Wellness Resources: November 2024

Last Day to Earn Hoos Well Rewards

The last day to complete activities and earn rewards in the Hoos Well Portal is November 30, 2024. Be sure to log your activities by this date, such as: 

• Receive and report annual well-check exam
• Receive and report flu vaccine
• Complete Health Assessment
• Report participation in Hoos Well sponsored webinar
• Track Healthy Habit for 20 days

Employees and spouses enrolled in a UVA Health Plan can earn up to $500 in rewards per year.

Click HERE for more information.

Heads Up: Hoos Well Portal Update 

The company that delivers the Hoos Well Portal will be changing from Virgin Pulse to Personify Health. This change will take effect on January 1, 2025. Your username and password will stay the same and you don't need to take any action at this time. 

All programs, account history and features will continue to be available. Stay tuned for more information about the name change from Hoos Well through the HR newsletter, announcements on the HR website and Hoos Well Portal, and through direct emails to Hoos Well Portal users.

November Emotional and Financial Well-Being Classes

• Saving for Education with Invest529 for UVA Employees
• November 14, 12PM - Presented by VA529 
• Silence the Inner Critic: Empowering Tools to Foster Positive Self-Talk 
• November 19, 12PM - Presented by FEAP

The above classes are eligible for earning $25 Hoos Well rewards. You must be enrolled in a UVA Health Care Plan to earn awards.

Save on WeightWatchers Memberships

Receive a discounted price on WeightWatchers (WW) digital subscriptions and virtual workshops. You may also be eligible for a 50% reimbursement. This offer is open to UVA employees and their families. 

Click HERE for more information.

Free Fitness Classes & Programs Still Available

If you've not already checked out one or more of the free fitness classes or programs offered by Hoos Well in partnership with UVA Rec, now is the time to do so! Get in shape, meet your colleagues, and have some fun!

• Classes include Body Pump, Barre, Yoga, Aqua Jogging, Pilates, Zumba^®, and Cycle, Strength & Core.  
• Programs include Tennis, Swimming, Karate, Kickboxing, Kettlebells, Pickleball, Yoga, and many more. Group programs typically last several weeks and require registration. Programs are filling fast!

View the class schedule or register for a program HERE.

Pumpkin Pie

Pumpkin pie is almost synonymous with Thanksgiving. Plus, pumpkin is highly nutritious. It's full of vitamins and minerals like potassium and Vitamin C, and very high in beta-carotene, which your body converts to Vitamin A (which may boost immunity and help protect your skin, among other health benefits). Also, pumpkin is high in fiber and relatively low in calories. Here are a few pumpkin pie recipes to try that are healthier, but no less creamy, spicy, and delicious: Pumpkin Pie Tart with Oat Crust, Vegan Gluten-Free Pumpkin Pie, or Dairy Free Pumpkin Pie.

Introducing UVAFinance: Mark Anderson & Micah Boothe

Introducing UVAFinance is a recurring blog feature created to introduce our team to our team, a couple of members at a time. Every other week, we present readers with a team member or two to get to know. __________________________________________________________________

Mark Anderson

Mark Anderson, Director of Business Intelligence, Finance

What do you do as Director of Business Intelligence in Finance?

My team is responsible for designing, building, and maintaining the reporting and analytics related to finance for the UVA Academic division. Sometimes we are asked to do simple maintenance on existing reports such as adding a field or changing a prompt, and at other times, we're asked to come up with creative solutions to more complex issues or questions. These data challenges can be related to new processes, streamlining existing processes or access to data, or ad hoc requests for data and analysis. Our accounting structure in Workday has created greater visibility than we've ever had before, but that comes with the challenge of managing that complexity and delivering consistent reporting results alongside the flexibility needed by the individual Schools and Units in how they use those tags and hierarchies for reporting. 

Who are the people/departments you work with regularly?

I work most closely with the Financial Planning and Analysis team, but I get to work with just about everybody that uses Finance-related data across the University and that's one thing that I've loved since I first came to UVA in 2014. In a typical week, I might work with one or more School Dean's Offices, a department or grant administrator, or the Office of Sponsored Programs, all in addition to our Central Finance Procurement, Payroll, Compliance, Accounting, and FP&A teams. 

What seasons are busiest, or what rhythms exist in your job? 

The workload in our team is fairly consistent throughout the year, although the budget cycle, BOV meetings, and fiscal year-end can sometimes cause an uptick in requests. 

What might surprise people about the work you do/this role/your department or area?

Speaking for my team, I think one of our defining traits is that we love a challenge. If you come to us and say, "It would be nice if..." or, "I don't know if this is possible, but...," that's when we get to be creative. We have a broad, deep base of experience and a diverse set of tools (UBI, Qlik, Adaptive, and the Workday Reporting Suite) that we can apply and part of the fun is figuring out how to best apply those tools to solve the challenge at hand.

How do you connect your work with the UVAFinance Values?

The obvious answer for my role and team would have to be delivering accurate, consistent, and reliable information which is critical, but what I really get satisfaction from in creating innovative solutions and pursuing continuous improvement- what we can be doing to make things easier, more streamlined, or efficient for our users across the University.

__________________________________________________________________

Micah Boothe

Micah Boothe, Local Support Partner (LSP)

What do you do as an LSP?

My team supports active systems, recommends IT solutions, and tests new technology before implementation, as well as guiding finance’s technological advancements. There’s always so much out there in terms of possibilities, so we keep up on what’s new and try to guide people in the right direction and improve their workflow.

Who are the people/departments you work with regularly?

Of course, we mainly pair with UVAFinance departments, but we also service SFS and the Registrar’s office in Carruthers.  We enjoy working with everyone we serve. If you have questions about something we're currently using or something you'd like us to consider, I’d love for you to reach out. I’d be happy to investigate it.   

What seasons are busiest, or what rhythms exist in your job?

Things usually pick up around fiscal year end – people need extra help as they wrap things up.  We get busier during the start and end of the school year, as well. When we are at these extra-busy times of the year, quick solutions to technological problems are even more critical.

What might surprise people about the work you do/this role/your department or area?

Well, as other LSPs have mentioned in this space, we also support SFS and UREG, which people may not think of.  Another surprise might be the rapid pace of this role – we keep up with system & security threats, as well as finding solutions that solve organizational needs.  We aren’t just reacting to problems, but proactively looking out for system changes and opportunities. 

What do you like best about working in UVAFinance?

My colleagues in UVAFinance are so communicative and easy to reach.  It makes it faster and easier to accomplish things when colleagues are responsive and collaborative.

How do you connect your work with the UVAFinance Values?  

I’m often on the lookout for innovative solutions and ways to improve the technical solutions for finance, as well as being a collaborative partner (this includes being an open source of communication – if you need something, feel free to reach out!).  

Carruthers Hall History

Have a cigarette with breakfast!

Carruthers Hall, home to UVAFinance, is steeped in history and has changed progressively throughout the years. Here are just some of the old quirks of the building that have since changed, and shaped Carruthers into what it is today:

• In earlier years, UVA's HR used to reside in Carruthers in the front lobby area. Here, the lady at the front desk received job applications all day long. In the 80's, job seekers could fill out their applications on-site, but not without completing a typing test in one of the back rooms! (Our Gen-Z student worker did, in fact, have to Google what a typing test was).
• In the downstairs area of Carruthers, there used to be a cafeteria that cooked up breakfast and lunch for employees. Aramark used to bring it over every day, up until the 2000s.
• Additionally, Carruthers used to be a smoke-friendly building, and employees were even permitted to smoke at their desks. Eventually, this led to the implementation of a smoking room downstairs that was then moved to a designated outside space. 
• Before the crosswalk off of the main entrance facing Barracks Road, there was just a sidewalk. Here, Carruthers folks would launch themselves directly across the street, frogger-style, stopping in the median to wait for traffic to pass. 

As we celebrate Carruthers' history, we also embrace the evolution that has transformed it into the modern workplace we know today.

__________________________________________________________________

Thanks to Connie Alexander and Stacey Rittenhouse for sharing these memories.  If you have some historical moments from UVAFinance/Carruthers history, feel free to share them with the Coms Team. 

Check out more Carruthers Hall history on the blog: History of the Portrait/Chair,   Mountains of Paper

Step-Up Authentication for Payment Elections in Workday

Keeping your banking info safe

To better protect your banking information and ensure accurate pay distribution, we've enhanced the authentication process for accessing the payment elections form in Workday. 

Starting October 30th, every time you access the form, you'll be prompted to log in to a privileged session. After accepting, you'll need to reauthenticate using NetBadge and Duo. Once you have completed these steps, you'll have access to the familiar payment elections form to make any updates. 

OE Learning Program: Cultivating an Innovation Culture

New from OE!

On November 20th, UVA's Organization Excellence is offering a short learning program called Cultivating an Innovation Culture—Unlock Your Organization's Potential, with OE presenters Mary Brackett and Sarah Collie. The presentation will take place from 1:00 p.m. to 2:30 p.m. in Holloway Hall in Bavaro Hall. 

A culture of innovation drives high performance, continuous improvement, and human excellence. Enhancing our ability to think, listen, learn, relate, and collaborate effectively creates value for the organization. 

During this short learning session, attendees will learn about the key elements of an innovation-driven environment: Idea Meritocracy, Psychological Safety, and Self-Determination. 

Whether attendees aim to improve collaboration, spark fresh ideas, or elevate group performance, this session will provide practical approaches to assess and implement these concepts into an individual's daily work.

Visit this link to register!