinary action against the employee, including written warning, suspension without pay or termination of employment.

Where evidence is received of a criminal conviction, relevant charges, or other information from the police or other agency or individual, an investigation will be conducted to assist in assessing the status of the employee. The nature and extent of the investigation will depend on the circumstances of each case. The basic principle is that the School will gather sufficient information to make an informed decision. (b)

Conditions for Accepting Hospitality, Gifts or Favours

Employees should not use their position for improper gain, nor under any circumstances accept gifts of cash, bonds, securities, and/or personal loans.

An employee may accept hospitality or a gift (other than cash, bonds, securities or loans) from another individual in the course of the professional relationship, if: (i)

The employee is not involved in purchasing goods, processing accounts, or is otherwise involved in supply chain management;

(ii)

The employee believes that the donor is not trying to obligate them, or improperly influence a decision; and

(iii)

It is a “normal business practice” for the purposes of courtesy and good business relations and acceptance is legal and consistent with generally accepted ethical standards.

An employee shall not accept, offer or give, directly or indirectly, gifts, entertainment or other benefits of value (referred to as “gifts” in this section) having more than nominal material value of $100.00 at any one time, up to a total of $300.00 per year. If a gift or gifts arrive and their value exceeds these nominal amounts, they must be handed over to the employee’s immediate supervisor, who will decide if the gift or gifts should be returned, or passed onto a charity or other good cause, and will ensure that the donor is informed as to what has happened.

The School welcomes and encourages the writing of letters or notes expressing gratitude or appreciation to staff. Gifts that are principally sentimental in nature and of insignificant value may be accepted in the spirit in which they were given.

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All gifts received by or offered to an employee, regardless of value, must be reported to his/her immediate supervisor. If there is uncertainty regarding what is considered an appropriate gift to give or receive, the employee must discuss the gift with his/her immediate supervisor. (c)

Honoraria

Senior management, school administrators, managers and supervisors shall not accept honoraria including gift certificates or payments of any kind, while performing instructional or informational duties on School time. An exception to this may be made if significant preparation time was required and this preparation time was conducted on personal time.

All honoraria must be reported to Human Resources. (d)

Alcohol and Substance Abuse

The School is committed to providing a work and business environment that is free of alcohol and drug abuse. (e)

Working Relationships

The conduct and language of employees shall meet acceptable social standards as in any professional business environment. In all working relationships, all employees are expected to apply the principles of human rights, equity, dignity and respect. The workplace must able be free from discrimination, harassment and violence. (f)

Standards of Behaviour All School employees must: ● ● ● ● ●

● ● ● ● ●

respect and comply with all applicable federal, provincial, and municipal laws; demonstrate honesty and integrity; respect differences in people, their ideas and their opinions; treat one another with dignity and respect at all times, and especially when there is disagreement; respect and treat others fairly, regardless of, for example, race, ancestry, place of origin, colour, ethnic origin, citizenship, religion, gender, sexual orientation, age, or disability; respect the rights of others; show proper care and regard for school property and the property of others; take appropriate measures to help those in need; respect all members of the school community, especially persons in positions of authority; and respect the need of others to work in an environment that is conducive to the learning and teaching.

(g) Use of the Internet, Email and Electronic and Social Media All employees are prohibited from transmitting, viewing, generating, printing, retrieving, downloading or storing any communication of a discriminatory, defamatory, obscene, damaging (such as viruses), threatening or harassing nature, or any material that is inappropriate for an educational or business environment (such as sexually oriented literature or pictures, or chain letters). (h)

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Employees are not to engage in any irregular conduct which includes, but is not limited to, any criminal, fraudulent or illegal conduct, any impropriety, lack of professional responsibility or dishonesty, under any circumstances. Such conduct may be subject to internal disciplinary action, including possible termination of employment, and may also lead to criminal prosecution or a civil suit. (i)

School Property

All employees must make every effort to protect School property and assets from harm, loss or misuse. No employee is permitted to use School resources for personal gain. (j)

Media Relations

All employees shall direct all inquiries from the media to the Marketing & Communications Department or the Head of School. Marketing & Communications Department or the Head of School are the only official spokespersons for the School. (k)

Workplace Health and Safety

All employees must work in compliance with the School’s Occupational Health and Safety Policies (including Workplace Harassment and Workplace Violence), and the O ​ ccupational Health and Safety Act and its Regulations. All employees will use or wear the equipment, protective devices or clothing that the School requires to be used or worn. All employees will report to their supervisor the absence of or defect in any equipment or protective device of which they are aware and which may endanger himself, herself or another worker. In addition, all employees will report to their supervisor any contravention of the Occupational Health and Safety Act or its Regulations or the existence of any hazard of which they know.

In particular, all employees must comply with the School’s Workplace Harassment Policy and Program and the sexual harassment provisions therein. The School’s Workplace Harassment Policy and Program contain fulsome reporting, investigation, and resolution procedures.

In addition to being illegal, offensive, degrading and threatening, workplace harassment and sexual harassment constitute unprofessional behaviour that undermines the maintenance of a professional workplace. Harassment of any kind in the workplace is unacceptable and is prohibited at the School.

Workplace sexual harassment means: o

engaging in a course of vexatious comment or conduct against a worker in a workplace because of sex, sexual orientation, gender identity or gender expression, where the course of comment or conduct is known or ought reasonably to be known to be unwelcome, or

o

making a sexual solicitation or advance where the person making the solicitation or advance is in a position to confer, grant or deny a benefit or advancement to the worker and the person knows or ought reasonably to know that the solicitation or advance is unwelcome.

The Ontario H ​ uman Rights Code ​also prohibits discrimination and harassment with respect to employment on the basis of sex, sexual orientation, gender identity or gender expression. The ​Code a ​ lso prohibits reprisal or threat of reprisal for the rejection of a sexual solicitation or advance where the reprisal is made or threatened by a person in a position to confer, grant or deny a benefit or advancement to the person. No form of COVID-19: Work From Home Arrangements Guideline

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reprisal, whether actual or threatened, against a person who initiates or contemplates initiating a complaint of sexual harassment in good faith, or who participates in an investigation under the applicable Policy, will be tolerated by the School.

Sexual harassment can result from a single incident or be persistent in nature. It can be the result of conduct by men towards women, women towards men, between men or between women. Conduct which may constitute sexual harassment includes: ● ● ● ● ●

● ● ● ● ● ● ● ●

inappropriate comments about a person’s body or appearance; derogatory or degrading remarks; unwelcome inquiries or comments about a person’s sexual practises; sexually suggestive remarks or innuendoes; sexist jokes causing embarrassment or offence, told or carried out after the joker has been advised that they are embarrassing or offensive, or that are by their nature clearly embarrassing or offensive; displaying of pornographic or other offensive or derogatory pictures, cartoons and graffiti; letters, phone calls, visits, e-mails or comments or pictures on a website of a sexually harassing nature; persistent unwanted contact or attention; persistent requests for a date, propositions or demands for sexual favours; unwanted physical contact; leering or inappropriate staring; coercive behaviour that asserts control and/or influence over the victim; and/or promise of a job-related benefit in exchange for a sexual favour

The School discourages sexual or romantic relationships between its leadership/management staff and other staff, if such leadership/management staff member is in a position to influence or be reasonably perceived to influence human resources decisions impacting such other staff members. If such a relationship does exist, the senior management must be informed immediately by the parties involved.

3.

Conflicts of Interest (a)

Employees shall not use their position, authority or influence for personal, financial or material gain or personal business purposes or for the personal, financial or material gain or business purposes of a relative, friend and/or business associate.

(b)

An employee must not engage or participate in any outside employment, business or commercial undertaking (paid or volunteer) that interferes with the performance of his or her duties as an employee of the School, or from which an economic, financial or commercial advantage may be derived by the employee, a relative, friend, and/or business associate of the employee as a result of business, financial or commercial information gained by the employee from employment with the School.

(c)

An employee shall not use his or her position, authority or influence to give any person or organization special treatment that might advance, or might be perceived to advance, the interests of the employee, or the interests of a relative, friend and/or business associate of the employee. This includes providing preferential treatment or publicly endorsing suppliers or products.

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4.

5.

6.

(d)

An employee will not participate in any decision or recommendation in which he or she, or a relative, friend or business associate may have a pecuniary financial, commercial or business interest.

(e)

Employees may make personal political contributions and charitable donations, at their discretion, subject to satisfying themselves that there is no regulatory prohibition or restriction on such contributions. An employee will not commit the School to a political or charitable contribution without prior approval from the School. If an employee holds a position in a political organization which may influence the financial needs of that organization, or if an employee is asked to conduct financial transactions or fund raising on that organization’s behalf, senior administration may review this relationship to ensure that there is no perception of influence. Employees will not engage in any political activity in the workplace unless authorized by senior administration.

Confidentiality of Information (a)

An employee shall keep confidential and will not use, directly or indirectly, for his or her benefit or for the benefit of any person, organization, firm or other entity, the School’s proprietary or confidential information disclosed or entrusted to that employee or developed or generated by the employee during the performance of his or her duties with the School or otherwise made known to that employee.

(b)

Except as required by law, an employee shall not use or disclose the personal and/or educational information of students and/or other employees and their families in the School’s possession, or which may come to the attention of such employee during the course of his/her duties with the School.

Use of School Technology (a)

All employees, when using School computer systems and accessing School information, must be identified at all times. In addition, access to passwords must be strictly controlled. It is an employee’s responsibility to take the necessary steps to protect his or her logon id, password, digital signature any or other means used to identify oneself on the School computer network.

(b)

Communication conducted over the School’s internal network or any external network is not considered private. Communication conducted over external networks must be protected from unauthorized access (for example, with encryption). When communicating via the School’s internal network, employees should consider the sensitivity and confidentiality of the information. All computer hardware, software, email, voicemail and internet accounts provided to employees are the property of the School and may be monitored and accessed by authorized School representatives in accordance with the school’s policies and applicable law. In addition, all information stored, processed or transmitted on any School system or network used by the School to conduct business, is considered the property of the School and can be accessed at any time.

Appearance and Courtesy The School requires all employees to dress and present themselves in a professional manner. All employees represent the School to parents, students and the community with whom they come in direct contact. An employee’s choice of work attire will be guided by what is appropriate for the community. It must be neat and clean, and conform to the COVID-19: Work From Home Arrangements Guideline

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established dress standards of the profession. Employees must be courteous and respectful in all dealings with the public and other employees and in all other business relationships. Employees not dressed in a manner considered by their immediate supervisor as professional for the worksite will be required to change their dress.

7.

Compliance with the Code of Conduct (a)

It is the responsibility of every employee, in every job class and every level to safeguard the reputation of the School and comply with the Employee Code of Conduct.

(b)

An employee who becomes aware of, or has reason to believe that there has been a violation of the Employee Code of Conduct by any employee, has a responsibility to report it immediately to Human Resources. Failure to report any breach of this Code may have serious consequences for an employee as well as for the alleged offender. Good faith reporting of possible violations by others will not result in reprisal or retaliation against the employee. Any employee who attempts to intimidate or retaliate, directly or indirectly, against an employee who makes such a report in good faith, will face disciplinary action up to and including termination of employment.

(c)

All employees are responsible for being aware of and understanding the provisions of this Code, as well as other applicable School policies, including those specifically identified in this Code. Failure of an employee to comply with the Employee Code of Conduct and/or other School policies may result in disciplinary action up to and including termination of employment.

(d)

Situations may arise where it is difficult for an employee to determine with certainty the correct action to follow. In such an event, the employee is invited to seek advice and direction of Human Resources, so that both the School and employee’s interests are fully recognized and properly served.

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APPENDIX C:

APPROPRIATE USE OF TECHNOLOGY POLICY – STAFF

Last Updated October 2019

PURPOSE The purpose of this policy is to set out conditions for the use of The York School’s (the “​School​”) Technology including (i) all School-owned or controlled (or used by the School under license for the School’s purpose and activities) database / records systems, networks, cabling, and School-associated cloud services, School email, voicemail, fax transmissions, and including the use of and access to the School intranet and the internet (collectively called the “​School Network​”) and (ii) all computers and mobile or portable devices, hardware, software using School Technology or on School premises. “​School Technology​” means any of the above which is owned or controlled by the School, or used by the School under licence, for the School’s purpose and activities. Together, the School Technology and School Network are referred to as the “​School Network and Technology​”.

The staff at the School use the School Network and Technology every day in order to communicate with one another and fulfill job responsibilities effectively and efficiently. Access to these resources is a privilege, not a right, and brings with it the need for responsible behaviour.

Each staff member has a responsibility to uphold the School’s ethics and values and to use the School Network and Technology in a responsible, productive and professional manner. This policy has been established to ensure the security and the integrity of the School’s technology and communication systems.

This policy may change from time to time, and the School will inform staff members of updates to the policy. Each staff member shall abide by the then-current version of the policy. Each staff member is expected to become familiar with the policy and to adhere to it at all times.

POLICY Access The use of the School Network and Technology is intended for School purposes. School staff may make limited personal use of the School Network and Technology provided that such use does not compromise normal work obligations. School staff must comply at all times with the terms of this policy, the Appropriate Use of Personal Electronic Devices and all other applicable laws, policies and guidelines when accessing the School Network and Technology for any purpose.

This Policy also applies to all Personal Electronic Devices (“PEDs”) as they are defined in the School’s Appropriate Use of Personal Devices Policies, for staff and students, respectively.

The School may at any time revoke the access of any staff member to the School Network or to the School Technology. Permitting other persons to use a staff member’s account and password shall be grounds for loss of access or other disciplinary action. Once access has been terminated, the School is under no obligation to store or forward electronic communications, electronic documents or other data stored, accessed or sent by or to the account.

Appropriateness Each member of staff shall use the School Network and Technology in a fashion consistent with the School’s values, codes of conduct, and in an ethical and lawful manner. It is the shared responsibility of all School staff to keep the School Network and Technology and any other applicable networks safe and secure School staff must not violate this Policy.

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School staff must not use the School Network and Technology for: ●

creating, processing, distributing or accessing illegal, offensive, pornographic and/or inappropriate materials; ● sending/receiving defamatory, abusive, obscene, profane, sexually oriented, threatening or racially offensive messages; ● downloading, storing or sharing obscene or offensive material; ● accessing any other person’s social media accounts, email, data or personal information without prior express prior written permission from that person; ● accessing, downloading, storing or sharing media files, including music and video files or any other materials that are illegal, offensive, obscene, inappropriate or that are not intended for School purposes; ● knowingly accessing sites containing sexually explicit, racist, homophobic or other material that is discriminatory or inappropriate to a school environment; ● uses that are malicious, unethical or in violation of accepted community standards or School guidelines and policies; ● attempting to or actually violating or infringing any other person’s intellectual property and related rights (including copyright). ● uses that violate any federal or provincial laws, including the Ontario H ​ uman Rights Code​, copyright, intellectual property or other laws, guidelines or agreements; ● knowingly creating, exchanging, transmitting and/or downloading of messages, content or data that are offensive, harassing, obscene, libelous, abusive, discriminatory, or threatening or that encourage violence; ● conducting business or commercial activities which are unrelated to the staff member’s duties and responsibilities at the School; ● advertising or soliciting, including advertising for personal services; ● advertising or soliciting, including for cannabis-related products or services, unless prior written permission for specific School-related purposes has been obtained from the applicable School authorities; ● impersonating any other person’s online profile or presence or misrepresenting themselves online; ● computer-hacking and related activities, including installing or downloading software on the School Network and Technology without prior written permission from the applicable School authorities; ● creating, accessing or using malicious web sites or chat rooms, or “spam” or send malicious messages to others, or engage in other wasteful or forbidden use of the School’s electronic resources; ● downloading or installing any software or technology (even temporarily) on the School’s Network or Technology without prior written authorization from the applicable School IT administrators; ● attempting to disable or compromise the security of information contained on the School Network and Technology, and applicable external networks; and ● vandalising or making deliberate attempts to damage the School Network and Technology. Vandalism also includes attempts to access or otherwise violate the integrity of private accounts, files or programs, the deliberate infecting of the network with a computer “virus,” and attempts at “hacking” into any of the computers using any method.

Each member of staff will ensure that all communication is in compliance with applicable privacy legislation, and that all records in the custody and control of the School that contain personal information which pertains to a student or staff member will be maintained in strict confidence.

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Each member of the staff is responsible for the content of all text, audio or images that they access or send using the School Network and Technology, and for ensuring that the communications and messages conform in all respects to this policy, and to the School’s mission and values.

Software Use and Installation on School Network and Technology The School Network and Technology must not be used for illegal access, download, storage or sharing of software, media, books or any other materials. Staff members are not permitted to copy, transfer, rename, add or to delete information or programs belonging to others, unless given the express written permission to do so by the owner.

Prior to having any media, including open source software, placed on the network, staff members shall obtain the prior approval of the Director of Information Technology and provide them with evidence of purchase of the software by the staff member, or evidence that the software is available legally and for free, a copy of the licence terms, and a description of the School purposes for which the media or software will be used.

Staff members shall, at all times, respect the rights of copyright owners, including software manufacturers, and abide by the terms of all licence agreements relating to the Technology and Network. A staff member who fails to comply with the terms of licence agreements or engages in other conduct that fails to respect the rights of copyright owners or violates this policy may be subject to disciplinary action, up to and including possible termination of employment.

Examples of copyright violations could include, but are not limited to, copying a picture, making illegal copies of software or music and/or reproducing part of a third party text and claiming credit for authoring that work. The School has a separate Copyright Policy regarding use of copyrighted materials. Please read this and other policies carefully before proceeding.

Passwords and Information Security The use of passwords is intended to ensure that only authorized individuals have access to School Network and Technology and the private and confidential information they contain. Members of the School community shall not disclose passwords or account information issued to them by the School to any other person. Members shall not disclose or use passwords or account information provided to them to permit other persons to access or use the School Network or School Technology. Every member of the School community shall be responsible for all activities arising from the use of their School-issued password and account, unless otherwise proven in exceptional circumstances.

Every member shall take reasonable precautions to protect the integrity of the School Network Technology to prevent unauthorized access by others. For example, staff members and students, before leaving computers or mobile devices unattended, shall do one or more of the following as applicable: i) use a password protected screen to lock the device or technology being used; ii) lock the room the device or technology is present in; and iii) not leave School Technology unsecured or unattended unless necessary.

Third Party Terms of Service By accessing certain third party services the staff member is deemed to consent to the terms of service of the third party. The School does not have any control over third party terms of service.

Privacy Each staff member recognizes that employees have a limited expectation of privacy regarding access or use of the School Network and Technology, even when this access or use is restricted to School activities and the information is stored on School computers or devices.

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The School has the right, but not the obligation, to inspect any computer or computer systems, and to monitor the use of any of the technology, including, without limitation, inspecting the contents of voicemail, social media and email communications. Members will not necessarily be notified when such monitoring is to take place, or whether monitoring has occurred. In certain situations, the School may be compelled to access, read, copy, reproduce, print, retain, move, store, destroy and/or disclose messages, files or documents stored in or sent over the School Network or using School Technology. These situations may include, but are not limited to the following: ● in the course of regular maintenance of School Network or Technology; ● in the event of a request for documents as part of litigation or similar proceedings; or ● where the School has reason to believe that the School Network or Technology are being used in violation of this Policy.

Staff members who require a private means of accessing or communicating data should use personal devices that are not connected to the School Network. However, such use is governed by the Appropriate Use of the Personal Electronic Devices Policy. Please read the Policy carefully before using your personal devices on School premises.

Unauthorized access by any staff member of another individual’s electronic information is a violation of the School policy. Access by a staff member of another individual’s electronic information will only be permitted with the written approval from the Head of School.

Personal Safety Members of the School community must not disclose personal contact information about students, other staff members or other members of the School community. Personal contact information includes physical or electronic addresses, social media account information, identities, links or “handles”, pseudonyms, telephone numbers and other such personal information. Publication of pictures of individuals or a group requires the informed permission of all the individuals involved and, in the case of minors, of their parents or guardians.

Staff members must not publish photographs of students other than on the School websites, on School social media websites, pages or accounts, or in School publications even with express informed consent of all those involved, unless prior written consent and approval has been obtained from the relevant School authorities.

In the interests of safety and security, publication of information about field trips (dates, times, locations) is forbidden to be communicated to people who are not directly entitled to such information or on public forums where unknown persons might access the information. This does not apply to publication of such information through private or access-controlled password-protected email, Intranet websites, or social media accounts or pages of the School.

Violations Staff members of the School are expected to maintain the School’s values and the integrity of the School Network and Technology. For this reason, any staff member found to be abusing the privilege of the School regarding use or access to the School Network and Technology or contravening the terms of this and other School policies will be subject to disciplinary action, up to and including possible termination of employment. The School also reserves the right to inform appropriate law enforcement authorities or other officials of any offences or possible offences under the C ​ riminal Code​ or other applicable statutes.

Release of Liability The School makes no warranties of any kind, whether express or implied, with respect to the use of the School Network and Technology. The School will not be responsible for any damages staff members suffer as a result of their use of the School Network and Technology or use thereof by any other person. This includes loss of data resulting from delays, non-deliveries, delayed COVID-19: Work From Home Arrangements Guideline

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deliveries, service interruptions, or the School’s negligence, or by the staff member’s errors or omissions or by the actions of any other user of the computers.

If any employee needs clarification regarding the appropriate use of the School Network and Technology, they are encouraged to direct their questions or concerns to the Director of Information Technology.

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