Integrated Renewal Program HR update call #3: Dec. 6, 2018
You are invited to join the third Integrated Renewal Program (IRP) HR call-in session on Dec. 6, 9:00-10:00 a.m. All human resources practitioners at the Vancouver and Okanagan campuses are invited to join through phone or by video-conference.
The Dec. 6 agenda includes:
- IRP update
- HR work stream update: what the team has been working on for the last 30 days; what’s planned for the next 30
- High-level HR Workday walkthrough – in-system review, including an overview the of basic concepts, navigation and terminology
- Q & A
If you are interested in attending, please contact IRP at integrated.renewal@ubc.ca to RSVP.
UBC co-hosting WACUBO 2019 annual conference; volunteer opportunity
The 2019 WACUBO Annual Conference (Western Association of College and University Business Officers) is being held in Vancouver May 5-9, hosted by UBC and SFU.
Since 1937, WACUBO has offered business officers from Canada, the United States, and Mexico opportunities for professional development and a forum for identifying solutions to issues affecting higher education. The 2019 conference will be of interest to members of the UBC community who are responsible for business operations within their units.
In addition, the planning committee is looking for a Volunteer Services Coordinator to recruit 35-40 volunteers on behalf of UBC.
To learn more about the conference and about the volunteer position, please visit https://vpfo.ubc.ca/2018/11/ubc-to-co-host-the-wacubo-2019-annual-conference/. If you have any questions, you can contact Tammy Brimner.
Remembrance Day observed Nov. 12; Nov. 11 ceremony at UBC
The 2018 Remembrance Day statutory holiday will be observed on Monday, Nov. 12. See all UBC statutory holidays.
This year’s Remembrance Day ceremony will be held at the Vancouver campus on Nov. 11.
Coaching Internship Program information session: Nov. 21, 2018
Coaching@UBC is accepting applications for the 2019 Coaching Internship Program. Successful applicants will receive funding towards the completion of an ICF Accredited Coach Training Program. Learn about the program and what it mean to become a coach through the Coaching Internship Program at our information session on Nov. 21, 2018, 1:00 – 2:00 p.m. Register online.
Please visit the Coaching Internship Program for full details and application package. The application deadline is Feb. 1, 2019.
Ergonomics workshops this fall
We have three free upcoming office ergonomics training sessions – all UBC staff and faculty are invited to attend.
- Dec. 18 (1:00 – 4:00 p.m.)
- Nov. 28 (2:00 p.m. – 3:00 p.m.)
- Dec. 19 (9:00 a.m. – 10:00 a.m.)
Ergo Your Office: 1hr Tutorial:
- Nov. 2 (12:00 p.m. – 1:00 p.m.)
- Dec. 19 (1:00 p.m. – 2:00 p.m.)
Learn more about UBC Ergonomics.
Search Inside Yourself training program: Jan. 14-15, 2019
In support of UBC’s commitment to workplace health and wellbeing, HR is bringing back a unique professional development opportunity for faculty and staff at the Vancouver campus.
Developed at Google and founded in neuroscience, Search Inside Yourself (SIY) is a training program that uses emotional intelligence and mindfulness to optimize performance, build leadership skills and increase wellbeing. The SIY program consists of:
- Two-day in-person cohort-based training taught by SIY-certified instructors (Jan. 14-15, 2019, at the Vancouver campus)
- Four weeks of follow-up exercises, content and cohort conversations via email (approx. mid-January to mid-February)
- One-hour debrief session via webinar to integrate learning, answer questions and provide direction going forward (approx. late February)
Cost: $50 per person (eligible for PD funding)
The registration deadline is Jan. 4, 2019, but last year’s program filled up quickly. Spots are limited and available on a first come, first served basis. Register now!
For more information, including program benefits and what’s included in the cost of the program, visit the Search Inside Yourself webpage.
Hot Lunch: Nov. 28, 2018 (feat. Carole Jolly, Director, Community Development)
You are invited to attend Hot Lunch on Nov. 28, to meet and network with your colleagues across UBC, and to hear from Carole Jolly, Director, Community Development. Lunch this month will be a “Fall Comforts” buffet for $10.
Please purchase your tickets by Nov. 23.
Hot Lunch is a cross-campus staff networking initiative hosted by St. John’s College and supported by Human Resources.
New professional development workshops this winter
We have two new professional development workshops coming up this winter that may be of interest to you or to your staff:
- Dec. 10: Difficult Conversations: Strategies for Dealing with Challenging Situations ($350)
- Jan. 29: Time Management: Planning, Prioritizing & Productivity ($300)
You may be able to use your professional development funding towards these courses. Visit the PD funding page for your employee group to learn more, or contact pd.workshops@ubc.ca with questions.
Supporting wellbeing and resiliency during Thrive and beyond
In the new UBC Strategic Plan, People and Places is identified as a core area, and developing thriving communities is an important strategic goal. When we have a thriving community of faculty and staff, we make UBC a better place to live, work and learn. This month, we encourage everyone to take the time to focus on their health, wellbeing and resiliency. As a manager/administrator, here are some ways you can champion mental health and wellbeing in your department:
Oct. 29 – Nov. 2: Thrive Week
- Use the Thrive 5 to build mental health in the workplace
- Attend a Thrive event, including the free noon-hour Zumba wrap-up celebration at the Student Rec Centre on Nov. 2
- Participate in the Thrive social media contest to win prizes (#LetsThriveUBC)
- Access mental health resources
Oct. 29 – Nov. 2: Not Myself Today
Many departments and units across the university will be taking part in Not Myself Today, a national workplace mental health initiative that helps to build greater awareness, reduce stigma and foster safe and supportive cultures. Learn more about the UBC-wide mental health resources available to help support your workplace conversations and initiatives and to promote wellbeing among colleagues and teams.
Oct. 29 – Nov. 27: 30-Day Online Mindfulness Challenge
Encourage your workplace and colleagues to register for the next Mindfulness Challenge. The program is free and open to all UBC staff, faculty and postdoctoral fellows in Vancouver and the Okanagan. It is a great team-building activity and a simple way to introduce mindfulness as a way to help reduce stress, gain perspective and increase resilience at work and in life. Visit the 30-Day Online Mindfulness Challenge page to learn more and to download a printable poster for your department.
Thank you for supporting UBC’s efforts to help everyone thrive all year long.
Free flu clinics: Oct. 24-26, 2018
The flu bug wants to get up close and personal. But who wants a hug from a bug? Boost your wellbeing and promote a healthy campus by getting your free flu shot – it’s your best protection against the flu.
Free clinics will be offered at the Nest on Oct. 24–26, 2018, 8:00 a.m. – 4:00 p.m. on a drop-in basis, and are open to all students, faculty, and staff. At the clinic, show up and proceed to the registration table.
You can find more information at http://rms.ubc.ca/flu.
Hot Lunch: Oct. 31, 2018 (feat. Don Thompson, Chief Information Security Officer)
You are invited to attend Hot Lunch on Oct. 31, to meet and network with your colleagues across UBC, and to hear from Don Thompson, Chief Information Security Officer. Lunch this month will be a “Hot as Hell” for $10.
Please purchase your tickets by Oct. 26.
Hot Lunch is a cross-campus staff networking initiative hosted by St. John’s College and supported by Human Resources.
Earthquake preparedness: Get ready to ShakeOut: Oct. 18, 10:18 a.m.
This October, practice the Great BC ShakeOut, an annual province-wide earthquake drill on Oct. 18 at 10:18 a.m. Emergency management experts and other official preparedness organizations agree that “Drop, Cover, and Hold On” is the appropriate action to reduce injury and death during earthquakes. It is only a one-minute commitment for something that can save your life.
- DROP to the ground (before the earthquake drops you!),
- Take COVER by getting under a sturdy desk or table, and
- HOLD ON to it until the shaking stops.
Click here to learn more about Drop, Cover, and Hold On
Quake Cottage Earthquake Simulator: Oct. 17, 2018
Quake Cottage Canada returns to UBC – faculty, staff, and students are invited to ride the earthquake simulator to experience what it’s like to go through a major earthquake. Risk Management will be there to answer any questions you have about emergency preparedness and how to be better prepared. The Quake Cottage will be set-up at University Commons, outside the AMS Student Nest, 9:30 a.m. to 3:00 p.m on Oct. 17.
Click here to learn more about Quake Cottage
Earthquake Preparedness at UBC
Want to learn more about earthquake preparedness at UBC? Visit the Risk Management site at http://rms.ubc.ca/emergency/emergency-procedures/earthquake/.
PD opportunity: Thriving in Change: Oct. 29
HR is hosting a half-day workshop, Thriving in Change, on Oct. 29, 2018. This session is for UBC staff and faculty who want to learn more about the natural cycles and impact of change in order to remain resilient and engaged through the transition.
About the workshop
If nothing changed in your life in the next five years, would that be okay with you? Change is normal and natural – how we respond to change and interact and support others affected by it can make all the difference. In this workshop participants will start by exploring their own attitudes and reactions to change, learn foundational models to broaden their appreciation of the change journey, and gain new tools and strategies for use in an interpersonal and organizational context.
Learning outcomes
- Be aware of you personal reactions and attitudes toward change
- Gain an understanding of key change models
- Be able to identify and use tools and behaviours that support and enhance personal resiliency in change
- Be better able to support others as you navigate change
Course information
Thriving in Change
Oct. 29, 2018, 1:00 p.m. to 4:00 p.m.
Cost: $200
Tech Enterprise Facilities III, Room 610 [map]
Register online
You may be able to use your professional development funding towards this course. Please visit the PD funding page for your employee group to learn more. Contact pd.workshops@ubc.ca with questions.
PD Opportunity: Appreciative Inquiry: A Way to Generate and Nurture Effective Work Environments: Oct. 12
HR is hosting a one-day workshop on Appreciative Inquiry: A Way to Generate and Nurture Effective Work Environments, on Oct. 12, 2018.
About the workshop
In our intention to make things better, we very often pick up on the things that don’t work: problems, wrong behaviours, errors, and try to fix them. Our lives become filled with problems to solve, one after the other, and we don’t see the end of them. Meanwhile, it becomes increasingly difficult to notice or appreciate what works well; and because these well-working things don’t need fixing, they simply lose their importance.
With Appreciative Inquiry we learn to shift our approach to change by focusing on creating what we want rather than eliminating what we don’t want. We learn to ask questions (or to inquire) in order to explore creative possibilities (appreciative).
Learning outcomes
Using a variety of formats such as paired interviews, small group exercises and video, you will:
- Explore the key principles of Appreciative Inquiry
- Learn simple ways to shift from a focus on problem solving to one of possibility creating
- Pay attention to the role of language/words to phrase appreciative questions
- Identify ways to apply the appreciative inquiry approach in your workplace
Audience
The session is designed for individuals who are intrigued by the statement that ‘we give power to the things we pay attention to,’ and are wanting to find practical ways to exercise personal agency to make a positive difference in the workplace.
Course information
Appreciative Inquiry: A Way to Generate and Nurture Effective Work Environments
Oct. 12, 2018, 8:30 a.m. to 4:00 p.m.
Cost: $300
Tech Enterprise Facilities III, Room 610 [map]
Register online
You may be able to use your professional development funding towards this course. Please visit the PD funding page for your employee group to learn more. Contact pd.workshops@ubc.ca with questions.
Conflict Theatre Special Performance: Oct. 16
The Conflict Theatre team would like to invite you to a special performance on Tuesday, Oct. 16. At this performance, you will see a short play about workplace conflict at UBC. You will have opportunities, should you want, to participate and try out possible ways to change what happens in the play. The play is presented and created by UBC employees based on real stories from our community. Through Conflict Theatre, we explore ways in which we can change our narratives of workplace conflict.
Conflict Theatre Performance
Oct. 16, 2018, 1:00 – 2:30 p.m.
Lillooet Room, Irving K. Barber Learning Centre, 1961 E Mall, Vancouver, BC V6T 1Z1
RSVP at http://bit.ly/Oct16Performance by Oct. 1
Applied Suicide Intervention Skills Training: Oct. 11-12
Applied Suicide Intervention Skills Training (ASIST) is a two-day interactive workshop in suicide first aid. ASIST teaches participants to recognize when someone may have thoughts of suicide and work with them to create a plan that will support their immediate safety. Although ASIST is widely used by healthcare providers, participants don’t need any formal training to attend the workshop.
ASIST (Applied Suicide Intervention Skills Training)
When: Oct. 11 and 12
Time: 8:30 a.m. – 5:00 p.m. (both days)
Where: UBC Life Building (exact rooms TBD)
Cost: $50 (for materials)
Note: you must attend both days in full to get the certificate of completion
If you are interested in attending the training, please email Tam Uden (tam.uden@ubc.ca) as soon as possible as there are a limited number of spots. She will then confirm your spot in the training.
If you would like to read more on the ASIST program to determine if it is right for you, please refer to this website.
September Hot Lunch: Santa Ono, UBC President
The September Hot Lunch will feature Prof. Santa Ono, UBC President. If you are interested in attending the lunch, you can enter a lottery for one of the 150 available seats for the Sept. 26, 2018, event. Sign up for the draw before Sept. 21.
Lunch this month will be a “A Touch of Singapore” buffet for $10.
Hot Lunch is a cross-campus staff networking initiative hosted by St. John’s College and is supported by Human Resources.
Staff Welcome Back BBQ: Sept. 11, 2018
Each year, the President’s Office and Human Resources welcomes UBC staff to the new academic year with the Welcome Back Staff BBQ.
Tuesday, September 11, 2018
11:30 am to 1:30 pm
Flag Pole Plaza [map]
Registration
Your department should have received the wristbands for the event through Campus Mail. A limited number of wristbands will be available on the day of the event for late registrants who meet the eligibility criteria and have valid UBC ID.
Questions?
Please visit https://ceremonies.ubc.ca/staffbbq/faqs/ for more information about the event.
See you at the BBQ!
Understanding Your Staff Pension Plan: Fall dates open for registration
We have several upcoming Understanding Your Staff Pension Plan information session for members of the Staff Pension Plan. If you or your staff are interested in attending, please register soon as these sessions fill up quickly.
Upcoming dates
- Sept. 27, 1:30-3:30 p.m.
- Oct. 2, 9:30-11:30 a.m.
- Oct. 18, 9:30-11:30 a.m.
- Nov. 6, 9:30-11:30 a.m.
- Nov. 8, 1:30-3:30 p.m.
Learn more and register at http://staff.pensions.ubc.ca/news/workshops/.
PD workshop: Selection Interviewing: Ensuring Equity: Oct. 16, 2018
HR is hosting a one-day workshop focusing on Selection Interviewing: Ensuring Equity, on Oct. 16, 2018. This workshop is designed for managers and administrators who currently have responsibility for the hiring and selection of staff. The cost of this workshop is $25 (includes refreshments and a light lunch).
About the workshop
The interview is a vital step in the hiring process, so you want it to be as effective as possible. This workshop will focus on the essential skills of behavioural interviewing so that you can more effectively get to know your candidates and find the best fit for your team.
Through group exercises, discussions and role-play within this workshop, participants will:
- Develop questions and practice behavioural interviewing skills
- Develop tools to select the best candidate for the position
- Understand basic concepts of human rights, employment equity, and the Freedom of Information and Protection of Privacy legislation
Participants will also review current Human Rights and Employment Equity legislation and discuss the objectives of UBC’s policy on employment equity.
Course information
Date: Oct. 16, 2018, 9:00 a.m. – 4:00 p.m.
Location: TEF III, Room 610
Cost: $25
Register online