By Melissa Baluk on May 3, 2019
The Focus on People 2025 framework speaks to how the university intends to lead as a first-choice place to work, research, and teach for faculty and staff.
Aligned with the university’s strategic plan: Shaping UBC’s Next Century, and connected with plans and initiatives across the university, this framework is founded on the ideas and input from students, faculty and staff.
In November 2017, over 6,000 faculty and staff participated in the Workplace Experiences Survey and shared insights about current experiences in the workplace. The feedback indicated four areas with the greatest potential to create more engaging workplace experiences:
- Professional growth
- Inclusion and respect
- UBC’s senior leadership
- Student focus
In November 2018, over 1,500 students, faculty and staff participated in the Focus on People community consultation survey and shared ideas on what will inspire them to work at UBC in 2025. The feedback revealed several common themes:
- Workplace culture
- Affordability and wages
- Work environment – agile, accessible, flexible
- Engaging and meaningful work
- Opportunities for career growth
- Strong governance and leadership
Through these two surveys, you told us that workplace culture, career growth, and strong governance and leadership are key opportunities for UBC. We took what we heard from you to build a new framework, which we invite you to read at https://focusonpeople.ubc.ca/
Like the creation of the framework, the successful implementation of Focus on People 2025 needs to be a collaborative effort of many people from across UBC. The framework was recently approved by the UBC Executive and the Board of Governors. Looking forward, we will be sharing Focus on People 2025 with the UBC community and begin implementing actions with the involvement of campus stakeholders. For news and updates, please continue to visit this Focus on People 2025 website.
Thanks to all of you who have taken the time to contribute and help build a better workplace. We hope that you will be involved with bringing Focus on People 2025 to life and making UBC an inspiring place to work now and in the future.
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By Melissa Baluk on April 15, 2019
With Earth Day just around the corner, we are pleased to share that – for the eighth consecutive year – UBC has been named one of Canada’s Greenest Employers in 2019.
This special award recognizes Canadian employers who create a culture of environmental awareness, develop exceptional earth-friendly initiatives, and – because of their environmental leadership – are attracting employees.
Some of reasons why UBC is being recognized with this award include:
- UBC’s Climate Action Plan commits to reducing the university’s greenhouse gas emissions 67% by 2020 and 100% by 2050, over the 2007 baseline year. The Vancouver campus has already reduced its greenhouse gas emissions by 34% while the building footprint and overall student population has increased.
- UBC has an incredible number of highly focused sustainability initiatives across campus to encourage its community to adopt more sustainable behaviours, such as sustainability tours, Sustainability e-newsletters, a Sustainable Campus Food Guide, the UBCBuySmart purchasing program and the Walk’n Roll to School transportation program.
- UBC adopted the LEED Gold certification standard for all new construction and major renovations of institutional buildings with 26 registered and certified buildings – the most for any Canadian university. And with over 400 buildings the university also has an ongoing Building Tune-Up Program as well as a longstanding building retrofit program.
UBC was recently ranked first in the world for taking urgent action to combat climate change and its impacts and ranked one in Canada for making cities inclusive, safe, resilient and sustainable, according to Times Higher Education (THE).
To learn more about UBC’s sustainability efforts, read the 2017/18 Annual Sustainability Report or visit sustain.ubc.ca.
To see all of this year’s Greenest employers, visit http://www.canadastop100.com/green/
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By Melissa Baluk on March 1, 2019
UBC has been recognized as one of Canada’s Best Diversity Employers in 2019. These awards recognize Canadian companies that stand out through their efforts to create inclusive and respectful workplaces.
Here are a few reasons why UBC was selected as one of Canada’s Best Diversity Employers:
- UBC created an Indian Residential School History and Dialogue Centre to provide former students with access to the records of the Truth and Reconciliation Commission of Canada, as well as facilitate understanding of the history and impact of residential schools for the UBC community and provide context for contemporary relationships.
- UBC maintains an Equity Enhancement Fund to support collaborative student, faculty and staff projects that advance equity and inclusion — in the past year, the fund was used for several projects to enhance UBC’s curriculum through the inclusion of the indigenous way of knowing, knowledge and perspectives.
- UBC manages the Beyond the Binary project to address gaps in awareness and inclusion of trans and gender diverse individuals through staff and faculty training — topics include trans accommodation needs, respectful language and pronoun usage.
Read more about why UBC is a Top Employer at https://content.eluta.ca/top-employer-ubc.
Would you like to learn more about how to positively impact the climate for diversity in the workplace? The Equity & Inclusion Office offers support and resources to help build a community in which human rights are respected, and equity and inclusion are embedded in all areas of life at UBC.
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By Melissa Baluk on February 21, 2019
UBC is recognized as one of BC’s Top Employers in 2019. This designation recognizes the British Columbian employers that lead their industries in offering exceptional places to work and the most progressive and forward-thinking programs.
Some of the reasons that UBC was selected as one of BC’s Top Employers this year:
- UBC offers a Healthy Workplace Initiatives Fund to support employee-led grassroots activities that promote wellbeing in the workplace — the unique program features one-time start-up funds and support for health-related and sustainable initiatives, from yoga classes to bike-share programs to building their own community gardens.
- UBC provides new moms and dads maternity and parental leave top-up payments (varying by position); and faculty, staff and students can take advantage of on-campus daycare centres, which have over 600 spaces for children.
- UBC employees work at one of Canada’s most beautiful campuses, which features a shoreline hiking trail and great views of the distant mountains and the surrounding Salish Sea — employees are also encouraged to keep fit with subsidized membership to the onsite state-of-the-art fitness facility that includes instructor-led classes, swimming, skating, tennis, rock climbing and more.
Read more about BC’s Top Employers awards at http://www.canadastop100.com/bc/.
Looking to join UBC? Check out our career listings at http://www.hr.ubc.ca/careers/.
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By Melissa Baluk on January 18, 2019
UBC has been recognized as one of Canada’s Top Employers for Young People in 2019, the only Canadian post-secondary institution to receive this designation. This special designation recognizes the employers that offer the nation’s best workplaces and programs for young people starting their careers.
This is the seventh consecutive year that UBC has received this award. Some of the services that UBC offers to support young employees:
Young employees and employees who are new to the workplace can take part in many UBC programs and initiatives to help welcome them to the community and grow in their careers, such as university-wide orientation and in-house apprenticeship and skilled trades training programs.
UBC employees can access career navigation services, professional development funding and tuition waivers. As part of the university community, faculty and staff are encouraged to take part in workplace wellbeing initiatives, and access the athletics and recreation facilities at our Vancouver and Okanagan campuses as well as UBC’s many attractions.
Read more about Canada’s Top Employers awards at http://www.canadastop100.com/young_people/
Looking to join UBC? Check out our career listings at https://www.hr.ubc.ca/careers/.
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