myHR: February 24, 2016

Keep Wellness on Track with Be in the Know’s Bonus Actions

Be in the Know wellness campaign Bonus Actions give benefits-eligible faculty and staff many ways to work toward wellness and remain active rain, snow, or shine. Whether it’s completing a workshop on-campus or from the comfort of home, you can learn more and do more while earning cash incentives in the process.

Maintain Your Health
Earn Bonus Action points just by keeping your preventive health care appointments. Your bi-annual visits to the dentist, annual checkup at the eye doctor, and dermatologist appointment are worth 10 Bonus Action points each. You can earn 20 points each for other screenings, like your annual physical or a men’s or women’s health exam.

Also look for the Colon Cancer Awareness workshop on March 17. At the workshop, Dr. Shivan Mehta, Assistant Professor of Medicine in the Division of Gastroenterology, will talk about the epidemiology of colon cancer, methods for screening, and efforts by Penn Medicine to improve cancer screening quality and access.

Eat Well
Get personalized guidance for yourself and your family with Penn’s nutrition counseling benefit. Faculty and staff covered by a Penn health plan are eligible to receive 6 free sessions with a Registered Dietician from Family Food. Complete just three sessions and you’ll receive 20 Bonus Action points.

Stay Active and Manage Stress
Human Resources offers a wide range of events and workshops to help you stay active and healthy. Register now for the March 11 Wellness Walk, or browse other upcoming events, including yoga classes and guided meditation workshops. Most sessions are worth 10 Bonus Action points each, up to a total of 40 points.

Learn More Online
You can earn Bonus Action points even if the weather keeps you indoors. Penn’s wellness portal, hosted by StayWell, offers digital workshops on topics from cholesterol to osteoarthritis. Complete 4 of these digital workshops for a total of 10 points. You may earn up to 20 points from completing digital workshops.

With Be in the Know Bonus Actions, you can earn points toward a total of $180 in cash incentives. Earn $100 for the Core Actions – the biometric screening and online health assessment – and up to $80 through Bonus Actions. Collect 100 Bonus Action points, and you’ll be entered into a raffle for great prizes. Remember, even though you can earn Bonus Action points any time, you must complete the two Core Actions before any cash incentives will be paid. 

To get all the details about Bonus Actions and see important information on how to document your points, visit the Be in the Know Bonus Actions webpage.

*Cash incentives are less applicable payroll taxes. You must be an active full- or part-time benefits-eligible faculty or staff member to participate.

Say Goodbye to Chaos

Life can be pretty chaotic. When you have multiple projects and priorities to juggle, sudden changes can throw you off course. You can’t always control what the world throws your way, but you can control how you handle it.

Are you looking for effective ways to cut down on disorder and confusion? Invest a little time in learning how to make the most of your efforts. Register for Controlling Chaos and Thriving Under Pressure, a new seminar that will help you simplify and regain control of your work here and in all areas of your life.

This convenient one-day March 18 workshop covers the latest approaches to goal setting, low-stress work habits, and time management. At Controlling Chaos and Thriving Under Pressure, you’ll learn how to:

• prioritize competing projects
• create a plan and stick to it
• get organized so you can find anything—instantly
• keep on top of every detail when managing projects
• meet every deadline without fail; ease the transition from work to home
• find greater satisfaction in everything you do

Space is limited for this new course, so register today. Your department will be charged a $75 fee for the course when you register.

For more information about professional and career development courses at Penn, visit https://www.hr.upenn.edu/myhr/learning.

Saving Energy Today and Everyday

“Savings from this day will go towards funding additional Climate Action Research Grants with the Center for Undergraduate Research and Fellowships.” says Julian Goresko, Sustainability Outreach Manager.

Here are some simple steps you can take today and every day to use energy wisely.

1. Keep the lights off as much as possible. Use natural light during the day and minimal lighting at night. 
2. Turn off lights in common spaces when not in use. Minimize your use of conference rooms for individual work. Consolidate your coworkers into fewer work spaces, so you use less lighting.
3. Turn off or unplug your power strips when not in use. Make sure you do this when leaving your workspace for the day.
4. Unplug your appliances when not in use. These appliances include: coffee-makers, microwaves, toasters, TVs, speakers, printers, computers, and any other electronics. 
5. If you can control your thermostat, turn it down. Close your window blinds at night to retain heat.
6. If you use a desktop computer, shut it down when not in use.
7. Instead of using your computer on your lunch break, do something that doesn't consume energy, like taking a walk.
8. Try using non-electrical gym equipment today. If you must use a cardio machine, use an elliptical or stationary bike, which uses a lot less energy than treadmills.
9. Minimize your hot water usage.

For more energy-saving ideas, contact your staff and faculty Eco-Rep. You can also help by participating in the Power Down Challenge Energy Survey.

Did You Know? Penn’s Job Search Site Goes Mobile

The Penn jobs site is now mobile friendly, allowing job seekers to search and even apply to postings with a phone or tablet. Job seekers can access the site wherever they are, making it convenient and easy for them to search for Penn jobs. You will notice the site also has a new look. View it on your laptop or better yet, try it on your phone. Visit https://jobs.hr.upenn.edu.

Healthy Meals: Chutney Salmon

Here’s a quick, heart healthy way to make tender and flavorful salmon. Now that so many local stores carry chutney, there are many styles to choose from.

Find the recipe here or send us your healthy recipes and tips. 

Share Your Productivity Tips

There are many different productivity tools and approaches out there to help you stay on track — from old school to-do lists to tomato-shaped timers to sophisticated systems such as David Allen's Getting Things Done. Productivity techniques are available to suit every work style.

Which productivity methods have helped you the most here at Penn?

Complete this quick productivity tips survey and you could win a prize in our next myHR drawing.

We'll share the most popular and noteworthy tips form the survey in a future issue of myHR.