myHR: October 18, 2023

Congratulations to the Be in the Know 2022-2023 VIPS

The Be in the Know wellness program offers you the opportunity to push yourself beyond the basic campaign activities and maximum incentives to achieve VIP (Very Impressive Participant) status. During the 2022-2023 campaign year, Vice Provost for Faculty Laura Perna became a first-time VIP. She credits her success to the comprehensive nature of the program.

“The Virgin Pulse app has a lot of features that help me think about my health and well-being,” Perna says.

“I especially appreciate the tips in the daily cards, the periodic challenges with coworkers, reminders of healthy habits, and information about particular topics, including how to have more restful sleep,” Perna adds.

Vice Provost Perna is one of 206 faculty and staff members who earned 50,000 or more points to reach the highest reward level during the 2022-2023 Be in the Know campaign year. Penn Campus Recreation’s Erica Hildenbrand became a VIP for the second time by completing a biometric screening and participating in weekly group challenges.

“It’s a great perk Penn offers with an added social connection to colleagues across campus,” says Hildenbrand, Director of Administration & Campus Outreach for Penn’s Campus Recreation.  

“It’s nice to be rewarded for engaging in healthy behaviors with my teammates,” Hildenbrand adds.

Be in the Know 2022-2023 VIPs will receive a commemorative Be in the Know VIP water-resistant zip jacket-- perfect for those breezy fall days and walks around campus.

Want to be a VIP?

Be in the Know is open to all benefits-eligible faculty, staff, and postdoctoral researchers and fellows eligible for the Penn Postdoc Benefits Plan. For the 2023-2024 campaign year, participants have a fresh opportunity to join the Be in the Know VIP ranks by completing a biometric screening and earning 50,000 or more campaign points. Besides Be in the Know bragging rights, all confirmed VIPs earn special recognition.

Yuling Liang, who earned the highest points total when the first group of VIPs were honored in 2018, has achieved the status yet again.

“I am very happy to receive the VIP award. I have earned it several times,” says Liang, Research Specialist, Center for Neurodegenerative Disease Research, Penn Medicine.

 “I like running and stick to it almost every day. My behavior has also affected my colleagues and friends. Now we are happy to participate together!” she says. 

For more information about the VIP program, visit the Be in the Know VIP webpage.

Get Your Biometric Screening

Completing a biometric screening is an essential step for Be in the Know 2023-2024. It is the only activity required to receive Pulse Cash rewards this year.

The Penn Healthy You team, in partnership with Health Advocate, is holding free on-campus biometric screenings at convenient University locations now through November 30. Advanced registration is required, so sign up for your appointment online at Penn’s Health Advocate portal. Log in with your PennKey and password, and follow these steps:

• Click on the “Schedule a Health Screening” tile.
• Look for “Attend an Onsite Health Screening Event.”
• Click “Schedule.”
• Search by available location and follow steps to make your appointment.

Please bring your PennCard or University ID card to your biometric screening appointment. At the on-campus biometric screening, a Health Advocate representative will measure key components of your overall health:

• Blood pressure
• Total cholesterol
• HDL cholesterol
• Blood sugar/glucose

For a complete list of screening dates and locations, download the biometric screening schedule. If you are unable to make one of the campus screenings, check out the Biometric Screenings Options 2023-2024 form for other choices to fit your schedule.

Once you complete your screening between July 1, 2023 and June 30, 2024, you’ll earn your first $50 in Pulse Cash rewards. Health Advocate will automatically send biometric screening results and credit to Virgin Pulse on your behalf. (Please allow at least two weeks for them to appear on the platform.) You’ll also be able to earn an additional $250 in Pulse Cash rewards when you complete your choice of over 90 qualifying well-being activities from our 2023-2024 “Ways to Earn” list. All Pulse Cash rewards are redeemable on the Virgin Pulse platform allowing you to choose from gift cards, wellness items, and charitable donations. If you are not enrolled on the Virgin Pulse platform, get started today at https://join.virginpulse.com/penn.

To learn more about biometric screenings and the various health metrics, attend the VP Live Wellness Webinar: Know Your Health Numbers on October 19 from 12 p.m. to 1 p.m.  Register today and learn the recommended ranges to help live your healthiest life.

For more information about the Be in the Know 2023-2024 campaign, visit  www.hr.upenn.edu/beintheknow.

Staff Performance Review Process Begins November 1

The staff performance review process will begin on November 1 in Workday. Eligible staff and their managers can use Workday to document work performance and progress on goals of the previous six months. This is the second year the entire University is using Workday for the staff performance management program. Staff are encouraged to have ongoing conversations with their managers. This helps facilitate individual professional growth, achieve department goals, and supports Penn’s strategic objectives.

As you prepare to conduct your mid-year performance review, here is what you need to know:

• The mid-year performance review process is an opportunity for you and your manager to discuss goals and performance between May 1 and October 31, 2023, a six-month period.
• The review launch date is November 1, 2023 and completion date is January 12, 2024. Your school, center, or your department may have intermediate, earlier deadlines.
• All eligible staff receive a Workday notification on November 1 to start their self-evaluation. Staff will also receive periodic reminders to complete the review process steps. Staff in the following groups are non-participants:
  • Staff covered by collective bargaining agreements
  • Penn Medicine clinicians, residents, interns
  • Staff who are on long-term disability as of November 1
  • New hires or internal transfers who are in the middle of or recently completed their introductory period review.

• After the direct report completes the self-evaluation, their manager will receive a Workday notification to provide the manager evaluation. The manager evaluation will be available to the direct report after the manager submits it. Managers and employees should discuss the mid-year review content. Each must acknowledge in Workday they have had this conversation.

• All reviews are completed in Workday, the University’s single system of record for human capital management.
• Help text is available throughout the process. A tip sheet with detailed instructions, an overview of the process, and video resources are available in the Guide to Performance Management on the Workday website. The guide has a link to a short video, which demonstrates how employees and managers step through the review process.

This year’s process has a few enhancements to improve on the previous year.

• The Accomplishments section has been eliminated to streamline the process. Employees have the option to use either the Goals, Feedback Questions, or Supporting Documents sections to record accomplishments.
• Competency ratings are required for the mid-year review. The job family competencies have the ratings option of Not Applicable to allow for flexibility when the competency does not apply to the employee’s job responsibilities.
  

If you have any questions, please contact your manager, the HR representative in your school or center, or the Penn Employee Solution Center at solutioncenter@upenn.edu or by calling 215-898-7372.

Welcome Back to the University Club

When the clock strikes 12 noon on campus, many faculty and staff leave their offices, cubicles, and labs for that time honored treasure called lunch. Some head to their favorite food trucks or brown bag it on a bench near Ben. Others stroll up to the second floor at the Inn at Penn for a buffet style spread at Penn’s University Club.

The University Club, which reopened in September, is a campus favorite. Now all standing and emeritus faculty, staff, postdoctoral researchers and fellows, graduate students, and alumni with valid PennCards can dine there without securing membership. In honor of the club’s reopening, the membership requirement has been waived for the fall semester. Beginning in spring semester the club will once again charge an annual membership fee of $75*.

Joanne Spigonardo, senior advisor at The Water Center, has been a member of the University Club and on the Board of Governors for over 20 years. She had lunch there with a corporate sponsor earlier this month.

“The University Club has been a true Penn legacy for so many decades, so it’s been such a pleasure to dine there again,” Spigonardo says.

In a neatly appointed and comfortable dining room overlooking Walnut Street, diners can enjoy hot entrees, a fully stocked salad bar, daily sandwich and soup options, desserts, and cold and hot beverages. Lunch is served from 11:30 a.m. to 2 p.m. Monday through Thursday. Plan your lunches in advance by checking out the weekly menu.

If you need a more secluded space, you can reserve one of two private dining rooms—the Lenape Room or Hourglass Room—for breakfast, lunch, or afternoon meetings. The Club also offers member events featuring Food for Thought Luncheon Speakers, Holiday Celebrations, Wine Tastings, and other favorites.

“I like the collegiate and professional atmosphere at the Club. I would totally recommend the Club because the food and the staff are exceptional, and the price is truly a great value,” Spigonardo says.

The next time you are contemplating where to have a quiet lunch with colleagues or entertain new staff and faculty, head over to the University Club for a unique Penn experience.

For more information, visit the University Club website.

*Please note that departmental accounts will need to be reactivated to use the facility. Contact universityclub@upenn.edu.

It's Worth It to Nominate

This year’s Models of Excellence call for nominations ends Friday, October 27. Any member of the Penn community—faculty, staff, postdocs, and students—can nominate an outstanding individual Penn staff member or team for campus-wide recognition at the April 9, 2024 Models of Excellence Award ceremony. You can nominate staff for awards in three categories: Models of Excellence, Pillars of Excellence, and Model Supervisor. Download the digital Call for Nominations brochure or review the Nomination Quick Start Guide for details. The online nomination form is also available at www.hr.upenn.edu/models.

If you’re drafting a nomination, you may discover that the submission process itself holds its own rewards. That’s what Timothy Allen said.

Last fall, Allen, Principal Engineer, WRDS at The Wharton School collaborated with the WRDS Advanced Initiatives team to nominate Charles Rejonis for a 2023 Model Supervisor Award. Allen says, “Like most worthwhile parts of life, we put a lot into it but received even more from it.” As a result of their submission, not only was Rejonis selected for this honor. Allen and his coworkers benefited from the process.

“Putting together the nomination has helped bring us closer as a team, enhanced our trust in each other, and we had a lot of fun doing it,” says Allen. “A nomination does take some time, effort, and reflection, but is worth every moment.”

In all Models of Excellence categories, award recipients each receive $500 and a symbolic award. Nominees selected for honorable mention receive $250 and a symbolic award. However, just knowing that your coworkers cared enough to complete a Models of Excellence nomination on your behalf is an honor. All nominated staff will be notified about the status of their nomination in the spring of 2024.

To begin your nomination, visit the website at www.hr.upenn.edu/models, review the eligibility requirements for each award category, and complete the online nomination form by October 27, 2023.  If you have questions about the 2024 Models of Excellence call for nominations, please contact us at models@hr.upenn.edu or (215) 898-7729.

Building Better Dialogue

Staff and faculty can sometimes encounter the challenge of navigating difficult conversations. Eventually, you may need to communicate with your coworkers and other important people in your life about unfavorable feedback, unexpected events that require a change in plans, or other thorny topics. These discussions can be daunting, but there are steps you can take to foster personal growth and encourage resilience while your team addresses issues together. Learn how to improve your dialogue by attending the virtual workshop, Cultivating Growth and Resilience in Difficult Conversations, on November 11 from 12:30 p.m. to 1:30 p.m.

Amma Napier, Senior Talent and Organization Development Consultant, says that facing conflict helps us become more resilient. However, some people avoid conflict at all costs instead of addressing it, which can lead to greater challenges in the future.

In this workshop Napier will provide participants with tools and techniques such as “feedforward” and “improvisation” to build resilience and increase engagement for better outcomes. By attending this program, you will:

• Understand that you have an impact on the outcome of any difficult conversation
• Be able to define resilience and identify several of its elements
• Be able to practice self-awareness in the context of having difficult conversations
• Understand why a connected mindset equals a growth mindset
• Relate curiosity to growth
• Explore opportunities for resilience and self-awareness in difficult conversations
• Commit to one thing you will do differently 

Register today for the Cultivating Growth and Resilience in Difficult Conversations workshop and create better outcomes for you and your colleagues.  

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

A Drug-Free Workplace

National Drug-Free Work Week is October 16 through October 22. For the health and safety of the Penn community, the University of Pennsylvania is committed to maintaining a drug-free workplace. Drug and alcohol abuse endangers individual users, as well as their family, friends, and coworkers. The use of any substance that impairs your workplace judgement or abilities puts you, your colleagues, and Penn students at risk.

Please take the time to review the University’s drug and alcohol policies.

Penn’s Drug and Alcohol Policies

Penn prohibits the unlawful manufacture, distribution, dispensation, sale, possession, or use of any drug by its employees in its workplace. Complete policy details are available online:

• Penn’s Drug-Free Workplace policy for faculty and staff
• Penn’s Alcohol and Other Drug Policy

Understanding Addiction

Addiction is a serious disease, but many effective treatments are available. Visit Penn’s Health Advocate website for facts about addiction, recovery, and support services for faculty and staff.

Help Is Here

If you or a family member has a substance abuse problem, we encourage you to seek help. Penn provides free, confidential counseling services for you and your immediate family members through the Employee Assistance Program (EAP). The EAP will assist you with challenges that may interfere with your personal or professional life, including substance abuse.

For more information about the EAP’s counseling and referral services, visit the Employee Assistance Program webpage, contact the Employee Assistance Program 24 hours a day, 7 days a week at 866-799-2329, or schedule an EAP appointment through Penn Cobalt.

You can also refer to the Concerned About Opioid Abuse flyer for details about what you need to know regarding this epidemic and how to protect against opioid abuse.  

Healthy Meals: Oven-Roasted Squash with Garlic & Parsley

October is squash season, and this Eating Well recipe is sure to become a fall favorite. You can prepare this savory low-sodium, high-fiber squash as a side dish for dinner or pair it with quinoa or rice for a hearty lunch.

Click here to send us your healthy recipes and tips.

Ingredients

• 5 pounds winter squash (such as butternut, buttercup, kabocha or hubbard), peeled, seeded, and cut into 1-inch chunks
• 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil, divided
• 1 ½ teaspoons salt
• ¼ teaspoon freshly ground pepper, divided
• 3 cloves garlic, minced
• 2 tablespoons chopped Italian parsley 

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees F.
2. Toss squash with 4 teaspoons oil, salt and 1/4 teaspoon pepper. Spread evenly on a large baking sheet. Roast, stirring occasionally, until tender throughout and lightly browned, 30 to 45 minutes (depending on the variety of squash).
3. Heat the remaining 2 teaspoons oil in a small skillet over medium heat. Add garlic and cook, stirring, until fragrant but not brown, 30 seconds to 1 minute. Toss the roasted squash with the garlic and parsley. Taste, adjust the seasoning and serve.
   

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: Campus Rec Membership Deal

Human Resources has teamed up with Penn Campus Recreation to offer major fitness membership discounts to full-time, benefits-eligible faculty and staff as well as benefits-eligible postdoctoral researchers and fellows. You can save 50% on monthly memberships during the 2023-2024 fiscal year. Sign up in person for a discounted Penn Campus Recreation membership at the David Pottruck Health and Fitness Center Membership Office at 3710 Walnut Street or by phone at 215-898-6100, 9 a.m.-5 p.m., Monday through Friday.