Monday Update

April 11, 2022

Updates from UBC

For the latest updates for faculty and staff, visit UBC Today.

Update from VPFO

Updates on UBC’s response to COVID-19 are at covid19.ubc.ca.

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Operations updates

Facilities

Building Operations, Custodial Services, Customer Services & Informatics, Energy & Water Services, Infrastructure Development, and Municipal Services

  • Partial closure of Engineering Road until June 15: Engineering Road will be partially closed from April 19 to June 15 due to repairs to the bridge connecting the Macleod and Brimacombe Buildings. Learn more

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Finance

Comptroller, Finance & Operational Excellence and Treasury

  • Operational Excellence delivering continuous improvement projects for the university: There are currently 126 continuous improvement projects captured in the pipeline and 60% of these projects have been completed or are in progress. For details on the types of projects being submitted and their status, visit the OpEx website.
  • Claiming unidentified wire transfers and direct deposits: Please check through the list of unidentified wire transfers and direct deposits (updated as of Mar 30) to see if any payments belong to your department.

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Operations & Advising

Communications & Engagement, Human Resources, and Safety & Risk Services

  • Reporting COVID-19 test results through BCCDC’s COVID Positive Test Result Reporting Form is no longer required: If you have recently tested positive for COVID-19, visit BCCDC’s COVID-19 Treatments webpage to see if you may benefit from COVID-19 treatment. Learn more
  • Updated Campus Rules: Campus Rules have been updated to reflect current province-wide restrictions. Read the full Campus Rules on the Safety & Risk Services website.
  • Building Safety Capacity through Workplace Inspections: Workplace inspections are a vital component in our efforts to ensure a safe and healthy workplace. Read more about their importance and how they are conducted at UBC on the Safety & Risk Services website.

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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.

  • Jim Onderwater, Senior Procurement Officer transitions his role from Infrastructure Development, Facilities to join Financial Operations in TEF3 on April 4.
  • Natalie Wagorn is joining Facilities today as Assistant Manager, Capital Projects.
  • Matthew Nantel is joining Facilities today as Operator/Driver – Heavy Equipment.
  • Farewell to Amelia Spinelli, Senior Procurement Officer who will be leaving UBC for her new opportunity at WorkSafeBC. Her last day is April 18. Thank you for your contribution, Amelia!

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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:

  • Procurement Officer (JR7054) – closing Apr 12
  • Utility Labourer – Labourer 3 (JR6973) – closing Apr 15
  • Director, Financial Planning & Analysis (JR6997) – closing Apr 18
  • Manager, Financial Planning and Analysis (JR6998) – closing Apr 18
  • Change and Communications Strategist (JR7111) – closing Apr 18
  • Construction Document Administrator (JR7096) – closing Apr 19
  • Trades 2 – Metal Worker Apprentice (JR7140) – closing Apr 19
  • Data Modeller (JR7165) – closing Apr 22
  • Manager, Construction Office (JR7169) – closing Apr 27

Please remember to apply as an internal candidate. This ISC Knowledge Base article shows how: How do I apply for an internal job posting?.

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Other notable updates

Implementation of Envisio software to support our VPFO Strategic and Business Planning processes

The VPFO has not had consistency nor visibility into our strategic or business planning processes. That means we have been unable to provide meaningful progress updates on how we are accomplishing our plans. To resolve this, we are implementing Envisio across the portfolio – a software system that will act as a repository for our plans and supports the collection and reporting of our progress.

As we are one team in the VPFO, we are standardizing governance, the planning process, terminology, and how we report on progress — Envisio will become the tool to support these changes. We will continue to share more information on this implementation and training will take place in the summer.

April is Celebrate Diversity Month

April is Celebrate Diversity Month! Your Equity, Diversity and Inclusion (EDI) committee has helped produce a series of VFPO EDI canvas courses that are now available to everyone.

Read more on the VPFO EDI website.

Get active by participating in the Staff & Faculty Sports Day

Many of you may be aware that Staff & Faculty Sports Week was held virtually last year. We are so pleased that the Staff & Faculty Sports Day is set to return to being held in-person at UBC Vancouver and UBC Okanagan this year, on May 6.

Whether you want to participate as an office, department, group of colleagues or an individual, there are a variety of challenges and activities to choose from. Virtual activities will also be available from May 2 to 6.

Learn more

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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.

  • Sometimes at work it feels like we’re using the wrong hand to write… we’re getting things done but it’s really hard. Harvard Business Review invites you to ask what you do most easily and if you are doing work that draws on that strength.  Read more.
  • See how many spring activities you can cross off of your to-do list this season—whether you want to take on the traditional rites of spring, or simply savor a seasonal menu. Real Simple magazine has a fun and easy checklist to get you started.

Have an article for the VPFO team? Email communications@vpfo.ubc.ca.

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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.

To view more workshops, webinars and events visit the HR event listing.

New dedicated EFAP number for faculty and staff

Faculty and staff now have a dedicated phone line to access the Employee and Family Assistance Program (EFAP) confidential services, through LifeWorks, by calling 1-866-424-0770.

Be Part of the VPFO Monday Update

Each Monday we capture a snapshot of important university updates, the work across our departments, and other resources relevant to the VPFO team. This will be reposted, along with all past issues, at vpfo.ubc.ca/news.

Additions or questions can be sent to communications@vpfo.ubc.ca at any time.