myHR: October 19, 2011

Show Your Commitment to Excellence

The Commitment to Excellence Program—a component of the Models of Excellence Program—offers Penn leaders a way to recognize exceptional faculty and staff contributions during unprecedented situations.

How do you know what an "unprecedented situation" is? Well, consider some of our previous honorees. The first ever Commitment to Excellence award went to the Penn Vet team for their extraordinary efforts to conquer a virulent salmonella outbreak at the New Bolton Center. Another award went to a group of staff members from various Penn departments who quickly banded together to help New Orleans college students who had been displaced by Hurricane Katrina.

While the Commitment to Excellence award is tied to the overall Models of Excellence program, the nomination process is somewhat different since such extraordinary circumstances don’t happen every day. There’s no nomination deadline, and the award can include both faculty and staff. In addition, the nomination has to be made by senior leaders at Penn—but you can help bring these inspiring stories to the attention of senior leaders and encourage them to submit a nomination.

For complete details and a list of previous Commitment to Excellence Award winners, click here.

Penn Helps Working Parents Manage Career and Family

If your daily to-do list is anything like Nuala Meyer’s, you know how challenging it is to manage the needs of your career and your family. But Nuala thinks Penn is a great place to work if you’re trying to strike a balance between the two.

As an assistant professor of medicine in the School of Medicine’s Pulmonary, Allergy, and Critical Care Division, Nuala’s busy work schedule includes teaching, traveling, conducting research and serving as an attending physician in the Medical Intensive Care Unit. But thanks to Penn’s worklife benefits, not even a 12-hour work day can keep her from meeting the needs of her family.

"Striking a balance between your personal and professional life isn’t always easy. So it’s nice that Penn thinks about these issues and offers ways to help," she said.

Some of that help includes Penn’s backup care program and the Penn Children’s Center, and Nuala is no stranger to either one. With two kids at home and a husband who works full-time, she appreciates the family-friendly benefits of a workplace like Penn.

"I’ve used Penn’s backup care program on three separate occasions when my regular daycare provider wasn’t available. And I’ve relied on the Penn Children’s Center for my kids’ daycare needs for almost two years. It really builds a sense of community knowing that Penn helps me take better care of my family," Nuala said.

Although she has yet to explore Penn’s full array of worklife benefits—like snow day child care, the Nursing Mothers Program and worklife resources—Nuala plans on taking full advantage of these benefits if and when the need arises.

Click here to learn more about Penn’s worklife balance programs and resources.

Flexible Solutions to Your Worklife Challenges

From family obligations to workplace responsibilities to personal goals, managing all facets of your life is demanding at times. But we can help you find a solution that could strike a better balance between your work and personal needs.

Join us on October 25 for a workshop on Penn’s Flexible Work Options. You’ll learn about creative approaches to meeting your work and personal needs as well as the needs of your department. Whether it’s non-traditional work hours, compressed job schedule options or off-campus work plans, discover ways to help you successfully manage your personal and professional life.

Click here for complete details and to register.

Cross the Generational Divide at Work

Baby Boomers. Generation X. Millenials. Today’s workplace is full of people at all stages of life. If you’re wondering how to bridge the generation gap and get everyone working as a team, we’ll give you the answers!

Join us on October 28 for a workshop on Managing Workforce Generations, and discover how to maximize the power of a multi-generational workforce. You’ll learn how to take advantage of the differences between younger and older workers, and how to turn your workplace into a more productive and innovative environment.

Click here for complete details and to register.