Updates from UBC
- May 2: UBC Broadcast: Share your feedback in the Remote Work survey by May 10
- April 27: President’s Blog: National Day of Mourning
- April 25: President’s Blog: TransLink and UBC
- April 25: UBC Announcement: Read UBC’s Anti-Racism and Inclusive Excellence task force report
For the latest updates for faculty and staff, visit UBC Today.
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
- University Boulevard closure extended to May 15: The closure of the bus loop has been extended to May 15. The work for the steam tunnel repair at the far west end of UBlvd is anticipated to be complete by May 14. Once complete, access to this area will be available. Learn more
- Roadwork for Wesbrook Mall upgrades: In April, the Wesbrook Mall corridor between Student Union Blvd and Chancellor Blvd will be upgraded to repair the condition of roads and enhance pedestrian, cyclist and driver safety. Learn more about affected roads and sidewalks on the Campus + Community Planning website.
- Metro Vancouver’s Watering Restrictions: Stage one of Metro Vancouver’s Lawn Watering Regulations will be in effect from May 1 to October 15. This year, both residential and non-residential watering is only allowed once a week, instead of previous years’ allowance of twice a week. Learn more
Finance
Comptroller, Finance & Operational Excellence and Treasury
- Updated Electronic Fund Transfer (EFT) Request Form: The updated Electronic Fund Transfer (EFT) request form for Canadian suppliers is now available on the UBC Finance website.
- Claiming Unidentified Wire Transfers and Direct Deposits: Please check through the list of unidentified payments (updated as of April 28) to see if any payments belong to your department.
Operations & Advising
Communications & Engagement, Human Resources, and Safety & Risk Services
- Transitioning to a Communicable Disease Prevention Framework: As of May 1, 2022, UBC is transitioning from COVID-19 Safety Plans to a Communicable Disease Prevention Framework in alignment with the BC Centre for Disease Control and WorksafeBC. For more information and an FAQ, visit the Safety & Risk Services website.
- Emergency Preparedness Week is May 1-7, 2022: As part of the UBC campus community, join us during Emergency Preparedness Week (EP Week) to increase our community’s resilience by learning about emergency preparedness. EP Week is a national event supported by Public Safety Canada. Learn more
- Communications toolkit for Emergency Preparedness Week: This toolkit can help you share information about Emergency Preparedness Week across campus. Learn more on the VPFO Communications website.
- Legislative sick leave update: Effective Jan 1, 2022, the BC government has implemented five days of mandatory paid sick leave for all workers in BC. Effective May 1, 2022, the government further amended the application of paid sick leave to apply to all employees, irrespective of any entitlement in a collective agreement. Learn more
- New BC Minimum Wage, effective June 1, 2022: BC’s new minimum wage comes into effect on Wednesday, June 1. Read the April 27 HR Memo for the impact to UBC employees and future appointments.
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.
- Jason Dinh joins Safety & Risk Services today as Occupational Health and Safety Assistant.
- Sam Stephens joins Safety & Risk Services as Director, Special Projects.
- Srinath Srinivasan joins Safety & Risk Services today as Lead Advisor, Information Security Compliance.
- Ethan McIndoe, Steven Smith, and Steve Morris join Facilities as Labourer 2 (Seasonal) today.
- Happy Retirement to Jayant Jethwa, Project Manager in Project Services within Infrastructure Development. His last day at UBC was April 29, 2022.
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:
- Millwright (JR7181) – closing May 4
- Lead Privacy & Information Security Advisor (JR7211) – closing May 4
- Payroll Partner – Analyst (JR7412) – closing May 5
- Tool Crib/Store Operator (JR7435) – May 5, 2022
- Occupational Health and Safety Associate (Term – 18 Months) (JR7423) – closing May 13
- Municipal Engineer (JR6992) – closing May 15
- Associate Director, Procurement Partnerships (JR7562) – May 16, 2022
- Senior Advisor, Information Security Compliance (JR7453) – May 17, 2022
- Sourcing Lead – Construction (JR7472) – May 17, 2022
Don’t forget to apply as an internal candidate! Please review the Apply for an Internal Job Posting guide in the Workday Knowledge Base for instructions on how to apply.
Other notable updates
Share your feedback in the Remote Work Survey
All faculty and staff across UBC are invited to share their feedback in the Remote Work Survey. Whether you work remotely/hybrid or on-site, the survey is an opportunity for all faculty and staff – including leaders – to share their experiences.
You can access the survey here: https://hr.ubc.ca/workplace-surveys
The survey will take 5-10 minutes to complete and responses will be confidential.
Your feedback in this survey will help the university consider how future work arrangements will continue to make UBC an inspiring place for students to learn, for faculty and staff to research, teach and work, and for leaders to understand how to support their teams.
The survey closes end of day on Monday, May 10.
CUPE 116 Discounted Transit Pass Program is here
Starting in June 2022, a Discounted Transit Pass Program will be offered to eligible CUPE 116 members to support the use of transit to get to and from work.
Refer to the Sustainable Transportation Initiative Pilot Project – Information Package for details on eligibility, instructions for participating in the pilot, FAQs, and other supporting documents — also available on the HR Employee groups webpage.
EDI: Mental Health Week: May 2-8
Every year the Canadian Mental Health Association encourages Canadians to focus on mental health – this year, the theme is empathy. We want to highlight some of the resources for UBC faculty and staff as we focus on mental health from May 2-8.
Volunteer at UBC Congregation 2022
This spring, UBC will be celebrating the achievements of nearly 10,000 students over 28 ceremonies on May 25, 26, 27, 30, 31, June 1 and 2. Volunteers are essential to help welcome and lead participants ensuring a smooth and seamless experience for graduates, faculty, and guests.
Learn more about the available volunteer roles and view the ceremony schedule
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.
- Your slides should be designed to complement a story, not to replace the storyteller. The author presents five storytelling strategies to help you stand out the next time you give a presentation.
- Here’s how we can best support displaced people as they arrive in our communities and countries, from Zarlasht Halaimzai, a refugee rights advocate and writer.
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.
- May 3 (Part 1) & May 11 (Part 2): Understanding Mental Health
- May 12 (Part 1) & May 19 (Part 2): The Working Mind Virtual: Mental Health Training for Employees
- May 12: Science-based Strategies for Happy, Healthy Relationships
- June 22 (Part 1), June 29 (Part 2), June 30 (Part 3): The Working Mind Virtual: Mental Health Training for Managers
- 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.
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.