myHR: June 4, 2025

Recognized Holidays for Fiscal Year 2026

The following holidays will be observed by the University in the upcoming fiscal year (July 1, 2025 through June 30, 2026) on the dates listed below:

• Independence Day, Friday, July 4, 2025
• Labor Day, Monday, September 1, 2025
• Thanksgiving, Thursday and Friday, November 27 & 28, 2025
• Christmas Day, Thursday, December 25, 2025 
• New Year’s Day, Thursday, January 1, 2026 
• Martin Luther King, Jr. Day, Monday, January 19, 2026
• Memorial Day, Monday, May 25, 2026
• Juneteenth, Friday, June 19, 2026

Each year, the President, Provost, and Senior Executive Vice President assess the feasibility of observing Penn’s traditional Special Winter Vacation. Thus, the Special Winter Vacation granted to faculty and staff will be on December 26, 29, 30, and 31, 2025. If an employee is required to work to continue departmental operations for part or all of this period, the Special Winter Vacation can be rescheduled for some other time.

Staff members who are absent from work either the workday before a holiday, the workday after a holiday, or both days, will receive holiday pay if that absence is charged to pre-approved paid time off or to sick time substantiated by a written note from the staff member’s health care provider.

Vacations and holidays for hospital employees or those staff members in collective bargaining units are governed by the terms of hospital policies or their respective collective bargaining agreements.

Be in the Know 2024-2025 Campaign Countdown

As Penn’s 2024-2025 wellness campaign ends this month, we encourage you to stay focused on your health and get ready for some exciting changes for 2025-2026.

Starting July 1, 2025, Penn will welcome WebMD as its new Be in the Know wellness platform partner. For the rest of the 2024-2025 Be in the Know campaign year, Penn's platform partner will continue to be Personify Health (formerly known as Virgin Pulse).

Please continue to utilize Be in the Know and Personify Health’s online wellness platform to access programs, content, and resources through June 30. There are still opportunities to earn points and up to $300 in Rewards Cash for the 2024-2025 campaign year.

Use Your Rewards Cash by June 30

If you’ve ever earned points or rewards for the Be in the Know wellness campaign, check your balance and redeem your Rewards Cash on the Personify Health wellness platform by June 30, 2025.

• For 2024-2025, Rewards Cash will NOT roll over into the following campaign year or be available on the new WebMD platform launching July 1, 2025.
• Redeem your earned rewards on Personify Health’s platform. Go to the Rewards page, click the “Spend” tab, and choose from gift cards, Rewards Store wellness items, or charitable donations. For directions, visit Be in the Know and scroll down to “How to Redeem Rewards Cash."

Kick Off Be in the Know 2025-2026 with WebMD

WebMD is a trusted name in wellness information. They provide research-based resources and a thoughtful, holistic approach to employee health, as well as their easy-to-use platform and mobile app to simplify access and participation. Penn’s new WebMD ONE platform will offer programs and resources to help you to engage in your health and find the support you need in all areas of your well-being. 

Since every well-being journey is personal and unique, WebMD offers an array of wellness programs and tools to support your goals and build connections, including Daily Habits, challenges, coaching, a community board, and more. The new platform will also provide an abundance of research-based learning content in multiple formats, such as articles, videos, and podcasts.

Throughout this platform transition, Penn will continue to champion your health and well-being through a multitude of wellness programs and resources, ways to connect with the campus community, and opportunities to thrive and feel your best.

For details and ongoing updates, please visit Be in the Know or the Personify Health platform.

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Vacationing Within Your Budget

We all need vacations. For some of us, that might mean a big trip to a far-away destination. For others, a staycation that features a few local experiences is just the ticket. Whatever your plans are, you don’t need to detract from tomorrow’s financial security to pay for today’s vacation.

Penn’s retirement savings plan partner, TIAA, has solid advice for balancing your vacation plans with your long-term savings. Here are basic Dos and Don’ts to keep in mind:

• Do take a vacation.
  Taking time off from work and going on vacation is an important way many Americans recharge and destress. While some may consider working non-stop a badge of honor, the lowered stress rates and increase in sleep rates (in quality and quantity) that come from taking time off can have a real and positive impact on your work focus and creativity once you head back to the office.  Studies show that taking a vacation every two years instead of every six years can help lessen the risk of heart attack or coronary artery disease.
• Don’t stop your retirement contributions to pay for that vacation.
  Like much in life, picking your next vacation is all about balance. When it comes to paying for your next vacation, decreasing or pausing contributions to your retirement plan will throw this balance out of whack and sacrifice the long-term for the short-term. Instead, plan ahead and build up a vacation fund. This will help you go on your next trip without negatively affecting your long-term saving goals. (Get help with retirement planning and saving when you need it.)
• Do be flexible while planning for a vacation.
  Flexibility when it comes to location and timing can help you find and book better rates for hotels and flights. Not being locked into having to travel to one specific location at one specific time can help you discover deals and open up new and exciting destinations that you may not have previously considered.
• Don’t ignore travel insurance.
  There’s no better way to protect that “dream” vacation and help mitigate potential travel disasters than purchasing a travel insurance policy.
  
  Expect to pay 4% to 8% of your overall trip cost toward travel insurance, according to a the U.S. Travel Insurance Association.
• Do have a budget framework in mind.
  Know before you go! The average family of four will spend approximately $6,000 for a week-long stay at a Disney property. Having a realistic understanding of the costs associated with your vacation (including understanding the effect of foreign exchange rates) before you go will help you decide if taking this vacation makes sense now.
• Don’t overspend, plan a vacation budget.
  Nothing can ruin a vacation faster than being maniacal about watching what you spend, so it’s smart to build some wiggle room into your spending plans—remember it’s all about finding that right balance between saving and spending. Having a budget framework and sticking to it as much as possible can help you avoid the trap of working the rest of the year to pay off the credit card debt you accrued while on vacation.

Need help with saving for retirement?

Call the TIAA Retirement Call Center at 877-736-6738.

You can schedule a meeting with a TIAA retirement plan consultant at no additional cost to you, where a consultant can help you with your investment choices. In an hour or less, TIAA can review your account and goals for retirement and discuss potential changes that you can make to help you meet these goals. To learn more about consultations, download this flyer.

To schedule a consultation, log into TIAA's website or call 800-732-8353.

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Build Personalized Playlists to Grow Career Skills

Are you a lifelong learner? Are you looking to sharpen your skills based on your manager’s feedback? Are you curious about other career paths? 

The University provides thousands of digital or instructor-led courses through Workday and LinkedIn Learning. All learners in Workday Learning can now create and revisit custom content playlists through a new feature in Workday called Learning Paths. 

Learners can search, browse, and curate a playlist of Workday and LinkedIn courses to support professional development. You can enroll in the courses at your own pace. You can keep your paths private or share them with other learners in Workday. Managers can also share paths with their teams. You may even see your colleagues or other departments developing and sharing learning paths. Get step-by-step instructions in the Learning Paths tip sheet.

Recommended for You

In addition to your own browsing in Workday Learning to find interesting courses, you will get personalized training recommendations. Recommendations come from your learning history, skills, and skill interests entered in your Workday career profile and a comparison to those with similar positions.

Workday matches keywords and descriptions with courses offered at the University and LinkedIn Learning. It presents the recommended courses in your Workday Learning’s Discover section. In Discover, explore these categories:

• Based on Your Skills to Develop
• Recommended for You
• Based on Your Interests

When you see a course that interests or benefits you, add it to your learning path!

Workday resources help you develop your skills and your Penn career. 

If you need additional help, please call the Penn Employee Solution Center at 215-898-7372 or submit a help ticket online.

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Tune in with Your Colleagues

If you want to take your team’s performance and your leadership to the next level, there’s an important engagement skill that goes beyond giving advice, offering strategies, and how-to feedback. It’s called attunement—the ability to be present with someone’s emotional state in a way that fosters connection, clarity, and commitment.

Explore the power of attunement at Feel Do Not Fix: The New Essential Skill for Modern Work, on June 10 from 12 p.m. to 1 p.m. Led by Positive Psychology experts and Executive Coaches, Stella Grizont and Lisa Zigarmi, this session is for leaders and individual contributors who want to deepen trust, strengthen engagement, and lead with more humanity—without needing more time or budget.

“Attunement is not soft. It is not passive. It is not a luxury. It is a fast and powerful leadership skill in times of overwhelm and overwork,” Grizont and Zigarmi say in their recent article in the Harvard Business Review.

Many factors block attunement, such as the understandable drive to get things done and solve problems. Yet, as Grizont and Zigarmi point out “employees often need support before they need solutions.”

“With attunement, leaders use their presence—eye contact, body language, and inner stillness—to convey support. Research shows that this kind of social support can dramatically shift how people perceive stressful situations. In fact, the act of attunement before taking next steps can make future solutions more effective.”

The Five Steps to Attunement

Feel Do Not Fix: The New Essential Skill for Modern Work will help you be present for your colleagues to improve trust, support, and performance. It starts with these five steps:

1. Set the intention.
   Attunement begins with a decision: I am here to listen, not to judge or fix. Set aside your inclination to critique, advise, plan, or rescue. Ready yourself to be with the employee, not do anything for them.
2. Shift into calm.
   Your emotional state is contagious. If you’re tense or rushed, employees will sense it. Attunement requires you to be regulated—calm enough to absorb and reflect their experience without reacting.
3. Stay curious.
   Curiosity is the antidote to judgment. Enter the conversation with openness, not assumptions. Your job is to understand their experience, not impose your perspective.
   Ask yourself: What might I learn? How might I be surprised?
   Say: I wonder what’s been hardest for you? Or, Tell me more about what that was like.
   Suspend problem-solving and listen for the emotions underneath their words.
4. Listen with your body.
   Attunement isn’t just hearing words—it’s absorbing the full picture. Listen for tone, body language, and unspoken feelings. When employees feel truly heard, their nervous system relaxes, allowing them to metabolize emotions and move forward.
5. Invite reflection.
   As emotions settle, help employees reflect on their experience and next steps. This reinforces their ability to self-regulate and problem-solve.

For more details, register for Feel Do Not Fix: The New Essential Skill for Modern Work or access Harvard Business Review through Penn Libraries.

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Gain Legal Skills Using Your Tuition Benefit

Legal knowledge is a powerful tool whether you work in student services, finance, healthcare, Human Resources, research, or administration. The Master in Law (ML) Program at Penn Carey Law offers flexible options for you to learn the legal frameworks that impact your field. Thanks to Penn’s tuition benefit, you can enroll in the ML program at little cost to you.

Eligible faculty and staff can use their tuition benefit to gain a legal education in the ML program using one of three flexible pathways:

• Take a Class: This summer, choose from evening courses including U.S. Law & Legal Methods, General Business Law, Navigating the Regulatory State, or online courses such as Health Law and Comparative Health Systems Overview and Foundations of U.S. Legal Research. Classes begin June 9. Register today.
• Earn a Certificate in Law: Dive deeper into legal fundamentals. Complete four courses to earn the certificate.
• Pursue the ML Degree: Customize your legal education in a part-time format that fits your schedule.

ML courses are typically held in the evening and are designed with working professionals in mind.

For more information about the ML Program, visit the Penn Carey Law website or email master@law.upenn.edu. 

For details about Penn’s tuition benefit, visit the Tuition Benefit webpage.

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Healthy Meals: Blueberry Avocado Smoothie

This blueberry avocado smoothie is a creamy, high-protein drink made with just a few simple ingredients. It's easy to prepare, kid-approved, and perfect for breakfast, a snack, or post-workout fuel. The smoothie balances healthy fats and natural sweetness for a great taste and can be customized with add-ins like cauliflower, Greek yogurt, or lemon. 

Click here to send us your healthy recipes and tips.

Ingredients

• 1 cup of unsweetened milk of choice
• 1/2 cup plain nonfat Greek yogurt
• 1 cup of frozen blueberries
• 1/2 ripe avocado
• 1/2 cup baby spinach
• 1 teaspoon agave nectar or pure maple syrup

*Note: Adding a protein powder can make the smoothie filling enough to be a meal.

Directions

1. Combine ingredients in a high-powered blender and blend until smooth.
2. Transfer to a glass, top with any toppings of choice and enjoy!
3. Optional ingredients: Substitute or add ingredients to taste such as protein powder, nut butter, and more.

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.
  

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Did You Know: Penn Parking Permit Renewal Ends June 10

The fiscal year 2026 change/renewal period for Penn Parking permits is open until June 10 at the Park@Penn portal. Annual Penn Parking permits offer full-time, benefits-eligible faculty and staff guaranteed access to an assigned campus parking facility, billed monthly via pretax payroll deduction. For rates and permit options, visit the Parking Rates page. You can learn more at their FAQ page. If you have questions, please contact Parking Services.