myHR: August 14, 2013

Step Up Your Career

“Learning about my personality type and my unique strengths helped me leverage those strengths to further my career at Penn,” says Christine Eisler, Director of Faculty Affairs in the School of Nursing. Christine participated in the STEP UP program this spring, and has already started reaping the benefits! She credits the program with providing her the tools and confidence to pursue the next step in her career at Penn.  

So what is STEP UP? It’s a new pre-supervisory training program designed for motivated individuals who aspire to be supervisors or managers. It helps you build the skills and understanding needed to manage both yourself and others.

You’ll learn how to identify your unique strengths and utilize them to the fullest. Topics such as communications, managing relationships, and managing change will help you understand team dynamics and how to be a productive member—and leader—of a team. 

Christine says the program also helps you build your Penn professional network. “I’ve met several individuals from different schools. It help you build relationships, grow as a professional, make connections.” 

STEP UP includes seven half-day classroom sessions and seven correlated online eLearning modules that you’ll need to complete before each classroom session. Your first class will be STEP UP Introduction: First Steps to Excellence, and your last class will be STEP UP Final: Preparing for Leadership. You can complete the remaining five core courses in between—and in any order you’d like.

All seven sessions will be offered several times throughout the year, so you can complete the program at your own pace. The first Introduction session will be held on September 10, but you can find a schedule of sessions through December 2013 here.

Your department will be charged a modest $150 fee for the program. To sign up, go to Knowledge Link, log in and search for “STEP UP Pre-Supervisory” in the search box. Enroll in the introductory session and call 215-898-3400 to arrange to pick up your book. Once you complete the course introduction prerequisite, you can then enroll in the next five courses.

Take the Fast Track to Administrative Excellence

If you're an administrative professional, discover how the Penn Certificate Program in Administrative Excellence can help you shine. Designed specifically for frontline support and administrative staff, this program will show you skills and strategies to manage your workload with ease. 

You’ll attend five classroom sessions with a cohort of your peers from around the University. Together, you’ll discuss a range of topics, including time and stress management, how to handle interruptions, and working more effectively with your manager.

Learn valuable techniques for office organization and managing multiple projects. And discover a variety of communication styles and skills that can help you excel in your job. The program will even show you the ins and outs of succeeding in a decentralized environment like Penn's and how to build your professional network. 

The Penn Certificate Program in Administrative Excellence begins on October 15 and ends in February. Your department will be charged a modest $100 fee for the program. Click here for complete details and to register.

A Health Advocate for You

Navigating the healthcare system can be complex. What services are covered? How much should it cost? How can I find the right doctor?  

Luckily, help is just a phone call away. You can get answers to these questions and more when you call Health Advocate. This free and confidential service helps you and your family resolve any number of healthcare-related issues with ease.  

Simply pick up the phone and call Health Advocate at 1-866-799-2329 (toll-free). Trained Personal Health Advocates will work with you one-on-one to find the solutions you need. They’ll help you sort out billing concerns, get approval for covered services, locate the right treatment facilities, coordinate health care for your elderly parents and more. 

Let Health Advocate help save you time, money and worry. All benefits-eligible faculty and staff can use this service, whether you’re covered under Penn’s health benefits or not. For more information, visit Health Advocate's website. 

Are You Saving Enough for Retirement?

Will you have enough money to live on once you’ve retired? It’s a question everyone should think about, whether you’re just starting out in the workforce or you’re getting close to retiring.  

If you’re somewhat early in your career, you might think it’s better to delay saving for retirement so you can focus on more immediate goals such as paying off student loans or saving up for a home. But the sooner you start saving for retirement—even if it’s just a little bit right now—the better off you’ll be in the long run. Because the sooner you start, the more your nest egg can grow through the power of compound interest. 

If you’ve already started saving, you’ve started down the right path. But it’s also important to periodically review your savings plan to be sure it’s still appropriate for you. As time passes, your goals and priorities may shift and you’ll want to adjust your investment mix accordingly.  

And if you’re getting close to retirement, it’s time to work on a detailed retirement plan. Keep in mind that your retirement years could last 20 to 30 years—or more.

For more information about steps you should take to plan for retirement, view this article by TIAA-CREF, one of Penn’s retirement vendors. 

Penn's retirement plans give you the freedom and flexibility to choose how much to contribute and how to invest your money. And Penn's retirement vendors, TIAA-CREF and Vanguard, offer free one-on-one counseling to help you meet your financial goals. Visit the Human Resources website for more information.