myHR: January 14, 2026

Choose Your Own Wellness Adventure with WebMD’s Side Quests

Every adventure starts with a reason. With the Side Quests tool on the WebMD platform you can define your “why” for working toward a well-being goal. Then, personalize a plan of action to achieve that goal and stay motivated every step of the way.

Side Quests allow you to take specific adventures at any time during the 2025-2026 Be in the Know campaign year. On a quarterly basis, you can earn 25 reward points when you start and another 50 points when you achieve your wellness goal. Side Quests can be the reason for embarking on a health and well-being journey or a secondary goal you pursue. 

To get started, visit the WebMD platform. From the homepage, select Side Quests from the drop-down menu in the upper right-hand corner. From the Side Quests page, select the Choose Your Own Adventure tile and click Create.

There are four Choose Your Own Adventure categories:

1. Timed exercise: Pick your favorite exercise and commit to it for a set amount of time each week.
2. Daily steps: Commit to a certain number of steps each week. You could connect your favorite fitness tracker to make keeping score even easier.
3. Mindful minutes: Ease your stress by engaging in a mindful activity for a set amount of time each week.
4. Quality sleep: Feel refreshed by challenging yourself to get enough high-quality sleep each week.

Once you select your adventure, you will be prompted to answer a few questions to help customize your well-being journey. For example, if you choose “Timed exercise,” you will indicate the following:

• Type of activity you plan to do
• Number of minutes per day you will exercise
• Days of the week your exercise will take place
• Start date for your adventure
• End date for your adventure

You will also include your “why” statement because understanding your motivation can help drive you to accomplish your goals. Once your adventure is set up, click Create, add the adventure to your calendar (if desired), and get started.

Remember that your wellness goals aren’t just boxes to check. They’re milestones on your journey, so get ready. Your adventure awaits!

For more information about the 2025-2026 Be in the Know wellness campaign, which includes an array of activities to support your health and earn up to $300 in cash rewards, visit the Be in the Know webpage.  

New Year: Time to Review Insurance and Retirement Plan Beneficiaries

A new year often brings change to many families. When life events such as marriage, divorce, or birth of a child happen, it’s wise to update your Penn life insurance and retirement plan beneficiary designations.

Properly designating your beneficiaries gives you and your loved ones peace of mind. It makes it easier to carry out your wishes for their financial future. Otherwise, the money you intend to leave them could instead go to your estate and be distributed as part of probate proceedings. Probate can be time-consuming and stressful for your next-of-kin.

Designations for your retirement plans and life insurance do not apply to each other. However, the process is made simple using the Workday@Penn portal and the TIAA.org login for Penn faculty and staff.

How to Update Your Life Insurance Beneficiary

You may update your life insurance beneficiary at any time. With the Workday@Penn portal, updating your insurance beneficiary information takes only a few minutes. If you have not selected a life insurance beneficiary or need to update an existing designation, log in to Workday and follow the instructions in the Workday@Penn Self Service: Manage, View, and Change Your Benefits tip sheet.

If you have questions about updating your life insurance beneficiary designations in Workday or need assistance, you can also call the Penn Benefits Solution Center at Health Advocate at 866-799-2239, Monday-Friday, 8 a.m.-10 p.m. ET.

How to Update Your Retirement Plan Beneficiary

1. To update your retirement plan beneficiary, log in to TIAA.org to see your account summary.*
2. Select the Profile link at the top of the screen.
3. Select Manage beneficiaries from the quick links in the drop-down menu.
4. Under Manage your beneficiaries, select the Beneficiaries tab.
5. To edit or remove a beneficiary, select the three-dot button next to their name.

Note that you must make beneficiary designations for each contract under each of the three plans – Basic, Matching, and Supplemental. Any contracts without a beneficiary designation will default to your estate.

If you need help updating your retirement plan beneficiaries, please contact the TIAA Retirement Call Center at 877-736-6738.

For more details about updating beneficiaries for your retirement plans, visit the Designating Your Beneficiaries web page.

*Benefit service providers may revise their website occasionally, so these steps could change. If you need help, please contact the service providers listed above.

Preparing for an AI Future

As artificial intelligence becomes embedded in everyday business operations, developing practical AI skills is increasingly important for staff across all functions. One way to think about AI is not that it replaces expertise but enhances it. Here are some possible future scenarios for working with AI tools, as outlined by leading vendors and thought leaders.

Possible AI Use in Key Areas

• Administrative staff benefit from AI through improved efficiency and accuracy, according to Microsoft’s Work Smarter, Not Harder: 10 Benefits of AI in Your Workplace. AI tools can assist with scheduling, document preparation, meeting summaries, and information retrieval, helping staff manage complex workloads and reduce manual effort.
• In information technology, AI tools can accelerate routine tasks such as system monitoring, troubleshooting, and documentation. Staff who understand how to apply AI for log analysis, knowledge base searches, or code review can resolve issues more quickly and focus on higher-value work such as architecture, security, and optimization. AI literacy also enables IT teams to better evaluate emerging tools and manage risk responsibly. More information is available from Gartner, a leading global research and advisory company.
• In human resources, AI can support recruiting, onboarding, learning, and employee relations, according to 2025 Talent Trends: AI in HR by SHRM. Skills in using AI to draft job descriptions, analyze workforce data, summarize policies, or respond to common employee questions can enhance consistency and responsiveness while freeing up time for strategic workforce planning and employee engagement.
• For finance professionals, AI can streamline forecasting, variance analysis, reporting, and audit preparation. Staff who know how to utilize AI for data interpretation, scenario modeling, and narrative summaries can discover insights more quickly and with greater clarity, supporting better decision-making throughout the organization. More trends are available from KPMG’s AI in Financial Reporting and Audit: Navigating the New Era.

Penn Supports Growing Your AI Skills

To support career growth, staff are encouraged to take advantage of the wide variety of training opportunities that Penn provides. This includes:

• ISC AI Hub/AI Training, including courses funded by Draw Down the Lightning Grants
• O'Reilly for Higher Education, including the AI Technical & Developer Training Playlist
• AI Courses in LinkedIn Learning

Documenting and Tracking Your AI Skills

Anyone with a worker record at Penn should document these emerging capabilities in their Workday career profiles. By documenting AI-related skills and identifying areas of interest, employees can make their strengths and aspirations visible to managers, recruiters, and project leaders. Expressing an interest in AI skills helps connect staff to development opportunities, stretch assignments, and roles that align with their evolving skill sets.

By building AI skills and showcasing them through Workday, staff enhance their effectiveness, adaptability, and long-term career value, while the University benefits from an agile, change- and future-ready workforce.

For more information about documenting your AI skills and skill interests, visit Workday’s Guide to Career Development.

Mastering the Art of Coaching Communication

In today’s fast-paced workplace, the most effective leaders aren’t those who have all the answers. They’re the ones who help others find their own. Shifting from a directive, problem-solving mindset to a coaching approach builds stronger teams and equips staff with the confidence and skills to tackle challenges independently.

This is the philosophy at the heart of Coaching Communication Strategies to Drive Positive Behavior Change, an interactive professional development program designed to help staff empower others, foster accountability, and drive lasting results. The program will be held in two parts, the first in person on February 25, 2026, from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m., and the second online on March 18 from 4 p.m. to 5 p.m.

“As a society, we know people are more likely to execute on their own ideas, yet we rarely create the space to allow people to solve their own problems,” says Lou Troilo, program facilitator and Global Leadership Coach. “Coaching situations arise everyday; however, in these moments people typically default to being a ‘Chief Problem Solver.’”

Reasons why team members frequently default to problem-solving for others include:

• Efficiency bias: Solving the problem directly often feels faster than guiding someone through it.
• Habitual patterns: Many leaders and staff have been conditioned to view problem-solving as their primary value.
• Lack of coaching skills: Without the right tools or training, employees may not feel confident adopting a coaching approach.
• Control and accountability concerns: Some worry that if they don’t solve the problem themselves, outcomes may not meet expectations.
• Cultural norms: In some workplaces, being the “go-to problem solver” is associated with competence and leadership, making it the default behavior.

This course will help staff reframe their role as a “fixer” and transform them into a “facilitator” using strategies to:

• Help with their own problem solving
• Foster personal accountability
• Build confidence as a coach
• Drive visible, real-time results

Please note that Coaching Communication Strategies to Drive Positive Behavior Change is a nomination-based program, and your department will be charged for the cost. Employees may initiate a nomination request or be encouraged to do so by their manager via Workday. Managers are required to approve the request in Workday and provide the nominee’s budget string/code. 

For more professional development opportunities, visit the Learn & Grow webpage.

Snow Day Child Care Benefit

Snow day school closure announcements bring smiles to children’s faces, but things might not be so jolly if you’re concerned about minding your kids while you’re scheduled to work remotely or on campus. To keep the fun in and leave the stress out, Penn offers snow day child-care services to support you and your family.

Penn’s Snow Day Child Care Program provides care for children of benefits-eligible Penn faculty, staff, and postdocs when the University is open but Philadelphia public schools are closed due to inclement weather. Children ages 12 weeks to 12 years are eligible for the program, whether they attend a District of Philadelphia school or not.

Snow Day Child Care, offered in partnership with the Penn Children’s Center, is available through March 6, 2026, weekdays from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. Space is limited daily, and care requests are met on a first-come, first-served basis. Drop-in care through this program is highly subsidized. The cost for eligible employees is $15 per day, per child. Pre-registration is required through the Penn Children’s Center website.

Beyond snow days, the Penn Children’s Center provides short-term and drop-in care to pre-registered families as space allows. Flexible long-term options are also available for two to five days of care per week, subject to availability. While all community members are welcome to apply for enrollment, the Center gives priority to University-affiliated families. For details or to schedule a tour, visit the Penn Children’s Center enrollment webpages.

For more information about work-life benefits, visit the Wellness & Work-Life webpage.

Wellness and Health for Pets, Too

Pets bring so much joy to our lives. In turn, responsible pet guardians strive to give them the best care. Quality food, medications, and veterinary services can be costly, but with help from Penn, you can get extra coverage to provide for your furred, feathered, or even scaley friends. Faculty, staff, and postdocs can take advantage of a variety of benefits and discounts to maintain and improve your animal companions’ well-being.

Pet Benefit Solutions Total Pet Plan

This plan, available through Penn Benefits Extras, gives you a simple way to make pet care more affordable without compromising standards. The Total Pet Plan offers:

• Big Savings on Everyday Items: Up to 40% off prescriptions, preventatives, food, toys, and more.
• Veterinary Discounts: Instant 25% savings on in-house services at participating vets.
• 24/7 Telehealth: Real-time support for health, wellness, and behavior—even after hours.
• Lost Pet Recovery: Durable ID tag for quick return, easier than a microchip.
• Exclusive Member Deals: Special offers from national pet retailers and service providers.

The Total Pet Plan offers free shipping and same-day pickup for most prescriptions. Plus, there are no exclusions for age, health, or pre-existing conditions.

You can enroll for $11.75/month for one pet or $18.50/month for a family plan. To get started, visit the Penn Benefit Extras portal.

MetLife Pet Insurance

Pet insurance offers peace of mind by helping you prepare for unexpected vet bills and avoid going into debt to provide your pet with lifesaving care. MetLife’s Pet Insurance plan, available through Penn Benefits Extras, gives participants more than coverage for accidents and illnesses.* It also includes:

• Cash back on everyday vet bills
• 24/7 vet telehealth services
• The freedom of choice to use any licensed vet, specialist, or emergency provider in the U.S.
• Optional preventative care coverage

To see your personalized pricing and more, visit the Penn Benefit Extras portal.

*Pre-existing conditions may not be covered.

Penn Vet Discounts

Penn’s world renowned Vet School offers 20% discounts to University faculty, staff, and postdocs for small animal veterinary care at Ryan Veterinary Hospital, excluding pharmacy, food, and supply items. To be eligible for this discount, you must be the registered owner of the pet and present a valid Penn ID at the time of the visit. If you have questions about the discounted services, please call Ryan Veterinary Hospital Business Office at 215-898-4288 between Monday through Friday, 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. To schedule an appointment for your dog or cat, please call 215-898-4680.

Healthy Meals: Lemon & Dill Chicken

Lemon & Dill Chicken from EatingWell is a great start for a balanced meal. Pair it with your favorite grain  — pasta, rice, quinoa, or farro — or serve alongside a crisp, refreshing salad. Tender chicken breast is infused with a zesty lemon and dill sauce that’s so flavorful, you'll want to make extra.

Click here to send us your healthy recipes and tips.

Ingredients

• 4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts (1 to1-1/4 pounds)
• Salt to taste
• Ground pepper to taste
• 3 teaspoons extra-virgin olive oil, or neutral oil, such as canola or avocado, divided
• 1/4 cup finely chopped onion
• 3 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 cup reduced-sodium chicken broth
• 2 teaspoons flour
• 2 tablespoons chopped fresh dill, divided
• 1 tablespoon lemon juice

Directions

1. Season 4 chicken breasts on both sides with salt and pepper. Heat 1-1/2 teaspoons oil in a large, heavy skillet over medium-high heat. Add the chicken and sear until well browned on both sides, about 3 minutes per side. Transfer chicken to a plate and tent with foil.
2. Reduce heat to medium. Add the remaining 1-1/2 teaspoons oil to the pan. Add onion and garlic and cook, stirring, for 1 minute. Whisk 1 cup broth, 2 teaspoons flour, 1 tablespoon dill, and 1 tablespoon lemon juice in a measuring cup and add to pan. Cook, whisking, until slightly thickened, about 3 minutes.
3. Return the chicken and any accumulated juices to the pan; reduce heat to low and simmer until the chicken is cooked through, about 4 minutes. Transfer the chicken to a warmed platter. Season sauce with salt and pepper and spoon over the chicken. Garnish with the remaining 1 tablespoon chopped fresh dill.

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: Penn’s MLK Day of Service Events

Join the Penn community for service opportunities on Martin Luther King Jr. Day, Monday, January 19. The Day of Service starts with a Kick-off Breakfast in Houston Hall, followed by this year’s Community Beautification projects at different neighborhood locations (transportation is available). You can also volunteer on-campus at Helping Hands and the Penn Reads Literacy & Children’s Art Project. Events close with a Candlelight Vigil. For the full schedule and registration information, see the AARC calendar at aarc.upenn.edu/events.