myHR Archives
myHR: June 26, 2024
Penn Names New VP of Human Resources
On June 14, the University of Pennsylvania announced that Felicia Washington will be the new Vice President of Penn’s Division of Human Resources, effective September 1. Washington will succeed Jack Heuer, who is retiring
at the end of June.
As Vice President, Washington will lead and manage Human Resources’ strategic and operational direction. She will oversee Benefits, Compensation, Staff and Labor Relations, Talent Management, HR Budget and
Finance, and HR services.
Tom Sontag, Executive Director, Talent Management, will serve as interim Vice President for the two months prior to Washington’s arrival.
For the full announcement, visit the Penn Today website.
Get Ready for the Be in the Know 2024-2025 Campaign year
Want to make it a game-changing year for your health and well-being? Penn invites you to participate in the 2024-2025 Be in the Know wellness campaign. The annual program is available to all benefits-eligible faculty and staff, plus postdoctoral
researchers and fellows eligible for the Penn Postdoc Benefits Plan. This year’s campaign year runs from July 1, 2024 through June 30, 2025.
Starting July 1, you have a new opportunity to build healthy habits and
feel your best with wellness tools, programs, and resources, plus earn up to $300* in “Pulse Cash” rewards and an opportunity for special recognition as a Be in the Know VIP. Be in the Know continues to partner with Virgin
Pulse, Penn’s wellness platform provider, which offers an array of online well-being solutions and a robust rewards program, plus tracks your campaign progress.
“We are thrilled to celebrate another year of the Be in the Know wellness campaign at Penn. Since its inception in 2012, Be in the Know has evolved into a robust, year-round initiative that has become instrumental in the University’s commitment to the well-being of its wider community. It fosters
and sustains a culture of wellness on and off Penn’s campus and promotes the critical self-care of thousands of employees each year,” says Craig Carnaroli, Penn’s Senior Executive Vice President.
“During this
campaign year, we are excited to continue our partnership with Virgin Pulse, a leader in digital health and well-being solutions, and connect all participants to important wellness resources available on its platform. Participants can also engage
in biometric screenings, access information about community-building activities, and complete personalized wellness programs designed to meet individual needs,” Carnaroli adds.
To access the Virgin Pulse platform, go to join.virginpulse.com/penn, using your PennKey and password to login. If you are new to Be in the Know, you’ll need to start by visiting Virgin Pulse’s website to complete a brief registration, including
accepting the privacy terms and conditions and choosing your email preferences. Once registered, you’re encouraged to download the “Virgin Pulse” mobile app via the App Store or Google Play for ease of staying engaged. You also have
the option to connect a fitness tracker to get credit and earn points for your steps, active minutes, and sleep.
What’s New with Be in the Know?
While good health is the greatest
reward, Be in the Know also gives you the opportunity to earn up to $300* total in Pulse Cash rewards. For 2024-2025, the campaign continues the same system for earning points and Pulse Cash rewards – but new this year, you will earn
a boost in rewards for completing a biometric screening and the Health Check, the Virgin Pulse online health assessment!
Start your Be in the Know 2024-2025 experience by completing a biometric screening to learn key indicators about your health status and earn $75 in Pulse Cash.
A biometric screening is the only required activity you must complete to receive any of your earned rewards.
Your biometric screening completion unlocks earning up to an additional $225 Pulse Cash rewards. This includes completing the Health Check for $25 in Pulse Cash.
The Health Check asks a broad range of well-being questions and offers valuable feedback and recommendations to improve your health and well-being. Find the Health Check on the Virgin Pulse platform under the “Health” tab link to “Surveys." You must complete a biometric screening to receive this reward.
You can also earn another $200 in Pulse Cash for completing activities from the Ways to Earn (WTE) 2024-2025 list.
This list has been refreshed so check out new WTE. The more you do, the more you’ll earn! Complete WTE activities at any time during the campaign year and you’ll earn points as you do them; however, you won’t receive earned Pulse
Cash rewards until a biometric screening has been credited.
New features to our 2024-2025 WTE list for Be in the Know participants to enjoy include a refreshed RethinkCare video library with the “Professional Resilience”
collection now available to support mental health and emotional well-being.
Additionally, check out the new My Care Checklist, a personalized healthcare tracker from Virgin Pulse that helps you stay on top of checkups and your healthcare
history. You can earn 1,000 points by completing three of your preventative care activities this year. Recommendations for My Care Checklist are based on information provided during your platform enrollment; however, you can update and manage these
at any time under “My Health Situations”.
How to Earn Biometric Screening Credit
Completing a biometric screening is an essential part of the Be in the Know experience. Once
you complete your screening between July 1, 2024 and June 30, 2025, you’ll earn your first $75 and be able to earn additional rewards.
By completing a biometric screening you will learn critical indicators about your health,
including blood pressure, glucose/blood sugar, and lipids (total, HDL, and LDL cholesterol values and triglycerides.)
Choose from four available options to earn biometric screening credit – all free, convenient, and easy to
do.
- On-campus biometric screenings will be held this fall: These non-fasting screenings, provided by Health Advocate, will be available at convenient campus locations. Watch for announcements with the screenings schedule and link to register for an appointment using Health Advocate's portal. At the screening, you’ll immediately receive results and be able to discuss them onsite with an Educator from Health Advocate.
- Submit results obtained from your healthcare provider: Obtain a screening between July 1, 2024 and June 30, 2025. Download the Consent to Release Results form, then follow the instructions to submit your confidential results to Health Advocate. Once Health Advocate processes your form, they will automatically send results and credit to Virgin Pulse.
- Two options available through Virgin Pulse:
- Labcorp Voucher Program: Download a voucher (screening script) by clicking onto “LabCorp Patient Service Center” on the Virgin Pulse platform. Schedule and complete a screening appointment at a participating Labcorp facility near you.
- Home Test Kits: Order a home test kit by clicking onto “LabCorp Ondemand Home Test” on the Virgin Pulse platform. Complete the kit at home. The kit includes all needed supplies and instructions. Mail back the completed kit.
For all options, biometric screening credit will automatically be reported to Virgin Pulse on your behalf. Please allow a few weeks for credit and Pulse Cash rewards to appear. The two Virgin Pulse options will take several weeks at a minimum.
Ways to Earn for Wellness and Points
In addition to completing your biometric screening and health check (and earning your first $100 in Pulse Cash), review the “Ways to Earn 2024-2025” list for all other qualifying Be in the Know activities to earn up to an additional $200 in Pulse Cash rewards, plus VIP special recognition. There are numerous options to choose from, to meet your personal wellness needs and goals. As you complete WTE activities and your points total accumulates, your goal is to reach the next points level to earn your next reward.
- Reach 5,000 points to earn another $25 Pulse Cash.
- Reach 15,000 points to earn another $50 Pulse Cash.
- Reach 30,000 points to earn another $125 Pulse Cash.
- Reach 50,000 points to earn special recognition as a Be in the Know VIP.
Redeem Your Pulse Cash Rewards
Partnering with Be in the Know and Virgin Pulse allows you to earn rewards for activities that mean the most to you and your health. Once you’ve earned Pulse Cash rewards, Virgin
Pulse makes it easy to spend them on the platform. To redeem your rewards, sign in at https://join.virginpulse.com/penn. Look for the
Home tab on the main page and click on Rewards from the drop-down menu. Once on the Rewards page, click the Spend tab to bring up three categories of reward options.
- Shop the Store for wellness items (such as fitness trackers)
- Get a Gift Card (buy a gift card from available retail and VISA options)
- Donate it (make a donation to a wide variety of charities)
Follow the prompts, including the amount of rewards you wish to spend from the amount you have available. Be sure to click Submit to confirm your purchase. A confirmation email will be sent to the address you used to register on the Virgin
Pulse platform. You’ll need this confirmation email for gift card purchases and charitable donations.
The countdown is on, so don’t forget to mark your calendar for July 1 to begin your game-changing year with Be in the Know 2024-2025! For complete campaign details, visit www.hr.upenn.edu/beintheknow.
* All Be in the Know campaign rewards are subject to applicable payroll taxes at the time they are earned.
Penn will process taxes on any earned rewards through participants’ paychecks on a quarterly basis. For the 2024-2025 campaign year, taxes will be processed in October 2024 and January, April, and July 2025 paychecks. Participants will see applicable
rewards taxes deducted from their paychecks in these months, if rewards were earned during the prior time period. Paystubs will note "Imputed Income: Wellness" plus the amount of earned rewards for that particular tax cycle.
Your privacy
is strictly protected. Penn receives only aggregated data for the participating population. Penn will never know your individual screening results, health assessment answers or personal health goals.
Recharge with a Relaxing Staycation
With summer just around the corner, many of us are dreaming of getting away for a relaxing vacation. No matter where you go, taking time off can help counter burnout, boosting your mood and productivity. However, vacations
aren’t always relaxing, plus the costs and hassles can sometimes outweigh the benefits.
Whether you have a vacation planned or not, you may also want to consider scheduling a staycation for yourself. Staycations are when you take
the time to purposely unwind and spend time at home and in your community. They allow you to relax, recharge, and explore your local area—all without the stress and expense of traveling!
Plan the perfect staycation with these tips:
Designate the time. Similar to how you would allot time for traveling, block off a weekend, long weekend or even a week for your staycation. Request off from work; inform family members, friends and neighbors that you’ll
be “on vacation,” just as you would if you were traveling to a different locale.
Disconnect to reconnect. Unplug from work and daily stressors. Set up an away message for your emails, silence non-essential notifications,
and commit to putting away your devices for periods of time. Be sure to let friends and family know in advance that your responses may be delayed so they don’t worry about you!
Plan your meals. One of the highlights
of a vacation is cooking less and trying new foods. You can do that in your community, too! Choose restaurants you may want to eat in or take out from outside of the normal places you may go. Or if you want to spend part of your staycation whipping
up some new recipes, grocery shop ahead of time so you don’t have to spend your staycation at the store! (Need a new recipe to try? You can browse our collection of healthy recipes here.)
Choose–and plan for–your
downtime activities. Are you planning to binge-read, catch up on your favorite TV series, or watch the movies you’ve missed throughout the year? Stock up on the essentials to ensure that you have plenty to keep you occupied in your
downtime.
Create a playlist. Select music that will help you get into vacation mode. Play it frequently to keep up the relaxing vibes!
Create an itinerary. Decide how you would like to spend your time
to make the most of the rest of your summer. Maybe there is a local park you’ve wanted to explore, a book you want to read, or a new movie or show you’ve been anxious to stream. Whatever you choose, make sure it is fun, makes you happy,
and is something outside of your day-to-day routine. It can be something different planned for each day, or the same activity over a span of days.
Consider adding some of these activities to your itinerary:
- Take a day trip. Explore your own hometown and some of the surrounding areas. Perhaps check out a zoo or museum; go to a concert, show or movie; peruse a market or shopping area; go for a hike or get on the water at a nearby park or lake; and much, much more.
- Try a new sport. Hit the driving range or give pickleball a try! Even taking your bike out for a spin is a great way to stay active and have fun.
- Enjoy a spa day. Grab your robe, scented candles and relax at home in your tub or comfortable lounge chair! Or visit a local business for a massage, pedicure, or other relaxing treatment.
- Make a DIY fort for the whole family. Gather pillows, blankets and maybe even some small string lights to hang in your fort.
- Plan a movie marathon. Pop some popcorn, or make brownies, and get settled in for the night in your PJs. Pick a theme and choose movies that fit the theme.
- Schedule a game night. Dig out the board games, teach yourself a new card game, or put together a puzzle. Or play online trivia with friends or family virtually.
- Explore your city. Make a list of local attractions, parks, museums, or neighborhoods that you’ve been meaning to check out and be a tourist in your own city! You may be surprised by all of the hidden gems around you.
With a bit of planning and commitment to relaxation, a staycation allows you to hit the reset button on your mental and physical health without going very far at all. You may even find yourself returning to work feeling more rested and recharged than
after a traditional vacation!
This article first appeared in Health Advocate’s June 2024 newsletter. It was reprinted
with permission from Health Advocate.
Healthy Meals: Tomato, Peach & Feta Salad
Peaches and tomatoes are officially in season and this delightful salad from Eating Well offers a cool and refreshing taste of summer. This nutritious and colorful dish can serve as a quick on-the-go lunch. You can also make it a tasty treat for those relaxing days at the beach, park, or family barbecue. Serve it with corn-on-the cob or another summertime favorite to make a mouthwatering meal sure to satisfy your taste buds.
Click here to send us your healthy recipes and tips.
Ingredients
1 tablespoon lime juice
1/2 teaspoon honey
1 large
tomato, diced
1/2 cup diced peach
2 tablespoons chopped unsalted dry-roasted pistachios
1 tablespoon crumbled feta cheese
Directions
- Whisk lime juice, honey and salt in a small bowl.
- Add tomato, peach, pistachios and feta and toss to coat.
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: LUCY Shuttle Is Free for PennCard Holders
If you’re looking for a convenient way to get around University City, look no further than the LUCY (Loop through University City) shuttle service. Operated by SEPTA, LUCY is free to all PennCard holders. The service runs between Penn’s campus
and 30th Street, Monday through Friday from 6:10 a.m. to 7 p.m., excluding major holidays. For more information about LUCY and other transportation options, visit the Penn Transportation, Parking & Commuter Services website.