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Plenty of Penn Perks

Did you know there are tons of benefits that come with a position at Penn? 
Listed below are a series of Penn perks that are available to Penn faculty and staff members.

 

Health and Fitness

Health Risk Assessments—Visit https://www.hr.upenn.edu/myhr/worklife/healthy/hra to access a variety of online tools that help you learn about your body and how to manage your health.

Annual Flu Shot—Human Resources sponsors a flu shot for all employees every October and November. Consistent with the Affordable Care Act, employees do not need to pay up front and seek reimbursement afterward.

Health Advocate Service—Visit http://tinyurl.com/jtwh68o or call 1 (866) 799-2329 to take advantage of this free service, which helps employees find doctors, expedite appointments, navigate insurance and generally assist with health care.

Annual Wellness Fair—Every April, Human Resources sponsors a wellness fair that offers free screenings, merchandise and information about campus safety, nutrition, dining, women’s health and many other topics. Visit https://www.hr.upenn.edu/myhr/worklife/healthy/fair to learn more.

Flexible Work Options—Penn offers a variety of arrangements such as flextime, flexplace and a compressed work plan that help employees manage their busy schedules. For more information, visit http://tinyurl.com/zo6lptc

Counseling—Life is often challenging, and Penn employees receive up to eight free counseling sessions to help with stressful transitions. Visit https://www.hr.upenn.edu/myhr/worklife/healthy/eap to learn more.

Penn Walking Program—Penn provides plenty of incentives to stay in shape by walking, including a free pedometer, a t-shirt and a tracking booklet. Learn more about this program at https://www.hr.upenn.edu/myhr/worklife/healthy/walking

Quit Smoking Program—Penn is dedicated to its employees’ well-being, and the University’s Quit Smoking program is available to help employees fight this difficult addiction. For more information, visit http://tinyurl.com/h3gonvl

Weight Watchers at Penn—This well-known national program has its own Penn branch! Meetings are held every Tuesday at 12:30 p.m. for a weekly fee. For details see http://tinyurl.com/zufzfof

Recreation—Penn offers a variety of recreational venues, including Penn Park, Pottruck Health and Fitness Center, Fox Fitness Center and the Ringe Squash Courts. These are available to Penn faculty, staff and students. In addition, several fitness programs such as club sports, personal training and massage therapy can help any member of the Penn community get in shape!

StayWell Portal—Penn’s StayWell portal is available at https://penn.staywell.com/ and provides access to many useful health resources. In addition, there is a helpline at 1 (855) 428-6324.

 

Children and Family

Adoption Assistance—Penn can help ease the financial impact of bringing home a new child by reimbursing up to $5,000 for eligible adoption expenses. Visit https://www.hr.upenn.edu/myhr/worklife/family to learn more.

Nursing Mothers Program—This program, which includes a free Breastfeeding Support Group, can help new mothers make a smoother transition back to work while nursing a newborn. Visit http://www.hr.upenn.edu/myhr/worklife/family/nursingmothers

Penn Children’s Center—The Penn Children’s Center provides child care and education for children (ages 3 months to 5 years) of all faculty, staff and students of the University. Visit https://cms.business-services.upenn.edu/childcare/ to learn more about this award-winning institution.

Snow Day Child Care—Pre-register now to have your child taken care of when Philadelphia schools close but Penn remains open. For more information, visit https://www.hr.upenn.edu/myhr/worklife/family/snowday

Backup Care Program—When an emergency strikes, Penn will help you find the right care for your child. Visit http://www.hr.upenn.edu/backupcare for more information. 

Take Our Daughters and Sons to Work Day—Penn understands the importance of providing children with positive, productive experiences in their formative years. This annual event encourages and inspires youngsters and introduces them to the workplace. Visit https://www.hr.upenn.edu/myhr/worklife/family/kidstowork to learn more.

Tuition Benefits for You and Your Family—As a faculty or staff member, you receive 100% of tuition for any courses you might decide to take at Penn. Your spouse, domestic partner and/or children receive considerable discounts as well!

Funeral Planning Services—Penn’s life insurance carrier, Aetna, offers Penn employees enrolled in life insurance free funeral planning services through its partnership with Everest. Visit http://tinyurl.com/z33qzzh to learn more.

 

Work and Career

Career Coaching—Employees who have been at Penn for at least a year receive help polishing their résumés, developing their present careers and optimizing mobility. For more information, see https://www.hr.upenn.edu/myhr/learning/career/coaching

Employee Resource Fair
—Held every October, this event, co-sponsored by Human Resources, the PPSA and the WPPSA, spotlights dozens of Penn’s offices and demonstrates the variety of resources available to all Penn employees.

Resolving Workplace Issues—Penn has various resources available to assist staff members in resolving workplace issues or concerns. Visit http://tinyurl.com/j9ke4ar to take advantage of Penn’s programs, procedures and professionals  who are available to intervene.

Penn Libraries—Penn Libraries offer a variety of useful services. Penn’s collections include over seven million books and 34,000 sound recordings. Online services like Franklin, Ancestry and Safari aid with finding information, and the Weigle Information Commons offer workshops to assist with technology and equipment rental. 

ISC Training—Penn Computing provides computer training courses that can be taken both on Penn’s campus at their training lab, or off campus at several locations in Philadelphia and the suburbs.

Online Courses—Penn employees can take advantage of over 50,000 free professional training videos offered by Lynda.com at http://www.upenn.edu/computing/lynda/ In addition, web-based online classes are available from Coursera at http://www.onlinelearning.upenn.edu/faqs

 

Safety and Transportation

Help Line—Call (215) 898-4357 (HELP) 24 hours a day, seven days a week to talk to Division of Public Safety professionals trained in mental health referrals by Counseling and Psychological Services.

UPennAlert Emergency Notification System—Register your cell phone number to receive critical information from University officials in the time of an emergency. Update your emergency contact information at http://www.upenn.edu/directories/

Walking Escort Services—Call (215) 898-9255 (WALK) or 511 from any campus phone to request a walking escort 24 hours a day, seven days a week. This service is available between 30th and 43rd Streets and between Market Street and Baltimore Avenue.

Emergency Ride Home—In case of an emergency or if an employee’s regular ride home is not available, Penn offers a free ride for commuters. Learn more at http://tinyurl.com/hvx4r8g

Lockout and Jump-Start Services—Security Services offers free services to anybody with car problems on campus. Call (215) 573-3333 or 511 from any campus phone.

RAD Courses—Penn offers Rape Aggression Defense courses for both men and women free of charge. More information can be found at http://www.publicsafety.upenn.edu/special-services/rad

Loop Through University City (LUCY)—Between 6:10 a.m. and 7 p.m. on weekdays, this shuttle is available between University City and 30th Street Station. It is free to all PennCard holders.

Parking on Campus—Penn Parking services manages 27 lots that are reserved for faculty and staff. Visit http://cms.business-services.upenn.edu/parking/ to learn more about how to save on parking. Penn employees who use ADP for commuters or those bike to work can purchase single use passes for occasional parking (see page 7).

Bike Sharing Stations—Philadelphia’s bike-share system, Indego, has three stations on Penn’s campus, at 40th and Spruce streets, at 32nd and South streets, and at 36th and Sansom streets. For more information about Indego, visit www.rideindego.com/

Bike Commuter Expense Reimbursement Program—Penn employees who commute to work by bicycle will receive reimbursement for eligible expenses. Visit http://tinyurl.com/hkprble

 

Discounts and Savings

Penn Home Ownership Services—Penn offers a variety of incentives for home buyers, including a Closing Cost Reduction Program and $7,500 enhanced forgivable loans. For more information, visit http://cms.business-services.upenn.edu/homeownership

Financial Services—The University of Pennsylvania Federal Credit Union offers a variety of discounts on vacations, cars, coupons and insurance. Visit http://www.uofpfcu.com/default.htm to learn more. In addition, Bank of America offers Penn faculty and staff Visa credit cards. See http://tinyurl.com/hn7ldsq

PNC WorkPlace Banking—PNC offers Penn faculty and staff a complete set of money management tools with exclusive features, benefits and rewards. Visit http://tinyurl.com/j7dc9cv to learn more.

YMCA Discount—Philadelphia Freedom Valley YMCA and Regional Y Alliances offer 10% monthly discounts to all members with valid PennCards. Existing members can sign up for a discount at their home YMCA branch.

GlobalFit—Penn faculty and staff and their families qualify for discounted rates at participating GlobalFit health clubs, including Sweat, Curves, LA Fitness, Nutrisystem and more! Visit https://www.hr.upenn.edu/myhr/worklife/healthy/globalfit to learn more.

Personal Purchase Program—Employees of Penn can get discounts for a variety of products, such as Ford and General Motors vehicles; AT&T, Sprint and Verizon Wireless cellphone plans; Office Depot office supplies; shipping from Amazon, Apple and Dell; and, of course, purchases at the Computer Connection and at the Penn Bookstore, with a PennCard. 

Pet Care Benefits—All Penn employees receive a 20% discount on services at the Ryan Hospital. To make an appointment, call (215) 746-8387 or visit http://tinyurl.com/z8vpnyt

PennO365—All Penn faculty, staff and students receive a free suite of Microsoft Office 365 software (including Word, Excel, PowerPoint and others), which can be installed on up to five laptops and devices per user. 

PersonalShip—PennKey access entitles any Penn employee to this personal shipping service, which features discounted rates, tracking and several express shipping options. For more information, visit www.upenn.edu/personalship

Public Transportation—Penn offers discounted options through Commuter Pass Program, TransitCheck, PATCO Freedom Pass, New Jersey Transit and SEPTA. Learn more at http://tinyurl.com/jqgnjbl

PennCards—A PennCard entitles its bearer to a number of perks, including free admission to the Morris Arboretum, the Penn Museum and the Institute of Contemporary Art; use of Penn Transit Services; and access to Penn recreational facilities. However, any Penn employee can obtain a PennCard for any member of his/her family, who will then share in the benefits! For more information, see http://tinyurl.com/jn3sz2a

Travel Reservations—Penn has relationships with several preferred travel vendors, such as Enterprise, World Travel, and United, all of which offer discounts to Penn employees. Visit http://tinyurl.com/hu7dufn to take advantage of these discounted rates.

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