Messages from the President and the BCP Committee following the new government measures announced on March 31

• Message from the President following the announcements by the French government on March 31

"Dear all,
 
We once again find ourselves in a difficult situation, at least until May 3, because of the worrying turn the epidemic has taken.   
 
The closure of schools and the discontinuation of some childcare solutions has led to a situation that is extremely complicated for many of you to manage. I am well aware of the tensions and logistical difficulties associated with looking after children, both for those who have to come to work on campus and for those who are working from home and now find themselves having to home-school as well.
 
The Institut Pasteur is once again operating in Business Continuity Plan mode; its activities have been reduced and adapted in light of the current situation.  
 
As things stand, there are no changes to working arrangements. As indicated in the general message to staff on Friday April 2 (see below), all staff should work from home, apart from some specific and clearly defined exceptions for wet-lab research activities and support roles. We need to make every effort to reduce our presence on campus to the strict minimum over the coming weeks.
 
Our main challenge must be to achieve a healthy work–life balance as far as possible – and this is something that I take very seriously. To help us in this respect, I would ask all directors, heads of unit and managers to implement the following arrangements, in agreement with their teams, in April and May:
 
• To give all staff members enough flexibility in managing their working time;
• To decide on the priorities for each team, postponing some activities until June if necessary;
• To encourage those who can do so to take paid leave during this period, to help us all organize our time and make sure we can all have at least some time off (note that any remaining leave needs to be taken by the end of May, except in very specific cases approved by the President/Senior Executive Vice-President).
 
More than ever at this time, I would ask you all to try to adopt an attitude of patience and tolerance, so that together we can get through this period which is difficult for us all:
 
• Do as best you can, bearing in mind the difficulties you and others are facing;
• Keep the lines of communication open about organizing working time and any difficulties encountered;
• Try to be understanding and to show give and take to your colleagues, and avoid any aggressive behavior, which is unhelpful and completely unjustified in the current stressful situation.
 
We need to pull together as Pasteurians and show kindness and solidarity to one another. We all form one team, composed of scientists and support staff. I have every confidence in the ability of Team Pasteur to keep carrying out the vital work that we are all so proud to be a part of.
 
All the very best to you all,"
 
Stewart Cole
President

• First message from the BCP Committee following the new government measures announced on March 31

Following the announcements by the French President on March 31, 2021, the BCP Committee would like to inform you about how the measures in force at the Institut Pasteur will be changing from Tuesday April 6, 2021 onwards, in response to the development of the epidemic. Further changes may be announced as more details are provided about the government announcements and the health situation continues to develop.

1/ Working arrangements

The new government measures stipulate that working from home should become systematic. Staff should therefore only come onto campus if strictly necessary. We would ask you to ensure that you comply with this rule.
There are no changes to the working arrangements for scientific staff (no more than 60% of staff, half-day rotation system) or staff working from home. For staff working from home, you should only come onto campus if necessary on a strictly one-off basis, for no more than one day, after securing the agreement of your manager. Staff working from home must record their remote working via the HR portal by selecting télétravail en situation exceptionnelle (home working in exceptional circumstances).

We would encourage team leaders to discuss the best working arrangements with their staff, especially maintaining a lunch break at a suitable time and avoiding holding meetings too early in the morning or too late in the evening.

Arrangements for accessing campus (the site in the 15th arrondissement and the Hearing Institute site) and exceptions requiring special BCP permission remain the same (see the table here), as do the arrangements for using the company restaurant.

2/ Taking leave

We would strongly encourage you to take advantage of the month of April to take leave. Planning your leave in April and May will help facilitate the smooth continuation of activities.

3/ Partial furlough for childcare reasons

Since nurseries are closed as well as schools outside the holiday period, if you are unable to take leave or adjust your leave accordingly, you have no childcare solution and your job cannot be performed from home, you may be placed on partial furlough.

If this applies to you, you must:
-    provide a statement of self-declaration indicating that you are the only one of the two parents requesting partial furlough for childcare reasons (to be sent to your local HR contact and to the Payroll Department at paie@pasteur.fr).
-    register your Abscence Activité Partielle (absence for partial furlough) via the HR portal after you have sent your statement of self-declaration to the Payroll Department.

The Institut Pasteur will top up the government payment so that employees continue to receive their full salary.

Find out more about the national partial furlough scheme

4/ General hygiene and distancing measures

Given the rise in infections, we all need to be on our guard and make sure that we comply strictly with hygiene and distancing measures:
-    Masks are compulsory (use in priority the masks distributed by the Institut Pasteur);
-    Maintain a distance of at least 2 meters from other people (no hugging, kissing or gathering together);
-    Wash your hands regularly;
-    Air your workspaces frequently.

We would remind you that gatherings of people without masks in a closed space or any gatherings in which people are closer than 2 meters apart, even outdoors, considerably increase the risk of infection.
In the current context, we would encourage you all to dig deep into your reserves of perseverance and solidarity. We will need to be flexible if we are to adapt to this new phase together and continue to carry out our tasks as best as possible.

We will contact you again over the next few days with any further details about changes to the measures.

Thank you all for your efforts and your support at this time.

All the very best to you all,

The BCP Committee

You can find all the official information on the government website