Last week’s updates from UBC
- February 22: UBC Broadcast: Share your feedback in the Workplace Preferences Survey by March 3
- February 19: President’s Blog: Weekly Update
- February 17: UBC Bulletin: Moving staff to midpoint of salary range (midpoint progression increase)
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 – 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.
- February 19, 22, 25: Adaptive Resiliency by Search Inside Yourself Leadership Institute
- February 25: Cops in the Head: The Enforcers of Imposter Syndrome
- March 2, 9, 16, 23: Mindfulness with Kunye
- March 10 – 23: 10 Day Mindfulness Challenge – March: Improve your ability to manage stress, feel more connected while working from home, or get your morning started with an exercise to improve focus.
Operations updates
Facilities
Building Operations, Energy & Water Services and Infrastructure Development
- Green Cleaning Program: Custodial Services is updating the Green Cleaning Program document which is used as a component for LEED certification on the buildings we maintain. The percentage of sustainable items, by cost, of all possible sustainable items consumed by the operation has increased since 2017 from 98.2% to 99.5% bringing us closer to our goal of being 100% sustainable in our use of chemicals and paper products.
- Utilities Management System: Facilities is looking to replace its aging Utilities Management System this year. The system provides accurate utilities related billing to clients as well as provides value added information on usage of various commodities. The current system dates back to the 1990’s and is well due for an upgrade to ensure future functionality. Work has already begun on scoping and the business case.
Public consultation: Two projects are currently open to public consultation. The School of Biomedical Engineering will have two online public open house events on February 23. The Hydrogen Fueling Station will have an online public open house on February 25. For more information, visit the Campus & Community Planning website.
Finance
Comptroller, Finance & Operational Excellence and Treasury
- Tax Slips: Payroll-related T4 and T4A Tax slips for faculty and staff are now available in Workday. T4A and T5 slips from Accounts Payable have also been issued and mailed out.
- Year End 2020/21: A new section to support Year End is now available on the UBC Finance website. The timelines and procedures information for this coming year end is also now available, as well as slides from the first year end call-in session.
- Budget Process: The financial outlook/forecast meetings for the 2021/22 budget process are now complete. Budget Planning Update sessions were also held with various community groups last week.
Operations & Advising
Communications & Engagement, Human Resources, and Safety & Risk Services
- Rapid Covid-19 screening test underway: This voluntary initiative kicked off on Feb. 9 in Orchard Commons, and received positive attention from the media. For more about this initiative, and media coverage, visit the SRS website.
- Emergency Response Plan (ERP): The ERP has recently been updated and will be republished this week to the Emergency Preparedness website. The updated plan reflects the recent changes to UBC’s Emergency Management and Continuity Planning documentation.
- VPFO HR on-site support schedule this week:
- February 22: Sonia Lachar, Gregor Macdonald
- February 23: Arvind Kang, Kasia Burza
- February 24: Matt Furgal, Rachel Lau
- February 25: Sonia Lachar, Gregor Macdonald
- February 26: Arvind Kang, Rachel Lau
Other notable updates
UBC Workplace Preferences Survey
As COVID-19 continues to impact the way we work in VPFO and across UBC, we are inviting faculty and staff to share feedback through the Workplace Preferences Survey.
This survey is an opportunity to share feedback on your experiences in the workplace over the last year, whether working remotely or on campus, as well as what you’d like your workplace to look like in the future.
The survey takes about five minutes to complete and you can access it on the HR website.
The survey closes end of day on Wednesday, March 3.
Pink Shirt Day: February 24, 2021
The VPFO Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion (EDI) Committee presents Pink Shirt Day on February 24, 2021.
The VPFO Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion (EDI) Committee presents Pink Shirt Day on February 24, 2021. Join colleagues across the VPFO portfolio on Zoom from 9:30-10:30 for a celebration of equity, diversity, and inclusion with a virtual event and cookies for those working on campus.
The VPFO encourages everyone to wear a pink shirt, and join in on Zoom to hear an update on where the VPFO is going with Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion (EDI).
Learn more about the event on the VPFO website.
Helpful news
Some interesting news articles people have found informative, helpful, or fun! These are provided for information and entertainment only. Unless noted, UBC doesn’t specifically endorse or supply this content.
- We’re all navigating a lot of change at the moment, and the concept of “change saturation” is a helpful one to understand. Change Management organization Prosci has shared a piece on strategies for reducing change saturation that may be helpful for our teams and leaders as we continue to manage big and small changes in our organization.
- Sometimes stress can be contagious… HBR has some suggestions on how to make yourself immune to secondhand stress.
- Last week we had a typo in the link: here’s the corrected link for 7 unexpected signs you’re a lot more successful than you think.
Have an article for your peers? Email communications@vpfo.ubc.ca.