myHR: February 11, 2026

Ways to Stay Active This Winter

Two of the best ways to beat the winter blues are to move your body and stimulate your mind. Cold weather, snow, and ice can present barriers but getting past those hurdles puts you on the path to staying healthy – especially during February, which is American Heart Month.

Get in Gear

Penn’s Be in the Know annual wellness campaign, powered by WebMD, offers a host of indoor events and classes that can help put the pep back in your step both physically and emotionally. This winter’s activities include:

• February Wellness Walk, February 18, 12 p.m. – 12:45 p.m.
• Lunchtime Chair Yoga, February 18, March 4, and March 18, 12 p.m. – 12:45 p.m.
• Well-being Pop-up: Put It in Perspective, February 18, 10 a.m. – 10:15 a.m.
• Group Fitness: Circuit Training, February 25, 12 p.m. – 12:45 p.m.
• Sleep Basics, March 3, 12 p.m. – 12:45 p.m.
• Pottruck Open Gym, March 10, 12 p.m. – 12:15 p.m. (check-in time)
• Group Fitness: Beginner Strength, March 24, 12 p.m. – 12:45 p.m.
• March Wellness Walk, March 18, 12 p.m. – 12:45 p.m.

To further inspire activity, we invite you to join WebMD’s wellness workshop on Using Exercise Equipment to Build Fitness on February 26 from 12 p.m. to 1 p.m. Thad Hubbell, one of WebMD’s dynamic health coaches, will facilitate this virtual workshop. Hubbell has over 25 years in the health and wellness field and a B.S. in Exercise Science.

During the workshop, Hubbell will provide physical activity guidelines. In addition, Hubbell will offer a comprehensive review of the types of cardiovascular and strength training exercises and their benefits. You will also learn about a variety of equipment options and recommendations to build a safe, enjoyable, budget-friendly, personalized fitness routine in your own home.

Mental and Emotional Well-being

Taking care of your mental health is as essential as your physical health. Penn offers both preventative and treatment services to you, your coworkers, and your family through the Penn Employee Assistance Program (EAP) and the behavioral health component of your Penn health plan. All Penn benefits-eligible faculty, staff, and postdocs have 24/7 access to masters-level intake counselors via the EAP, which offers free confidential counseling services to help you manage challenges. You can reach out in any of the following ways:

• Call 1-888-503-2380
• Email support@curalinc.com
• Visit https://www.hr.upenn.edu/eap

Rewards for Wellness

Be in the Know provides cash rewards of up to $300 per year for activities like completing an online health assessment, participating in a biometric screening, and syncing your fitness device to the WebMD platform. This platform can help you with activities such as:

• Tracking your monthly steps or exercise to build a sense of accomplishment and decide where and how to continue improving
• Working with a health coach for added support
• Setting up Side Quests that allow you to challenge colleagues on the way to meeting your health and wellness goals
• Learning about an array of health-related topics via WebMD’s extensive content library

In addition, Penn Healthy You hosts a Nutrition & Fitness webpage to provide you with a subsidy for Penn Campus Recreation membership at the Pottruck Health and Fitness Center, membership discounts to the YMCA, fitness reimbursement from Independence Blue Cross, and more.

Look for more Be in the Know health resources on the Penn Healthy You webpage.

Build Financial Wellness with Essentials by TIAA

TIAA’s newly revamped educational program, Essentials by TIAA, offers enhanced tools and guidance to help you build financial wellness and plan for retirement. From expense and income worksheets to calculators, webinars, and more, practical financial education is always within reach.

Essentials by TIAA’s dynamic online content guides you through key concepts and common financial situations. By investing just a little time on the site each week, you can learn how to manage your money more effectively and efficiently.

One standout feature of Essentials by TIAA is that the full webinar schedule for benefits-eligible Penn faculty, staff, and postdocs is available at the beginning of each year.

Below are the webinars scheduled through June. Click on the titles to learn more and register. All programs are scheduled based on Eastern Time.

• Yours, Mine, Ours: Finances for Blended Families
  February 12, 12 p.m. – 12:45 p.m.
• Managing Your Finances During and After a Divorce
  February 24, 11 a.m. – 11:30 a.m.
• Your Guide to Living Well in Retirement
  March 11, 11 a.m. – 11:30 a.m.
• Understanding Required Minimum Distributions (RMDs)
  March 26, 12 p.m. – 12:30 p.m.
• What You Need to Know About Social Security
  April 7, 12 p.m. – 12:45 p.m.
• Quarterly Market Update
  April 15, 12 p.m. – 1 p.m.
• Navigating the Sandwich Generation: Financial Strategies for the Caregiving Squeeze
  April 22, 11 a.m. – 11:30 a.m.
• Money Psychology: Beyond the Numbers
  May 7, 11 a.m. – 11:30 a.m.
• Finance for New Grads
  May 19, 12 p.m. – 12:45 p.m.
• Set Your Retirement Date: Understand Your Factors to Get You to Your Goal
  June 10, 12 p.m. – 12:45 p.m.
• Identity Theft: Safeguarding Your Finances
  June 25, 11 a.m. – 11:30 a.m.

If you’d like more personalized help, TIAA’s retirement plan consultants are available on campus, online, and by phone. You can schedule an appointment at TIAA.org/schedulenow or 800-732-8353.

For more resources, visit the Retirement Savings Plan Education webpage. 

Save the Date: Bring Your Children to Work on April 23

Each April, Penn invites employees to bring their children to work to discover what research, service, and education at the University is all about.

This year, Take Our Children to Work Day (TOCTWD) will be on Thursday, April 23. If you've ever wanted to show the children in your life what you do at work —and maybe spark interest in their own career paths—this is your opportunity. Advanced registration for Penn TOCTWD 2026 opens on March 31.

Preparation is underway for events across campus. Past program partners have showcased a variety of career fields, allowing Penn to offer engaging activities for different age groups, including these examples:

• An Insider’s Look at Public Safety at Penn with the Division of Public Safety
• Explore Art and Architecture: Architectural Archives, Materials Library, and Common Press at the Stuart Weitzman School of Design
• Hands-On Fun with Simulated Patients at the School of Nursing
• Leadership through Action with the McNulty Leadership Program at The Wharton School
• Phun with Physics with the Department of Physics and Astronomy at the School of Arts and Sciences
• Try Your First Case with Penn Carey Law

Making all of this happen takes a lot of planning, creativity, and cooperation, so the Division of Human Resources welcomes your help. If your team is interested in hosting a program, please contact the Quality of Work-Life Team at worklife@hr.upenn.edu by February 25. 

Make Your Email Stand Out

The average U.S. employee receives 100 to 120 emails a day, according to a frequently cited independent analysis. How can you make sure your message stands out from all the verbiage in your colleagues’ crowded inboxes? Attend the Writing Emails that Get to the Point workshop on March 5 from 12:30 p.m. to 1:30 p.m. to maximize your email’s impact.

Have you ever wondered why your emails don’t get the desired results, even if you mark them "urgent"? Or have you been on the receiving end of a confusing message that leaves you guessing? Writing Emails That Get to the Point will help you and your colleagues improve your electronic communications.

Led by Talent and Organizational Development Consultant Manroocha Singh, this no-cost, virtual workshop will discuss the power of the subject line and best practices for creating concise emails with a clear call to action.

While this workshop covers the basic elements of email writing, such as tone and structure, it goes beyond a formulaic approach to help you reach your specific interpersonal communications goals.

"Different teams across Penn have different communication norms, especially when it comes to what is appropriate for a direct message on Slack or Teams, an email, or an in-person check-in,” says Singh.

“Activities throughout this workshop will help participants reflect on the communication norms relevant to their team, and how they could be revised and strengthened."

Writing Emails That Get to the Point gives you multiple opportunities to reflect on your own personal email practices to determine potential areas of growth.

Register today for this engaging session and find out how to turn email into a tool that saves time and energy by grabbing your audience’s attention with clarity and purpose. 

For more information about Penn’s Talent Development programs, visit the Learn & Grow webpages on the HR website.

Plan Ahead for Summer Camp Season

With spring several weeks away, summer may be far from mind. Yet school vacation time will inevitably arrive. For families with young children and teens, that means lining up camp and other warm weather activities in advance while spaces are available.

Karen Kille, Director, Quality of Work-Life Programs and parent of three, says, “Camp season comes up before you know it! Summer programs fill up quickly.” That’s why Kille recommends checking Penn’s summer program listings and services now to take advantage of current openings at Penn and in your community.

The Almanac’s 2026 Summer Camps and Programs at Penn Supplement

Each year, the Almanac compiles a list of summer learning and developmental activities offered by Penn schools and centers. The range of enriching youth activities attracts kids of all ages and interests, from Little Lightning Bugs at the Morris Arboretum & Gardens to the Wharton Global Youth Program.

Additional camps and programs will be added to the Almanac’s listing as they become available. “I recommend bookmarking the page and checking it often for updates,” says Kille.

Bright Horizons backup care

Eligible employees can access up to 10 days of subsidized care each fiscal year (July 1 through June 30). You can schedule coverage for summer break using your backup care benefit up to 90 days in advance. Your backup care benefit can be used for virtual and in-person summer camps as well. Options vary based on your location.

Penn employees have also used backup care when their primary caregivers take time off. Access support on Penn’s Bright Horizons portal. Use your Penn ID number to register for an account.

The Penn Employee Assistance Program (EAP)

Call 1-888-503-2380 to request support in your search. Be sure to include your location, the type of camp (day, overnight) you’re looking for, your child’s age, and any other parameters that reflect your family’s needs.

YouDecide at Penn Discounts

To reduce the cost of your summer fun, check out YouDecide at Penn for access to discounts on hundreds of activities and events.

Visit the Caring for Your Family webpage for additional information about benefits and services for eligible employees. 

Workday: Where Your Daily Work Comes Together 

Workday helps you take care of everyday work tasks, but you don’t have to log into the website to complete them. Use these tools to perform routine Workday activities quickly and efficiently, even when you’re not on the main site. 

Workday App for Teams

Without the need to open Workday, you can go to Microsoft Teams and perform high-frequency tasks, such as viewing payslips, holidays, and upcoming learning deadlines, as well as requesting or approving time-off.

Step-by-step instructions for downloading and using the app are available in the Self Service: Workday Application for Microsoft Teams tip sheet.

The Workday app is only available on the University instance of Office 365, not on O365 for Penn Medicine or Penn Law.

Workday Mobile App

Discover why many University colleagues – more than 2,700 iPhone and Android users every month - are already using the Workday Mobile App. You can perform popular self-service tasks in the Workday desktop application – such as entering time, approving timesheets, or enrolling in learning – on your phone. To start, download the Workday Mobile App from your device's app store.

Find more detailed instructions in the Self Service: Workday Mobile Application tip sheet. If you experience technical issues with downloading, installing, or authenticating, please get in touch with your Penn local service provider.

Workday Assistant Chatbot

Workday Assistant is a conversational chatbot that provides personalized responses, helping you find your most relevant tasks and information. This feature recognizes conversational language and locates tasks and links with names you may not know.

You can find the Workday Assistant icon at the top or bottom right of the homepage.

The best way to learn how Assistant can help you is to enter a question in the Workday Assistant box.

Those in Workday who are identified as academic affiliates and contingent workers do not have access to Workday Assistant.

More information is available on the Workday Everywhere webpage on the Workday@Penn website. If you have questions, please submit a ticket to the Penn Employee Solution Center or call 215-898-7372.

Healthy Meals: Garlic Rosemary Roast Salmon

Enjoy a symphony of flavor and heart-healthy nutrition with this easy yet impressive dish from Ramp Health. Fresh chopped rosemary and fragrant garlic cloves infuse the salmon with their essence, creating an aromatic masterpiece. This cooking technique creates a crisp, golden exterior that yields to a flaky, melt-in-your-mouth interior, with lemon to add a tangy finish.

Click here to send us your healthy recipes and tips.

Ingredients

• 2 salmon fillets (about 4 to 6 ounces each)
• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 teaspoon fresh rosemary, chopped (or 1/2 teaspoon dried)
• Juice of 1/2 lemon
• Salt and black pepper to taste
• Lemon wedges for serving

Directions

• Preheat oven to 400°F.
• Line a baking sheet with parchment paper or lightly coat with cooking spray. Place salmon fillets skin side down on the baking sheet. Pat dry with a paper towel.
• In a small bowl, mix olive oil, garlic, rosemary, lemon juice, salt, and pepper. Spoon the mixture over the salmon, spreading it evenly on top.
• Bake for 12 to 15 minutes, or until the salmon flakes easily with a fork.
• Serve with lemon wedges and your favorite vegetables or salad.

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: February Indoor Wellness Walk

Don’t stow those walking shoes away just because it’s cold outside! Celebrate American Heart Month instead with an Indoor Wellness Walk at the Palestra on February 18 from 12 p.m. to 12:45 p.m. Keep fit by boosting your cardiovascular system and lowering stress levels with a low-impact, high-reward activity. Bring a friend or two to join in the fun and please wear something red for heart health.