myHR: January 8, 2014

Penn Staff Share Their Stories: Career Development at Penn

Take charge of your professional development! No one knows better than you what your needs are, and Penn offers a wide array of programs to help you learn new skills and advance your career.

We recently sat down with several Penn staff members to learn how they took advantage of Penn’s professional development programs—and how it helped them excel. Read the excerpts below, and then watch our brief (2 ½ minute) video to hear more.

• “I really learned how to become a better advocate for myself.” – Tim
• “I don’t care what age you are, you have to always continue to improve yourself.” – Eva
• “I was able to develop myself into a different person.” – Michael
• “The program taught me to be a better leader.” – Charles
• “I’ve learned things such as being a better assistant or being a team player.” – Rae
• “It helps you to build relationships, grow as a professional, make connections.” – Christine

For more information about Penn’s professional development programs, visit www.hr.upenn.edu/myhr/learning.

Build Assertive Communication Skills

Effective communication is a necessary tool in the workplace. And when conflicts arise, assertiveness can be the key to achieving results.

Being too passive or too aggressive in your communications can backfire. If you don’t speak up, you might end up taking on more work than you can handle or watching a project go in the wrong direction. If you’re too aggressive, though, others may come to resent or even openly oppose you.

When you’re assertive, you don’t let people walk all over you, but you don’t steamroll them either. You have constructive conversations, expressing your own opinions while listening to those of others. You may not end up getting exactly what you want, but you’ll build stronger relationships and earn respect.

Join us on January 22 for a three-hour workshop (9am-12pm) on Expanding Your Assertiveness in Communications. You’ll learn how to think and act assertively, consider the impacts of conflict and stress, and use constructive language to communicate.

Your department will be charged a nominal fee of $75 for this course. Click here for more information and to register.

Take a Fresh Look at Your Retirement Goals

The beginning of a new year is a great time to evaluate your retirement goals. Whether you’re new to retirement planning or a long-time saver, Penn can help you along your way.

What investment choices should I make? How can I maximize my contributions? Are pre-tax or Roth contributions best for me? For help with questions like these, simply set up a free one-on-one consultation with TIAA-CREF or Vanguard. A licensed retirement planning counselor will help you make the decisions that are best for you.

For information on how to set up a retirement counseling session, click here.