The 2020 attendance record forms are now available on the HR Forms page.
If you have questions about using these forms, please contact your HR Associate.
Breeonne Baxter
Call for proposals for Work Learn Summer 2020 student positions: Due Jan. 19
Proposals for on-campus work experiences for students through the UBC Vancouver Work Learn Program are now being accepted through to Jan. 19, 2020. These proposals are for experiences taking place during the 2020 Summer Session (May 1 – Aug. 31, 2020).
Contributing to advancing UBC’s transformative learning goals, the Work Learn program offers student employment experiences in workplaces at the university. These experiences help students gain practical experience and transferable skills, refine their career goals, build their networks, apply disciplinary knowledge, and contribute to the broader campus community
For the Summer 2020 session, Work Learn will continue to promote opportunities that connect students with research experiences and develop additional resources to support supervisors and students in workplace learning experiences. All of these efforts work to improve the ability of our graduates to successfully secure meaningful employment post-graduation.
Resources are available to help you in submitting a proposal for a workplace learning opportunity (including a submission guide and a step-by-step guide on how to submit your proposal online), and to support you in your supervision of your student employee. Please visit the Work Learn website.
If you have any questions regarding the call for proposal process, please contact work.learn@ubc.ca.
Reminder: Preparing in advance of any possible weather-related campus disruptions
Do you have an up-to-date operations plan in case of a campus disruption? With snow in the forecast, we recommend that you take some time (if you have not already done so) to consider what essential services your unit will need in the event of an extreme weather, such as a snow or ice storm. Essential services in the context of extreme weather conditions are those services that are needed to ensure the safety, security, welfare, and health of the community, property, and research and certain operational and contractual activities of the university.
Please visit our page on Staffing during a weather disruption for a full list of considerations.
Some things to think about:
- Review the services that your unit provides, and determine which of those services are essential.
- Have a discussion with employees who are in those roles and let them know the university’s expectations and policy in the event of extreme weather (Disruption of Classes/Services by Snow Policy: the Snow Policy (SC5) (formerly Policy #68)).
- If you have essential CUPE 2950 positions, follow the process as outlined in Article 13.01 and Letter of Agreement 13.01 of the collective agreement, which requires communication with Human Resources (contact Korey Onyskevitch at korey.onyskevitch@ubc.ca) and the union. This does not preclude your ability to request additional essential services should the need arise.
Setting up a plan in advance will allow you to address any issues with your team and with your HR Advisor. If you have any questions or concerns, please contact your HR Advisor.
Memo: Submit staff sick leave statistics for 2019
On Jan. 8, HR issued a memo to Submit staff sick leave statistics for 2019.
Actions for HR administrators:
- Submit January-December 2019 staff sick leave statistics by Jan. 31, 2020.
- Review past years’ sick leave statistics for staff.
See all HR memos at http://www.hr.ubc.ca/memos/.
Understanding Your Staff Pension Plan workshops this spring
The Pension Administration Office is hosting several spring sessions of the Understanding Your Staff Pension Plan workshop, an informative session designed for both potential and current members of the UBC Staff Pension Plan. All ages are welcome to attend. Below are a list of upcoming dates and times.
- Jan. 16, 2020, 9:30-11:00 a.m.
- Jan. 29, 2020, 1:30-3:00 p.m.
- Feb. 13, 2020, 9:30-11:00 a.m.
- Feb. 25, 2020, 1:30-3:00 p.m.
- March 12, 2020, 9:30-11:00 a.m.
- March 24, 2020, 1:30-3:00 p.m.
Learn more and register at the SPP Workshops page: https://staff.pensions.ubc.ca/news/workshops/
Participate in Data Privacy Week at UBC: Jan. 27-31, 2020
International Data Privacy Day is Jan. 28, and is an international effort to empower individuals and institutions to respect privacy, safeguard data and enable trust.
To highlight the significance of data privacy at UBC, a week of programming has been developed to provide faculty and staff with more insight on recent work by the Office of University Counsel, Safety and Risk Services, and the Office of the Chief Information Officer (CIO) covering the impact technology is having on our privacy rights while underlining the importance of valuing and protecting personal information at UBC.
Events are free to attend, and will occur at UBC Vancouver and UBC Okanagan over the week of Jan. 27-31. RSVP is required by Jan. 24 due to limited seating. Visit https://privacymatters.ubc.ca/dpw2020 for the full line-up of events.
Featured Focus on People stories
Our Focus on People 2025 framework had an exciting 2019. We created an implementation plan and started publishing stories to showcase how the UBC community is bringing the framework to life. We’re looking forward to an even more vibrant year ahead!
Check out our two latest stories:
- Faculties use metrics analysis and education to reduce bias in recruitment highlights the work of UBC faculties that are encouraging respectful and meaningful conversations amongst members of its department’s search committees.
- Initiative by UBC’s HR and Pharmacists Clinic improves heart health of faculty and staff talks about the Cardiovascular Assessment and Medication Management by Pharmacists at the UBC Site (CAMMPUS) project, which helped to reduce in 8.5 per cent the risk of cardiovascular disease of 178 faculty and staff engaged in a 12-month intervention.
Stay tuned in 2020! We’ll continue to publish brand-new stories over the next months. We count on your support to spread the word about the great work that our community is doing to advance Focus on People 2025.
Share your stories
Are you working on initiatives that support the Focus on People 2025 framework? Would you like to share it with the broader UBC community? Reach out to Monique Rodrigues, Focus on People Project & Communications Coordinator, to share your ideas.
Free alumniUBC career development webinars
alumniUBC is hosting two free webinars in their career development program, looking at issues in the workplace.
Jan. 16: Inclusive Hiring: Autism and neurodiversity in the workplace: Dr. Karen Bopp, Director of Provincial Outreach at the Centre for Interdisciplinary Research and Collaboration in Autism (CIRCA) and an adjunct professor in the Faculty of Education at UBC, will speak to inclusion in the workplace, as well as the business case for inclusive hiring and the benefits of hiring persons with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) and related neurodiversities.
Feb. 12: Cannabis Regulation and the Workplace: Michael Litchfield, Director of Thinklab Consulting Inc. and the Cannabis Education Corporation and an adjunct professor at the Peter A. Allard School of Law, will provide an introduction to the regulation of cannabis in Canada and its impact on the workplace. A variety of topical issues will be canvased including the rights of employers to regulate cannabis use in the workplace, the duty to accommodate users of medical cannabis in the workplace and the place of cannabis in work related social events.
As a reminder to the HR community of practice at UBC, Human Resources has information for supervisors at regarding substance use available on our website.
Move UBC! partner registration now open
Move UBC! Partner registration is officially open. Organizations and individuals can register to be a promotional partner, event partner, or both. Move UBC calendar events can be pre-existing events and programs or brand new initiatives for the campaign.
Move UBC grants of up to $300 are also available. Applications for grants are due Wednesday, Jan. 15.
Register at move.ubc.ca.
Upcoming workplace wellbeing workshops
Our Workplace Wellbeing team is hosting three upcoming workshops:
Jan. 20: QPR Suicide Intervention Training is an internationally recognized suicide intervention program designed to help you question, persuade, and refer.
Jan. 22 & 29: Mental Health First Aid training is to improve mental health literacy. This workshop provides participants with the skills and knowledge to help people better manage potential or developing mental health problems in themselves, a family member, a friend or a colleague.
Jan. 28-29: Search Inside Yourself is a training that uses emotional intelligence and mindfulness to optimize performance, build leadership skills and increase wellbeing. This two-day workshop has a cost of $50, which is eligible for PD funding.
Open policy consultations
The UBC community is invited to comment on the following policy proposals:
- Policy SC13 (At-Risk Behaviour Policy) – Comment period opens until Jan. 31, 2020
- Policy SC17 (Sexual Misconduct Policy) – Comment period opens until Jan. 31, 2020
- Policy SC18 (Retaliation Policy) – Comment period opens until Jan. 31, 2020
Staff Hot Lunch with Dr. Murali Chandrashekaran, Vice-Provost, International: Jan. 29
You are invited to attend Hot Lunch on Jan. 29 to meet and network with your colleagues across UBC, and to hear from Dr. Murali Chandrashekaran, Vice-Provost, International. Tickets are $10. Please purchase your tickets by Jan. 24.
Hot Lunch is a cross-campus staff networking initiative hosted by St. John’s College and supported by Human Resources.
Preparing in advance of any possible weather-related campus disruptions
Do you have an up-to-date operations plan in case of a campus disruption? While the weather forecast in Vancouver looks cold and dry for now, we recommend that you take some time to consider what essential services your unit will need in the event of an extreme weather, such as a snow or ice storm. Essential services in the context of extreme weather conditions are those services that are needed to ensure the safety, security, welfare, and health of the community, property, and research and certain operational and contractual activities of the university.
Please visit our page on Staffing during a weather disruption for a full list of considerations.
Some things to think about:
- Review the services that your unit provides, and determine which of those services are essential.
- Have a discussion with employees who are in those roles and let them know the university’s expectations and policy in the event of extreme weather (Disruption of Classes/Services by Snow Policy: the Snow Policy (SC5) (formerly Policy #68)).
- If you have essential CUPE 2950 positions, follow the process as outlined in Article 13.01 and Letter of Agreement 13.01 of the collective agreement, which requires communication with Human Resources (contact Korey Onyskevitch at korey.onyskevitch@ubc.ca) and the union. This does not preclude your ability to request additional essential services should the need arise.
Setting up a plan in advance will allow you to address any issues with your team and with your HR Advisor. If you have any questions or concerns, please contact your HR Advisor.
Memo: Paid leave for staff between Boxing Day and New Year’s Day
On Nov. 21, HR distributed information regarding eligibility for paid leave for staff on the three business days between Boxing Day and New Year’s Day.
This leave is addressed in the collective agreements with BCGEU Okanagan, CUPE 2950, CUPE 116 and IUOE 115, and the agreement with AAPS. Although there are no official provisions in place for non-union staff, excluded Management & Professional staff, and service unit directors, Human Resources has recommendations regarding paid leave between Boxing Day and New Year’s Day for these staff groups.
Read the memo at https://www.hr.ubc.ca/memos/paid-leave-for-staff-between-boxing-day-and-new-years-day-nov-21-2019/.
Inclusive holiday celebrations in the workplace
This winter at UBC, our community is celebrating events and holidays from around the world. Our students, staff and faculty come from many cultural backgrounds and faith identities, and at this time of year, we have an opportunity to celebrate the cultures that make up our UBC community.
Some celebratory events are coming up in the next few weeks, including Yule (Paganism), Hanukkah (Judaism), and Christmas (Christianity). In February, we will see festivities for the Lunar New Year (Confucian, Daoism, Buddhism). See the Days of Significance list to see all the events and celebrations coming up soon.
Ways to celebrate in the workplace
We have a great opportunity to celebrate the season together, in a respectful and positive way that can help build intercultural understanding.
- Display a calendar in your workplace to raise awareness of important cultural/faith events and holidays throughout the entire year.
- Celebrate all faiths present in your workplace.
- Consider having a New Year’s celebration party instead of a holiday party in December.
- Be flexible with the needs of staff around faith and/or holiday celebrations.
- In your workplace or at celebration events, bring together decorations and food from the many cultures in your workplace, and encourage staff to share stories about their favourite traditions.
- Be aware and respectful of religious holidays when planning events and meetings. Check the Days of Significance calendar for details.
Office decorations
Here are some tips to make your office decorations inclusive and respectful of all cultures and beliefs:
- Aim for neutral decor in the front-facing areas of your office
- Ensure your office is accessible and that decorations do not prevent or block access to public services.
- Consider how your office can celebrate dates significant to all members of your workplace. Invite staff from all faith identities to be involved in the office decorating discussion.
- Set an agreed upon limit to the number of days that your office will display decorations, and have a discussion about what other times of year you might want to decorate, in celebration of other events.
- Use the holidays as an opportunity to build community within your office, and with the people your office serves or supports.
If you are feeling excluded as a result of office celebrations, you are encouraged to reach out to a colleague or a supervisor and have a conversation about how you feel and how you would like your culture and beliefs to be included. At UBC we should all feel comfortable to share our culture and beliefs with others. You are welcome to contact the Equity and Inclusion Office or your HR Advisor to discuss.
We hope that this advice provides some suggestions on how to foster community and inclusion at this time of year through encouraging the celebration of our many cultures and faiths on campus.
Relevant links
Next IRP HR call-in session: Top 15 things to know about Workday: Dec. 11
The next Integrated Renewal Program HR call-in session will be Dec. 11, 9:00-10:00 a.m., where the team will provide a recap of the last 15 call-in sessions. Human resources practitioners at UBC Vancouver and UBC Okanagan are welcome to join.
Agenda
- Integrated Renewal Program (IRP) update
- HR work stream update: what has the team been working on and what is planned for the next 30 days
- Top 15 things to know about Workday: A recap of the last 15 call-in sessions
Not yet on the Outlook invite? If you are interested in participating in the call, email integrated.renewal@ubc.ca to be sent the invite.
IRP HR call-in session recordings
A recording of all previous IRP HR call-in sessions are available on the IRP Website under HR/Payroll Workstream Resources (https://irp.ubc.ca/resources/hr). New recordings are posted within three-to-four business days of the sessions.
Register now for HR professional development workshops in 2020
Interested in professional development in 2020? Check out our professional development workshops in January and February to get started:
- Jan. 28, 2020: Time Management: Planning, Prioritizing & Productivity
- Feb. 4-5, 2020: Practical Project Management (wait-list)
- Feb. 11, 2020: Focus on Feedback: A Leadership Advantage
- Feb 26, 2020: The Foundations of Workplace Coaching Skills
If you are interested in these courses, you may be able to use your professional development funding. Please visit the page for your employee group to learn more.
Note: If you are logged into HRMS, the above links may not work in your browser. Please try in a different browser or a new private window.
Take part in the Seasonal Shutdown
The time is near for UBC’s Seasonal Shutdown. Send in an energy-saving checklist before winter break for a chance to win prizes.
Simple actions like unplugging electronic equipment and turning off lights can save thousands of dollars each year. Before you leave for the holidays:
- Switch off electronics
- Unplug small appliances
- Turn off the lights
- Close windows and blinds
- Report any air or water leaks
- Shut fume hood sashes
- Shut down non-essential lab equipment
Help us save energy over this year’s seasonal closure by completing some simple actions and filling out the Shutdown Checklist.
Note: It is recommended to leave water coolers and water filters plugged in over the holidays.
Reminder: Information regarding transit operators’ strike action
As you may know, Coast Mountain Bus Company transit workers and SeaBus operators have begun strike action.
Although strike action has been confirmed, the university is operating as normal. Classes are proceeding and faculty and staff are expected to attend work.
Please bookmark https://www.ubc.ca/campus-notifications/ for the latest messaging from UBC regarding this strike action, and for operational FAQs.
If you have any questions regarding HR matters, please reach out to your HR Advisor.
Housing & Relocation Services seminar: Alternative Housing Options: Nov. 19
Click to see the full information flyer
Renting and owning a home is a significant challenge for many in Vancouver due to housing availability, suitability and affordability. Are there any alternatives to traditional options of renting and owning? HR’s Faculty Staff Housing & Relocation Services team is hosting a seminar on Alternative Housing Options, on Nov. 19, 2019, 5:30 p.m. – 7:00 p.m. Topics will include housing co-ops, mixer mortgages, and small homes and laneway homes.
View the full information at http://www.hr.ubc.ca/hr-networks/files/2019/11/Alternative-Housing-Seminar-Invitation.pdf.
All UBC faculty and staff are welcome to attend. Please RSVP to info.facultyhousing@ubc.ca by Nov. 15. Light refreshments will be provided and the seminar is free to attend.