Updates from UBC
- October 8: President’s Update: Looking Forward to Celebrating Graduation In Person
- October 7: UBC Broadcast: Help build a more inclusive UBC – complete the Employment Equity Survey by Oct. 29
- October 5: President’s Update: UBC Sending Delegation of Eight to COP26
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.
- Oct 27: Return to Work Resilience with Thara Vayali
- Self-guided: Wellbeing in the Workplace
- Self-guided: Preventing Burnout: Managing stress, emotions and our tendency to give
- Self-guided: Feeling safe and engaged returning to the workplace
- Self-guided (until Oct 15): Dealing with sleep issues
To view more workshops, webinars and events visit the HR event listing.
Return to campus: Supporting your mental health
Have you signed into LifeWorks? Do you know you can access psychological professionals through your extended health benefits? Have you thought about becoming a Not Myself Today ambassador?
As we start a new academic year, many who are returning to campus will experience excitement, while others may have concerns and feel some anxiety. UBC offers a range of mental health resources to support you and your team.
Operations updates
Facilities
Building Operations, Energy & Water Services and Infrastructure Development
- New Project Coordinator and Project Supervisors begin their roles in Asset Replacement & Improvements (ARI): ARI is in the process of implementing a new approach to the Construction Office, which will help our teams be more successful in service delivery to the community. A key component of the new organizational structure is now completed. Read AVP, Facilities, John Metras’ full message.
Finance
Comptroller, Finance & Operational Excellence and Treasury
- Claiming unidentified wire transfers and direct deposits: Please check through the list of unidentified wire transfers and direct deposits (updated as of Sept 30) to see if any payments belong to your department.
- Global Disbursement Service – updated form available: Departments paying foreign suppliers will need to ask their suppliers to complete the Global Disbursement form. The form has been recently revised and is available on the UBC Finance website.
- Building Operations Stores team putting Lean Six Sigma into practice: As many of us embark on our Lean Six Sigma journey, the Stores team from Building Operations has been actively putting their learnings to work in applying their learnings to their workspace. Read more
Operations & Advising
Communications & Engagement, Human Resources, and Safety & Risk Services
- New safety app for UBC Vancouver available: Safety & Risk Services has launched a mobile safety app platform for the Vancouver campus called ‘UBC Safe Vancouver’. The app puts direct access to campus safety resources and security tools in your hand, while on the go. Learn more
- First aid provided by UBC Campus Security: As part of becoming an integrated team and elevating the profile for Campus Security, part of that journey includes becoming Occupational First Aid Level 2 certified and taking on 24/7 First Aid responsibilities for students, faculty, staff and visitors on the UBC Vancouver campus. Learn more
- Collaboration between Safety & Risk Services and Operational Excellence: Lance Adams has joined VPFO’s Operational Excellence Team as SRS – Business Analyst on October 1st. His role will be dedicated to information systems transformation and operational excellence projects within the SRS portfolio.
- Reminder – VPFO HR on-site support schedule: Starting in October, the HR team will be in the office from Tuesday to Thursday. For any questions, please contact Senior HR Manager, Arvind Kang.
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.
- Faiza Samnani returned to Safety & Risk Services as Occupational & Research Safety Associate on Oct 8.
- Mikhail Manaligod is joining the Customer Services & Informatics team today as Service Centre Coordinator.
- Hasan Malik started as Supply Chain Analyst, Procurement Partnerships today.
- Karolina Francis is joining the ISC Service Centre as Team Leader today.
- Asset Replacement & Improvements (ARI)
- Jennifer Dick, Project Coordinator
- Ian Maclean, Project Supervisor
- Todd Mullin, Project Supervisor
- Farewell to Marshall McDougall, Business Analyst, Operational Excellence, Bhavraj Ghtaura, Procurement Partner, Samira Sattari, Buyer, Procurement Services, and Tracy Wong, Communications Advisor, Finance. Thank you all for your contribution!
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:
- Buyer (JR4518) – closing Oct 13
- Utility Worker (JR4594) – closing Oct 14
- Sub-Head Op. Engineer 3rdClass (JR4580) – closing Oct 14
- SubHead Trades 2 – Carpenter (JR4610) – closing Oct 15
- Business Data Analyst (JR4560) – closing October 18
- Project Manager II (JR4550) – closing Oct 18
- Sr. Procurement Officer (JR4517) – closing Oct 18
- Programmer Analyst (JR4506) – closing Oct 20
- Procurement Officer (JR4592) – closing Oct 21
- Senior Materials Resource Coordinator (JR4625) – closing Oct 22
- Managing Director, Building Operations (JR4524) – closing Oct 24
- Security Administrator (JR4611) – closing Oct 31
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
Delays Expected in IT Equipment Purchasing
Operational delays in the computer hardware manufacturing industry continue to impact UBC and UBC IT’s procurement of computer equipment. This is affecting equipment such as laptops, docking stations, and monitors.
In the interim, please continue to work with UBC IT to determine technical requirements and the most appropriate procurement channels. Equipment purchased must comply with the institution’s Information Security Standards and meet encryption standards.
If you anticipate needing new equipment for the upcoming months for new hires and/or to accommodate hybrid working arrangements, please submit a ticket to the UBC Self-Service Portal as soon as possible.
Learn more on the UBC IT website.
EDI: Giving Thanks in Canada
In Canada, we celebrate Thanksgiving on the second Monday in October.
In this EDI article, learn more about:
- The history of Thanksgiving in North America
- How giving thanks is celebrated by many different cultures in different countries around the world
- How to make Serbian/Bosnian/Croatian pita pumpkin — a Greek, Serbian, Croatian and Bosnian delight
Help build a more inclusive UBC – complete the Employment Equity Survey by Oct 29
As part of UBC’s ongoing efforts to foster an inclusive and diverse workforce, all faculty and staff in Vancouver and the Okanagan are asked to complete the Employment Equity Survey by Friday, October 29.
Helpful news
Some interesting news articles our team members 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.
- Now that workplaces are turning to a hybrid model, many of us are going to have to face change and uncertainty like we never have before. Here are 3 traits that will help you thrive in a hybrid work environment.
- Many of us still rely on coping strategies that were formed when we were young. Could yours use an update? Neuroscientist Wendy Suzuki PhD explains why you need to check and how to change them for the better. Read more on TED Ideas
Have an article for the VPFO team? Email communications@vpfo.ubc.ca.