VPFO Monday Update

April 27, 2020

Last week’s updates from UBC

General updates about UBC and its response to COVID-19 continue to be updated at covid19.ubc.ca.

Department updates

VPFO and UBC

  • Board meeting schedule:
    • May 6: Materials submitted to Peter Smailes
    • May 12: Last opportunity to present items to the UBC Executive meeting
    • May 13: Materials submitted to the Board Secretariat
    • June 1: Audit Committee Meetings
    • June 1-2: Standing Committee Meetings
    • June 16: Board of Governors Meeting
  • Transit changes: Service changes are affecting the UBC Campus

Facilities – Building Operations, Energy & Water Services, and Infrastructure Development

 Finance – Comptroller, Finance & Operational Excellence, and Treasury

  • Year End: 2019/2020 numbers are being finalized this week and OAG has begun their audit.
  • Divestment: UBC moves forward with Divestment Plus.
  • Invoices and expenses via email: The acceptance of email approvals for invoices and expenses will continue for the COVID-19 period. A new webform has been developed to replace the current email address. Review the updated process on the UBC Finance website.
  • UniForum update: The Operational Excellence team is  developing a recommendation for how to move forward with UniForum within our COVID-19 constraints. More information to come.

Operations & Advising – Communications & Engagement and Human Resources

  • COVID-19 has challenged us to rethink many aspects of how we work, from taking meetings online to redesigning paper-based processes. Communications & Engagement is offering a lightning fast, 5-slides in 15 minutes weekly Zoom series to build up your skills.
    • May 6 @10:30 am: Five easy tips to make your email work for you
    • May 13: Engage your team with Zoom
    • May 20:Understand how to work with Communications & Engagement

For more information and to make sure you’re registered, visit the workshops section of the VPFO website.

  • VPFO HR on-site support schedule this week:
    • April 27: Arvind Kang, Elliot Campbell
    • April 28: Alena Martin, Gregor MacDonald, Rachel Lau
    • April 29: Liana Chang, Gregor MacDonald, Kasia Burza
    • April 30: Elliot Campbell, Alena Martin
    • May 1: Arvind Kang, Gregor MacDonald

Safety & Risk Services

  • Protect UBC Mobile Phones against SIM Swapping: Privacy Matters @ UBC has recommend that UBC mobile phone users take steps to protect UBC’s phones against a risk known as SIM swapping.
  • Health and safety guidance relating to COVID-19: Visit srs.ubc.ca/covid19 to find UBC’s stance on PPE, physical distancing, vehicle sharing at work, and more.
  • Property crime reduced on campus: A reduction in Campus Security’s call volumes has allowed them to increase campus patrols by 30 per cent. This has contributed to a significant reduction in campus property crime, while RCMP report an overall provincial increase.

Other notable updates

YEAR-END THANKS FROM THE VPFO EXECUTIVE

Congratulations to all the teams who navigated this unique year end for UBC. The teamwork and dedication on display across the VPFO this cycle has a big impact on the university as a whole, so many thanks for all of your hard work.

WE DID LUNCH! THANKS EVERYONE

Thanks to everyone who got together on April 21 for lunches, coffees, cookie breaks and all sorts of fun.
See the teams who have submitted their photos so far on the VPFO website. Get your group photo in by Friday to be considered for the team lunch draw.

RECOGNIZING THOSE STILL WORKING ON CAMPUS

UBC would like to recognize those who are still working on campus, adapting to new ways of working as a result of COVID-19 – starting with a spotlight on the UBCO Facilities Management and UBCV Building Operations’ Custodial Services teams.

LEARN HOW THE IRP IS KEEPING ON TRACK FOR NOVEMBER

IRP, AEP, and ISC program teams continue to work remotely to keep these projects moving forward and on track. Learn more on the IRP website. Help the IRP stay on track by completing the latest readiness survey before Friday.

CENTRAL HR ERGONOMICS PROGRAM OPERATING VIRTUALLY

At the current time HR’s Ergonomics Program is operating virtually. If working from home, it’s important to take the time to set-up our home workstations to support us working efficiently, comfortably and safely. Check out HR’s Working from Home Ergonomics Guide or contact ergonomics.info@ubc.ca to arrange your virtual assessment.

HEALTHY WORKPLACE INITIATIVE FUND EXTENDS DEADLINE TO APRIL 30

Have a wellness idea to help manage the transition to our new working environment? Applications are due by the end of next week.

MORE KIND FEEDBACK ON THE MONDAY UPDATE

  • Way to go Communication team — this is a great source of information — all the pertinent links from comms from the past week is MOST helpful. I so appreciate them all in one spot each week. I really appreciate the work it takes to do this! I look forward to attending the Comms Zoom “Tips” calls.  – Operational Excellence
  • Thank you all for keeping us all informed with all your updates. Speaking for myself, I find these updates to be very helpful. Please keep up the good work. Stay safe! – Energy & Water

Let us know how we can make this update work for you. Contact communications@vpfo.ubc.ca.

Helpful news

People have been suggesting news articles that they have found informative or helpful at work. These are provided for information and entertainment only. Unless noted, UBC doesn’t specifically endorse or supply editorial to this content.

Sharing an article that may be helpful to your peers? Send it to communications@vpfo.ubc.ca at any time.

Be Part of the VPFO Monday Update

Each Monday we capture a snapshot of important university updates, the work across our departments, and other resources relevant to the VPFO team. This will be reposted, along with all past issues, at vpfo.ubc.ca/news.

Additions or questions can be sent to communications@vpfo.ubc.ca at any time.