Pillar Four of the UA Strategic Plan: Provide opportunities and resources that facilitate work-life balance and enhance the recruitment and retention of outstanding faculty and staff.
“Work-life balance means different things to different people. There’s no one-size-fits-all definition,” said Carolyn MacVicar, UA’s new work-life manager.
MacVicar notes that what work-life balance looks like for an employee with young children may be different from the work-life balance of an employee caring for an elderly parent or of one working full-time while earning a degree.
While each employee’s needs are unique, there is data that is helping MacVicar and her colleagues in the department of human resources shape a framework of work-life balance at the University: the Chime In Survey conducted between March 26 and April 13, 2018. Approximately 47 percent of all faculty and staff participated in the confidential survey.
“One thing the survey revealed to us is that while the University offers resources that faculty and staff want and need, not everyone is aware of all that is available to them,” she said.
To make that information easier to find, a Wellness and Work-Life tab has been organized within the human resources website, arranged in the following categories:
- Family Resources
- Financial Wellness
- Health & Well-being
- Emotional Wellness
- Time Off Options
- Community
- Professional Development
- Employee Recognition
- Employee Assistance Program
“Our hope is that with improved communications, employees will have better access to the resources and benefits available to them that can help them navigate and manage work and life successfully,” MacVicar said. She said employees can look forward to more resources for work-life balance being announced in the coming year.
HR Website Refreshed
When employees go to the recently revamped UA Human Resources website, they see a fresh and more user-friendly home page. The latest news and most sought-after information are easy to find. One bit of news: the Office of Health Promotion and Wellness has been renamed the Office of Wellness and Work-Life.
Some things, however, have stayed the same. Open enrollment will still be accessed through BenefitFocus, and WellBAMA, the University’s signature employee wellness program, will remain unchanged.