This week’s Dos & Don’ts provides ideas on having a happy and safe Thanksgiving holiday as well as information on selecting your benefits (today!), updating your mobile browser and attending a post-holiday inclusion webinar.

Tips for A Happy and Safe Thanksgiving

With coronavirus cases rising dramatically right as we approach Thanksgiving, some employees may be looking for guidance around how best to celebrate the holiday. Unfortunately, even small gatherings at home have been shown to be spreader events.

To keep yourself and your family, friends and coworkers safe, we recommend following the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) recommendations for lower risk activities, including having a small dinner with only people who live in your household or hosting a virtual dinner where you can share recipes with friends and family.

We recognize that’s tough for many employees who haven’t seen loved ones in months. However, as essential workers responsible for keeping the lights on in hospitals and emergency response facilities, among other critical places, we have a responsibility to the community to stay healthy and ensure reliable power delivery.  

If a meal with out-of-household family or guests is unavoidable, we recommend following the safe holiday tips listed on the CDC website. In summary:

• Out of State Guests. Many states are requiring out of state visitors to quarantine for up to 14-days or be tested within a prescribed time period before gathering; please adhere to your state and local requirements.
• Know the risks of spread. Check if COVID-19 is on the rise at the gathering location or guests’ hometowns (check case rates).
• Understand guests’ travel exposure. Public transportation, airports and train stations are all areas where guests could be exposed to the virus. Limit time in these locations to lower transmission risks.
• Ventilate the gathering area. Indoor gatherings pose a greater risk of virus transmission than outdoor events or indoor gatherings with open windows.
• Time it right. Lengthy gatherings pose a greater risk than shorter gatherings. Being within six feet of a person with COVID-19 for 15 minutes greatly increases the risk of contracting the virus.
• Limit the crowd. Keep it small, wear masks, wash hands, and follow state, local and territorial health and safety regulations. Space out the seating areas to allow for social distancing as much as possible.
• Protect each other. Encourage your attendees to consistently adhere to social distancing, mask wearing, hand washing and other prevention strategies both before and during the gathering for the safety of everyone involved. Note that consuming alcohol may alter judgement and make it more difficult to practice COVID-19 safety measures.
• Take care of yourself. If you are overwhelmed by the stress of the holidays or need other support, you can go to exeloncorp.com and click the Live & Work Well (EAP) link under Tools & Resources or visit liveandworkwell.com (access code: Exelon) or call 1-866-872-1666. You can also check out these Holiday Tips (from Cigna).

Benefits Elections Deadline: Today!

Don’t forget to review your company benefits by the deadline today (unless you are a Dresden or Peach Bottom employee in a refueling outage, in which case, you have until Nov. 25). Do note that any changes made during open enrollment will take effect Jan. 1, 2021. Learn more here. 

Inclusion Webinar: Creating Strength through Collective Identity

Diversity and inclusion often focus on our individual identities, but the real power of inclusion lies in how we create strength through our collective identity. Individually, we have experienced the turbulence, pain and chaos of 2020. This webinar will focus on how we can emerge from 2020 stronger by focusing on our collective community and how each of us can contribute to and benefit from inclusion. Do plan to attend the "The Power of Inclusion: Creating Strength through Collective Identity" webinar on Dec. 3 from 12 p.m. – 1:30 p.m. CT. Register here. Don’t delay! Space is limited. 

Celebrate with Virtual Volunteerism and Dollars for Doers

You can still get those good giving-back vibes by volunteering virtually in your community this holiday season! Do check out the Powering Communities site for nearby virtual volunteer events, including toy drives, food drives, clothing drives and holiday gift programs for needy families. Don’t forget to convert your volunteer hours to cash grants from the Exelon Foundation to your favorite charity. It’s a critical time for community partners, so don’t forget to cash in your grants.

New Required Mobile Browser on Dec. 2

To enhance security, Microsoft Edge will become Exelon’s default mobile browser and will be required to access Office 365 applications or internet links from Outlook emails beginning Dec. 2 (employees aren’t required to use Edge for personal browsing). Do use Exelon’s app store, Intune Company Portal (already installed on bring your own device – BYOD – devices), to download Edge now! Click here for detailed instructions.