myHR: May 25, 2023

June Is Employee Health and Wellness Month

Each June, Penn celebrates the well-being of its staff and faculty during Employee Health and Wellness Month. This recognition reflects Penn’s commitment to improving your physical activity, nutrition, stress levels, financial well-being, and overall health and wellness. Throughout the month, staff and faculty can choose from a variety of events and activities to get revitalized while having fun with your coworkers.

You can also win a wellness prize bag by taking the Employee Health and Wellness Survey on the Virgin Pulse platform. The one-question survey is available on the platform’s home page for two weeks starting on June 4. Don’t forget to include your name and email address, if you’d like to enter the prize drawing!   

Step It Up to a Better You Penn Challenge

Grab your sneakers and join the Step It Up to a Better You Penn Challenge from June 1 through June 14. Registration begins on May 25 and is open to all Be in the Know participants who are enrolled on Virgin Pulse.

The Step It Up to a Better You Penn Challenge is the perfect way to kick off Employee Health and Wellness Month! It consists of five stages that provide healthy tips and advice on staying active, nutrition, sleep, managing stress, and improving productivity. As you make your way through the challenge by tracking steps you will unlock and get access to each stage. For example, in the Activity Stage, you can find creative new ways to add steps to your day such as setting a reminder to step away from your desk and move every hour.

As part of the 2022-2023 Be in the Know campaign, this two-week Penn 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.

Joining the challenge is easy. Participants enrolled on the Virgin Pulse platform will receive an email from Penn Healthy You with details about the challenge and a reminder to register. Once you register, go to the Challenge page on the platform and follow the prompts to join a team.

You can also create your own team by following these steps:

1. Navigate to the Challenge page on the Virgin Pulse platform.
2. Toggle to “Create a Team.”
3. Choose a team name and photo you want to represent your squad.
4. Invite friends to join your team or allow anyone to join.
5. Click “Create Your Team” to get started.

No more than five members per team are allowed. Once you join or create a team, make sure you have your device or mobile app connected to the platform for ease of logging steps, although you can manually upload steps. Then use the challenge chat to inspire your team members and rack up your steps.

You can earn a range of points that contribute to earning rewards (up to the $300 per year maximum plus VIP status) for completing various activities throughout the Penn Challenge, like joining or creating a team and tracking at least once a week. If you reach the final stage of the challenge, you and your teammates will earn another 1,000 points, plus bragging rights!

For more information about the Step It Up to a Better You Penn Challenge, visit the Virgin Pulse platform. If you’d like to join the challenge but haven’t been participating in the Be in the Know campaign and registered on the platform yet, visit https://join.virginpulse.com/penn and join the fun.

Health and Wellness Month Events

Here is a list of featured Employee Health and Wellness month events. Check our Events Calendar page for updates and additional wellness activities.

June 6              Estate Planning with MetLife; 12 p.m.-1 p.m.

June 7              Virtual Chair Yoga; 12 p.m.-1 p.m.

June 8              Deskercize; 12 p.m.-12:30 p.m.

June 13            Bright Horizons Care Benefit – Affordable and Fun Camps for Kids; 2 p.m.-2:30 p.m.

June 14            Loving Kindness for Self-Care Meditation Workshop; 12 p.m.-12:30 p.m.

                         Workshop with PNC: Debt Management; 12 p.m.-1 p.m.

June 15            June Cooking Demo with Wellness Coaches; 12 p.m.-1 p.m.

June 20            June Wellness Walk – Celebrate PRIDE Month; 12 p.m.-1 p.m.

June 21            Full Body Circuit; 7:30 a.m.-8:15 a.m.

Virtual Chair Yoga; 12 p.m.-1 p.m.

June 27           Gentle Yoga; 11 a.m.-12 p.m.

For more health and wellness information, visit the Penn Healthy You web pages.

Flexible Spending Accounts Reminder

Flexible Spending Accounts (FSAs) are tax-advantaged accounts that let you use pre-tax dollars to pay for eligible healthcare and dependent care expenses. Using FSAs can save money, however the amount of unused dollars that will roll over — or stay in your account from one plan year to the next — is limited. If you have a Health Care Flexible Spending Account (HCFSA) or Dependent Care Flexible Spending Account (DCFSA), you are encouraged to spend down your balance before June 30, 2023 to avoid losing unused funds. Here are some important details about HCFSAs and DCFSAs to help you plan accordingly.

Health Care FSA

If you have a HCFSA, you will be able to roll over up to $610 of all unused funds from the 2022-2023 plan year to the 2023-2024 plan year. All unused funds over the $610 limit will be forfeited. Effective July 1, 2023, the maximum amount you can contribute to the Health Care FSA is $3,050.

You must incur all expenses between July 1, 2022, and June 30, 2023. Claims must be submitted to Penn’s HealthEquity/WageWorks portal by September 30, 2023. All rollover funds will be available in November.

Dependent Care FSA

You must use all available funds by the end of the 2022-2023 plan year deadline or you will forfeit any remaining balance. You have until September 15 of the following plan year to incur expenses, and until September 30 of the following plan year to submit eligible claims. Claims must be submitted to Penn’s HealthEquity/WageWorksportal.

For example, if you enroll in a Dependent Care FSA during the 2023-2024 plan year, you’ll have until September 15, 2024 to incur expenses and until September 30, 2024 to submit eligible expenses for reimbursement.

Visit the Flexible Spending Accounts webpage for more FSA details and single-sign-on access to HealthEquity/WageWorks.

Ready for Your One-on-One?

Now that Penn’s year-end staff performance review process has begun, staff members and managers are committing time to one-on-one meetings to reflect on the past year and prepare for a productive start to the next. As a key step in Penn’s process, you and your manager will discuss your self-evaluation and the manager evaluation that you entered in Workday. This one-on-one meeting outside Workday is a prime opportunity for open-minded dialogue on growing in your position and thinking about the essential role you play in accomplishing your organization’s mission.

Penn’s performance review program is designed to promote communication with your manager about your goals, achievements, professional development, and competencies over the prior 12-month period. The year-end process in Workday gives you and your manager an opportunity to indicate an overall performance rating as well as proficiency ratings on Penn core competencies and job-related competencies. These ratings and your thoughtful self-evaluation comments will provide rich content for your meeting.

Providing a performance review to staff direct reports is a manager’s responsibility. This important review helps to enhance staff engagement, improve team productivity, and promote individual development.

This face-to-face meeting with your manager is your time to discuss the next steps for your professional growth, explain your value to the team and organization, and affirm performance expectations for the future. Another major goal of this conversation is to foster a better working relationship between you and your manager.

Here are some tips to help you achieve the optimal outcomes from this performance review meeting:

• Prepare for the meeting by reviewing the contents of your Workday performance review.
• Develop an agenda before the meeting. Bring mental or written notes on areas you want to talk about.
• Listen.
• Be clear and concise.
• Approach the meeting with a growth mindset which emphasizes effort, learning and practice.
• Strive to strengthen your working relationship.
• Maintain a professional, respectful demeanor.
• Talk together to brainstorm and collaborate.
  

The performance review is complete only after you and your manager each acknowledge in Workday that you have seen the contents of the evaluation. This acknowledgment does not indicate you agree with the contents.

As a reminder, all staff performance review tasks are to be completed by Friday, June 16, although your organization may have provided intermediate deadlines. For more information, consult the updated Goals and Check-Ins and Performance Management for Managers and Employees tip sheets, or take advantage of Penn HR’s resources to learn and grow your career at Penn. 

Your Email Means More than QWERTYUIOP

When you send an email, does it really matter if the recipients understand it and act on it, or are you just testing the technology like computer engineer Ray Tomlinson was in 1971 when he sent the first email using an @ address? According to Tomlinson, this groundbreaking message was “something like QWERTYUIOP.” He said, “The test messages were entirely forgettable, and I have, therefore, forgotten them.” Unfortunately, for some of us, email content is still easy to forget even when it’s more meaningful than the first string of letters on a keyboard

Whether you’ve been writing emails for decades or you’ve been direct messaging since grade school, Writing Emails that Get to the Point can help you get the most out of this familiar communications tool. This free, virtual workshop takes place on June 29 from 12:30-1:30 p.m.

The average office worker receives 121 emails a day and sends out about 40, so it pays to make your emails as effective as possible. Even with other options like texting and chat within Slack and Teams, email seems to be here to stay, and its use continues to grow.

Whether you love email, hate it, or you’re just indifferent; strengthening your email writing skills will save time, increase understanding, and improve your relationships with your coworkers. Writing Emails that Get to the Point shows how to quickly create powerful messages with your specific audience and goals in mind.

Register for Writing Emails that Get to the Point today.

Healthy Meals: Healthier Mac and Cheese

A colorful selection of spring vegetables give Eating Well's one-dish mac and cheese a nutrition lift without sacrificing flavor. Tender baby spinach and bite-sized grape tomatoes pair well with the traditional zesty cheese and pasta.

Click here to send us your healthy recipes and tips.

Ingredients:

• 8 ounces elbow macaroni (about 1 3/4 cups)
• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 1 cup finely chopped onion
• 4 cloves garlic, minced
  
• ¾ teaspoon salt, divided
• 10 ounces baby spinach (about 14 cups)
• 1 cup grape tomatoes, halved
• 1 tablespoon butter
• 1 tablespoon all-purpose flour
• ½ teaspoon ground pepper
• ⅓ cup 1% milk
• ⅓ cup low-sodium vegetable broth
• 1 cup shredded reduced-fat Cheddar cheese, divided

Instructions:

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
2. Cook macaroni according to package directions, omitting salt. Drain and set aside.
3. Meanwhile, heat oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add onion, garlic, and 1/4 tsp salt; cook, stirring often, until the onion is tender, 3 to 4 minutes. Gradually add spinach, stirring until wilted and adding 1 Tbsp. water at a time, if needed. Transfer the mixture to a large bowl.
4. Add tomatoes to the skillet and cook over medium-high heat until they begin to soften, about 1 minute. Transfer to the bowl with the spinach mixture.
5. Reduce heat to medium and add butter to the pan. When the butter has melted, whisk in flour, pepper, and the remaining 1/2 tsp. salt. Cook, whisking constantly, for 2 minutes. Gradually whisk in milk and broth. Cook, whisking, until thickened and bubbly, 1 to 2 minutes. Gradually whisk in 3/4 cup cheese until melted.
6. Add the macaroni and sauce to the bowl with the spinach mixture; mix well. Transfer to an 11x7-inch baking dish and sprinkle with the remaining 1/4 cup cheese.
7. Bake until the cheese is melted, 10 to 15 minutes.
   

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.

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Did You Know: Thinking About Retirement Sessions

If retirement is on your mind, attend the Thinking About Retirement presentations on May 31. The sessions, specially designed for staff and faculty, will start at 9 a.m. at Steinberg Hall-Dietrich Hall (SHDH). Each 90-minute session will cover a different aspect of retirement benefits: Penn Benefits and Medicare, 5 Steps to Creating Your Retirement Income Plan, and Social Security Benefits Planning. To register visit the Thinking About Retirement webpage.