Former RBC adviser Kinza Hanif says she felt “terrified” working at the bank’s Meadowvale office in Mississauga after learning two employees there tested positive for COVID-19.

Hanif told the Star she feels the company did not take appropriate steps to ensure the staff’s safety.

“I live with my grandpa who has COPD (chronic obstructive pulmonary disease) and is almost 90, and I’m not the only one who’s in touch with vulnerable people,” Hanif told the Star. “I’m not a hypochondriac so I was actually less stressed than others. But people were panicked,” she said.

In an Instagram post shared last Thursday that has now gone viral, Hanif describes the fear she faced and the lack of support she felt from her supervisors. She claims that even though two positive cases of the coronavirus were confirmed on another floor at her facility, the company decided only those who worked on the same floor would be sent home to self-isolate.

“We shared common spaces, like the elevators, the cafeteria, and we weren’t taking extra-special precautions as we had no idea (about the COVID-19 cases)” in the days before the staff members tested positive, Hanif claims.

RBC confirmed there were two positive cases of COVID-19 at its Meadowvale offices. The first employee tested positive for COVID-19 on March 5, and staff working on the same floor were alerted by phone that evening and told to self-isolate. RBC also confirmed a second case the following week, on March 9, but the employee was already in self-isolation.

RBC confirmed two emails were sent to employees confirming the two positive cases of COVID-19. The company said it followed Peel Public Health guidelines and kept all employees up to date on the rapidly changing situation. Currently, the Meadowvale branch is open, and employees who worked on the floor where the two staff members tested positive were cleared to return to work this week.

The company told the Star it has implemented safety measures including daily deep cleaning and supplying sanitizing tools such as hand sanitizers and wipes.

Hanif told the Star that employees at the Meadowvale branch were notified by the company via email of the first COVID-19 case March 6 and received another email the following week about a second positive case of the coronavirus.

Hanif alleges that she and other employees were told not to wear masks because it “scared customers.” RBC disputes this claim, saying it sent an email to all GTA branches telling employees “while there is no evidence to suggest that wearing a regular face mask prevents the spread of COVID-19, there may be employees who are opting to wear one for their own comfort level. Their choice to do so should not be interpreted as a signal that these employees are unwell.”

The Star spoke to another employee at the Meadowvale branch who confirmed Kinza's account of the events.

Hanif also told the Star that on March 7 she had a sore throat and called into her work absence line as she believed it was best to stay home. She claims a manager later asked her for a sick note, which she didn’t provide because she said she followed the protocol of Ontario Public Health urging people to stay home if they experience symptoms of the virus. When she returned to work following her regular days off, she alleges her manager told her she wouldn’t be paid for the sick day.

RBC noted in a statement to the Star that “we have not required a doctor’s note for COVID-related absences and have leave policies that protect those impacted by COVID-19.”

Hanif, who is now employed elsewhere for an unrelated reason, acknowledged to the Star on Sunday that she isn’t sure if she was paid for that day. Her last day with the company was March 17.

“The reason I decided to make this public is because I am now in a position where I can speak for the rights of the employees. They are not able to voice their concerns due to fear of getting trouble. But I am in a rare situation in which I can speak up,” she told the Star.

The company said it has informed employees across its GTA branches that if they are unwell they should stay home, following the directions of public health officials. Those in self-isolation would be paid, it said. RBC also told staff it would be offering a 10-day paid leave to help them through the weeks following schools being closed.

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“RBC has to balance their employees’ safety with the need of providing essential services to Canadians to keep the economy stable, get clients home under increasing travel restrictions, and connect clients with important client-relief programs to help them manage the months ahead,” the company statement to the Star reads. RBC told the Star “the company is following guidance from public health authorities, government officials and feedback from employees to ensure we keep our workplaces clean and safe with appropriate social distancing.”

The company announced last Tuesday it would temporarily close some branches to “slow the spread of COVID-19.” RBC also told the Star it was setting up work-from-home options for staff, keeping in mind clients’ privacy.

Hanif says she would have liked to have seen the company push for work-from-home options for the branch as soon as the first COVID-19 case was confirmed.

Looking back at her six-month employment at RBC, Hanif said she really liked the work environment and staff at the company, but it was the two weeks of uncertainty she felt following the positive tests that pushed her to publish the Instagram post.

“Everyone was anxious, stressed and asking questions” she claims. “Management did thank us for putting our 100 per cent in the calls (to customers), but mentally I don’t believe a lot of us were in the right space.”

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