myHR: October 19, 2022

A New Performance Management Tool

The performance review process will soon launch in Workday. As part of that process, staff and managers will be able to review a new framework of competencies for 2022-2023 and discuss how it applies to their jobs. The new framework will replace the previous set of competencies used during past performance reviews.

Competencies are observable and measurable skills and behaviors that contribute to workplace effectiveness and career success. They are used to evaluate performance, make hiring decisions, identify development needs, and establish a strong talent pipeline. While skills are specific, learned, and measurable activities that enable task completion, competencies blend skills, knowledge, and behavior to produce performance. Staff use these competencies across job functions and job levels. 

Over the past several months, a campus-wide group of Human Resource professionals and leaders have discussed a set of 38 competencies acquired from Korn Ferry, a leading organizational management company. The group has integrated the set into the University’s own job catalog of job profiles and descriptions. 

Staff can begin to view their job competencies with descriptions during the mid-year performance review period, which launches November 1 with a completion date of December 15.

Each staff member’s job will have a total of 10 competencies: five core and five related to job family.

Five Core Competencies

In consultation with senior leaders, the University has identified five core competencies that are assigned to every staff member regardless of job family or job level. These are: 

• Ensures Accountability
• Collaborates
• Communicates Effectively
• Customer Focus
• Values Differences

Job Family Competencies

The other five competencies are assigned based on job family. To identify these, Penn surveyed representatives from each job family to ask which 30 competencies they used most frequently and were most important to their role. 

Additionally, since competencies are applied in different ways depending on staff member roles and responsibilities, each competency description in Workday has behavioral examples for these management levels:

• Entry/Support
• Individual Contributor
• Supervisor/Manager
• Director/Executive

For example, the competency of “Ensures Accountability,” a Penn core competency, has different behaviors for each management level: 

Competency: Ensures Accountability
Description: Holding self and others accountable to meet commitments

Penn Gives Your Retirement Savings a Boost 

The University of Pennsylvania is committed to offering a retirement savings program that helps you plan for and build long-term financial security. Changes are coming to the Basic Plan that will increase your savings.

Effective January 1, 2023, Penn’s non-matching contributions to the Basic Plan will increase by one percentage point. If you’re eligible for the Basic Plan, Penn makes non-matching contributions for you based on your age. The increase will apply to all age ranges. 

You don’t have to take any action to receive this higher contribution from the University. You will see the increase in your Basic Plan contributions reflected in your pay statements. Here is what the contribution increase will look like for different age groups:

*Eligible weekly-paid employees will receive the increase beginning with the pay 1/13/2023 (pay for the first full week of January 2023)

If you would like to review your retirement plan, you can make an appointment with a TIAA retirement plan counselor at tiaa.org/schedulenow-upenn or call 800-732-8353.

Also, don’t forget to review your beneficiary designations to make sure they are up to date. You can check by logging into to your TIAA account, calling the TIAA Retirement Call Center at 877-736-6738, or reviewing your most recent quarterly statement.

Dealing with Burnout

Does the job you once loved have you feeling blah? Are you snapping at coworkers and family members without reason? Do many days feel exhausting no matter how many cups of coffee you drink and how many hours of sleep you get? If so, you could be experiencing burnout. 

Burnout is a state of emotional, physical, and mental exhaustion caused by excessive and prolonged stress. It occurs when you feel overwhelmed, emotionally drained, and unable to meet constant demands. Of course, it’s natural to feel stress, fatigue, sadness, or any other negative emotion. The challenge is how to navigate those feelings, thoughts, and emotions so that you can take the pressure off and restore and reinvigorate yourself in times of need. 

Know the Signs

Dealing with burnout means first knowing the signs. Health Advocate lists the following indicators:  

• Physical symptoms: exhaustion, headaches, and muscle aches
• Frequent illness
• A negative mindset about work or your career situation
• Feeling like your efforts are futile
• Neglecting your own needs, as if you're a pushover
• Withdrawing from new responsibilities, challenges, and people
• Procrastination
• Difficulty sticking to regular self-care (i.e., exercise, eating well, etc.)
• Loss of motivation and optimism

If these patterns seem familiar, there are ways to help restore the balance you need before burnout takes a serious toll on your well-being. You can: 

• Reset your priorities: Say “no” to non-essential tasks to free up time for more restorative activities like a walk in the park or to listen to your favorite podcast. 
• Request support: At work, swap certain aspects of your job with a coworker or ask for a flexible work schedule. At home, make a family calendar to clearly list everyone’s daily chores so they don’t all fall on your to-do list. 
• Recharge your batteries: Make time for activities and people that boost, rather than drain, your spirit. Take short breaks throughout the day to sit quietly or take a walk. Learn something new such as a new language or recipe. It can rebuild your confidence and freshen up your outlook. 
• Know when to seek additional help: Don’t feel like you have to deal with stressful situations alone. Ask for assistance. 
  

Boosting Emotional Fitness 

Increasing your emotional fitness can also help you deal with burnout. Everyone experiences life differently, so there isn’t one set of feelings that make someone emotionally fit. Emotional fitness is understanding your feelings and how they impact your life. 

Emotional fitness is just as important to your bodily health as physical fitness. To learn how to develop it, set aside just 30 minutes of your time to take the Emotional Fitness course on Knowledge Link. 

Human Resources’ Talent Development and Quality of Work-Life teams recently developed this new online module to provide the Penn community with a toolkit to help build the skills that support personal fortitude. It’s designed as an overall guide for staff and managers faced with challenging work relationships, family situations, or larger external challenges such as social injustice, among others. 

Emotional Fitness covers:

• The definition of emotional fitness and how it differs from emotional intelligence.
• The seven traits of emotional fitness and how they can be developed.
• Strategies for becoming a more emotionally fit individual.
• Techniques for supporting emotionally fit teams and cultures.
  

This module is not a replacement for behavioral health services. If you or a loved one are seeking emotional well-being or behavioral health care, please visit the MindWell at Penn pages for a complete resource guide or simply call the Penn Employee Assistance Program at 1-866-799-2329. Help is available 24/7.

Here are some additional resources you can use to help you beat burnout:

• MindWell at Penn  
• Penn Healthy You 
• Be in the Know 
• The Importance of Building Strong Emotional Muscles, Insight Timer blog
• Five Simple Mindfulness Practices for Daily Life, Mindful magazine
• Resilience, Psychology Today
  
  

Virtual Penn Pet Parade

Among the accomplished guests who will be on campus as part of the inauguration of President Liz Magill, there is one notable personality whose talents transcend the limits of human achievement--a Goldendoodle named Olive. During inauguration weekend, the Penn community and our dogs have been invited to join President Magill, Olive, and members of the Division of Public Safety and the Penn Vet Working Dog Center for a stroll through campus. You can register for the walk online. It’s a reminder of how much our animal companions support us on the job, at home, and in our communities. 

Maybe walking your pets alongside Olive is not an option, but you can show them off in the myHR faculty and staff virtual pet parade in November. To join the parade, let us know how pets help you, whether you have a zoom-bombing cat or soothing aquarium fish, a quiet hermit crab or a dog that treats your return home from work like every holiday rolled into one. You can upload photos or artwork of your pets and tell us about your animal friends through this Virtual Pet Parade questionnaire. Next month, selected entries will be featured in an upcoming issue of myHR.

All our beloved pets are winners, but one Penn faculty or staff member’s entry will be selected at random to receive a swag bag from Human Resources and our partners in the Division of Business Services and Shop at Penn. To be eligible for the prize drawing, complete the Virtual Pet Parade questionnaire by October 28, 2022, at 5.p.m. EST.

Penn pets are a big part of the work-life equation, so they deserve a little Work and Family Month recognition. While working dogs like UPPD K9 Officers Zzisa and Uman protect us and specially trained service animals help us lead safer, more independent lives; the other friendly, fascinating creatures who live with us do more than look adorable.

Of course, some of us feel better living in critter-free homes. But for animal lovers who can keep pets safely, research has shown that pets measurably improve physical and emotional well-being. Studies have linked time spent with pets to health benefits such as decreased blood pressure and cholesterol, as well as lower feelings of loneliness and anxiety. Pets can also increase our exercise, provide opportunities for social interactions, and improve brain function in older adults.

We look forward to seeing your Penn pets on parade. Visit our Work and Family month listing for more work-life and wellness events.

Improving Your Dialogue

Oftentimes, staff and faculty are faced with the challenge of having difficult conversations. This can be an uncomfortable task, but there are steps you can take to strengthen your mindset, cultivate growth, and establish processes for more confident and easier dialogue. 

Learn how to improve your resilience and create more effective discussion by attending the Cultivating Growth and Resilience in Difficult Conversations virtual workshop on November 8 from 12:30 p.m. to 1:30 p.m.

“I am a believer that getting through conflict and difficulty helps us be more resilient. Resiliency is something we all need more, I think especially since the beginning of the pandemic,” says workshop facilitator and Senior Consultant for Organization and Talent Development Amma Napier.  

“I also believe that while we need to resolve conflict, people have become more averse to it; it’s often easier initially to avoid it than to engage with it,” Napier says. 

In this workshop Napier will provide participants with tools and techniques such as “feedforward” and “improvisation” to build resilience and increase engagement for better outcomes. By attending this program, you will:

• Understand that you have an impact on the outcome of any difficult conversation
• Be able to define resilience and identify several of its elements
• Be able to practice self-awareness in the context of having difficult conversations
• Understand why a connected mindset equals a growth mindset
• Relate curiosity to growth
• Explore opportunities for resilience and self-awareness in difficult conversations
• Commit to one thing you will do differently 
  

Register today for the Cultivating Growth and Resilience in Difficult Conversations workshop and create better outcomes for you and your colleagues.  

For more professional development opportunities, visit the Learn & Grow webpage. 

A Drug-Free Workplace

National Drug-Free Work Week is October 17 through October 23. For the health and safety of the Penn community, the University of Pennsylvania is committed to maintaining a drug-free workplace. Drug and alcohol abuse endangers individual users, as well as their family, friends, and coworkers. The use of any substance that impairs your workplace judgement or abilities puts you, your colleagues, and Penn students at risk.

Please take the time to review the University’s drug and alcohol policies.

Penn’s Drug and Alcohol Policies

Penn prohibits the unlawful manufacture, distribution, dispensation, sale, possession, or use of any drug by its employees in its workplace. Complete policy details are available online:

• Penn’s Drug-Free Workplace policy for faculty and staff 
• Penn’s Alcohol and Other Drug Policy

Understanding Addiction

Addiction is a serious disease, but many effective treatments are available. Visit Penn’s Health Advocate website at www.healthadvocate.com/upenn for facts about addiction, recovery, and support services for faculty and staff.

Help Is Here

If you or a family member has a substance abuse problem, we encourage you to seek help. Penn provides free, confidential counseling services for you and your immediate family members through the Employee Assistance Program (EAP). The EAP will assist you with challenges that may interfere with your personal or professional life, including substance abuse.

For more information about the EAP’s counseling and referral services, visit the Employee Assistance Program web page or contact the Employee Assistance Program 24 hours a day, 7 days a week at 866-799-2329.

You can also refer to Penn’s addiction treatment publication for information about treatment benefits and resources. 

Healthy Meals: Pumpkin Soup

It’s fall and that means pumpkin season. This Pumpkin Soup is healthy, super creamy, and keeps you cozy. Plus, it’s high in fiber and low in saturated fats. It is an aromatic dish that makes for an elegant first course or a satisfying lunch on a cold day. It’s also perfect served alongside hummus and toast or a hearty salad.

Click here to send us your healthy recipes and tips. 

Ingredients:

1 cup water
1 medium leek, washed and chopped 
1 tablespoon olive oil 
2 cups peeled and chopped butternut squash 
1 medium apple, peels and chopped 
1 medium pear, peeled and chopped 
1/3 cup pumpkin puree 
3 tablespoons flour
1 teaspoon salt 
1 ½ teaspoons curry powder 
⅛ teaspoon ground cloves 
⅛ teaspoon ground nutmeg 
¼ teaspoon black pepper 
6 cups low sodium chicken broth 
½ cup unsweetened almond milk 
12 ounce can fat-free evaporated milk 
¼ cup unsalted pumpkin seeds 
Orange zest

Instructions:

Chop leek in food processor. 
Sauté in large pot with olive oil, until brown approximately 3-5 minutes. 
Chop apple, pear, and butternut squash. (Pro Tip: Chop in food processor) 
Add to pot and sauté 5 minutes longer; add pumpkin and mix. 
Add flour, salt, curry powder, cloves, nutmeg, and black pepper. Cook an additional 5 minutes until flavors combine. 
Add broth, water, and milk. Bring to a boil and cook for approximately 20 minutes until squash is tender. 
Season with additional salt or pepper if needed. Puree with an immersion blender or high-powered blender. Pour into a serving bowl, garnish with pumpkin seeds and orange zest and enjoy!


PRO TIP: Purchase frozen butternut squash and microwave for quicker prep and cooking time! 


For more tips and nutrition support, meet with a Corporate Wellness Nutrition Registered Dietitian today!

• One-on-One, virtual sessions you can schedule at any time that works for you
• 100% covered under many insurance plans and available to spouses and dependents
• Simple Sign Up Process – Visit Penn’s Corporate Wellness Nutrition’s Sign Up page, provide your information and a customer service team member will reach out in 1-2 business days to book your appointment.
  

Only 14 More Fall Be in the Know Biometric Screenings

Free on-campus biometric screenings are available through November 22. Register now on the Penn Health Advocate portal and be on your way to earning your first $50 for Be in the Know 2022-2023.

“A biometric screening is one of the easiest and most convenient ways to get a snapshot of your overall well-being, plus practice self-care, which we often forego,” says Jessica Shea, Biometric Coordinator/Screener, Health Advocate.“One of the main benefits of an on-campus biometric screening is that it provides an opportunity for a face-to-face review of your biometric numbers, and then education with a health professional. This allows you to ask questions and gain a better understanding of your results and what the numbers mean. All on-campus screening participants also have access to a free, confidential follow-up call with a Health Advocate Wellness Coach to take learning to the next level.”

Learn more at www.hr.upenn.edu/beintheknow.

Did You Know: Models of Excellence Nominations Due Soon

The Models of Excellence Award Program celebrates the outstanding achievements of individual full- and part-time staff members and teams across Penn. This year’s call for nominations is open through October 28. You can nominate staff for awards in three categories: Models of Excellence, Pillars of Excellence, and Model Supervisor. Download the digital Call for Nominations brochure for details. The online nomination form is available at www.hr.upenn.edu/models.