Updates from UBC
- March 3: UBC Bulletin: Inviting proposals for the 2022 Continuous Learning Advancement Fund
- February 28: UBC Broadcast: Changes to UBC’s COVID-19 Rapid Testing Program
Updates on UBC’s response to COVID-19 are at covid19.ubc.ca.
Operations updates
Facilities
Building Operations, Custodial Services, Customer Services & Informatics, Energy & Water Services, Infrastructure Development, and Municipal Services
- Project list for Infrastructure Development/Properties Trust: March 2022 construction project list is now available on the Facilities website.
Finance
Comptroller, Finance & Operational Excellence and Treasury
- Call-In Session Resources: On February 28, a call-in session was held with the UBC finance community. Slides from the session as well as a recording are now available on the UBC Finance website.
- New Period Close Dashboard in Workday: The new dashboard is a one-stop source of information on UBC’s period close processes, which includes period close deadlines, ledger status analytics and period’s in-progress transactions. Learn more
- Update on sanctions imposed against Russia: As of February 28, 2022, UBC will not be accepting transactions from and to sanctioned Russian and Belarusian banks until further notice. Learn more
Operations & Advising
Communications & Engagement, Human Resources, and Safety & Risk Services
- Changes to UBC’s COVID-19 Rapid Testing Program: As of March 1, 2022, UBC’s required COVID-19 Mandatory Rapid Testing Program has concluded. Proof of vaccination declarations is only required for the purposes of compliance with Provincial Health Orders. For more information about proof of vaccination declaration, visit the SRS website.
- Rapid testing kits continue to be distributed on campus: Rapid testing kits are available to students, faculty, and staff who are on campus, with the presentation of a UBC identification card. Learn more
- COVID-19 Wastewater monitoring at UBC: For Winter Term 2, UBC and Safety & Risk Services are scaling up wastewater monitoring to include more of the UBC Vancouver campus community and student residences. Learn more
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.
- James Woo has been promoted to Project Manager in Facilities’ Infrastructure Development.
- Kamalpreet Nilvi, Wenjing Zhou and Clarence Fong joined as Payroll Partner Analysts on Mar 1.
VPFO job openings
All positions at UBC are available on the UBC HR Careers website, or through the career application in your Workday account. Please note that applications will be accepted until 11:59 p.m. on the day prior to the posting end date. The following VPFO positions are currently open:
- Project Coordinator (JR6607) – closing Mar 8
- Day Shift – Assistant Head Service Worker (JR6624) – closing Mar 10
- Evening Shift – Assistant Head Service Worker (JR6625) – closing Mar 10
- Lead Advisor, Privacy and Information Security Risk (JR6451) – closing Mar 17
- Tax Analyst (JR6379) – closing Mar 22
- Lead Advisor, Information Security Compliance (JR6557) – closing Mar 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
Next Workday Release on March 12, 2022
All UBC faculty and staff will see updates to the Workday home page, search functionality, and navigation, as part of the Workday release on March 12, 2022.
Workday releases happen twice a year and are part of their commitment to continuous improvement.
Relevant resources:
Learn more on the ISC website.
Complete the UniForum Service Effectiveness Survey
On March 7, UBC deployed the UniForum Service Effectiveness survey to over 6,000 academic and professional staff, to gauge employee satisfaction with UBC’s administrative services, such as Supplier Setup, Procurement, AP/AR, Recruitment Support, Office Cleaning, Security, etc.
If you received the survey, you will have until Friday, March 18, 2022, to complete the survey.
Your valuable feedback will help us better understand what we are doing well and where we need to improve our administrative services. If you have any questions, please contact the UniForum Program Manager, Jeff Lei.
Celebrate International Women’s Day on March 8
International Women’s Day (IWD) takes place annually on March 8 to recognize and celebrate women’s achievements, challenge biases, and reflect on and advance efforts towards greater gender equality. Across research, education, university services and student life, women at UBC are making a difference in the lives of others every day.
The theme this year is “Break the Bias”. We invite you to wear purple and download Zoom backgrounds to show your support for International Women’s Day, available on the VPFO EDI website.
Visit UBC’s International Women’s Day page to explore stories of achievement, register for events and find community resources.
Reminder: 2021 Tax Forms (T4, T4A, T2200S) Now Available
UBC faculty and staff can now access their 2021 T4 and T4A tax slips for personal income tax returns through Workday.
EDI: Benefits of Neurodiversity in the Workplace
Just like life outside, the workplace is a hugely diverse environment. At UBC and the VPFO, we celebrate diversity and the strengths that diversity in the workplace can bring.
1 in 7 people is neurodivergent, meaning their brain functions differently in one or more ways than is considered standard or typical. It relates to differences in the way we think, process, learn and behave.
If you are interested in better understanding autism and inclusive employment, the UBC Centre for Interdisciplinary Research and Collaboration in Autism offers a free online course on autism and neurodiversity in the workplace that includes a series of five self-paced, interactive modules filled with useful activities and videos.
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.
- This TED article offers 4 ways to make people feel valued and respected at work in a digital workplace. Learn more
- It’s Alexander Graham Bell day! Bell invented a lot of things, but is best known for inventing the telephone. 146 years ago, he received a patent for his telephone invention. Let’s celebrate today with 10 fun facts about the man who started it all. Read more
Have an article for the VPFO team? Email communications@vpfo.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.
- Until Mar 9: Weekly mindful sessions with Aisha Tejani
- March 10 & 17: Adaptive Resilience by Search Inside Yourself Leadership Institute
- March 22: Pet-ditate
- April 14 (PD funds eligible): Turning down the heat: Communication tips for handling challenging conversations
- Self-guided: Guidelines for unit leaders: Acknowledging collective tragedies and hateful incidents
- Self-guided: Wellbeing in the Workplace
- Self-guided: Preventing Burnout: Managing stress, emotions and our tendency to give
To view more workshops, webinars and events visit the HR event listing.
As many of us prepare to return to campus again, some will experience excitement, while others may have concerns and feel some anxiety. Learn more about the mental health resources available for UBC staff & faculty.