Last week’s updates from UBC
- December 28: President’s Blog: UBC’s response to sentencing of alumna Loujain Al-Hathloul
- December 18: President’s Blog: Holiday Greetings
- December 16: UBC Bulletin: Announcing the new Associate Vice-President, Human Resources (Strategic Advisory Partnerships and Support Services)
- December 14: President’s Blog: Update on UBC’s Evolving Relationship with the RCMP
Updates on UBC’s response to COVID-19 are at covid19.ubc.ca.
Managing your mental health
HR has collected mental health resources to help you manage our ups and downs. Our VPFO HR staff is always available for a confidential conversation.
- January 15: Search inside yourself half-day training
- January 18: The working mind: mental health training for managers
- January 18 – 29: 10 minutes of mindfulness challenge
- January- March: Through the Lens: A series of interactive workshops designed to enhance UBC’s understanding of diversity, while offering practical ideas for creating a more equitable and inclusive campus.
Operations updates
Facilities
Building Operations, Energy & Water Services and Infrastructure Development
- Remaining Planon scope components: The implementation of remaining Planon scope components has been initiated with completion targeted for September 30, 2021. The remaining components include Municipal Services and Energy & Water Services’ asset management, external customer billing, contract and service level agreement tracking, all hazard management, and CAD drawing interface.
- Planon issues: Work is on-going to address issues arising from the initial Planon and Workday implementations and associated integrations (e.g. NAV project management software). This will include identifying opportunities for process optimization and enhanced customer service through use of Planon and Workday.
- UBC Five-Year Capital Plan: Planning is underway to prepare the annual update of the UBC Five-Year Capital Plan. Input is currently being gathered from campus stakeholders on the proposed project priorities. The plan will be presented to the Board of Governors in April 2021.
Finance
Comptroller, Finance & Operational Excellence and Treasury
- The 2021 Payroll Calendar: is now available on the UBC Finance website. This information has also been added to the Important Dates feed, which shares all notable Finance dates for the UBC community.
- Claiming Employment Expenses: Recognizing the special circumstances of the 2020 tax year, the CRA has announced guidance that provides employees two new options for claiming employment expenses. Read more on the Finance website.
- February Board Updates: The Finance groups are busy working on Financial Update and Budget Outlook presentations for the February Board of Governors meetings.
- Q3 Financial Report: YTD financial information for December closes over the next week, and work on the Q3 financial report will begin immediately. This will serve as the basis for the FY21/22 Budget.
- Audit Process: The Office of the Auditor General (OAG) will begin their interim audit on January 18. If you receive information requests from OAG please be as responsive as possible to support the process.
- Read/Write Access for Hyperion 2.0: is available as of December 14.
Operations & Advising
Communications & Engagement, Human Resources, and Safety & Risk Services
- Understanding your workday paystub: We’re working with the ISC to update the information on how to view your payslip and understanding payslip codes.
- Province-wide restrictions extended: The Provincial Health Officer announced on Thursday, January 7, the extension of the current province-wide restrictions until February 5, 2021 at midnight. Please continue to follow the UBC Campus Rules and Public Health Orders.
- Daily self-assessments: Reminder — Please use the BC Self-assessment Tool to complete your daily self-assessment prior to coming to work on campus. For more information, please visit the Safety & Risk Services website.
- VPFO HR on-site support schedule this week:
- January 11: Rachel Lau
- January 12: Sonia Lachar, Gregor Macdonald
- January 13: Kasia Burza
- January 14: Arvind Kang, Rachel Lau
- January 15: Sonia Lachar, Gregor Macdonald
Helpful news
Some interesting news articles people have found informative or helpful at work. These are provided for information and entertainment only. Unless noted, UBC doesn’t specifically endorse or supply this content.
- How to lead when the whole world is tired? Even though the vaccine shines a light at the end of the tunnel, the home stretch will be long and perhaps take a greater toll on our professional and personal lives than we expect it to. Harvard Business Review has some advice on cresting the second wave and How to Lead When Your Team Is Exhausted — and You Are, Too.
Have an article for your peers? Email communications@vpfo.ubc.ca.