In 2020, with lockdowns in place around the world and travel increasingly difficult, many members of CERN personnel found it impossible to take their annual leave, and so instead took the exceptional step of donating it to the Organization. In total, some 1100 days were donated by 279 individuals. “It was nice to see this solidarity from the CERN personnel at a time of such difficulty for everyone,” said James Purvis, Head of the Human Resources department. “As well as the leave donation, CERN’s personnel came together to bring their expertise and resources to the fight through initiatives supported by the ‘CERN against COVID-19’ task force. This donation helped to support that initiative.”
Although the “CERN against COVID-19” task force is now in stand-by mode, the activities it coordinated in 2020 made a significant difference locally and globally, and work initiated through the task force continues today, for example on the development of the sophisticated low-cost high-energy ventilator. Find out about the work of the task force here.
Did you know? A general framework exists for the donation of leave from one member of personnel to another who might need it to look after an ill family member. It was introduced in the 2015 five-yearly review and is detailed in the admin e-guide.