Our GIS team has created a number of maps with helpful information for UW Facilities employees. Go to UW Facilities Maps to access the following resources:
Corp Yard Containers
Equipment Inventory
FIL Quick Links
Shop Locations and Maintenance Zones
Training Videos
Weight Restricted Areas
Thanks to Cesar Escobar, Yurika Harada, Jay Dahlstrom, Aaron Chuevront, Anthony Nguyen and Eric Darst of the GIS team for their hard work!
News & resources
IT
Need to purchase computer equipment for your department?UWFIT can help you choose the correct equipment based on your needs, get you the best price and purchase it for you, configure the equipment, and install your new equipment. Please send an email to uwftech@uw.edu and UWFIT will be happy to help.
Safety
Summer wildfire season is upon us: We expect wildfire smoke to be an issue again this year in August and possibly in July and September as well. Take the time now to develop alternative work plans to avoid having workers outside during unhealthy air quality events.
For example, window washers might plan to clean interior windows only. Or, if online training is required for your team, save that for a day when air quality is poor. Talk about this at your shop meetings so you can develop these lists ahead of time. Be innovative!
The UW is taking part in a new air quality task force on this issue, with stakeholders from around the region. UW Facilities will also be represented and we’ll share more information as it becomes available. For general information about air quality, see http://www.pscleanair.org/.
HR& Payroll
Paid Family and Medical Leave update: Washington State is the fifth state in the nation to enact a paid family and medical leave benefits program in the form of partial wage replacement to workers. This is a mandatory insurance program administered by the state and funded by premiums paid by employees and employers.
For contract classified staff, the premium deduction will start with the July 10, 2019 paycheck. For all others, the premium deduction started in January 2019. Beginning in 2020, eligible employees will be able to use this new benefit, which generally allows up to 12 weeks of paid leave per year due to personal or family illness, injury or a new child. Rules are still being developed by the state Employment Security Department and UW Facilities HR will share more information about the benefit as it becomes available.
Politics in the workplace: With elections both local and national in the news, a reminder that UW Facilities policy recommends avoiding political discussions in the workplace. For more details, and other UW rules about political activity, download our Politics in the Workplace policy.
Training
Employee onboarding changes: We are refreshing our New Employee training to make it more timely and comprehensive for our newest team members. Stay tuned.
New Professional Readiness Program: We value the help and guidance we get from others, but ultimately no one is more responsible than ourselves for our own development and continued learning. To help you take charge of your development, we are introducing a new learning program, based on The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People. The Professional Readiness Program consists of courses, readings discussions and experiences, all designed to help you get better at helping yourself succeed. Contact the Training Center for more details.
FROMTHEBLOG:
Engineering their own destiny
Students working with UW Facilities gain real-world experience and insights. READMORE
Recognition
Congratulations to Building Services Department’s Desiderio De Castro,Maria Devaney,Joe Lo,Zenaida Pagdilao,Emebet Sefara,Cassk Thomas,Robert ThompsonandSeare Zerom! Together, the Mary Gates Hall Custodial Team was honored with a Distinguished Partner Award by Undergraduate Academic Affairs. Read the announcement.
The Office of Planning & Budget sent kudos for the role that UW Facilities staff, particularlyJohn Chapman,Michelle Reed,John WetzelandJeanette Henderson, played in supporting the University’s efforts during the recent legislative session.Read the email.
Got an idea for the next newsletter? Email Partner Resources at fsfes@uw.edu.
