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The Government of Canada has two options available for a home office expense deduction through the Canada Revenue Agency (CRA).

Here are two links that outline the options that are available. We encourage you to have a careful read of both and review the supplemental information each contains in order to choose the option that works best for you.

General Information about the home office expense deduction:

https://www.canada.ca/en/revenue-agency/services/tax/individuals/topics/about-your-tax-return/tax-return/completing-a-tax-return/deductions-credits-expenses/line-229-other-employment-expenses/work-space-home-expenses.html

Simplifying the process for the home office expense deduction:

https://www.canada.ca/en/revenue-agency/news/2020/12/simplifying-the-process-for-claiming-a-deduction-for-home-office-expenses-for-employees-working-from-home-due-to-covid-19.html

The Canadian Mental Health Association, Kelowna (CMHA Kelowna) Branch supports a variety of work arrangements for employees to achieve the Branch’s strategic goals. For most roles, the Branch has office space for employees to come into work on a daily basis. Regardless of availability of office space, the Branch is also open to flexible work arrangements, allowing an employee to work offsite if their role allows them to achieve work duties and business objectives with such an arrangement. These arrangements should be predictable and pre-arranged with the employee’s supervisor / manager and agreed upon through the Leadership Team, rather than ad-hoc, to ensure business continuity and shared understanding. Working offsite is not an entitlement. The suitability of offsite working arrangement will vary according to specific operational requirements or employee circumstances. Employees must be performing satisfactorily prior to being approved and must maintain their performance. Safety and confidentiality of information must be safeguarded in any and all working from home arrangements.

This policy applies to all CMHA Kelowna employees who would like to work from home based on Ad hoc requests (as and when requested in advance), regularly (one or more times a week) or from a home based office (usually requested by the employer). Employees are allowed to work from home only if their job duties permit it. For example, employees who are obliged to come in direct physical contact with program participants, donors and/or customers are not eligible to telecommute for the portion of their work dedicated to such contact. But, employees who carry out most of their work on a computer can occasionally work offsite.

A request from an employee to work from home for a brief period of time to respond to an immediate need. It is not a regular ongoing arrangement and is pre-approved by their respective manager. For example, time required to write proposals, project related material, briefs, etc.

The primary office is located in the employee’s home. This arrangement is typically at the request of the employer.

NOTE: A T2200 form can be issued by CMHA Kelowna along with the annual T4’s to claim home office expenses if the employee adheres to all home office guidelines provided by Canada Revenue Agency (CRA) for salaried employees. Part of this requirement is that the employee complete the majority of work from their home (greater than 50%). As per the CRA guidelines, the space being claimed must be used for work purposes only. If an employee has a desk/office provided by CMHA Kelowna, and works the majority of their time from the office, but chooses to work from home occasionally, they would not be eligible to claim a home office. Please refer to this link to determine employee eligibility and what expenses they are able to claim:
Work Space in the Home Expenses

The location an employee would work if they were not a virtual worker and have a designated workspace at one of our CMHA Kelowna locations.

An employee who works from home one to three days per week as well as in a space provided by CMHA Kelowna on a regular basis. A formal telecommuting agreement is required between the employee and manager that outlines the expectations, requirements and liabilities for Virtual Workers wishing to regularly work offsite.

Offsite work arrangements are determined and approved on a case-by-case basis by the
employee’s manager, further to an employee’s request. The direct manager will consult with
the HR Manager and department Manager/Director if required. We advise both employee and manager to consider these elements before asking / approving offsite working:

• Is the employee eligible by nature of their job?
• Are there any cybersecurity and data privacy concerns?
• Will collaboration with the employee’s team become difficult?
• Does the employee have the necessary equipment or software accessible to them at
  home?
• What are the conditions of employees’ home or alternative place of work (noise,
  internet connection etc.?)

Offsite work arrangements shall not affect the employees employment terms. If working offsite has any effect on compensation and benefits, then the arrangement cannot be accommodated.

For Virtual Workers and Home Based Offices, the day should be structured as if working in an office environment. The employee is expected to work a regular work day in a set schedule with appropriate business hours for the role with a set start, lunch and end time.

Health and safety considerations must be reviewed prior to determining whether or not a telework arrangement is appropriate. If all parties agree to a telework arrangement, the health and safety checklist must be completed and included as part of the written agreement about the arrangement.

CMHA Kelowna is committed to creating a healthy and safe work environment for everyone that works or accesses services with us. This commitment and duty also extends to employees who work off site. Employees are responsible for setting up an appropriate work environment within their home, which provides the same level of safety and security as the regular work office.

We encourage you to review the ergonomics information and the “Setting up the Home Office” section.

When an employee is injured while in an offsite working arrangement, they must comply with the normal reporting requirements for any work-related accident as outlined in branch policies and procedures. Employees should first treat or seek treatment for the injury, and then report the injury to their supervisor, just as they would if they were injured at the office. CMHA Kelowna is not responsible and assumes no liability for any injuries to family members,
visitors, and others in the employee’s home or any other offsite work location.

Telecommuting employees that are injured while working in offsite work location are eligible to apply for WorkSafeBC benefits. While WorkSafeBC assesses each case individually based on its circumstances, generally the injury must have occurred in the course of telework and/or in the offsite workplace, which WorkSafeBC defines as the actual space where work is conducted, during the time when work is being done.

Since the employer-employee relationship remains unchanged, the employee’s access to
certain benefit plans, such as disability insurance remains the same. When an employee is ill or injured and unable to work, they must comply with the normal procedures for absences due to illness and injury.

Workplace violence is managed under the Human Resources Policy Handbook. All employees (including those working in an offsite arrangement) must report incidents of violence that occur in the workplace, as well as behaviors (including uncivil or harassing behaviors) that may indicate a risk of workplace violence.

Telework employees are subject to all of the same policies and procedures and expected standards of conduct as all other Branch employees.

Before a telework arrangement will be authorized, managers must ascertain, through the Home Office Safety Checklist whether the proposed offsite workplace is a safe environment. The telework agreement will not be approved if the manager determines that there is predisposed risk of violence to occur.

If an employee reports an act of violence or threat of violence, manager; or person it was reported to, must notify Human Resources and the Executive Director. A decision will be made, based on the risk, whether or not the telework agreement should be continued. If you ever have an immediate fear for your safety, call the police at 911.

When an employee is working at home, they are often working alone. Working alone under certain circumstances can increase the risk to health and safety. To address these circumstances, CMHA Kelowna has a Working Alone Policy that accurately describe the process and monitoring requirements.

Under these policies, working from home is classified as low risk. However, the employee and manager should establish a contact schedule. This schedule should be laid out in the telework agreement, and include who to contact, when contact will be made, and the preferred method of communication.

For health and safety reasons, employees cannot have work meetings with program participants, other employees or other work related contacts in their homes. This restriction must be included in the telework agreement.

Offsite Work Arrangements will formally be evaluated semi-annually for all employees with such arrangements. CMHA Kelowna reserves the right to discontinue, adjust or change the offsite work arrangement at any time due to changing business needs or changes in the requirements of the role.

When employees plan to work from home, this procedure must be followed:

1. Employees file a request through email to their supervisor and/or Manager, copying in Human Resources.
2. Their manager must review their request considering all elements outlined above and will provide approval or denial for their request.
3. If the offsite work arrangement spans for more than a couple of weeks, the supervisor, manager and team members should meet to discuss details and set specific goals, schedules and deadlines.
4. If the request is approved, the employee and supervisor / manager will then document and sign the Offsite Work Agreement in sufficient detail to outline how the requirements of this policy will be met including, but not limited to, the safety of the offsite work environment. An Offsite Work Agreement does not alter an employee’s employment relationship with CMHA Kelowna or the employee’s obligation to observe all applicable policies and procedures. All existing terms and conditions of employment remain the same as they would be if the employee worked at their regularly assigned location. This includes, but is not limited to, the job description, salary, benefits, vacation and leaves.
5. Employees who need to work from home for unforeseen reasons (e.g. temporary difficult commute) should file their request as soon as possible, so managers can consider and approve it.

1. At least every three months, the employee and their supervisor / manager will discuss the Offsite Work Arrangement to evaluate if the arrangement continues to work for the employee and the Branch.
2. The results of this discussion will be documented in the form of an email or letter sent to the employee from their supervisor and kept on record in the employee’s HR file.
3. Failure to complete this evaluation every three months in no way restricts the employer’s ability to terminate offsite work arrangements at any time.

Employees must ensure their home office is a comfortable, healthy and safe environment. The main criteria for a home-based office are comfort, function, health, safety, accessibility, and privacy for disturbance-free professionalism.

The employee is expected to use their own equipment and they are responsible for the supply, maintenance and repair of that equipment unless they have been issued a laptop by the Branch as part of the regular equipment issued to do their job. The Branch will not be responsible for any costs that are associated with the employee using their home as an alternative worksite; for example, home maintenance, insurance, internet or telephone connection and additional hardware, or utilities.

In the exceptional circumstances where the Branch provides equipment for the employee working from home, the Branch will assume the responsibility for normal maintenance and repair of that equipment subject to appropriate use.

Below are some common considerations in setting up a home office that the employee and manager should review with one another.

The employee will need a desk or table that’s large enough to hold the materials used for their work. Having a work surface that is too high or too low can affect their overall posture and body positioning, and can cause undue strain and aches. The chair and/or work surface height should be adjusted according to each individual’s body specifications and type of work performed.

The employee must make sure that they have a comfortable chair – this is probably the most important piece of work furniture. The seat should be adjustable, have a backrest shaped to support their lower back, and a swivel mechanism to avoid twisting. They should try to find a chair with castors (wheels), for easy movement, and a non-slip, breathable seat fabric.

Make sure the home office has good lighting. Lighting is rated as a top environmental factor affecting productivity. Good lighting can help avoid eye fatigue and shadows that hamper work and can contribute to stiffness and aches in the shoulder and neck area if trying to read something under poor lighting conditions.

The employee should choose a well-ventilated room that can be maintained at a comfortable temperature year-round.

The employee must avoid dangerous electrical practices such as overloading circuits or modifying three-prong plugs to fit two-prong outlets. There is also a risk of data loss without suitable power circuitry and surge protection to guard electronic equipment from power surges and blackouts.

When the employee arranges their home office workspace, they should place their equipment so that they don’t have power cords and telephone lines trailing across the floor and creating hazards.

If equipment must be moved around, it must be done so carefully, to avoid injury, or damage to your equipment. The employee must remember that not all components of their office need to be in the same room, or space, as long as everything is conveniently located.

Maintaining communication is an integral part of a successful telework arrangement. The employee must consider the importance of tools such as voicemail, email, electronic calendar, laptop computers, remote internet access, shared electronic folders and files, flash drives, and cell phones, and to ensure they know how to use them and that they work effectively at the offsite work location. Contact Operations early on in the process for assistance with equipment or networking needs.

If an employee works with confidential information at their home office, they need to ensure that they have secure storage to protect this material and reduce the risk of loss to the Branch.

When working from home, it is the employee’s responsibility to ensure that they are fit for duty. This requires abstinence from recreational substances (i.e.: Alcohol, Marijuana) when performing their duties. If they are on prescribed medications that could interfere with their duties, it is a WorkSafe BC requirement that they disclose the impairment to the HR Manager in order to assess if an accommodation is required.

When employees work from home, friends and family may not understand the demands that are required of them. The employee will need to advise them that although they’re at home, they are still working.

Taking appropriate precautions to ensure the health and safety of all employees is an ongoing priority of CMHA Kelowna. We continue to closely monitor guidance from our Provincial Health Officer (Dr. Bonnie Henry), the BC Centre for Disease Control, and the Health Employers Association of BC, to ensure that the guidance for CMHA Kelowna employees specific to the Novel Coronavirus (COVID-19) is accurate, updated regularly, and reflective of the changing local and international conditions. Please know that this is a situation that is still evolving every day, so there are several unknowns and some things that are “known” today, but may change tomorrow. While it is not easy to be in a place of uncertainty, it is okay for us to be in it, especially if we take reasonable and measured steps to take care of one another and ourselves. In the words of Dr. Bonnie Henry, “Be kind, be calm and be safe”.

You can review the most recent COVID-19 Protocols from the Provincial Health Officer here.

COVID-19 is a respiratory virus that is transmitted person-to-person through contact with contaminated respiratory fluids (droplets from coughing, sneezing, nasal secretions, expressive talking, etc.).

The vast majority of people who contract the infection will feel mild symptoms and need to be in isolation until the virus passes (generally 14 days). The remaining minority of people who contract the virus will have moderate to severe symptoms and likely require increased support through healthcare clinics and hospitals.

Symptoms page through the BCCDC

People most likely to fall into the minority bracket are those living with pre-existing conditions (namely lung/respiratory conditions), elderly, and immunocompromised. By ensuring all of us take appropriate prevention measures, we help to protect both those in the majority and the minority. Wash your hands.

Physical distancing from others continues to be important when outside your home or at work. Carry on with these simple tips to help keep the transmission of COVID-19 as low as possible.

• Avoid touching your face, eyes, nose or mouth.
• Keep a physical distance of about 2 metres between yourself and others.
• Avoid or limit interaction with large gatherings (50+ people).
• Limit personal contact, avoid shaking hands, hugging, or otherwise embracing other people when greeting, saying goodbye, or being friendly. Elbow bumps and head nods are the best options when greeting people. Ensure program participants and residents know about this as well.
• Frequent hand washing/sanitizing is a foundational line of defense, as well as
  encouraging/requiring program participants and residents to do the same.
• Cover your mouth with a tissue … or into your elbow with your sneeze or cough. Wash/sanitize your hands immediately afterwards.
• Do not share food, drink or utensils and take ownership of your dishes in staff kitchens.
• Wash your hands before handling and eating your lunch.
• Stay home if you have any of the symptoms of COVID-19 and reach out to 8-1-1 for directions in regards to testing. It is better to be overly cautious, if in doubt, stay home.
• If a staff member, program participant or resident exhibits symptoms while at the office/programming/in residence, they will be asked to wear a mask and to immediately return home.
• If a resident in one of our housing facilities exhibits symptoms, please let IH know and have them self-quarantine in their home until IH provides direction.
• If you do not have symptoms, you do not need a mask in our programming sites, as long as you are able to maintain appropriate distancing.

More about how you can protect yourself and others, see Physical Distancing at BC Centre for Disease Control

A cloth mask can help prevent respiratory droplets of an unknowingly infected person from coming into contact with others. A non-medical (ie. cloth) mask or face covering may be used for periods of time when you cannot keep a safe distance from others. Wearing a cloth mask alone will not protect you from COVID-19. Keep practicing preventive measures such as frequent hand washing, cleaning and disinfecting your surfaces and objects and physical distancing as much as possible. To learn more about wearing a mask and types of masks, see BC Centre for Disease Control: Masks

Wear a mask if you are unable to physically distance in a housing or service site (Foundry Kelowna/WDC). Masks act as a barrier and help stop droplets from spreading when you cough or sneeze. Using a mask in combination with the above preventative measures can help protect those around you.

Front line and supportive housing workers in contact with residents or participants who are suspected or confirmed of having COVID-19 should use standard infection prevention and control precautions. This includes wearing appropriate personal protective equipment. Having the person wear a mask until they are able to self-isolate will help prevent the spread of the virus to other people. Please remember that viruses do not discriminate, and we must not either. We must not make or tolerate statements that explicitly or implicitly infer that a person’s racial and ethnic background changes the level of risk for contracting or spreading the virus. There is a lot of information about COVID-19 and the province’s response to the pandemic. For a list of the trusted sources that they use at HealthLinkBC 8-1-1 to provide British Columbians with health information and advice, see Useful Resources for COVID-19.

Each staff member must ensure that they have provided us with up to date contact information. If have recently moved or have a change of phone number please update John West in HR immediately.

Please provide the following:

1. Full home address, including postal code.
2. Home phone number if you have a landline.
3. Personal Cell number
4. Work Cell number
5. If you have an office desk phone, provide phone extension
6. A name and accurate phone number of an emergency contact.

As a community organization, we continually examine the best way to provide services to our participants through the Wellness Development Centre (WDC) and walk in traffic due to the closure of our office at 504 Sutherland Ave. Tremendous work and creativity by our team has been displayed as they continue to provide community and social connection with one day a week onsite programs. When weather permits, the WDC team will offer outdoor activities for our participants in a safe, COVID friendly manner, as well as providing support and activities online. BC is currently in Phase 3 of the “BC Restart Plan” CMHA Kelowna will continue to follow guidelines set out through this phase. PHASE 3 – BC RESTART PLAN

If you are a regular full-time or part-time employee, and display symptoms of the virus, as with all other illnesses, you will go on sick leave for the duration of the symptoms, covered by your allotted sick time you have available. If you do not have enough sick time available, your time will be unpaid. If you have symptoms of COVID-19, please do NOT come to work. Stay home and call 8-1-1 to receive information or instructions on how to be tested. You must stay home (sick leave) while you are waiting for your test results and may return upon confirmation of a negative result. If you are a casual employee, paid sick leave is not available. If you are a full-time, part-time or casual employee who doesn’t have enough paid sick time to be cover being off due to COVID, or due to self isolation while waiting for test results, the Government is providing the ‘Canada Recovery Sickness Benefit’ (CRSB), just for this specific circumstance. Please follow the link below to see if you qualify for CRSB.

CANADA RECOVERY SICKNESS BENEFIT

If you are a regular full-time or part-time employee and your regular work location is closed due to COVID-19 (at the direction of a public health official), leadership will assess options that may be available, including alternate work opportunities (ie work from home), or temporary lay-off, until your worksite re-opens. If you are a casual staff and your regular work location is closed due to COVID-19 (at the direction of a public health official), you will be paid for any shifts that you had accepted at the time general leave was started. No further work shifts will be scheduled until the work location is re-opened.

If you are home because of being impacted by COVID-19, sick etc…, please use the following options from the dropdown menu in your timesheet:

• Work
  o Working onsite
  o Working from home for any reason

• Sick
  o Sick with anything that is NOT COVID-19 related
  o This will be deducted from your sick time

• Vacation – Requested

• Vacation – Approved

• Unpaid Leave – Requested

• Unpaid Leave – Approved

• Lieu Time (Used) – Requested

• Lieu Time – Approved

• COVID – SICK
  o Positive COVID result
  o Mandatory self isolation due to COVID TESTING
  o Mandatory self isolation as directed by Provincial Health Authority
  – i.e. Deemed a direct contact because of exposure to positive case through Provincial Health Authority
  o This will be deducted from your sick time
  o If you are a f/t – p/t or casual employee who does not have enough paid sick time to
  cover being off due to COVID, the Government is providing the “Canada Recovery Sickness Benefit” if you meet the criteria they list on their website:
  – https://www.canada.ca/en/revenue-agency/services/benefits/recovery-sickness-benefit.html

• COVID – IMPACT
  o You are healthy and ‘could’ work, but impacted due to COVID-19 external factors
  o School / Daycare / Care home closures and must care for children or immediate
  family memberso If you are a f/t – p/t or casual employee who must take time off to care for immediate
  family due to COVID, the Government is providing the “Canada Recovery Caregiver
  Benefit” if you meet the criteria they list on their website:
  o https://www.canada.ca/en/revenue-agency/services/benefits/recovery-caregiving-benefit.html

• COVID – OT
  o If you are a frontline / housing / outreach worker who works overtime during staffing shortages. This must be cleared by manager and paid out at ESA standards of time and a half.

Effective immediately, CMHA Kelowna is suspending all international travel.

An official travel advisory is in effect from the Federal Government and all non-essential travel outside of Canada is to be avoided. CMHA Kelowna is enforcing this advisory for all staff until further notice.

https://travel.gc.ca/travelling/health-safety/travel-health-notices/221

Both the Provincial Health Authority and Federal Medical Health Officers request that all people returning from International travel must self-quarantine for 14 days after their return. People who exhibit symptoms upon return are required to contact 8-1-1 for guidance. Please note that if an employee does leave the country, CMHA Kelowna is invoking that staff returning from personal international travel follow the Government of Canada protocol above and self- quarantine. If International travel is something CMHA Kelowna staff are considering, they are required to speak with their Manager well in advance, to discuss the potential risk to their health and how their absence due to the mandatory quarantine of 14 days would affect their work. If CMHA Kelowna staff are not able to effectively work from home during this mandatory quarantine time (14 days), this time will be unpaid. Should staff risk travelling out of the country and contract COVID-19 or be unable to return from their personal travel on their expected return to work date, CMHA Kelowna will not compensate them for the time of missed work. For travel between cities and provinces, we ask all staff to follow Provincial Health Authority Travel Guidelines when considering their travel plans. If this is something staff is considering, they are to be in constant contact with their manager and HR to discuss whether there is potential risk to their health and how their possible absence would affect their work.

Provincial Health Authority Travel Guidelines – HealthLink BC