myHR: May 10, 2023

Retirement Information Sessions Make Planning Easier

Is your upcoming retirement on your mind? To help you prepare for the next phase of your life, Penn will host the next series of Thinking About Retirement presentations on May 31, starting at 9 a.m. at Steinberg Hall – Dietrich Hall (SHDH).

Specially designed for Penn staff and faculty, Thinking About Retirement offers three different concurrent workshops, each covering an important aspect of retirement benefits: Penn Benefits and Medicare, 5 Steps to Creating Your Retirement Income Plan, and Social Security Benefits Planning.

At the Penn Benefits and Medicare session, representatives from the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services, along with Benefits specialists from Human Resources, will explain the Rule of 75, retiree healthcare options, and how they integrate with Medicare.

At the 5 Steps to Creating your Retirement Income Plan session, a TIAA retirement plan counselor will discuss such topics as budgeting in retirement, income options, and investments to help you get the most out of your 403(b) plan.

At the Social Security Benefits Planning session, a representative from TIAA will share valuable details about how this program impacts your plans for retirement. You will also get an overview of Social Security benefits, eligibility rules, how to apply, benefits for your spouse, and more.

Benefits specialists from Penn Human Resources will be available throughout the event to answer your questions about Penn’s retirement savings plans, health care benefits, and other aspects of retiree benefits for you and your dependents.

To register for the presentations just click on the topic name in the table below or visit www.hr.upenn.edu/thinkretirement.

Manage Your Project Proactively

Effective project managers do more than make to-do lists and assign tasks. They develop the skills to manage proficiently and proactively so their teams can overcome obstacles and deliver quality services together. The June 13, 12:30 to 1:30 p.m. Project Management workshop presents proven tools and techniques that can help you track all the right moves and assets to create success.

This virtual seminar, led by Talent and Organizational Development Consultant Sarah Joseph, is a practical overview of the most useful concepts in project leadership and coordination. Workshop participants will learn how to:

• Identify the key activities in the project life cycle.
• Understand the role of the triple constraint in project management and apply it in determining project scope.
• Construct a project timeline.
• Keep projects on track by managing project risks and effectively using a communication plan.
• Examine helpful tools for tracking timelines and deliverables.
• Capture valuable project lessons and use them to define and improve project management practices within your organization.

Joseph will also cover the role of the project manager, the dynamics of managing a team, creating a transition plan, and tools for celebrating success.

Team structure and planning are essential parts of any type of project execution.

“I believe the most effective strategy in project management is good planning. Before beginning a project, you and your team should be aware of what the end product looks like and all of the steps along the way, as well as the role each person plays in the process. When you have a strong plan in place, there is a greater likelihood of your project being successful,” says Joseph.

Whether you’re preparing to manage your first major project or you’re looking for new perspectives on collaborating with partners on all levels to achieve outstanding results for your organization, you’ll pick up tools and techniques to make your next project take off smoothly.

Register for Project Management online today.

More professional development resources are available at www.hr.upenn.edu/learn-grow.

Get Moving to Improve Your Mental Health

One of the best ways to support your mental health is to get moving. Medical research shows that people who engage in physical activities and exercise regularly have better mental health and emotional well-being, and lower rates of mental illness. What’s good for the body is often good for the mind. In fact, some benefits of exercise for improved mental health include a better night’s sleep, raised energy levels, and a sharper memory.

Penn provides plenty of opportunities to help staff and faculty stay active and improve your well-being during Mental Health Awareness Month and throughout the spring.

Step It Up to a Better You Penn Challenge

Are you ready for some fun and healthy competition with your co-workers? If so, get ready to grab your sneakers for Penn’s upcoming Step It Up to a Better You Challenge. As part of the 2022-2023 Be in the Know campaign, this two-week challenge allows you to create and join virtual teams, then compete to see which team can log the most steps over the course of the challenge. The Step It Up to a Better You Challenge also consists of five stages that provide healthy tips and advice on staying active, nutrition, sleep, managing stress, and improving productivity.

The challenge, which is open to all Be in the Know participants, will run from June 1 to June 14. Registration will open on May 26. More details to come in an upcoming myHR newsletter.

Biometric Screenings

Getting a biometric screening is a great way to evaluate your health. Biometric screenings are also 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. On-campus biometric screenings will be held on May 16 and May 17, from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m., at Houston Hall, Hall of Flags. Space is filling quickly and 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 or reschedule.

More Screening Options: 
If you can’t attend one of the on-campus biometric screenings, review the Biometric Screenings Options form for other ways to get a screening and the deadlines to submit your results.

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

For more information about the 2022-2023 Be in the Know campaign year, visit www.hr.upenn/beintheknow.

Bike to Work Day

Bike to Work Day returns to Penn’s campus on May 19, from 7:30 a.m. to 9:30 am. Penn bicyclists are invited to stop by the Energizer Station near the University City Indego Bike Share Station, at the corner of Convention Avenue and South Street, to learn about various bike resources found on Penn’s campus.

Staff and faculty who stop by Penn’s Bike to Work Day event can:

• Learn how to use the Penn Bus bike rack.
• Register your bike for free with the Division of Public Safety.
• Obtain information about the University’s Bike Commuter Expense Reimbursement Program.
• Explore campus bike maps that pinpoint the locations of bike corrals and bike repair stations on campus.
  

Bike to Work Day at Penn is a collaboration between the Bicycle Coalition of Greater Philadelphia and Penn’s Divisions of Business Services, Facilities and Real Estate Services, and Public Safety, as well as Penn Museum and the Office of Student Health Service. These participating organizations will offer giveaways such as snacks and beverages along with bike lights to the first 50 participants. There are even chances to win cool bike gear! For more details and information about a group bike ride, visit the Bicycle Coalition of Greater Philadelphia website.

Fitness Activities

Human Resources in partnership with Campus Recreation and Penn Public Health is providing these free fitness opportunities to help you get and stay energized.

May Wellness Walk
May 17, 12 p.m. to 1 p.m.

Meet your colleagues at the Ben Franklin Statue by College Hall, where the Penn Public Health team will lead you on a two-mile walk on/near campus to help you increase your physical activity and steps. Be sure to wear sneakers or comfortable shoes and bring water. Also, support Mental Health Awareness Month by wearing green.

Outdoor Yoga
May 25, 12 p.m. to 1 p.m.

Find your inner “Zen Penn” at this outdoor yoga class experience outside of the Franklin Building at John A. Fry Park. Let your body reward itself with movement. Join Campus Rec for this Yoga session and explore the natural movements of the spine with slow and fluid moving bends and soft twists. During this session, you will flow into modified sun salutations that loosen those tightened muscles and joints of the lower back, neck, shoulders, and wrists. As an added bonus, you’ll get a workout in the process. Please be sure to bring your own yoga mat. 

Deskercise
June 8, 12 p.m. to 12:30 p.m.

This class will take you through a variety of movements that you can do right at your desk! Be prepared to work through a 30-minute low impact strength and flexibility workout, led by a personal trainer from Campus Recreation. 

Full Body Circuit
June 21, 7:30 a.m. to 8:15 a.m.

Get ready to sweat before the workday begins! Circuit training is a combination of six or more exercises performed with short rest periods between them for either a set number of repetitions or a prescribed amount of time. One circuit is when all of the chosen exercises have been completed. Join this early morning workout at Pottruck Health and Fitness Center to hit all of your major muscle groups in one class!

Ready for a Run?

The Annenberg (Lunchtime) Running Club is a great way to get outside and spend time with your coworkers. The running club consists of about 90 members throughout campus and is open to all runners whether you are affiliated with Annenberg or Penn. Participants can run at a relaxed and conversational pace. The group also has a regular Couch to 5K program, which takes people from couch potato to running a three-mile race in nine weeks.

To join the club, visit the Annenberg (Lunchtime) Running Club group page and click on “Ask to join group.” Once your request to join is accepted, look for messages from club members asking if anyone wants to run at a particular distance, time, and pace. If the distance, time, and pace meet your needs, you simply join that group of runners.

“The group is flexible. So rather than a huge group running four miles at noon and meeting at the Button (outside Van Pelt Library), there might be three people running two miles slowly leaving from Ben on the Bench at 3:30, and the next day four people running six miles fast leaving from somewhere else at 8 a.m.,” says Kyle Cassidy, the group’s founder and a technologist at Penn’s Annenberg School for Communication.

“It’s become a nice way to accommodate everybody’s needs,” Cassidy says.

For more resources to enhance your mental health and emotional well-being, visit the MindWell at Penn pages or check out these other mental health-related events on the HR website.

Fostering Friendship

In reality television competitions, you may hear contestants say things like, “I didn’t come here to make friends. I came here to win.” But in real life, making friends and winning go together, especially at work.

It’s wonderful when friendships develop naturally or because of lucky circumstances. However, these connections are so valuable to our total well-being that everyone can benefit from investing a little time and effort in activities where coworkers can become true friends.

To learn more about Penn workplace friendships and to inspire new connections, we invite myHR readers to share their tips for developing and sustaining collegial friendships in our Fostering Friendship survey.

Selected entries will be published in an upcoming issue of myHR. To show our gratitude for participation, one Penn faculty or staff member’s entry will be selected at random to receive a gift package from the Human Resources Work-life and Wellness team. To be eligible for the prize drawing, complete the Fostering Friendship questionnaire by May 17, 2023 at 5 p.m. EST.

Multiple studies and polls show that friendships between colleagues have positive impacts on careers, as well as physical and emotional health. According to Gallup, employees who have a best friend at work are significantly more likely to:

• Engage customers and internal partners.
• Get more done in less time.
• Support a safe workplace with fewer accidents and reliability concerns.
• Innovate and share ideas.
• Have fun while at work.

With all the rewards of friendship, it’s easy to understand why Philadelphia calls itself the City of Brotherly Love and Sisterly Affection. Yet, for adults with multiple personal and community commitments outside of work, finding ways to foster friendships on the job can be a challenge, especially on hybrid teams.

The Penn community offers an array of groups, events, and happenings where faculty and staff can connect with others and deepen their friendships with coworkers--from the wellness activities featured in this issue of myHR to University-affiliated groups to community partnership programs like Penn Volunteers in Public Service.

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

Healthy Meals: Mother's Day Multi-Grain Waffles

This Eating Well recipe is a tasty way to help celebrate any mother figure. These multi-grain waffles are a wholesome substitute for the traditional empty-carb waffle and could serve as the main course to a Mother’s Day breakfast.

Click here to send us your healthy recipes and tips.

Ingredients:

• 2 cups buttermilk
• ½ cup old-fashioned rolled oats
• ⅔ cup whole-wheat flour
• ⅔ cup all-purpose flour
• 1/4 cup toasted wheat germ, or cornmeal
• 1 ½ teaspoons baking powder
• ½ teaspoon baking soda
• ¼ teaspoon salt
• 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 2 large eggs, lightly beaten
• ¼ cup packed brown sugar
• 1 tablespoon canola oil
• 2 teaspoons vanilla extract

Instructions:

1. Mix buttermilk and oats in a medium bowl; let stand for 15 minutes.
2. Whisk whole-wheat flour, all-purpose flour, wheat germ (or cornmeal), baking powder, baking soda, salt, and cinnamon in a large bowl.
3. Stir eggs, sugar, oil, and vanilla into the oat mixture. Add the wet ingredients to the dry ingredients; mix with a rubber spatula just until moistened.
4. Coat a waffle iron with cooking spray and preheat. Spoon in enough batter to cover three-fourths of the surface (about 2/3 cup for an 8-by-8-inch waffle iron). Cook until waffles are crisp and golden brown, 4 to 5 minutes. Repeat with remaining batter.

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: Free Children’s Festival PLAYground

The Penn Live Arts annual Philadelphia Children's Festival includes an outdoor PLAYground at the Annenberg Center where families can enjoy free performances and hands-on activities with arts partners from across the city. The PLAYground is open May 21, 22, and 23. For complete Philadelphia Children’s Festival performance listings and ticket sales information visit pennlivearts.org. Penn faculty and staff can receive a 20% discount on all Penn Live Arts tickets.