myHR: April 17, 2024

Getting Outdoors

Spending time in nature can boost your mood as you take in its beauty. It can also improve your physical and mental health. To improve your knowledge about nature’s impact on your overall well-being, attend the April 18 Virgin Pulse webinar, Thriving in Nature, from 12 p.m. to 1 p.m. In this webinar you will discover how spending time in nature can reduce feelings of anger, fear, and stress.

After that, get ready to go outdoors for Earth Week 2024 from April 20 through April 26. Earth Week presents an opportunity for students, faculty, and staff to engage in cross-disciplinary events designed to educate and inspire action. This year’s theme is Restore & Regenerate – to inspire us to think of what replenishes and revitalizes our planet’s natural systems while building community. Earth Week elevates our collective impact by encouraging involvement from all schools and centers at Penn.

A calendar of events is available on the Penn Sustainability website. Activities include campus tours, hikes, panel discussions, thrift opportunities, craft projects, e-waste drives, and exhibits. Here is a sample of the week’s activities:

• April 22 – Create and print your own greeting cards with Penn Libraries
• April 23 and 25 – Dispose of your e-waste and learn about composting at Penn Carey Law School.
• April 24 – Volunteer to help prepare Penn Farm for a new growing season.
• April 26 – Learn about the impacts of lead exposure to people, wildlife and the environment.
• April 26 – Visit GreenFest, a long-running Penn tradition for student organizations to share their visions and projects related to environmental sustainability.

There is still time for your school or center to host an event for Earth Week. Use this online submission form to participate, or email sustainability@upenn.edu. 

Manage Goals Throughout the Year

Staff and supervisors can manage goals in Workday both inside and outside the performance review cycle. They can each enter a new goal or edit existing goals for the direct report at any point during the year, although, during performance review periods, goal management is only possible inside the review.  To understand which goals are pulled into the review and how to edit goals while completing the evaluation step of the review, use the Performance Management for Managers and Employees tip sheet.

Defining and creating goals is the responsibility of the manager, direct report, department, or school or center according to business needs. However either the manager or direct report can enter and update goals in Workday. Managers can decide if they or the staff who report to them will enter or update goals in Workdayfollowing the guidelines offered by their school, center, or department. Both managers and direct reports are responsible for managing, reviewing, and updating goals in Workday throughout the year, not only during performance reviews. However, only the manager can approve goals and goal updates in Workday.

During this season’s year-end performance review, make a point to talk with your manager  about creating and updating your goals throughout the year.

You’ll find tips and guidelines for setting professional and strategic goals in the Effective Performance Management webpages.

For more information, use the Goals and Check-Ins tip sheet or access a short video on How to Enter Goals in Workday.

April Is Alcohol Awareness Month

Alcohol-related problems take a heavy toll on families, individuals, and communities. According to the National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism, each year there are more than 178,000 alcohol-related deaths. More than 200 diseases and injury-related conditions are associated with excessive drinking. Alcohol misuse is a pressing health concern, but you don’t have to tackle this addiction alone. There are effective steps you can take to reduce the influence of alcohol on your well-being. You can start by understanding the basic dietary guidelines for alcohol consumption.

The 2020-2025 Dietary Guidelines for Americans recommends that adults of legal drinking age should limit their intake to two drinks or less in a day for men or one drink or less in a day for women on days when alcohol is consumed. The guidelines also note specific groups of people who should not drink at all. This includes individuals who are pregnant or might be pregnant, people under 21 years of age, and those who have certain medical conditions or are taking certain medications that can interact with alcohol. For more information about the impact of alcohol on your health, visit the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention website.

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

You can also 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 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

Learning to Be Resilient

In the face of life's trials, resilience stands as our steadfast companion, like to a sturdy tree weathering a storm.  Like roots anchoring deep into the earth, resilience grounds us against the winds of adversity. It's in these challenging moments that we discover our capacity to bend without breaking—learning to be “anti-fragile” –  while adapting to the forces around us. On May 23, from 12:30 p.m. to 1:30 p.m., Human Resources popular virtual workshop, Radical Resilience: Ideas for Sustainable Life Balance, offers you other tools to help you adapt. 

In this interactive workshop, facilitator Sarah Joseph will discuss the term “anti-fragile,” coined by New York University professor Nassim Nicholas Taleb. Anti-fragile takes the idea of resilience to the next level by asserting that there are conditions whereby we are not only able to bounce back from adversity, but we become even stronger as a result.

“Strength isn't just bouncing back from tough times; it's about using challenges to become even stronger,” says Joseph, Talent and Organizational Development Consultant, Talent Development.

In the workshop participants will be given tools to increase their ability to be super-resilient and learn the three areas that help create conditions for anti-fragility:

1. Permission to Be Human. This refers to the need to recognize emotions, whether anxiety or gratitude. We must embrace difficult emotions to feel the positive ones. When we reject negative emotions, they grow stronger and we block the positive ones. We can deal with the entire spectrum of our emotions by crying, if needed, writing about them, or talking to someone about them
2. Dealing with Stress. What allows us to continue to be energized even in the face of stress is time to recover from it. This applies to both physical and emotional stress and its effect on our mental and physical health. You can become energized through recovery by doing simple things such as taking a walk to get away from a stressful situation, getting a good night’s sleep, or taking a day off.
3. Relationships. A Harvard study that followed 700 individuals for 75 years found that the number one predictor of happiness and the number one predictor of health is relationships. These relationships can be with a partner, friend, extended family member, colleague, or someone else. Relationships should be close, intimate, supportive, and healthy. Forming and maintaining relationships virtually is okay, too, as long as the connections are deep, allowing each party to really talk about things that are important.

Participants will also learn the 3Rs of change that will help you become anti-fragile: Reminders, Repetition, and Rituals.

Register today for Radical Resilience: Ideas for Sustainable Life Balance and come out of difficult times empowered and ready to move forward.

For more professional development programs, visit the Learn & Grow section of the Human Resources website.  

Healthy Meals: No-Bake Energy Bites

Discover the simplicity of crafting these no-bake energy bites using pantry essentials, making them a convenient and accessible treat. Packed with nutritional goodness, either roll into balls or shape the mixture into bars by pressing it into a parchment-lined baking dish. Perfect for prepping ahead, these bites offer a wholesome option for quick snacking or a hassle-free breakfast.

• 1 cup of old-fashioned oats
• 1/4 cup of almond butter
• 1/4 cup of honey
• 1/4 cup of chopped pecans
• 1/4 cup raisins
• 1/4 cup toasted coconut 

Directions

1. Mix together all ingredients in a large bowl until well combined.
2. Chill dough for 15 to 30 minutes.
3. Roll mixture into 12 small balls about 1-2 tbsp each.
4. Store in fridge for up to 1 week or keep them in the freezer for up to 3 months. 

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 Ramp Health Nutrition Counseling Sign Up Form or call 800-484-7720.

Did You Know: Creating Canopy Tree Giveaway 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 to support Philly Tree Plan. Registration opens April 22 at 10 a.m., with priority registration given to Philadelphia residents. Registered participants with a valid PennCard can pick up their trees on May 9 at the Penn Park Parking Lot from 3 p.m. to 6 p.m. For details and registration, visit  Penn Sustainability’s Creating Canopy page.