Fraser Hall move and the ASR Suggestion Box

Thank you for all of the suggestions we’ve received so far regarding the Fraser Hall move. We are tracking your suggestions and using them for our planning. So keep ‘em coming! If you want to make a suggestion, please submit it to the ASR Suggestion Box.

Mental Wellness in the Workplace

Pandemic stress, work stress, and now holiday stress

As news stories continue to break about the pandemic, it's only normal to feel anxious, overwhelmed, or stressed, especially as we near the holiday season and think about connecting with family and friends. Consider taking breaks from watching, listening or reading news stories, including those on social media. It’s good to be informed, but hearing about the pandemic constantly can be upsetting. Consider limiting the news to just a couple times a day and disconnecting your phone, T.V., and computer screens for a while. To combat other kinds of stress, spend some time taking care of your body and engaging with activities you enjoy.

Take care of your body:

• Take deep breaths, stretch, or meditate
• Try to eat healthy and well balanced meals
• Exercise regularly
• Get plenty of sleep
• Avoid excess alcohol, tobacco and drug use

Make time to unwind and try to do other activities that you enjoy:

• Contact with others, such as talking with people you trust about your concerns and how you are feeling
• Read a good book or listen to your favorite music
• Connect with your community or faith based organizations
• Celebrate with your friends and family

You can also check out UMACRAO’s session on anxiety and depression. To learn more about preparing for, reducing, and managing stress, check out the N&N blog.

Wishing you a relaxing, joyful, holiday season!

ASR Staff Engagement December 16th Survey

This week’s ASR Staff Engagement Survey December 16, 2021 examines goal-setting. Thank you for continuing to share your stories and experiences!

According to the last survey, an equal number of respondents (32.3%) disagreed and agreed that they feel well-rested most mornings, followed by 22.6% who were somewhere in the middle. Most neither agreed nor disagreed on feeling overwhelmed with their workload (38.7%). When asked to rate how comfortable folks are with discussing stress at work with their unit, most agreed that they feel comfortable (42% scoring either a 4 or 5), followed by 29% who don’t feel comfortable (scoring either a 1 or 2), and 29% who are somewhere in the middle (scoring a 3).

Finally, coffee received the most votes for favorite hot drinks (48.4% of respondents), followed closely by tea (45.2%) and hot cocoa (38.7%). Thanks all for your continued participation! It is very much appreciated. The results from the last survey are available below.

December 2, 2021 survey results

I feel well-rested most mornings (1= Strongly disagree, 5 Strongly agree)

• 1 - 3.2%
• 2 - 32.3%
• 3 - 22.6%
• 4 - 32.3%
• 5 - 9.7%

I feel overwhelmed with my workload (1= Strongly disagree, 5 Strongly agree)

• 1 - 6.5%
• 2 - 19.4%
• 3 - 38.7%
• 4 - 32.3%
• 5 - 3.2%

I feel comfortable discussing stress at work with my team/unit (1= Strongly disagree, 5 Strongly agree)

• 1 - 16.1%
• 2 - 12.9%
• 3 - 29%
• 4 - 22.6%
• 5 - 19.4%

What’s your favorite hot drinks? (Check all that apply)

• Coffee
• Tea
• Hot Cocoa
• Latte
• Mocha
• Cappuccino
• Hot lemonade with whiskey, apple cider, hot water with lemon, iced drinks only, and Irish coffee

Update from Stacey

I hope you found some time for rest and relaxation during the University holidays for Thanksgiving. I know I appreciated the time to cook and share a feast with family and friends.

As I returned to my emails after a break, I read an Educause article on burnout that I found helpful (if you can’t access the article, you may need to register, but the content is free). So often articles about burnout discourage me, but this one appealed to me with some practical and doable positive actions I can take. I won’t rehash the whole article here, but I encourage you to find a tip or two that will be meaningful for you. I’m focusing on the item about carving out time for reflection. Moving from Zoom meeting to Zoom meeting doesn’t leave a lot of time for reflection, so remembering to save some time in my day for this has been positive, and I hope to make a habit of it. Although it wasn’t part of the article, I’d also recommend a practice around gratitude. Check out the survey results in the ASR Staff Engagement article for some of the things we are grateful for.

Proof of COVID-19 vaccination

To ensure the University meets the federal executive order first noted in President Gabel’s October message, all staff must fill out the "Report a Vaccination or Exemption" form located in MyU in the My Info tab under Vaccination. The deadline to complete the form is Friday, December 3, 2021. More information about the requirement can be found on the Vaccine Certification page, and step-by-step instructions are also available.

Vision organizer

The directors have reviewed and updated the Vision Organizer with our current and most recently completed work.

ASR website update

The ASR UX & Content Strategy Team and OIT have migrated the ASR website from Drupal Lite 7 to Drupal Lite 9. There were a few issues with the URLs the day the updated site launched, but these errors have since been fixed.

You may notice some differences with the look and feel because of switching to the Folwell design theme, but the content has stayed the same. The Folwell design is used by many University websites and helps ensure accessibility, consistency, and usability. If you have any comments or issues with the website, please feel free to submit a website feedback form. Thank you!