myHR: March 29, 2023

Mark Your Calendars for Penn Benefits Open Enrollment

Penn’s Benefits Open Enrollment is fast approaching. This year’s Open Enrollment will be Monday, April 24 through Friday, May 5.

Open Enrollment is your annual opportunity to make changes to your health plans, life insurance, and flexible spending accounts. While Open Enrollment is still a few weeks away, we want to give staff and faculty plenty of time to learn about the upcoming 2023-2024 plan year changes.

This year, the Division of Human Resources will host an on-campus Open Enrollment Benefits Fair and virtual and on-campus benefits presentations.

For more information about your benefits, visit www.hr.upenn.edu/openenrollment. You’ll have access to benefit comparison charts, contribution charts, and more.

Plan Changes as of July 1, 2023

• Keystone HMO Plan Gets New Behavioral Health Network -- The behavioral health network for the Keystone HMO plan is changing. IBX Behavioral Health will replace the Magellan Network. Staff and faculty who have Keystone as their medical plan will keep the same card. Participants can continue to call 1-800-688-1911 to find a network provider, facility, or for authorization. To find the behavioral health network for your Penn plan, log into Workday@Penn at www.workday.upenn.edu, select Benefits, then Benefits Elections.
• Reduced Copays for Behavioral Health and Therapy Services -- Penn remains committed to providing behavioral health services and support to staff and faculty. Copays for PennCare/Personal Choice PPO, Aetna Choice POS II, and Keystone/AmeriHealth HMO will be reduced in the upcoming plan year. Check the Behavioral Health Coverage page in the Benefits Enrollment Guide for details.
  
  Copays for occupational therapy, physical therapy, and speech therapy will also be lowered for PennCare/Personal Choice PPO, Aetna Choice POS II, and Keystone/AmeriHealth HMO. Check the medical plan charts in the Benefits Enrollment Guide for exact amounts.

• New Provider for Fertility Benefits – Penn’s medical plans will have a new fertility provider. Carrot Fertility will replace the current medical coverage for all fertility-related services, effective July 1. The new provider will work with Penn Fertility Clinic and fertility clinics nationwide to support staff in different locations, and the benefit will now offer a concierge level of service. The benefit remains at a flat $30,000 lifetime maximum that can be used for a variety of fertility treatments.
• Medical Plan and Dental Rates – Medical rates for PennCare/Personal Choice PPO, Aetna Choice POS II, and Keystone/AmeriHealth HMO will increase in the upcoming plan year. Dental rates for the Penn Family Plan will also increase slightly. Vision plan rates will remain the same. For a complete list of new rates, check the Medical, Dental, and Vision Rates for 2023-2024 chart in the Benefits Enrollment Guide or visit www.hr.upenn.edu/openenrollment.
• Health Care Flexible Spending Account Rollover Amount Raised– If you have a Health Care Flexible Spending Account (HCFSA), you will be able to roll over up to $610 to the following plan year. You will forfeit any remaining balance over $610. The maximum amount you can contribute to the Health Care FSA is increasing from $2,850 to $3,050. You have until June 30 (end of the plan year) to incur expenses, but you have until September 30 to submit eligible claims for services you received before June 30.

All changes are effective July 1, 2023.

Open Enrollment Benefits Fair and Benefits Presentations

The Open Enrollment Benefits fair will be held on campus on Tuesday, April 25 from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. in Gimbel Gym, Pottruck Health and Fitness Center. Penn HR staff, representatives from Penn’s healthcare providers, and wellness partners will be there to answer your questions.

Virtual and on-campus Open Enrollment presentations will also be held on the following dates.

Don’t Miss the Live 2023 Models of Excellence Celebration

You’re invited to celebrate University of Pennsylvania staff achievements at the 2023 Models of Excellence Awards Program Ceremony on April 26, from 4 p.m. to 5 p.m. in Irvine Auditorium.

This year’s staff recognition event is open to the Penn community for the first time since 2019. At this, in-person celebration, President Liz Magill will join Senior Executive Vice President Craig Carnaroli, Interim Provost Beth Winkelstein, and Senior Vice President of Human Resources Jack Heuer on the Irvine Auditorium stage to present the Models of Excellence Awards and express Penn’s gratitude for each staff member’s remarkable work. Musical guests, the Penny Loafers, will provide live entertainment. The program will be immediately followed by a cocktail reception at 5 p.m. in the Irvine lobby where colleagues and guests can continue the festivity.

Don’t miss the return of Penn’s premier campus-wide staff recognition event. Register for the Models of Excellence ceremony and reception today.

This year, four teams and 11 individuals were chosen from a pool of over 200 nominees from schools and centers across the University to receive 2023 Models of Excellence honors. These staff members represent the best of Penn.

Honors are presented in three award categories:

• Models of Excellence
• Pillars of Excellence
  
• Model Supervisor

Each Models of Excellence, Pillars of Excellence, and Model Supervisor award-winning staff member will receive $500 and a symbolic award. Staff members who have earned Honorable Mentions will receive $250 and a symbolic award.

You can learn more about their amazing work at www.hr.upenn.edu/models. Better yet, see them in person, hear their inspiring stories, and share your appreciation for fellow coworkers at the April 26 ceremony.

Toot Your Own Horn

Starting April 3, staff will be able to access the year-end performance review process to start their self-evaluation in Workday. The self-evaluation step is your opportunity to reflect on your job performance, strengths, and development areas. This brief pause to gather and express your ideas on your Penn career can help prepare you to have a meaningful conversation with your manager.

Penn Staff Performance Review Process

The self-evaluation step in the Workday year-end performance review process has four parts which require input.

• Goals
• Feedback Questions
• Competency Proficiency Ratings
• Overall Performance Rating

In addition, you have optional fields to supplement your self-evaluation by entering your accomplishments of the past 12 months that are not mentioned elsewhere in your review. You can also upload supporting documents.

Making the Process Work for You

Take these actions to make the self-evaluation reflect the impact and quality of your work:

• Review the details of your mid-year performance review or other past conversations with your manager recorded in Workday Check-ins or elsewhere.
• Outline your progress in meeting goals and professional development activities.
• Describe how you met and set goals and expectations.
• Collect data such as results and measurements, reports, and feedback from internal and external customers.
• Be ready to explain how you demonstrated the Penn core competencies and the competencies of your job family.

Remember, your contribution to Penn is valuable. Be prepared to toot your own horn.

What You Can Do Now

Here are some activities to help you get ready to complete your upcoming reviews.

• Discuss the plan or target date to complete employee self-evaluations with your manager, school, or center. Complete the self-evaluation well in advance of June 17 to provide time for the manager evaluation and the performance review meeting.
• Review the Workday Performance Management Guide for links to more details and how-to resources.
• Schedule a performance review meeting with your manager and each staff member who reports to you.
• Begin talking with your manager about goal management to kick off the annual performance review cycle for next year. Goals can be modified or entered in your Workday profile at any time.
• See the updated Goals and Check-Ins and Performance Management for Managers and Employees tip sheets.
• Consider using the optional Workday check-in feature to document some of your regularly scheduled meetings or project updates with your manager.

Register for a virtual demonstration of the year-end process on Wednesday, April 19, at 12 p.m. Participants are limited to 300. A recording of this meeting will be available through the Workday Performance Management Guide.

When you log in to Workday starting on April 3, you will see tasks to the year-end performance review in the Awaiting Your Action section of the homepage.

Rating Competencies and Performance

The performance review cycle in Workday requires two reviews per year: the mid-year the fall and the annual in spring. The spring review is a look back at a 12-month period to review goals, feedback questions, competencies, and professional development. The year-end process requires ratings for each of the 10 competencies as well as for overall performance. The staff member provides these ratings in the self-evaluation, then the manager will provide ratings during the manager evaluation.

During the fall mid-year performance reviews, the University implemented a robust set of competencies sourced from Korn Ferry. Each staff member has 10 competencies: five are common to everyone as Penn core competencies and five are related to an individual’s job family. Competencies are observable and measurable skills and behaviors that contribute to workplace effectiveness and career success. Each competency is rated on a three-point scale:

• Needs Improvement
• Meets Expectations
• Exceeds Expectations

The rating for overall performance has four options:

1. Does not meet expectations—Did not meet most goals and/or often fell short of standards for timeliness, quality, and/or resource utilization.
2. Meets some but not all expectations—Acceptable performance overall, though did not meet some goals or sometimes fell short of standards for timeliness, quality, and/or resource utilization.
3. Fulfills expectations—Successfully met all goals, consistently meeting standards for timeliness, quality, and/or resource utilization.
4. Exceeds expectations—Successfully met all goals and regularly surpassed standards for timeliness, quality, and/or resource utilization.

If you have questions or would like more information, please contact the Penn Employee Solution Center online, by email at solutioncenter@upenn.edu, or by phone at 215-898-7372.

Grow Your Money Smarts This Spring

April is just a few days away, bringing more than showers and income tax deadlines. It’s Financial Literacy Month, featuring Penn’s variety of financial wellness, retirement planning, and money saving workshops to help your money grow this spring and beyond.

Click the event titles below to register for these money-smart spring virtual programs.

Invest for Success: 5 Principles You Need to Know with TIAA
April 5, 12-1 p.m. 

Teaching Kids Smart Money Choices virtual workshop with PNC Bank
April 11, 12 p.m. -1 p.m.

Make the Move Toward Long-Term Financial Security: Your Midcareer Retirement Check-In with TIAA
April 12, 12 p.m. -1 p.m.

Student Loan 101 presented by PeopleJoy
April 13, 12 p.m. -1 p.m. 

Investing 101 with MetLife
April 18, 12 p.m. -1 p.m.

Advice Tools with TIAA
April 19, 12 p.m. -1 p.m.

Getting a Head Start with TIAA
April 26, 12 p.m. -1 p.m.

Bright Horizons Marketplace for Discounted Family Supports
May 10, 12 p.m. – 12:30 p.m.

For additional educational resources on retirement planning, as well as other financial wellness tips, please visit the new Retirement Savings Plan Education webpage.

Reap the Benefits of Nature with the 30 x 30 Outdoor Challenge

With flowers blooming amid spring temperatures, it’s time take a break and enjoy the outdoors. According to the Environmental Protection Agency, Americans spend approximately 90% of their time indoors. Researchers have been documenting what many of us know intuitively: that nature is good for our health and well-being. You can reap these benefits by participating in Penn Sustainability’s annual 30x30 Outdoor Challenge and some exciting Earth Week activities. 

The 30 x 30 Outdoor Challenge

This month-long wellness event sponsored by Penn Sustainability and Human Resources welcomes the whole Penn community to spend time outdoors, learn about local ecology, and appreciate the beauty of nature. The challenge runs from April 1 through April 30. Each day during April, Be in the Know participants are challenged to spend at least 30 minutes outside. If you achieve the April 30x30 Outdoor Challenge for 21 out of 30 days and track your progress on the Virgin Pulse platform, you will earn 750 points for the 2022-2023 Be in the Know wellness campaign. You can also use the challenge's online chat feature to share your experiences and photos with your Virgin Pulse friends and colleagues along the way.  

To get ready to earn Be in the Know points for this year’s challenge sign up on the Virgin Pulse platform. The deadline to track your progress is May 7 at 11:59 p.m. Data uploaded after this date won’t be counted in your final results. Please note that the platform will only allow you to enter date for the previous 14 days. For example, data for Saturday, April 1 must be uploaded by Saturday, April 15 at 11:59 p.m. 

For more information on the 30x30 Outdoor Challenge, visit the Penn Sustainability website.

Earth Week at Penn

April 17-23 is Earth Week at Penn. During this time, faculty, staff, and students can participate in cross-disciplinary events designed to educate and inspire action around themes of environmental justice, climate, and nature-based solutions. This year’s events include:

• Penn Traditions Earth Week Volunteering Event: Penn Traditions will hold its yearly Earth Week tree-planting event at Cobb’s Creek on April 16 from 2 p.m. to 3 p.m.
• Earth Week Yoga at the Food Farm: Join Campus Recreation for a special outdoor yoga class at the Penn Farm for Earth Week. This class is free to all Penn Community members and has limited registration. 
• Inspiration to Action with Talon Bazille: Engage with Penn Alum Talon Bazille C’15 in a rap performance and conversation about music and indigenous knowledge that can inspire, connect, and help empower each other towards climate action. The event will also feature Penn Alum and performer Angelo Matos and local community organizations.
• Outdoor Bootcamp: Join Alex Orr and Morgen Rosen for an outdoor Bootcamp on Franklin Field at 9 a.m. Please wear comfortable clothing and bring a towel and water bottle. Class is free for anyone in the Penn Community.

Check the Earth Week website for updates about upcoming events.

Your school or center can register your Earth Week events for inclusion on the Penn Sustainability calendar. Send your Earth Week questions to Penn Sustainability at sustainability@upenn.edu.

Get In Touch with Nature

Nature doesn't have to be seen as a destination—it’s right around the corner. Green space is as close as your neighborhood park or garden. Community gardens, trails, parks, and open, natural areas are often a short diversion from your daily route. Birds, bees and other critters are always nearby. You just have to take time to watch and listen. Whether it’s a weekend hike or a lunch-time stroll to the BioPond in Kaskey Memorial Park, there are countless ways to experience nature that fit your schedule and lifestyle.

Here are a few ideas from Penn Sustainability to help you take a break and enjoy the outdoors:

• Step outside, close your eyes, and breathe in the fresh air. Open your eyes and notice the vibrant flowers blooming.
• Take your reading outside. Find your favorite shaded (or sunny) spot as you enjoy some literature.
• If you're on or near campus, use our Nature Rx @Penn map to find great nature spots near you!
• Take a photo that captures the detail of a plant or other natural object.
• Find an interesting bug or plant, and try to identify its species using the iNaturalist app.
• Go outside to take a scheduled call or eat a healthy dinner.
• Watch the sunrise or sunset for multiple days this week. Notice the difference in colors and hues.
• Bike or walk somewhere you've never been before, exploring your own neighborhood or one you wanted to check out.
• Skip the gym in favor of an outdoor run, bike ride, or other workout.
• Relieve stress by gardening. If you don't have your own garden, look into volunteering at a community garden near you!
• Take a pencil and paper outside with you. Sketch what you see, write a poem, or just reflect on the day.
• Try Qigong, yoga or meditation outside. Think of your gratitude list and state affirmations to improve your mood and uplift your energy.
• Go outdoors to listen to soft music and focus on mindfulness and calm.
• Find a relaxing place to simply sit and watch the birds, squirrels, and other natural creatures outside.

Visit the Penn Sustainability website for more details.

Take Our Children to Work Day Is on April 27

After a three-year hiatus due to the pandemic, Penn’s annual Take Our Children to Work Day event will return to campus on April 27. This event is geared towards children ages 9-15, with age-appropriate academic learning activities, although children of any age are welcome to attend. Take Our Children to Work Day provides youth with an opportunity to explore different career paths while having fun. All faculty and staff are invited to sponsor a young guest to participate.

Take Our Children to Work Day is more than just a chance for children to tag along with you on the job. It gives youth enriching hands-on experiences in Penn’s innovative, diverse work environments.

Penn celebrates this event by providing an array of activities and programs that inspire youth, while introducing them to the workplace and higher education.

Participants can sample a variety of fields from athletics to robotics. Plus, each child can get a souvenir PennCard with their photo!

Schools, departments, and groups across Penn are collaborating to offer dozens of developmental activities this year, including:

• Passport to the World - Join International Student and Scholar Services (ISSS) for a morning of learning, exploring, and creating art with the ISSS staff. Students will have the opportunity to visit several activity stations and "explore the world" and work of ISSS.  Activities such as coloring; introduction to information, inquiries, and data; and interactive stations covering a variety of cultures and languages are just some of the offerings.
• Robots, Mazes & Innovative Work - Come down to the Pennovation Works campus to learn about the innovative work done by the GRASP Lab at Penn and build your own robot.  Learn to build a minimalist robot and try to race them through a maze.
• A Day in the Bio-Lab Life - Come and see all the cool toys, uh, important equipment, that our Bioengineering students get to use in our Bio-Maker Space. Watch a robotic arm controlled by muscle contractions, see cool projects utilizing our laser cutter, and watch our 3D printer bring cartoon characters to life.
• Hands-On Fun with Simulated Patients - This interactive session explores the use of mannequins as a teaching method in preparing nursing students to care for real patients. Participants will listen to heart and lung sounds, feel for pulses, and team up to "treat" the mannequin for various illnesses. 
• Penn Vet Working Dog Center Demo - See first-hand what it takes to train the nation’s leading detection dogs to serve in explosive detection, search and rescue, medical and environmental detection, and more. Enjoy a demo of the dogs in action.  
• Try Your First Case - Order in the Court!  Have you watched movies and TV shows that feature attorneys arguing on behalf of their clients?  Have you ever thought, “I could do that?” Now you can.  Come to Penn Law and be a lawyer for the day.  Your client is involved in a high-stakes trial and your job is to argue the case.  Working with your fellow attorneys, you will represent your client in a real courtroom in front of a judge and jury.  
  

During this entertaining day, participants can also enjoy the Penn Relays, explore the Penn Museum, go backstage at Penn Live Arts, play mini-golf at the library, skate at Penn’s Ice Rink, enjoy expanded offerings from Penn Engineering such as learning about Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering through Boba Tea Making, and much more.

You can see all of this year’s activities on the Division of Human Resources Take Our Children to Work Day website.

Registration opens on Monday, April 3 at 9 a.m. Sessions include activities in three different categories. Get to Know Penn’s Campus and Wellness Activities are both primarily open registration, unless otherwise indicated, and you and the children may attend as many as you like. Youth and their sponsors may attend one Special Topic activity only. Mark your calendar to register on April 3 because space is limited for certain events.

Supervisor approval is required for staff to participate. Participating staff must accompany children to all activities, so be sure to work with your supervisor to ensure coverage for operational needs. 

Onboard@Penn Is Moving

Is your department hiring new people this spring? Directing them to Onboard@Penn for efficient Form I-9 processing is about to get easier. On Monday, April 17, Onboard@Penn will reopen in a convenient campus landmark, the Penn Bookstore at 3601 Walnut Street. Onboard@Penn will be on the second floor next to the PennCard Center.

As Onboard@Penn prepares for this move, on-campus Form I-9 employment eligibility verification will be temporarily unavailable April 6 through April 14. During this time, remote I-9 processing will be available. However, please note that any worker who completes remote I-9 processing will be required to complete the physical inspection of their documents once Onboard@Penn re-opens. 

Please keep these dates in mind if you plan to fill University faculty, staff, student worker, or post doc positions soon. 

For more information visit onboard.upenn.edu.

Healthy Meals: Chhole (Chickpea Curry)

This EatingWell recipe is a flavorful Indian chickpea curry that you can make in just 20 minutes. This high-fiber, heart healthy meal provides a wonderful combination of slightly spicy and savory flavors that pair well with brown basmati rice or warm naan.

Click here to send us your healthy recipes and tips.

Ingredients:

• 1 medium serrano pepper, cut into thirds
• 4 large cloves garlic
• 1 2-inch piece fresh ginger, peeled and coarsely chopped
• 1 medium yellow onion, chopped (1-inch)
• 6 tablespoons canola oil or grapeseed oil
• 2 teaspoons ground coriander
• 2 teaspoons ground cumin
• ½ teaspoon ground turmeric
• 2 ¼ cups no-salt-added canned diced tomatoes with their juice (from a 28-ounce can)
• ¾ teaspoon kosher salt
• 2 15-ounce cans chickpeas, rinsed
• 2 teaspoons garam masala
• Fresh cilantro for garnish

Instructions:

1. Pulse serrano, garlic and ginger in a food processor until minced. Scrape down the sides and pulse again. Add onion; pulse until finely chopped, but not watery.
2. Heat oil in a large saucepan over medium-high heat. Add the onion mixture and cook, stirring occasionally, until softened, 3 to 5 minutes. Add coriander, cumin and turmeric and cook, stirring, for 2 minutes.
3. Pulse tomatoes in the food processor until finely chopped. Add to the pan along with salt. Reduce heat to maintain a simmer and cook, stirring occasionally, for 4 minutes. Add chickpeas and garam masala, reduce heat to a gentle simmer, cover and cook, stirring occasionally, for 5 minutes more. Serve topped with cilantro, if desired.

Tip: To cut down on sodium, use salt-free butter and broth. 

Meet With a Registered Dietitian Today!

• One-on-One, virtual sessions you can schedule at any time that works for you 
• 100% covered under many insurance plans
• Available to spouses and dependents 
• Fill out the Nutrition Counseling Sign Up Form or call 800-484-7720.

Did You Know: Creating Canopy Free Tree Registration

Penn has partnered with TreePhilly for the Creating Canopy tree giveaway.  More than 100 free trees will be available to University staff and faculty only through our online registration system. To support Philly Tree Plan, priority registration for faculty and staff who are Philadelphia residents begins April 18 at 10 a.m. Open registration for faculty and staff starts April 28 at 10 a.m. Registered participants can pick up their trees on May 4 from 3-6 p.m. at the Penn Park Parking Lot. For details and registration, visit Penn Sustainability’s Creating Canopy page.