VPFO Monday Update

June 22, 2020

Managing Your Mental Health

HR has collected a great set of mental health resources to help you manage the ups and downs of our COVID-19 experience. Our VPFO HR staff is on campus every day for confidential conversations. See below for this week’s HR duty roster.

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

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

  • UBC-branded COVID-19 facilities signage available: Materials and resources to support physical distancing protocols are available for Building Administrators to download and post in their areas. Please visit the COVID-19 Safety & Risk Services webpage.
  • MOA Great Hall Renewal Open House: Due to precautions in place for COVID-19, public consultation for this project will take place online on Monday, June 29. Join the meeting anytime between 4:30-6:30 p.m. For details, visit the Campus & Community Planning website. Construction is anticipated to start mid-late September 2020.
  • Project Services’ Project Coordinators on-site support schedule this week: Please continue to contact the designated Project Manager/Coordinator for project inquiries.
    • June 22: Victor Wong & David Meek
    • June 23: Victor Wong & David Meek
    • June 24: Victor Wong & David Meek
    • June 25: Darren Herrington & David Kosub
    • June 26: Darren Herrington & David Kosub

Finance – Comptroller, Finance & Operational Excellence, and Treasury

  • Audited financial statements: UBC’s audited financial statements were presented to the Board of Governors on June 16. The Board acknowledged the great effort and quality work; especially given the adjustment to new auditors and COVID-19.
  • Procurement Modernization: Financial Operations is in the final stages of the Procurement Modernization project. The project drove significantly faster turnaround times — including a 48 per cent increase in invoice processing efficiency and a 320 per cent increase in purchase order production efficiency. More will be shared as we complete the final analysis.

Operations & Advising – Communications & Engagement and Human Resources

  • VPFO HR on-site support schedule this week:
    • June 22: Rachel Lau, Gregor Macdonald
    • June 23: Arvind Kang, Kasia Burza
    • June 24: Gregor Macdonald, Elliott Campbell
    • June 25: Matt Furgal, Elliott Campbell
    • June 26: Alena Martin, Rachel Lau

Safety & Risk Services

  • Missing person search success: When a child went missing from UBC Botanical gardens late on Tuesday evening, RCMP requested the support of our Patrol Officers. After a few hours of searching Campus Security helped to succesfully return the missing child to their parents.
  • Privacy Impact Assessment (PIA) online process: The PIA process has now moved online, with all PIA requests now being submitted through the IT Self Service Portal.
  • Business Continuity Planning: SRS has been coordinating business continuity planning efforts for essential services on campus. Almost all the teams have been scheduled in for consultation, with over 15 workshops and draft plans already completed.

Other notable updates

ELANA MIGNOSA APPOINTED ASSOCIATE VICE-PRESIDENT, FINANCE & OPERATIONAL EXCELLENCE

In her new role Elana will co-lead the financial management of the university together with the Comptroller and the Treasurer to advance UBC’s financial services and continuous improvement initiatives. Read more on the VPFO website.

FUTURE OF WORK HR SURVEY

COVID-19, IRP, ISC, RPA… our work at UBC is rapidly shifting. Some ways we can see now, like distributed teams working from many locations, and some we can only imagine, like new automated processes. The VPFO is working with UBC Human Resources to pilot a pulse survey with you on the future of work. This survey focuses on gathering your thoughts about remote and flexible approaches to work. Watch your UBC email box for your personal invitation to reply.

IRP TRAINING

IRP training is getting more targeted as we approach our November Workday launch. Visit the IRP website to find out more about training and to sign up for various events. The website also hosts a searchable database of questions and answers — including from last week’s “Community Call-in” with Peter Smailes and others, which provided a high-level update on progress.

UBC RECOGNIZED AS ONE OF CANADA’S GREENEST EMPLOYERS FOR 2020

This special award recognizes Canadian employers that lead the nation in creating a culture of environmental awareness, developing exceptional earth-friendly initiatives, and – because of their environmental leadership – attracting employees. Read more on UBC HR’s Focus on People website.

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.

  • Are your kids looking for something to do this summer? Learn new skills and make new friends with UBC Geering Up! Two-hour sessions online with materials sent to your home — all you need is a web-enabled device and an internet connection. See the full camp list on the Geering Up website.

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.