Updates from UBC
- July 22: UBC Broadcast: Bringing vibrancy back to our campuses
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 23 – September 3: Weekly mindfulness sessions: Join your community to practice mindfulness to improve your ability to manage stress and feel more connected while working from home.
- 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.
Operations updates
Facilities
Building Operations, Energy & Water Services and Infrastructure Development
- Teaching Space Report available on the Facilities website: The HVAC Working Group has developed a Teaching Space Report which includes a high-level summary and detailed list of all teaching spaces and associated ventilation types. For information on HVAC please visit the Facilities website.
- Frank Forward Room 319 renovation completed: Effective today, the project will be handed over to Building Operations. The one-year warranty on the project and occupancy was issued on January 7, 2021, the same day as substantial completion. For questions, please contact Facilities Manager Mark Donald-Jones.
- Forest Sciences Centre Lecture Theatre 1005 Modernization completed: Effective today, the project will be handed over to Building Operations. The one-year warranty on the project started on May 31, 2021 and occupancy was issued on February 3, 2021. For questions, please contact Facilities Manager François Desmarais.
Finance
Comptroller, Finance & Operational Excellence and Treasury
- New location for Payroll: As of July 22 the Payroll team has moved to 5958 Webber Lane in Wesbrook Village. During this time phone access is not fully operational. If you have any payroll-related inquiries, please contact your payroll representative by email or submit a ticket via the self-service portal. Learn more on the UBC Finance website.
- Operational Excellence office location: Please note that Operational Excellence will also be operating out of Wesbrook Village, sharing the space with Payroll.
- UBC’s transition to a new customs broker: For international shipments UBC will be transitioning to a new customs broker, Thompson Ahern, as of August 12. This change does not impact users directly and there are no changes to current procedures. Learn more on the UBC Finance website.
Operations & Advising
Communications & Engagement, Human Resources, and Safety & Risk Services
- Resources on Wildfire Smoke Health & Safety: In light of the recent wildfire in BC, more resources about wildfire smoke health & safety have been added to the Emergency Preparedness and SRS websites.
- Safety & Risk Services Welcome Back event starts this week: Join us this week to hear from guest speakers, subject matter experts from SRS, and enroll in a series of relevant online sessions and workshops. Learn more on the SRS 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.
- July 26: Matt Furgal, Monica Haab
- July 27: WFH
- July 28: Gregor Macdonald, Arvind Kang
- July 29: WFH
- July 30: WFH
People in motion
Please join us in welcoming those who are joining us, celebrating promotions, and saying goodbye to team members who are moving on to their next steps.
- Scott Stevens has been promoted as High Voltage Electrical Sub-Head in Energy & Water Services.
- Dean Gregory joins Building Operations as Municipal Landscape Architect.
- Jessica Qian joined the Payroll team as Payroll Representative on July 19.
- Nadia Varallo started as Senior Procurement Officer today.
VPFO job openings
All positions at UBC are available on the UBC HR Careers website, or through the career application in your Workday account. The following VPFO positions are currently open:
- Utility Worker (JR3234) – closing July 26
- Cross-Functional Product Sustainment and Support Manager (JR3404) – closing July 28
- Procurement Partner (JR3310) – closing Aug 2
- Change Management and Communications Senior Manager (JR3446) – closing Aug 5
- Business Data Analyst (JR3481) – closing Aug 6
- HR Coordinator, VPFO (JR3477) – closing Aug 6
- Director, Finance Transformation Projects (JR3377) – closing Aug 15
Please remember to apply as an internal candidate. This ISC Knowledge Base article shows how: How do I apply for an internal job posting?.
Other notable updates
HVAC teams are making sure we can breathe easy
Over the past 18 months, learning, research, and work at UBC have been taking place remotely, wherever possible. But one group of people has diligently stayed on campus to keep its infrastructure humming through all this time: the teams responsible for ensuring that heating, ventilation and air conditioning (HVAC) systems are functioning properly across the university.
Read the full story on UBC Today.
So you’ve earned your Lean Six Sigma White Belt… What’s next?
On July 15, the VPFO started the process of rolling out White Belt training across our portfolio. As you complete your initial Lean Six Sigma training, you may be wondering what’s next?
Well, there’s a few things you can do right now to help us spread the culture of Lean Six Sigma across the VPFO:
- Add your white belt (or any other colour) to your LinkedIn profile
- Add the UBC Lean Six Sigma crest to your online profile on VPFO websites
Learn more on the Operational Excellence website.
VPFO Townhall on July 15 — helpful resources
Our townhall last week looked back on our experiences over the past year and forward to a brighter fall and beyond. The townhall was recorded on Zoom (passcode: aj+=K8dM) and the presentation slides are available in PDF.
For a quick recap, including key takeaways and helpful links, please visit the VPFO website.
Reminder: Complete the updated mandatory safety training
As British Columbia proceeds to Step 3 of BC’s Restart plan, UBC has launched a new campus-specific COVID-19 training course.
Whether you have previously completed safety training due to being on campus, or are planning your return, please ensure you complete this new online training:
- UBC Vancouver – Go Forward COVID-19 Safety Planning Training
- UBC Okanagan – Go Forward COVID-19 Safety Planning Training
Full information available in this UBC announcement.
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 done well, a compliment is one of the most powerful ways to let someone know that we value them. Yet, these interactions can be surprisingly tricky to navigate. These suggestions can help anyone practice the art of giving and receiving compliments.
- Dr. Sarah Henderson, public health expert and professor in the School of Population and Public Health at UBC, provides 10 tips for coping with wildfire smoke.
Have an article for the VPFO team? Email communications@vpfo.ubc.ca.