Category: Announcements

‘Summertime’ Challenge Team Winners

Summertime was our four-week summer wellness challenge that aimed to empower WashU employees to incorporate movement into their daily lives while connecting with family and friends. Benefits-eligible employees were invited to participate as an individual or as part of a team to track their steps and participate in weekly social activities. Participants also had the […]

Update to VSP Vision Benefit

WashU employees and dependents enrolled in the VSP vision plan benefit can find routine vision and eye care online.

Flood Support & Resources

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Find resources and support for the flooding that has impacted St. Louis.

Resources for Infant Formula Shortage

UnitedHealthcare maternity nurses and advocates are available to WashU health plan members who are concerned about the current nationwide infant formula shortage.

WashU Recognition Days

WashU “Recognition Days” start on May 23 and continue into June. We are excited to honor our 2022 service award recipients, distinguished honor awardees, and recognize all of our staff for their dedication to our missions of research, teaching and patient care. Thank you to all of our staff for your continued commitment and dedication to our […]

Leading in the Next Normal

The New Normal

Maintaining employee morale, well-being and engagement in the new workplace environment.

Wellness Champion Spotlight | Spring into Motion Team Captains

I’d like to recognize all of the Wellness Champions who rallied their teammates to join the new spring wellness challenge, Spring into Motion. Wellness Champions are provided with a toolkit for team captains that equips them with knowledge about the challenge and helps them think about how to encourage their coworkers to participate. They use […]

Manager Memo: Flu Vaccine Information

This memo outlines important information regarding the influenza (flu) vaccination policy and employee compliance. The deadline to receive the vaccine and upload proof in ReadySet has been extended to 5 p.m. on Friday, Dec. 10. As you know, the previous deadline was tomorrow, Friday, Nov. 19. Per university policy, all WashU faculty, staff and trainees must receive this year’s influenza vaccine regardless of […]

Wellness Champion Spotlight | Colorful Choices Team Captains

I’d like to recognize all of the Wellness Champions who rallied their teammates to join the new summer wellness challenge, Colorful Choices. Thank you for your leadership and your commitment to Wellness Connection and your colleagues. Your ingenuity, determination, and creativity are inspiring. Approximately 900 WashU employees participated in the Colorful Choices campaign. The charts […]

COVID-19 Vaccination Policy Manager Memo #3

This memo outlines important information regarding COVID-19 vaccination policy compliance. Each Friday, Occupational Health sends your area the most recent list of people who have not yet provided proof of vaccination against COVID-19. As of August 4, 2021, more than 1,100 faculty, staff and trainees have not recorded proof of vaccination in ReadySet.Both Occupational Health […]

Thrive tip: Stepping into the next normal

Our world continues to change as we navigate the pandemic. Caring for ourself is more important than ever. We will continue to highlight tips to help you find balance and practice self care. Our tips are informed by WashU experts in Psychiatry, wellness, leadership development and family care. Faculty, physicians and expert staff provide their […]

Manager Memo: COVID-19 Vaccination Policy and Compliance Info, #2

To Management Councils and Leadership: A Manager Memo regarding the COVID-19 vaccination policy was sent Friday, June 25 to area management. As noted, all employees and trainees are required to get and provide proof of their COVID-19 vaccination by August 30. To follow Friday’s manager memo, we are covering the following topics: Preview of a communication to […]

Manager Memo: COVID-19 Vaccination Policy and Compliance

Memo from June 25, 2021 To Management Councils and Leadership: As announced on June 15, Washington University students, faculty, staff and trainees on the Danforth and Medical Campuses will be required to receive the COVID-19 vaccine. Faculty, staff and trainees must be fully vaccinated by August 30. View the COVID-19 vaccination policy and the COVID-19 FAQ for full details. […]

Gratitude for the People Behind the Transition to Workday

It’s hard to believe that, after years of planning and work, we are getting ready to go live with Workday as part of our MyDay initiative. This is one of the most complex projects the university has undertaken, investing in our future by replacing our HR and finance systems with a modern, integrated system in the cloud.   There are several […]

Wellness Champion Spotlight: WashU Couch to 5K Team Captains

I’d like to take this opportunity to recognize all of the Wellness Champions who rallied their teammates to join the spring wellness challenge, Couch to 5K. Championing a culture of wellness can be difficult in a shifting and virtual environment, and our network of Wellness Champions continues to communicate Wellness Connection programming to their colleagues […]

WashU ranked among ‘best employers for diversity’

Washington University in St. Louis was ranked 12th among hundreds of large and midsized companies on Forbes’ fourth annual list of “America’s Best Employers For Diversity.” The results are based on a survey of 50,000 employees across the country who rated their organizations based on criteria such as age, gender, ethnicity, disability and sexual orientation […]

Wellness Champion Spotlight: Atiqua Burns & Cheryl Lyons

Circular logo with text Wellness Connection Champion Network

      Atiqua Burns and Cheryl Lyons,Co-Champions in IM – Bone Marrow Transplant Atiqua and Cheryl joined the Wellness Champion network in February of 2020 – right before the world went topsy turvy. Over the past year, I have been continually impressed by their capacity to work together and take an active role in […]

Spring into Action

As we look forward with hope, how can we find renewed energy and build well-being into our lives with intention?

Manager Orientation shifts to online module

We are excited to announce that we have transitioned the in-person Manager Orientation (MO) for both the Danforth and Medical School campus to a newly designed online module. Manager Orientation is now available to complete in Learn@Work, the university’s learning management system. The Manager Orientation online course provides essential information to help leaders be effective in […]

Wellness Champion Spotlight: Stefani Weeden-Smith

Stefani Weeden-Smith, MPSGephardt Institute for Civic/Community Engagement I first met Stefani when I took one of her workshops through the Brown School continuing education program in the summer of 2019. We chatted during the break about some University wellness initiatives, and she joined the Champion network soon thereafter. Stefani really stepped up to foster a […]

tHRive tip: 5 tips on bringing your heart to work

Meaningful work is about forging human connections to create a deeper, richer work experience.  This concept is easy enough to agree with, but what is “meaningful work” really about? It’s about showing up in a way that lifts and supports the people around you. It’s being authentic and holding space for others to do the same. Simply put, it’s about allowing your heart to join you in your work.  […]

Elevating employee well-being

The well-being of people is always our focus, and during the pandemic, HR and university partners joined together to provide real-time support for every aspect of employees’ lives. Support for the whole person spans from physical and mental health to family care, flexible and remote work and professional learning.   From flexible work arrangements to telehealth, prescription delivery, financial education sessions, 24/7 work-life […]

Wellness Champion Spotlight: Laurie Brady

Laurie Brady, Mail & Receiving Services (MaRs) This month’s spotlight shines on Laurie Brady, a Wellness Champion since October 2020. New to our network but not new to the work, Laurie has long been a champion of wellness in her personal and professional life. Laurie was nominated for the Champion Spotlight by fellow Champion Cheryl […]

6 tips for a healthy, productive work routine

Balancing household and career demands is a challenge even in “normal” times, so it’s no wonder many of us have sought new ways to optimize our effectiveness (while staying healthy) over the last year. Here are six tips to help you maintain a healthy, productive work routine. Emphasize positivity in your work setup. It’s important […]

WashU Crisis Response Fund

Our people are incredibly important to carrying out our missions of research, teaching and patient care, and we care deeply about your well-being. As a part of efforts to support the Washington University community through challenges related to the impact of COVID-19, the WashU Crisis Response Fund is available to help our community with costs […]

A statement on violence at the U.S. Capitol

Read a note from Chancellor Andrew D. Martin on the violence at the U.S. Capitol. What we are seeing today shall not define who we are as a nation. Andrew D. Martin, Chancellor If you or someone you know needs help:  Call the employee assistance program at 844-365-4587 or visit the website for information and support. View […]

The Gratitude Project

The Gratitude Project, a new program focuses on highlighting stories of how WashU faculty, staff and students are rising up for the greater good. The Gratitude Project was developed by the Innovation subcommittee of the Chancellor’s Fall Contingency Planning Committee. The stories will be shared in a video series hosted by Tim Bono, assistant dean for […]

New family care facilitator

WashU Human Resources welcomes Lisa Eberle-Mayse, the new child and family care facilitator. In this role, Lisa will support faculty and staff families with finding and maintaining the care they need for their family members. Lisa brings 40 years of experience in early care and education to this role. She has been a teacher, Child Care Center Director and Inclusion Specialist. She is also […]

“Thank you Days”

Washington University is extending two additional days of paid time off to Danforth Campus and Central Fiscal Unit staff employees to be used between Dec. 18, 2020 and Feb. 28, 2021. These days are in addition to the standard university vacation and holiday time off benefits. They do not reduce any time off balances – […]

Elections: Politics, Media and Stress

An article from Guidance Resources, powered by ComPsych In recent 2020 polling, about two-thirds of Americans (66 percent) said they felt worn out by the amount of news during this election cycle. Another recent poll showed that more than half of U.S. adults felt the elections were “somewhat” or “very significant” sources of stress. As […]

Wellness Champion Spotlight: Walktober Team Captains

Faced with shifting responsibilities and with many of their coworkers in new, remote work environments, the Wellness Champions continue to promote a healthy workplace culture by participating in Wellness Connection programming and encouraging their colleagues to do the same. The graphs below demonstrate that while Champions make up 4% of total Walktober participants, they led […]

Wellness Champion Spotlight: Lara Jennings

Lara Jennings,Office for International Students and Scholars (OISS) This month’s spotlight is on Lara Jennings, a Wellness Champion since May 2019. Lara supports her teammates by being a compassionate listener and connecting her workgroup with Wellness Connection resources. She fosters a community of well-being in her department by sending “Virtual Sunshine Committee” monthly emails, sharing […]

Developing healthy coping skills for resilience

Article by Neha Navsaria, Ph.D., Assistant Professor of Psychiatry (Child) Everyone experiences challenges in life, and especially now- with COVID-19, racism, returning to work, balancing family/work obligations, to name a few-the number of challenges can feel overwhelming. What do you do when you are under chronic stress that feels never-ending?  What you are experiencing right […]

Wellness Champion Spotlight: Work of Art Team Captains

Wellness Connection is offering a new type of wellness challenge this summer; little did we know how timely this emotional fitness campaign would be when planning for it last fall. We’ve heard a lot of feedback from our Champion network on how Work of Art has been beneficial to them and their teammates, including this […]

Manager Memo #4

How we’re helping employees and leaders navigate the environment, support well-being All of us are coping with the stressors and challenges we face personally and as an institution. We recognize the serious impact the pandemic has on our people. Our goal, as always, is to focus on the well-being of people and help address the stressors put […]

WashU Helping our Own

Learn how WashU faculty and staff are coming together to provide expert-driven programs for university employees.  WUCare – New primary care access for university employees Beginning June 1, 2020, Washington University employees and their families (age 18+) who are enrolled in the university sponsored health plan (United Healthcare) will have access to a primary care physician […]

Parenting During a Pandemic

Insight from WashU Psychiatry instructor, Andrea Giedinghagen, MD This pandemic has brought changes to almost every aspect of our lives, and parenting is no exception. From coping with the boredom of being at home for days on end to grappling with fear and uncertainty, there are challenges for parents and children alike. Some parenting challenges […]