Coronavirus disease (COVID-19): Your rights and responsibilities as an employee

The collection of your personal health information

Because COVID-19 constitutes a public health hazard that can come into the workplace, under the Canada Labour Code your employer can  request that you provide information regarding COVID-19, to the extent that it directly relates to ensuring the health and safety of employees in the workplace.

Based on these requirements, the employer can request the following information:

1. If you are exhibiting symptoms of COVID-19 in the workplace (so that you can be asked to go home to self-isolate).
2. If you are undergoing COVID-19 testing and the result of that testing, and if you were present in the workplace while potentially infected.
3. If you were in close contact with someone diagnosed with COVID-19, you must follow the direction of your local public health authority.

Finally, your employer may follow up with you to ensure a return to the worksite when it is safe to do so.

• In this section

  • Adjusting work schedules
  • Employees who have recently returned from travel
  • If an employee has been instructed to self-isolate
  • If an employee has symptoms or is diagnosed with COVID-19 in the workplace
  • Messaging when someone has symptoms or is diagnosed with COVID-19 in the workplace
  • If an employee has symptoms or is diagnosed with COVID-19 while working remotely
  • Messaging when someone has symptoms or is diagnosed with COVID-19 while working remotely
  • Employee anxiety and stress

Under the Canada Labour Code, the employer (represented by the manager/supervisor) is responsible for the occupational health and safety of their employees. As such, the employer has an obligation to investigate and report confirmed cases of COVID-19 in order to prevent the recurrence of exposure.

Under the Code, employees also have a role to play to ensure their own occupational health and safety as well as the occupational health and safety of other employees and any person likely to be affected by their acts or omissions. This includes members of the public visiting a federal workplace.

Employment and Social Development Canada's Labour Program created a brochure, Pamphlet 2A - Employer and Employee Duties, which outlines the duties of both the employer and employees under the Code.

Legislation and policy require managers to provide their employees with a healthy and safe work environment. In the context of COVID-19, managers must remain informed of orders, directions and guidance issued by the Public Service Occupational Health Program, Health Canada and from their own organizations.  Managers can obtain advice from their Departmental Occupational Health and Safety Coordinator regarding preventative  processes and procedures but, at a minimum, must familiarize themselves with their responsibilities and departmental procedures in dealing with an employee's right to refuse dangerous work, and/or health and safety complaint. These processes are set out in the Canada Labour Code and are explained on the Employment and Social Development Canada webpage on occupational health and safety.

If managers need help in determining how to fulfil their duties, the departmental OHS policy committee, the departmental workplace committee or the health and safety representative, can assist evaluating the workplace, and help managers apply the guidance provided by the Public Health Agency of Canada and the Public Service Occupational Health Program (Health Canada).

Adjusting work schedules

Many collective agreements include flexibilities that managers may apply if they require employees to work to a different work schedule. Departments are advised to review each applicable collective agreement on a case by case basis and leverage the flexibilities available. Although mandatory consultation with bargaining agents is not prescribed in all collective agreements, managers are encouraged to work together with union representatives in a transparent manner to address specific situations.

In cases where departments do not find sufficient flexibility in the collective agreement to meet operational requirements, they are advised to contact the Treasury Board secretariat at questions@tbs-sct.gc.ca.

Employees who have recently returned from travel

Respect public service occupational health guidance and consider all local, provincial/territorial, and community-specific instructions and guidance. Please refer to Coronavirus disease (COVID-19): Travel advice for the most up-to-date information.

If an employee has been instructed to self-isolate

Situations may arise where an employee contacts you to indicate that they have been asked to self-isolate by local public health authorities. In this case, the employee must follow the advice of their local public health authority as to their need for self-isolation and/or testing.

If the employee was in the workplace recently and you have concerns about possible exposure of other employees, work with your Departmental Occupational Health and Safety Coordinators to determine workplace measures. At all times, the privacy of the worker must be respected.

If an employee has symptoms or is diagnosed with COVID-19 in the workplace

These guidelines are provided for departments and agencies, however they should be adapted to the workplace reality of each organization.

• consult the relevant public health authority in order to obtain guidance on next steps
• if the employee is/was in the workplace and it is confirmed by a health care provider that the employee is/was infected with the COVID-19  
• under the Canada Labour Code, this would constitute a workplace hazard
• contact your occupational health and safety team. They should share information with other departments that could be co-located in the same building
• contact the National Service Call Centre at Public Services and Procurement Canada to ensure that the affected areas are cleaned as per their protocol
• inform local bargaining agents through your workplace occupational health and safety committee or the health and safety representative that an employee who was recently in the workplace has symptoms or has tested positive for COVID-19 and inform them of the steps taken and the plan of action moving forward
• determine whether or not to inform your employees of the situation and the direction they need to take
• depending on the size of the organization it may only be necessary to inform other employees who would have come in direct contact with the infected employee. Or, it may be necessary to inform all employees. These decisions should be made by consulting your Departmental Labour relations and Occupational Health and Safety coordinators
• regardless of who you decide to inform, keep them updated if information changes
• report confirmed COVID-19 cases to TBS via the COVID-19 tracking tool

Messaging when someone has symptoms or is diagnosed with COVID-19 in the workplace

Unless there is a demonstrated need to identify the person based on public health official’s advice, it should normally be sufficient for health and safety purposes to state that an (unnamed) person was in the workplace, and that this person was infected, exhibited symptoms, or had been exposed to the virus. The focus should move to applying infection containment protocols.

If the workplace is small, such that notification that a person is infected/symptomatic/exposed to COVID-19 would identify the individual employee, management could make the notification broader (e.g. someone in the area or the floor, rather than someone in their unit).

Please contact your departmental ATIP/Privacy and/or Labour Relations for further guidance on the handling of employee’s personal information.

Employees should self-monitor their own health for symptoms, particularly fever, cough and difficulty breathing.

If an employee has symptoms or is diagnosed with COVID-19 while working remotely

• if an employee does have symptoms of COVID-19 and they live with others, tell them to stay in a separate room or keep a 2-metre distance
• employees must consult the relevant public health authority in order to obtain guidance on next steps
• employees must follow advice of public health officials
• contact your manager
• manager will report confirmed cases to Treasury Board Secretariat via the COVID-19 tracking tool
• there are no steps to take from an Occupational Health and Safety perspective as this is not in the workplace controlled by the employer

Messaging when someone has symptoms or is diagnosed with COVID-19 while working remotely

• messaging may or may not be required in this situation
• contact your Human Resources Team for further advice
• they should report confirmed cases to Treasury Board Secretariat via the COVID-19 tracking tool

Employee anxiety and stress

Under circumstances such as these, it is natural to experience different levels of anxiety.

Managers/supervisors should advise employees on what services are available to help them via the 24-7 Employee Assistance Program (EAP) or your departmental coordinator (accessible only on the Government of Canada network), accessing care through the Public Service Healthcare Plan (PSHCP) or using the nationwide Specialized Organizational Services (SOS).

For more information, visit COVID-19 and mental health at work.