myHR Archives

myHR: April 12, 2023

Be in the Know Spring Biometric Screenings

Penn’s Be in the Know 2022-2023 wellness campaign—open to all benefits-eligible staff and faculty—is an opportunity to focus on your health and well-being and earn rewards of up to $300. Biometric screenings are the first step towards earning rewards in the Be in the Know Steps for Success design, and the only activity required to receive Pulse Cash rewards this year.

This spring, the Human Resources Penn Healthy You team in partnership with Health Advocate, is offering on-campus biometric screenings on May 16 and May 17, 9am-1pm, at Houston Hall, Hall of Flags. Advanced registration is required, so sign up for your appointment online at the Health Advocate website.

Log in with your PennKey.
Select "Schedule a Health Screening."
Look for “Attend an Onsite Health Screening Event,” then click “Schedule.”
Search by available date and preferred screening time, then follow the steps to confirm your appointment. You will receive a confirmation email from Health Advocate, plus important details and directions to cancel/reschedule if needed.

At the on-campus biometric screening, a Health Advocate representative will measure key components of your overall health including: blood pressure, total cholesterol, HDL cholesterol, and blood sugar/glucose.

These are not fasting appointments. On a limited basis, fasting screenings may be available in the morning, but are not guaranteed.

Please bring your PennCard or other valid photo ID to your biometric screening appointment. Masking is still required in all University healthcare spaces, including temporary biometric screening areas. Visit Penn’s Public Health Guidance page for the latest safety updates.

Once you complete your biometric screening, Health Advocate will process your results and send credit to the Virgin Pulse wellness platform. If you are enrolled on Virgin Pulse, you will earn your first $50 in Pulse Cash, plus qualify to earn an additional $250 in Be in the Know rewards by completing your choice of qualifying “Ways to Earn” activities through June 30, 2023.

To visit the Virgin Pulse platform and earn rewards, go to https://join.virginpulse.com/penn.

More Biometric Screening Options

If you are unable to attend one of the on-campus biometric screenings, there are several other options to fit your schedule:

Submit screening results from your healthcare provider: Obtain a screening between July 1, 2022, and June 30, 2023. Download the Consent to Release Results Form, then follow the instructions to submit your confidential results to Health Advocate. Recommended submission deadline to allow processing time is June 1, 2023. Final deadline to submit is June 30, 2023.
Two options available through Virgin Pulse: Go to the Programs tab and Biometric Screenings Options, 2022-2023 page for directions.
- Labcorp Voucher Program: Download a voucher (screening script) from the Virgin Pulse platform Programs page, clicking onto “Labcorp Patient Service Center”. Schedule and complete a screening appointment at a participating Labcorp facility near you. Labcorp will process your results and automatically send credit and screening values to Virgin Pulse. Labcorp will also email you a link to view results. The process takes several weeks at a minimum.

Complete your screening appointment by June 1, 2023 to allow processing time. Screenings completed after June 1 are not guaranteed to be credited for the 2022-2023.

Home Test Kits: Order a home test kit on the Virgin Pulse platform Programs page by clicking “Labcorp Ondemand Home Test”. All supplies will be included in the kit.

Complete your screening kit and return it by mail by June 1, 2023 to allow processing time. Screenings completed after June 1 are not guaranteed to be credited for the 2022-2023 campaign year.

For complete Be in the Know details, visit http://www.hr.upenn.edu/beintheknow.

Measuring Performance

Since April 3, when the year-end performance review process was launched, staff have been logging into Workday to examine and review the requirements to complete their self-evaluation. Contrasting with Fall 2022’s mid-year review, the spring, or year-end, performance review, is a look back at a 12-month rather than a six-month period and requires ratings from both the staff member and the manager. These ratings options come in two broad categories:

A proficiency rating for each competency
An overall performance rating

The requirement to rate your own competencies and overall performance of the past 12 months is more than a task; it’s an opportunity for self-reflection, and for presenting your point-of-view of your actions and choices. Remember, self-evaluation is the first step. Your manager will also have an opportunity to rate your competencies and overall performance, after which you both will discuss the review content.

Proficiency Ratings for Competencies

During the year-end performance review, you are asked to provide a proficiency rating for each of the 10 competencies. Competencies are observable and measurable behaviors.

During the evaluation step you will see a competency description, along with specific behavioral examples, or statements. The behavioral examples are directly based on your job’s level classification, such as support, individual contributor, manager, director, or executive. For example, the behaviors for the competency “values differences” are different for an administrative assistant compared to those for a hiring manager. It’s your task to choose a proficiency rating that most closely resembles your behaviors over the past 12 months. You have the option, but are not required, to enter a comment as well.

This ratings method based on behavioral statements helps make the process more meaningful than just generic descriptions as it uses a common set of behavior statements that are used across campus.

The Competency Framework

The University acquired the competency framework in 2022 from Korn Ferry, a leading organizational management company. Korn Ferry has correlated and validated their competencies across a wide variety of organizations around the world. It performs continuous research to demonstrate that these competencies are necessary for workplace effectiveness and career success.

The University also performed a collaborative exercise across campus in the past year to discuss the competency framework, identify Penn’s five core competencies, and come to a consensus on the five additional competencies for each of Penn’s job families, groups of positions that involve work in the similar field or profession, and have related required core knowledge, background, skills, and competencies.

Overall Performance Rating

In addition, you have an opportunity to provide your views on your overall performance, which should be supported by the information you enter in the performance review. During the past 12 months, how well did you accomplish your goals, build on your strengths, address challenges and areas of improvement, and exhibit behaviors of the various competencies?

To help with considering an overall performance rating, see the related examples on the Penn Performance Appraisal page.

Helpful Hints

Here are some activities to help you and your manager complete your review.

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 16 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 for the 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 in the Workday Performance Management Guide.

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.

Penn Student Loan Service Continues to Change Lives

Since Penn launched its partnership with PeopleJoy to provide a free service to help staff and faculty take charge of their student loan debt, the program has been changing lives. Just ask Jami Fisher, Director, ASL Program in the Department of Linguistics. Fisher has had nearly $5,000 in student loans forgiven through the program.

“I really appreciated that Penn provided this service for us. I otherwise never would have known that I was eligible for loan forgiveness,” Fisher says.

“The process was relatively easy and no longer having student debt allows me to better support my son who is now in college.”

Fisher is not alone when it comes to reaping the benefits of the student loan debt relief program. In the first three months of 2023, six Penn employees have received a total of $450,000 in loan forgiveness through PeopleJoy.

Another 560 Penn employees are working with PeopleJoy for a projected $45 million in student loan forgiveness over the next 10 years.

If you have outstanding student loans and would like to hear more about how to use Penn’s free service, register for the April 13 Student Loan 101 webinar. In this session, PeopleJoy will provide staff and faculty with information about the Public Service Loan Forgiveness (PSLF) program, give updates about legal challenges to federal debt cancellation, and discuss the one-time adjustment for borrowers with an Income-Driven Repayment (IDR) plan.

IDRs are designed to make your student loan debt more manageable by giving you a monthly payment based on your income and family size. With the one-time adjustment to IDRs, borrowers could have their monthly payments lowered, depending on the loan balance, household income, and location. Borrowers seeking loan forgiveness can get an assessment of their expected IDR monthly payments by first completing a loan assessment on the PeopleJoy platform. The deadline to apply for a one-time adjustment to your IDR plan is July 1.

In the Student Loan 101 webinar, participants will also learn about consolidation vs refinancing, how to bring loans that are in default back in good standing in three to four weeks, and where to obtain additional resources to tackle student loan debt.

To use Penn’s free service, visit the PeopleJoy platform at upenn.peoplejoy.com. If you have questions about Public Service Loan Forgiveness, review the PSLF FAQs and visit the PeopleJoy webpage.

Join the Fun at Penn's Annual Campus Cup

The annual Penn Relays Campus Cup is a series of events held in the fall and spring where faculty and staff from different schools and centers form teams to compete for points by participating in games and sporting events. The team with the most points at the finish is crowned Campus Cup champion. Teams can also win prizes in each of the events including apparel, Penn Relays tickets, and more.

Jeff Greenberg, Senior Director of the Student Service Center for Student Registration & Financial Services, participated in last year’s Campus Cup activities and his team earned the Campus Cup champion title.

“Student Registration & Financial Services is a unit comprised of several departments and functions, and Campus Cup gave us a reason to join together in the spirit of one team for some friendly – and fierce – competition. Each of the activities were reminiscent of childhood ‘field day’ games in which we could all participate, and while we certainly played to win, we also laughed, cheered, and supported one another,” Greenberg says.

“We even had non-participants from our unit come out with pom-poms and signs to cheer us on, a token of true team engagement. We came away with great pictures and fun memories. SRFS is proud to be defending Campus Cup champions,” he says.

Greenberg’s team returned to the 2023 event for more excitement and to defend their title. Even if you were not able to sign up for a team of your own this year, you can still join the fun. Come cheer on your colleagues at the finale event, the Campus Cup Relay, on April 20 at 5 p.m. at Franklin Field, 233 South 33rd Street. Activities in the Relay include:

4 x 100 relay
Softball throw
Tug-of-war
Potato sack race
Three-legged race

Attendees can receive some Penn swag (while supplies last), a reusable bag emblazoned with the Penn logo. If you are a 2022-2023 Be in the Know wellness campaign participant, you can also earn credit for a “Penn HR Wellness Event” for the current campaign year.

The fun doesn’t stop once Campus Cup ends. You can stay a little longer at Franklin Field for the Penn Relays Open House from 6:30 p.m. to 8 p.m. This free event, open to the entire Penn community, will provide music, games, and history of the Penn Relays, the nation’s oldest track and field meet. There will be giveaways while supplies last. Get your free tickets here.

For more information about Campus Cup visit the Penn Campus Recreation website.

Addressing Alcohol and Substance Abuse

According to the 2021 National Survey on Drug Use and Health (NSDUH), there are 133.1 million alcohol users aged 12 or older. While not all users are alcohol dependent, substance use disorders have been labeled by the U.S. Surgeon General as one of the most pressing health concerns currently facing the nation. You don’t have to tackle addiction alone and can take appropriate steps to reduce the influence of alcohol and other substances on your well-being. You can start by attending Penn’s What You Need to Know About Substance Abuse Workshop on April 24 from 12:30 p.m. to 1:00 p.m.

In this workshop, participants will learn about substance abuse, warning signs, effects of substance abuse, and resiliency, recovery, and treatment. This session aims to educate and provide skills and resources to better prepare individuals if they face substance use concerns in the future.

Staff and faculty can also use resources provided by Caron Treatment Centers. The Caron Substance Use Prevention Educational Resources blog has tools including videos, podcasts, and downloadable PDF resources to assist families with discussions about addiction.

Additionally, you can take advantage of the following Penn resources:

Penn’s Employee Assistance Program (EAP): Health Advocate EAP counselors can help you identify the right providers and facilities that treat addiction and locate support groups for you. Call 1-866-799-2329.

Email eapinfo@healthadvocate.com
Visit https://www.hr.upenn.edu/eap
Schedule an EAP appointment through Penn Cobalt

Penn’s medical plans: If you or a family member are struggling with addiction and are enrolled in a Penn medical plan, addiction treatment is available. All plans offer substance abuse care including inpatient, outpatient, and detoxification treatment with qualified professionals such as the Caron Treatment Center staff.

Aetna High Deductible Health Plan (HDHP) with a Health Savings Account (HSA)
Coverage provided through Aetna’s behavioral health network, 800-424-4047.

Check with your medical provider to see what resources meet your specific needs.

Aetna Choice POS II
Coverage provided through Aetna’s behavioral health network, 800-424-4047.

Keystone/AmeriHealth HMO
Coverage provided through Independence Behavioral Health, 800-688-1911.

PennCare/Personal Choice PPO
Coverage provided through Quest, 800-364-6352.

For emotional well-being resources, visit MindWell at Penn.

Making Good Use of Your Time and Energy

Having too much to do and too little time is a challenge many people face in their day to day, yet by using some practical strategies for better time and energy management you can meet your most valued goals without feeling overwhelmed or stressed. Learn how at Penn’s virtual workshop, Time and Energy Management: Ideas for Sustainable Life Balance, on May 31 from 12:30 p.m. to 1:30 p.m.

“Time is finite, there is not much we can do about that, but energy is something we can increase to make us physically healthier and in a better mental state. I do think planning time wisely is the key, and that has to include some understanding of what drains you and what renews you, and scheduling accordingly” says Amma Napier, Senior Consultant for Training and Development, Talent Development.

Napier, the workshop’s facilitator, adds that as hybrid work environments become the norm, we have choices in how we spend our time. If we leverage what our home and onsite work environments have to offer, we can do things that are regenerating.

“I want people to understand that there are things you can spend time doing that can actually restore your energy. This is more commonly understood in terms of exercise or physical activity but doing things we are passionate about can give us renewed vigor and that is connected to what we value or find purposeful” says Napier.

In this workshop, Napier will discuss the following skills:

Time management and prioritization. By exercising control over the amount of time you spend on activities and arranging tasks in order of importance, you can increase your effectiveness, efficiency, and productivity.
Workflow systems and the 1-3-5 to-do list rule. What process or method do you use to accomplish tasks? The 1-3-5 rule allows you to create a list that includes one big activity, three medium-sized activities, and five small activities so that you can optimize your efforts.
Energy management and how it relates to work-life balance. Energy is the ability to do work or perform a task. We must examine how best to spend our energy and how to renew it once it has been depleted.

During this interactive workshop participants will engage in a few activities, including completing a personal energy assessment to help identify the physical, emotional, mental, and spiritual things that provide energy or cause us to be drained.

Register today for Time and Energy Management: Ideas for Sustainable Life Balance and find tools and strategies to optimize your efforts.

For more information about Penn’s Talent Development programs, visit the Learn and Grow webpages on the HR website.

Onboard@Penn To Reopen in Penn Bookstore

On Monday, April 17, Onboard@Penn will resume operations in its new convenient location, the second floor of the Penn Bookstore at 3601 Walnut Street next to the PennCard Center. After Onboard@Penn reopens, new University hires will be able to complete in-person Form I-9 verifications Monday through Friday, 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.

Remote I-9 processing will be available through Friday, April 14. However, please note that any worker who completes remote employment eligibility verification will be required to complete the physical inspection of their documents once Onboard@Penn reopens.

For more information visit onboard.upenn.edu.

Healthy Meals: Plant-Based Protein Bars

This Feel Good Foodie recipe is a fast and tasty mid-afternoon energy boost. These protein bars are quick to make with just a handful of ingredients. They are gluten-free, dairy free, and loaded with plant-based protein and flavor to satisfy your snack cravings.

Ingredients

8 large, pitted dates
1/2 cup peanut butter
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 1/2 cups rolled oats
1/2 cup of protein powder
1 tablespoon flax seeds
1 tablespoon hemp seeds
1 tablespoon chia seeds
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup dark chocolate chips
1/4 cup unsweetened almond milk

Instructions:

Line an 8-inch square pan with parchment paper, leaving some overhanging paper on the sides. Set aside.
In the bowl of a food processor, add the peanut butter, dates, almond milk and vanilla extract. Blend until the mixture is smooth and consistent, about 1 minute.
Add in the oats, protein powder, ground flaxseed, chia seed, hemp seed and salt. Pulse a few times until the ingredients are well combined.
Transfer the mixture to a mixing bowl and fold in the chocolate chips with a rubber spatula or your hands.
Press the mixture into the prepared pan and flatten out the top with your hands or the back of a spoon.
Place in freezer until it hardens. Slice into 8 bars and enjoy!

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: Penn Relays at Franklin Field

The Penn Relays will be held April 27-29 at Franklin Field. Faculty and staff can receive one free adult ticket and one free children’s ticket with a valid PennCard on April 27 for Take Our Children to Work Day. You can purchase up to four additional children’s tickets for $5 each. Tickets are available at the Franklin Field Ticket Office on April 27 or by ordering online. Reserve discounted seats on the Penn Athletics website or by calling 215-898-6151. For details and registration, visit the HR website.