Updates from UBC
- June 28: UBC Bulletin: Supporting our return to campus
- June 28: UBC Broadcast: UBC Vancouver — staying safe during the current heatwave
- June 28: UBC Broadcast: Update on the Integrated Renewal Program — Student
- June 25: President’s Blog: Return to Campus will be a transition, not an event
- June 22: UBC Bulletin: UBC’s Remote Work update
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 your ups and downs. Our VPFO HR staff is always available for a confidential conversation.
- Self-guided: Self and Community Care: Building skills to manage stress: Learn to integrate relaxation and your personal needs into your daily life in this self-paced webinar.
- Self-guided: Wellbeing in the Workplace: Learn tools and skills to support wellbeing while working within changing environments in this self-paced webinar.
- July 13: Self and Community Care Facilitated Webinar: This 2-part facilitated webinar focuses on increasing mental health literacy for individuals.
- July 19: Strengthening Resilience: Learn about evidence-informed strategies to strengthen resilience, as well as resources that are available to support resilience and wellbeing.
- August 10 (Part 1) & 18 (Part 2): Understanding Mental Health: This session aims to increase mental health literacy while providing tools and skills to respond effectively in a caring and respectful way.
Free group counselling to help navigate change
As more changes come along our way, it can be helpful during this time to get support to navigate through these changes.
Visit the UBC HR website for some recommended group counselling options from our Employee and Family Assistance Program.
Operations updates
Facilities
Building Operations, Energy & Water Services and Infrastructure Development
- Projects approved in the June 2021 Board: A number of projects have been approved by Board last week, including the Interdisciplinary Collaboration and Innovation (ICI) Building, New Recreation Centre, UBC Five-Year Capital Plan and Brock Commons Phase 2 Mixed-use Student Housing.
Finance
Comptroller, Finance & Operational Excellence and Treasury
- UBC’s Financial Results for 2020/21: The university’s Audited Financial Statements for 2020/21 were approved by the Board of Governors on June 24. Full information will be available this week through an announcement on the UBC Finance website.
- A new form of payment being piloted in Financial Operations: Our Financial Operations team is piloting Visa Payables with select Canadian suppliers. Learn more on the UBC Finance website.
- A reminder about Air Canada Refunds for UBC: New information is available on the UBC Finance website for members of the community who cancelled flights with Air Canada due to COVID-19.
Operations & Advising
Communications & Engagement, Human Resources, and Safety & Risk Services
- Safety Planning: Safety & Risk Services has been working with the University Counsel to update the UBC Campus Rules in alignment with the proposed new Safety Plans. These are expected to be live and communicated for the start of Step 3 of the BC’s Restart plan.
- Welcome back online series: Safety & Risk Services has put together a series of online sessions that will launch the week of July 26-30, 2021, to help support a safe and healthy work environment and a smooth transition to a more vibrant busier campus in September. Learn more on the SRS website.
- Why are allies important: Dr. Victor Ling, President and Scientific Director of the Terry Fox Research Institute, who grew up as an immigrant kid, reflects on the importance of allies in the work against anti-Asian racism, available on the VPFO EDI webpage.
- Parveen Mann joins VPFO as Director, Human Resources: We’re pleased to welcome Parveen Mann as the new Director, Human Resources. Full information is available on the VPFO website.
- VPFO HR on-site support schedule: Due to increased safety measures, the VPFO HR team will be working from home on Tuesday, Thursday and Friday. For any questions, please contact Senior HR Manager, Arvind Kang.
- June 28: Matt Furgal, Gregor Macdonald
- June 29: WFH
- June 30: Arvind Kang, Rachel Lau
- July 1: Happy Canada Day!
- July 2: WFH
Other notable updates
Feature story on David Kosub, Project Coordinator
Since joining UBC 22 years ago, David has worked with many teams at over 100 academic buildings across campus. As he approaches his final week at UBC before retirement, we invited him to share his experience working as part of UBC and within the VPFO.
Read the full story on the VPFO website.
Cybersecurity tips & tricks: Protect your devices
At UBC, we are responsible for substantial amounts of personal information, and protecting this information is everyone’s responsibility. This week we’ll share tips on how to protect your devices.
- Keep your operating system and software up to date.
- Always use malware protection. It is an important tool to help prevent cyberattacks. Learn more on the UBC IT website.
- Encrypt your computer(s). Learn more about why you should encrypt your devices and how you can request encryption at UBC.
Protecting Yourself from Heat Stress
The sunny days and increasingly warmer temperatures signal a reminder to take care when working in the summer and outdoors.
Here are six simple steps to protect yourself from heat stress:
- Know the signs and symptoms of heat stress
- Watch out for symptoms in yourself and others
- Wear sunscreen, a hat, and lightweight, loose-fitting clothing
- Drink water often – avoid drinks with alcohol and caffeine
- Take breaks in the shade and more often on hot days
- Know how your workplace deals with heat stress.
Please make sure to report all heat stress concerns to your supervisor. For more resources, visit the Safety & Risk Services 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.
- When you’re in the middle of a difficult conversation, it’s common to focus solely on yourself. But a “me-centric” approach can backfire. Here are some phrases to avoid in a difficult conversation — and explanations for why they often cause trouble.
- Hope everyone is staying safe in this summer heat. Here is a list of cooling stations and air-conditioned facilities in Vancouver to help you get through the heat wave.
- This Wired article gives tips on how to stay cool without air-conditioning, including what to wear and how to hydrate, as well as how to spot signs of heat exhaustion and heat stroke
Have an article for the VPFO team? Email communications@vpfo.ubc.ca.