Professional and Personal Development Programs

Open to faculty and staff. Register at http://knowledgelink.upenn.edu/

Challenging Negative Attitudes; 10/1; 12:30-1:30 p.m. By challenging negative attitudes, we have the power to take control of pessimistic perspectives and stressful situations. During this course, participants will learn to manage the impact of negative situations, deal with negative people more effectively and learn coping tools for dealing with change.    

Managing Teams; 10/8; 9 a.m.-noon, $75. 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.

Emotional Intelligence as Vital Skills—Responding in Difficult Situations or in Times of Change; 10/9; 12:30-1:30 p.m. This brown bag is designed to give you the tools you need to respond in difficult situations or in times of change, bringing the participant to a new level of self-awareness. Participants will leave with a better understanding of stress and emotions—why they matter and how to express and manage emotions.

Tools for Career Assessment and Development; 10/9; 12:30-1:30 p.m. In this program we will examine questions for assessing and developing your career. You will contrast your career options by utilizing a variety of tools. By the end of the session,  you will have the resources needed to develop a plan for career success.

Sparkhire Video Interviewing; 10/11; 12:30-1:30 p.m. Spark Hire is Penn’s video interviewing technology. In this session we will provide an overview of video interviewing and how job candidates use the system. We will also provide some tips and techniques for creating a great video interview.

Managing Up; 10/17; 12:30-1:30 p.m. In today’s busy work environment, creating a relationship of trust and open communication with your manager is critical to your success. In this course, learn to increase your ability to recognize your manager’s perspective and meet his/her expectations, as well as fine tune your communication skills to optimize your work with your manager, including providing and receiving feedback.

Presentation Skills; 10/29; 12:30-1:30 p.m. Successful completion of this course will increase your knowledge and your ability to define the objective of your presentation to keep your efforts on target, keep the interest and the attention of an audience with a well-paced presentation that meets the demands of today’s listener and identify types of post-presentation follow-up that may be applicable to fully satisfy your objective.

Work-life Workshops

Open to faculty and staff. Register at www.hr.upenn.edu/registration

Mindfulness in the Workplace; 10/1; 2-4 p.m. This eight-week program offers an introduction to mindfulness-based stress management. This structured and foundational process supports participants to learn mindfulness-based tools and apply mindfulness in real-life situations to help reduce stress, increase focus and mental clarity, improve communication in relationships, improve mood and energy and better manage difficult situations. The course consists of eight 2-hour weekly classes and a full-day retreat on the weekend before week seven of the course. All class materials are provided, including weekly practice assignments and guided audio meditation practices.

Balancing Work-Life-Family; 10/3; 12:30-1:30 p.m. Balancing your work and home life can seem impossible in our busy world. Feelings of guilt and turmoil are stirred by the demands of work and home, and the lack of personal time and time for family and friends. Through open discussion, this workshop outlines how to work toward attainable personal and professional goals, while reducing stress levels. It also offers effective workday tips for reducing discomfort and guilt, and successfully “keeping it all together.”

Guided Meditation; 10/4 and 10/25; 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.    

Webinar: Managing Emotional Health at Work; 10/9; 12:30-1:30 p.m. This webinar will help participants to develop an awareness of the emotional illness and its impact in the workplace. Reviewed are the infinite stressors that impact employees’ behavior and work performance, as well as what leadership should look for, and how to supportively confront those concerns for a successful outcome.

Models of Excellence Information Session: How to Nominate a Staff Member or Team for a Models of Excellence Award; 10/10; noon-1 p.m. Do you work with someone who shows special initiative or demonstrates outstanding leadership? Have you noticed that a colleague or team excels at fostering workplace collaboration or shows an especially deep commitment to service? If so, then recognize them as a Model of Excellence. The Selection Committee depends on the content of the nominations to make its decisions. Therefore, nominations submitted should be as detailed and descriptive as possible in order to convey a nominee’s exceptional performance. Be sure to attend this workshop and learn about how best to write your nomination and obtain some tips on doing so!

Mindfulness; 10/11; 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.

Flexible Work Options; 10/14; 11 a.m.-noon. This presentation will provide an overview of Flexible Work Options and provide guidelines for proposing and implementing a flex request including understanding the applicable HR guidelines and policies, assessing the fit between position and job responsibilities, reviewing a sample proposal, documenting the flexible work option request and implementing the request.

New and Expectant Parent Briefing; 10/15; 12:30-1:30 p.m. This is an introductory resource briefing designed for expectant parents and those who are new to parenting or child care. Participants will learn about local and University childcare and parenting resources including breastfeeding support and the nursing mothers program, childcare locators, back-up care, adjusting to new schedules and flexible work options, among other topics. This session will also cover Penn’s time away policies, including short-term disability (STD), parental leave and related sick leave policies.

Understanding the Opioid Crisis; 10/21; 12:30-1:30 p.m. According to the most recent data available, opioid overdose takes the lives of 116 Americans every day. The Greater Philadelphia Region has not been immune to this epidemic. In this presentation, we will: examine the reasons for this alarming trend; discuss how it may impact us as individuals, families, friends and co-workers; and address what we can all do to help prevent someone we care about from developing addiction or assist someone in getting the help they need if a substance use disorder is present.

Wills, Trust, and Estate Planning; 10/29; 12:30-1:30 p.m. Join Marcie L. H. Merz, Executive Director of Planned Giving and Associate General Counsel at the University of Pennsylvania, to learn about the importance of estate planning, managing your estate during life and disposing of your estate at your death through the use of trusts, wills, beneficiary designation forms and other planning documents.

Penn Healthy You Workshops

Open to faculty and staff. Register at www.hr.upenn.edu/registration

Sugar Detox; 10/1; noon-1 p.m. Sugar has gotten a bad rap in the media recently. Come and learn why! A Family Food registered dietitian will help you identify hidden forms of sugar, how to reduce the amount of added sugars you consume and will explain which sugars to avoid.

Chair Yoga; 10/2; noon-1 p.m. Plenty of people turn to yoga for exercise, but striking a pose isn’t for everyone. If you’ve been tempted to try it but don’t know where to start, it’s time to try chair yoga. Chair yoga is a more moderate form of yoga that’s done while sitting in a chair or using a chair for support. 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 improve your breathing and teach you how to relax your mind and improve your wellbeing. Ready to give it a try? Join us for a free Chair Yoga workshop. And don’t worry about your experience or flexibility—chair yoga can be modified for all levels! This workshop will be led by Judith Glass from UPHS.

Gentle Yoga; 10/10 and 10/24; 11 a.m.-noon. 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.

October Wellness Walk; 10/11; noon-1 p.m. 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!

BODYPUMP; 10/18; 11 a.m.-noon. A toning and conditioning class with weights that is for everybody! It’s perfect for anyone who wants to add strength training into their aerobic workout. You won’t know if you don’t go. So meet the challenge and reap the rewards!

Spinning; 10/30; 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.

—Division of Human Resources