Updates from UBC
- May 13: President’s Blog: Asian Heritage Month: A Conversation with Henry Yu
- May 11: UBC Bulletin: Equity Enhancement Fund — call for proposals
- May 11: President’s Blog: Blue & Gold Campaign—It’s a wrap!
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
Finance
Comptroller, Finance & Operational Excellence and Treasury
- UBC ranked first in both climate change & endowment activities and their governance: The C.D. Howe Institute ranked UBC first in Climate Change and Endowment Activities with an overall score of 4.2. UBC also placed first in Climate-change Governance practices. For more information and actions UBC has taken to combat climate change, read the full announcement.
- Payment Amount Added to Expense Report Notification: The Workday notification sent out when an expense report has been processed will now show the total payment amount. Learn more
- Envisio training begins this week: This week some of our team members will be attending training for Envisio, an intuitive software that will help us manage our Strategic & Business Plans more efficiently and effectively. Details about the new software and its implementation plan will be shared at the VPFO Townhall on May 26. In the meantime, visit the OpEx website to learn more.
- Updated Front Desk Operating Hours: UBC Financial Operations’ front counter operating hours at the TEF3 location (6190 Agronomy Road) are now from 8:30 am to 4:00 pm, Monday to Friday. Learn more
- Claiming Unidentified Wire Transfers and Direct Deposits: Please check through the list of unidentified payments (updated as of May 12) to see if any payments belong to your department.
Operations & Advising
Communications & Engagement, Human Resources, and Safety & Risk Services
- Updated Workday Training Courses: Workday Essentials for Salaried Staff and Workday Essentials for Hourly Staff were recently updated to improve user experience and include additional details. These courses cover how UBC staff can manage their personal information, view pay and tax documents, enroll in benefits, manage absence requests, record time, and apply for internal job postings in Workday.
- Striking the right tone: The words and images that we use contribute to the telling of UBC’s story. Here are some resources to help you share information using the correct style, tone, and voice, available on the VPFO Communications website.
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.
- Evan Derbshire and Maggie Wang join Facilities as Labourers 2 (Seasonal).
- Ryan Beckett joins Facilities as Trades 3 – Electrician.
- Amanpreet Sandhu and Pardeep Chhina join as Operating Engineers (IUOE).
- Norman Kotze joins Safety & Risk Services as Emergency and Continuity Planning Associate.
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:
- Senior Procurement Officer (JR7475) – May 17, 2022
- Senior Advisor, Information Security Compliance (JR7453) – May 17, 2022
- Sourcing Lead – Construction (JR7472) – May 17, 2022
- Project Coordinator (JR7609) – May 18, 2022
- Quality Assurance & Tester (JR7548) – May 18, 2022
- Labourer 2 (Seasonal) (JR7607) – May 18, 2022
- Apprentice Millwright (JR7568) – May 19, 2022
- Operator/Driver – Heavy Equipment (JR7642) – May 19, 2022
- Senior Administrative Assistant (JR7738) – May 25, 2022
- Service Centre Coordinator (JR7735) – May 27, 2022
- Workday Functional Finance Analyst (JR7786) – May 30, 2022
- Manager, PIA Operations & Engagement (JR7682) – June 3, 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
EDI – Embracing our differences
At the VPFO, we strive to create a diverse, inclusive, safe and vibrant workplace for our teams to thrive and build meaningful connections — and one of the first steps to achieving that is by embracing our differences.
This week’s VPFO EDI article covers a range of topics, from an inspiring lesson about celebrating differences by Cole Blakely — a ten-year-old whose close friend is Steven, a 44-year-old man with Autism — to the hate and discrimination marginalized communities still face to this day, such as the devastating shooting in Buffalo, NY over the past weekend.
Equity Enhancement Fund — call for proposals
As part of UBC’s commitment to advancing equity and inclusion across its campuses, faculty and staff are invited to submit a proposal by June 5 for projects that respond to community needs and advance one or more of the actions outlined in UBC’s Inclusion Action Plan.
Applicants can request up to $5,000 per project in Vancouver and up to $1,500 in the Okanagan.
UBC strengthens track record as global sustainability leader in higher education
The University of British Columbia has once again been ranked as a global leader in sustainability efforts.
UBC placed 13th overall out of more than 1,400 institutions in the 2022 Times Higher Education (THE) Impact ranking for institutional efforts to advance the United Nations sustainable development goals (SDGs). The goals promote environmental, social, and economic well-being across the planet.
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.
- Here is a list of climate-related books and podcasts recommended by 9 youth climate activists from around the world.
- Our favourite Canadian coffee chain, Tim Hortons (not sponsored!) is celebrating the warmer weather with the debut of some new drinks, including a new Hershey’s s’mores Iced Capp. Happy sipping!
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 19 (Part 2): The Working Mind Virtual: Mental Health Training for Employees
- May 25: Beyond Consent Culture: Creating Community Accountability
- June 7: Staff Pension Plan Update
- 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.