myHR Archives
myHR: April 23, 2025
Doubling Your Dollars with Penn’s Retirement Match
It’s more than just saving—it’s free money for your future. The University of Pennsylvania offers a generous retirement matching plan, contributing dollar for dollar up to 5% of your salary when you do the same. That’s a 100% return on your investment—instantly.
If 5% feels like too much right now, start small with what you can. Even a 1% or 2% contribution gets the ball rolling. Then, set a reminder in the near future to increase it over time. Small steps today can lead to big security tomorrow.
The Basic Plan and Matching Plan work together to help you boost your future financial well-being. Here’s a breakdown:
| Your Age | Penn’s Basic Contribution (no employee contribution required) | Penn’s Match Contribution | Total Potential Contribution from Penn | Total Potential Contribution from Employee and Penn |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 21-29 | 2.5% | Dollar-for-dollar match on employee contributions up to 5% | 7.5% | 12.5% |
| 30-39 | 4% | Dollar-for-dollar match on employee contributions up to 5% | 9% | 14% |
| 40 or over | 5% | Dollar-for-dollar match on employee contributions up to 5% | 10% | 15% |
Don’t leave money on the table. Enroll or adjust your contribution now through Penn’s Saving for Retirement homepage (look for the “Enroll or Make Changes” box) and take full advantage of Penn’s match. Your future self will thank you.
For Questions or Help
Talk to a TIAA Financial Consultant to help you better understand your retirement plan and ways to maximize your savings. This service is available at no additional cost as part of your employee benefits. To schedule an appointment today, visit tiaa.org/schedulenow or call 800-732-8353, weekdays, 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. (ET).
Spend Your Be in the Know Wellness Rewards Cash this Spring
In March, Penn announced that the Be in the Know wellness campaign will be welcoming a new platform partner, WebMD. The WebMD ONE platform will be available starting July 1, 2025. Personify Health (formerly known as Virgin Pulse) will continue to be Penn's platform partner through June 30, 2025.
In the meantime, we encourage you to stay focused on your health and continue to utilize Be in the Know wellness programs and resources. However, please note that your Personify Health Rewards Cash balance will NOT roll over into the following campaign year. Incentives earned before July 1 will not be available on the new WebMD ONE platform.
Rewards Cash must be redeemed by June 30, 2025. So be sure to take these steps to get the most out of your Be in the Know 2024-2025 campaign experience:
- If you still need biometric screening credit to unlock earning rewards this year, complete this step as soon as possible (by June 1, 2025 at the latest.) Go to Biometric Screening Options, 2024-2025 on Personify Health’s Programs page for information.
- Redeem your earned Rewards Cash on Penn's Personify Health platform. You can choose from gift cards, wellness items from their Rewards Store, or charitable donations. To redeem your rewards, go to the Home tab on the main Personify Health page and select Rewards from the drop-down menu.
- On the Rewards page, click the Spend tab to access the reward options. Choose from:
- Shop the Store for wellness items (such as fitness trackers)
- Get a Gift Card (from available retailers and VISA)
- Donate it (to a wide choice 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 Personify Health platform. You’ll need this confirmation email for gift card purchases and charitable donations.
There are still many “Ways to Earn” opportunities to earn points and up to $300 in Rewards Cash for the 2024-2025 campaign year. Participate in May’s U.S. National Parks Penn Challenge (a two-week steps challenge), monthly healthy habit challenges, and ongoing personal challenges. You can also complete Journeys and Daily Cards on well-being topics, plus track your steps, sleep, and other healthy habits. Join your colleagues at upcoming wellness and work-life events, including specially themed events for Mental Health Awareness Month in May and Employee Health and Wellness Month in June.
For details and ongoing updates, please visit Be in the Know or the Personify Health platform.
Looking Ahead to Mental Health Awareness Month
Mental Health Awareness month starts next week on May 1. To help the Penn community focus on this essential part of well-being, Penn will offer a range of workshops and events listed below. Of course, mental health care needs and emotional wellness efforts go beyond a single month. That’s why the University provides many ways to access support throughout the year.
The Penn Employee Assistance Program (EAP)
If you have questions or concerns and you want to talk to someone right away, contact the Penn Employee Assistance Program (EAP) at 866-799-2329. Penn’s EAP provides confidential access to counselors 24/7.
Along with the EAP and the behavioral health care coverage included in all Penn health plans, there is a range of convenient workshops and activities available to address various concerns and strengthen emotional health.
2025 Mental Health Awareness Month Events
Resilience and Well-Being: Joy Multiplier, May 1, 12:30 p.m. - 2 p.m.
This session will explore communication styles that either build or erode trust and how to strengthen our relationships by responding with authentic engagement to other people’s positive experiences.
Mental Health and Me, May 6, 12 p.m. - 1 p.m.
We will explore strategies to manage your mental/emotional health as well as identify and utilize available resources to help. The discussion will also take a look at early warning signs to seek help and techniques to maintain positive mental health and wellness.
Radical Resilience: Ideas for Sustainable Life Balance, May 6, 12:30 p.m. - 1:30 p.m.
The term “anti-fragility”, coined by NYU professor Nassim Nicholas Taleb, takes the concept of resilience to the next level by asserting that there are conditions whereby we are not only able to bounce back, but we become even stronger as a result. This interactive workshop is part of our Ideas for Sustainable Life Balance series that provides tools for increasing your ability to be super-resilient. It’s also based on the work of Harvard educator Dr. Ben-Shahar, author of Happier: Learn the Secrets to Daily Joy and Lasting Fulfillment.
Better with Boundaries a Personify Health Workshop, May 7, 12:30 p.m.-1:00 p.m.
Want to get rid of stress and burnout while strengthening your relationships? Boundaries may be a good place to start. Join this Personify Health (formerly Virgin Pulse) workshop to learn all about being better with boundaries.
May Wellness Walk, May 14, 12 p.m.-1 p.m.
This month’s wellness walk theme is Mindful in May: Wellness Walk for Mental Health Awareness. Join us for a wellness walk to refresh your mind, move your body, and connect with others in a peaceful outdoor setting. Walking is a simple yet powerful way to reduce stress, boost mood, and improve overall mental health.
Setting Boundaries - A Restorative Practices Perspective, May 21, 12 p.m. -.1:30 p.m.
This 90-minute training helps situate the setting and maintenance of personal and professional boundaries within the Restorative Practices framework. Participants will also define what boundaries are, and practice strategies to communicate them effectively and in ways that promote healthier relationships, with others and ourselves.
30-Minute Tour of Penn Farm, May 28, 1 p.m. -.1:30 p.m.
Join Penn Farm staff for a special tour of the farm. Learn about the history and mission of Penn Farm, the food access initiatives supported by the farm, the sustainable growing practices utilized, and other relevant content based on interest.
Penn Farm Volunteer Session May 28, 1:30 p.m. – 3 p.m.
Volunteer at the Penn Farm for a hands-on learning experience from 1:30 p.m. - 3 p.m.
Time and Energy Management: Ideas for Sustainable Life Balance, May 29, 12:30 p.m. - 1:30 p.m.
This interactive workshop defines energy management in terms of its relationship to work-life balance asserting that time is finite, but energy is not. Several traditional tools are presented but the focus is largely on the need for sustainable practices of working and living with uncertainty. Individuals will be asked to do a personal energy assessment and to consider a habit that will serve them.
The Penn Cobalt platform, sponsored by Penn Medicine, also has 30-minute online group sessions on timely topics scheduled throughout May. Registration is free.
Work Smarter, Live Fuller
Feeling overwhelmed, stretched thin, or constantly racing the clock? You're not alone—but there’s a better way. What if the secret to getting more done isn’t about just managing your time, but managing your energy? In the Time and Energy Management: Ideas for Sustainable Life Balance workshop on May 29 from 12:30 p.m. to 1:30 p.m., you’ll explore practical tools and techniques to help you not just do more, but feel better while doing it.
During this interactive workshop you’ll do activities, including a personal energy assessment to help identify the physical, emotional, mental, and spiritual things that provide energy or cause us to be drained.
“Shifting to an energy-centered mindset begins with recognizing that while time is a limited resource, energy can be renewed and expanded,” says workshop facilitator Sam Lunney.
“Building supportive habits such as taking meaningful breaks, aligning tasks with personal values, and setting healthy boundaries can help sustain performance even in high-pressure environments,” he adds.
Time and Energy Management covers these essential 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.
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.
Success Starts with Goals
Your staff job at Penn comes with great tools to help you grow and succeed. One of those tools is Workday, which allows you and your manager to keep track of your job, goals, and professional development. You don’t need to wait for a performance review to set goals—you can (and should) work on them all year long. Here are some tips to help you get started:
- Set Clear Goals Talk with your manager regularly about what you want to accomplish. Use the SMARTS method to make your goals specific and clear. These goals might differ from your regular job duties—they measure how you improve your routine tasks and how you want to grow. Not sure how to begin? Visit Penn HR’s effective performance management web page for helpful guides and training.
- Add Goals in Workday You or your manager can enter your goals into Workday. Your department may have its way of doing things, so follow your manager’s lead if you're unsure.
- Keep Up with Notifications When your manager updates or adds a goal, you’ll get a notification in Workday. If you add or change a goal, your manager will get a task to review it. Staying in the loop helps keep everyone on the same page.
- Update Goals as You Go As you make progress, update your goals! Doing this throughout the year helps you see how far you’ve come and makes performance reviews easier.
- Pay Attention to Due Dates Your performance review will include goals with due dates during the review period. So, make sure your goal dates are accurate!
- For Managers: Track Team Goals If you are a manager, you can view all your team’s goals by running the “My Team’s Goals” report in Workday.
- Use Check-Ins
- Want to Learn More?
- The Workday website has a lot of helpful resources, like FAQs and goal categories, to guide your conversations with your manager.
- For step-by-step instructions, check out the Workday tip sheets Goals and Check-Ins and Performance Management for Managers and Employees.
- Take advantage of Penn HR’s resources to learn and grow your career at Penn.
Managing your goals helps you stay organized, build skills, and prepare for the future. Make the most of what Workday and Penn HR offer. It’s a great way to grow your career step by step.
Healthy Meals: Creamy Pesto Shrimp with Gnocchi & Peas
Craving a cozy weeknight dinner that doesn’t skimp on flavor? This EatingWell one-pan shrimp and gnocchi dish brings together velvety pesto, tender peas, and golden gnocchi for a richly satisfying meal in under 30 minutes.
Click here to send us your healthy recipes and tips.
Ingredients
- 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil, divided
- 1 (12 ounce) package refrigerated potato gnocchi
- 8 ounces large peeled and deveined raw shrimp (about 8), patted dry
- 1 cup frozen peas
- 1/3 cup half-and-half plus 2 tablespoons, divided
- 1/2 teaspoon ground pepper
- 1/4 cup refrigerated basil pesto
Directions
- Heat 1 tablespoon oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium heat. Add gnocchi; cook, stirring occasionally, until golden brown in spots and plump, 8 to 10 minutes. Transfer to a bowl. Do not wipe the pan clean.
- Heat the remaining 1 tablespoon of oil in the pan over medium heat. Add shrimp; cook, stirring often, until pink on the outside but translucent in the center, about 2 minutes. Add peas; cook, stirring constantly, until just starting to soften, about 1 minute. Stir in the reserved gnocchi, 1/3 cup half-and-half and pepper; cook until slightly thickened, about 2 minutes.
- Remove from heat; stir in pesto and the remaining 2 tablespoons half-and-half. Divide the mixture among 4 shallow bowls.
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: U.S. National Parks Penn Challenge Starts May 5
If you’re enjoying National Parks Week in person or in spirit, you’ll love the Be in the Know U.S. National Parks Penn Challenge, May 5 through May 18. Track your steps on a virtual grand tour of our National Parks as you earn points toward Rewards Cash on Penn’s Personify Health wellness partner platform. The due date to upload your steps on The deadline to upload your steps on the platform is Tuesday, May 20, 11:59 p.m. ET.