September 2021 -Benefit Changes, Truth and Reconciliation, Vacation Reminder, and more!
Posted on Sep 15, 2021
Booking Your Annual Vacation
Hey there! How many vacation days have you taken this year? There is still lots of time to book a vacation if you haven't used it all. At Heartland Housing Foundation we recognize the importance of personal time off for the health and well being of its employees (that's you!) Please speak with your manager to determine if you have any remaining vacation time to utilize before the year is up. Even if you get paid your vacation on each cheque you deserve the time off. Ensuring that you take your minimum allotted time means that you are taking care of you, and don't you deserve it....after all, you do so great at taking care of the residents, lets make sure you are taken care of too!
Changes to MyGroupHealth Providers
Update for all employees with HHF Benefits: On October 1st the insurers and service providers for several key coverages in your GroupHEALTH benefits plan are changing. These updates will offer more comprehensive coverage and improve your overall benefits experience. Check the ‘My Benefits’ section on the myGroupHEALTH app or website to check coverage. If you have questions about these changes, reach out to myGroupHEALTH (by phone at 1-833-344-6944 or email at askus@mygrouphealth.ca)
Non Occupational Injuries
Ever heard of the term non-occupational event? These are sickness or injury that was not job-related, but can affect you or worsen while you work.
Non-Occupational Injuries can worsen through daily work activities. If not addressed, non-occupational injury or illness symptoms can worsen and lead to an extended recovery time and prevent us from enjoying day to day activities on and off the job.
If you are dealing with a non-occupational injury or illness, let us know! Heartland Housing can provide temporary modified work or support medical leaves when required due to non-occupational injuries and illness? Eligible staff can use their paid sick time and may also be covered for long term disability leaves with our benefits provider. For more information, check out these useful links below:
Safety Bulletin: When to Report Non-Occupational Events
Learn more about services and benefits available in the event of a non occupational event here Heartland Housing Long Term Disability Coverage Provider: https://www.disabilityinstitute.com/
Truth and Reconciliation - September 30
In June the federal government passed legislation to recognize September 30th the National Day for Truth and Reconciliation as a federal statutory holiday. For those not familiar, the day is an important step in the reconciliation process, providing an opportunity to recognize the tragic history and ongoing legacy of residential schools and to honour their survivors, their families and communities. This recognition was specifically applied to federal workers and employees in federally regulated workplaces. The Alberta Government decided on August 25th that it will be leaving the implementation of a statutory holiday up to individual employers for provincially-regulated industries.
Heartland Housing Foundation believes this is an important day to recognize, but we are not able to implement the federal statutory holiday at this time. The decision to take non-provincially recognized statutory holidays - like Easter Monday or Boxing Day – require approval by our Board of Directors, and we are not able to convene in time to discuss September 30. We will be working with our Board of Directors to implement this day of observation starting 2022.
In the meantime, we will be providing our staff with information on September 30th of this year to encourage reflection and understanding about Truth and Reconciliation.
Annual Protections for Persons in Care Act Training Review
Every year our employees review the Protection for Persons in Care Act. This act requires service providers to take reasonable steps to protect clients from abuse while providing care or support services. To review the brochure on the PPCA click here.