Professional & Personal Development Programs

Open to faculty and staff.

Register at http://knowledgelink.upenn.edu/

Behavioral Interviews; 5/8; 12:30-1:30 p.m. This interview approach to hiring can make all the difference when looking for the right candidate for your department. A bad hire can contribute to several negative consequences including: lost productivity, time required to hire and train another person, decreased department morale and legal issues. Give this method a try while interviewing for your department’s next open role.

Getting Work Done; 5/16; 12:30-1:30 p.m. Throughout a normal workday, there are multiple distractions that can get many of us off task and behind on our to-do lists. In this course, we’ll review tactics to help you stay on target with the many moving pieces of your role. You’ll identify your biggest time sponges and ways to manage them, create priority lists, understand ways to delegate when not in a position of authority and learn ways to achieve an acceptable work-life balance.

Managing Teams; 5/23; 9 a.m.-noon. Whether you’re a seasoned manager or leading a department project, knowing how to effectively manage teams is an essential skill in today’s workforce. Understand ways to manage teams by learning the various aspects of team leadership such as establishing groups, clarifying roles, facilitating meetings, handling conflict and rewarding accomplishments.

Why We Struggle with Tough Decisions; 5/29; 12:30-1:30 p.m. Knowing how to make a high-impact decision that is effective, practical and successful can be a challenging feat. During this course, we will look at how you can enhance your confidence and skill at making–and implementing–tough decisions by allowing you to increase your value to your organization and actively contribute to its success.

Work-life Workshops

Open to faculty and staff.

Register at www.hr.upenn.edu/registration

Guided Meditation; 5/1 and 5/28; 12:30-1:30 p.m. Practice mindful breathing that focuses your attention on the present moment with kindness, compassion and awareness. Self-massage and gentle mindful movements that promote relaxation and reduce stress may also be included in the workshop. No experience necessary.

Thinking About Retirement; 5/7; 9 a.m.-4:30 p.m. Thinking About Retirement is a special program for staff who are approaching retirement soon. These information sessions feature expert guest speakers and Penn Benefits specialists. Each concurrent Thinking About Retirement information session focuses on one of these topics: Retirement Plan Income, Social Security, and Penn Benefits & Medicare. At Retirement Plan Income, a retirement plan counselor from Vanguard will discuss retirement plan distributions. At Social Security, a representative from the Social Security Administration will share valuable details about this program. At Penn Benefits & Medicare, representatives from the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services, along with Benefits Specialists from Human Resources, will explain your retirement healthcare options. Penn Benefits Specialists will also be available throughout the event to answer your questions about retirement savings, health care and other aspects of retiree benefits for you and your dependents.

Important Resources for Family Caregivers; 5/7; 1-2 p.m. As family caregivers, we are often confronted with a confusing array of choices. How can you sort out the various senior living arrangements, in-home services and care options, so you can determine what’s best for your loved one? How do you find the right support for yourself so you can handle your caregiving responsibilities along with everything else? Learn about the long-term care landscape including resources and costs so that you can be an informed and proactive caregiver.

Mindfulness; 5/17; 12:30-1:30 p.m. This monthly workshop will offer participants an opportunity to practice awareness activities adapted from Jon Kabat-Zinn’s Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction (MBSR) program. During the first part of our practice, we will begin with a guided meditation focusing on the breath. The second half of our session will focus our attention on a guided exploration of the body, bringing awareness to the different areas of the body and allowing ourselves to experience how each part feels, without trying to change anything. No experience necessary. All warmly welcome.

Strengthening Your Relationship; 5/30; 12:30- 1:30 p.m. We all want a strong, loving relationship, but why can it be so difficult to keep it that way? This workshop reviews what goes wrong in relationships and explores the destructive patterns that can interfere. Participants will gain a greater understanding of how to sustain a loving, healthy, and long-lasting relationship.

Penn Healthy You Workshops

Open to faculty and staff.

Register at www.hr.upenn.edu/registration

Chair Yoga; 5/2; noon-1 p.m. Interested in trying yoga but don’t know where to start? Join us for a wonderful class of chair yoga. You get the same benefits of a regular yoga workout (like increased strength, flexibility and balance) but don’t have to master complex poses. Chair yoga can even better your breathing and teach you how to relax your mind and improve your well-being.

Be in the Know Biometric Screenings; 5/9; 9 a.m.-1 p.m. Participate in this year’s Be in the Know campaign with a free and confidential biometric screening, which measures your blood pressure, blood sugar (glucose), and non-fasting total and high-density lipoproteins (HDL) cholesterol. You may also choose to fast to include low-density cholesterol (LDL) and triglyceride results. If you did not complete a screening at an on-campus event last fall or winter, or submit personal results to AREUFIT, Human Resources is offering these last chance on-campus screening dates for this campaign year. At our on-campus events, you’ll receive a biometric screening from AREUFIT and earn 50 points toward the first $100 Be in the Know cash incentive.

Gentle Yoga; 5/9 and 5/23; noon-1 p.m. Let your body reward itself with movement! Join us for this Gentle Yoga session and explore the natural movements of the spine with slow and fluid moving bends and soft twists. During this session, you will flow into modified sun salutations that loosen those tightened muscles and joints of the lower back, neck, shoulders and wrists. And as an added bonus, you’ll get a workout in the process. Mats and props will be provided.

Spin; 5/13; 11:30 a.m-12:15 p.m. Pedal your way to a fantastic workout indoors! With the use of stationary cycles, each class is led on a “virtual” outdoor road, complete with a variety of exercises. This class will give you an energizing, calorie-burning, fun workout and it is great for all fitness levels because you will always ride at a self-directed pace.

Sugar Detox Workshop; 5/21; noon-1 p.m. Sugar has been receiving a tremendous amount of negative media attention, so join us to learn why. A Family Food Registered Dietitian will help you identify hidden forms of sugar, consider ways to reduce the amount of added sugars you consume and explain which sugars to avoid.

May Wellness Walk; 5/31; noon-1 p.m. Spring has sprung, so let’s get outdoors and do some walking! Our wellness walks encourage participants to increase their physical activity by stepping outside to pump up their heart rate by walking through Penn’s beautiful campus. What better way to get motivated and gain energy for the day! Meet the Center for Public Health Initiatives staff at noon in front of College Hall by the Ben Franklin statue. The walk will be approximately 2 miles and we will inform you when we have reached the 1-mile mark in the event that you need to exit the walk early. We hope you will be able to join us. Bring your water bottle and don’t forget to bring along a colleague and your sneakers!

—Division of Human Resources