UW CareLink Spring Seminar Series

UW CareLink presents the Spring 2016 Seminar Series! Experienced counselors lead the sessions and approach subjects creatively. Join us in the HUB or the UW Tower at noon for one or all four, and feel free to bring your lunch! Seminars are free for all UW faculty and staff. Please register for each session you plan to attend.

Lightening Your Life With Laughter—Wednesday, March 23
Do you have enough laughter in your life? This informative and enjoyable workshop shares proven techniques of how to use laughter to reduce stress in your life.

Emotional Intelligence—Tuesday, April 26
Getting along with others is the key to success. This session examines healthy relationships in the workplace. We'll delve into feelings, and how they affect moods and daily life.

Resiliency—Wednesday, May 18
Are you prepared for life's challenges? We'll look at how to manage life to the best of our ability so that challenges are dealt with and we rebound quickly. Practical goal-setting strategies will be discussed.

Levels of Care for Our Elders: Choosing a Facility and Care—Thursday, June 16
Do you understand long-term care options for your loved one? This session examines the different options available. From home care to retirement communities, we'll break down the level of care, and the pros, cons, and potential costs of each.

Estate Planning: Get Organized Now

Estate planning isn't just about legal issues—there are practical ones as well. After you die, many of the tasks and decisions your loved ones will have to handle usually aren't covered by basic estate planning documents. You can save them some headache by making your wishes known.

This month's Balanced Living article, Estate Planning: Get Organized Now, provides the questions to ask and ways to get the answers organized.

UW Carelink will also broadcast a one-hour webinar "Top Ten Estate Planning Mistakes" on March 15 at 9:00 a.m. This webinar explores why everyone needs an estate plan and the most common mistakes that people make. It also reviews all of the necessary documents included in a solid plan. Register now (use "UW" as company code). The webinar will also be archived on the site and available for viewing by the beginning of April.

Back-Up Care and Sick Childcare

The UW has two in-center back-up care programs to choose from—KinderCare and Bright Horizons. The cost is $20 per day and advance registration is recommended. Back-up care is "as available," which means the earlier you can make your request the greater the potential options available to meet your needs. If you're caring for an older adult, you may now schedule in-home eldercare services through Bright Horizons Back-Up Care Advantage.

What do you do when your child is too sick to go to school, but you need to work? If your child is mildly ill, Bright Horizons Back-Up Care Advantage may be able to send a care provider to your home. The cost is $8/per hour, $32 minimum per day, for up to three siblings. Register early as you never know when your need for care will arrive.

Find details on all of these new services on the WorkLife website.

Make Wishes Come True: Donate Your Airline Miles Today

In partnership with Make-A-Wish® Washington and Alaska, the UW Combined Fund Drive is sponsoring an airline miles drive during March to help make wishes come true for children battling life-threatening medical conditions. More than 80% of wishes involve travel, and you can make a difference by donating your unused airline miles. As an added bonus, Alaska Airlines is matching the first 250,000 miles donated!

When you donate your airline miles, you can help kids like Delilah get to their wish destinations. Delilah, who lives with a congenital liver disorder, still talks about splashing in the pool, playing in the sand, swimming with dolphins, and meeting her favorite cartoon characters. "It was so fun to see her relaxing, to be able to not worry about a thing," said her mom, Tabitha. "We were able to take a break, unwind, and enjoy each other as a family without worrying about the next doctor appointment."

Please share the donation link with your colleagues, family, and friends. Everyone is invited to make a difference!

FSA Grace Period

If you participated in the Flexible Spending Arrangement (FSA) for the 2015 plan year, you may have until March 15, 2016 to incur services towards your 2015 plan. All eligible FSA expenses incurred from January 1 through March 15, 2016, should be submitted to Navia in order to be processed under your 2015 plan year. If you are also participating in the 2016 plan, any excess claimed amount from your grace period claims will be processed under your 2016 plan, after your 2015 balance has been exhausted.

Remember, if you elected a Consumer-Directed Health Plan with a Health Savings Account for plan year 2016, you were required to incur services, file claims, and receive reimbursements for 2015 FSA expenses by December 31, 2015. Learn more about FSA.

Well-Being Assessment Available

SmartHealth offers a Well-being Assessment for faculty and staff enrolled in the PEBB medical plans. The tool helps you understand your strengths, pinpoints areas to improve, and suggests healthful activities.

• Earn 800 points for completing the Well-being Assessment by September 30, 2016.
• Bonus! Earn 100 bonus points if you complete the Well-being Assessment by March 31, 2016.

Learn more and get started.

Beyond the Scale

Weight Watchers' new program, "Beyond the Scale," is designed to deliver a more holistic and personal approach to a healthier you. This program moves beyond what you weigh and shows you creative ways to eat healthier, move more, live happier, AND lose weight! UW Benefits sponsors two campus meetings locations for UW faculty and staff.

• Tuesdays, Schmitz Hall
• Fridays, Health Sciences Building

See our UWellness page for more information.

UW Scavenger Hunt - A Husky Walk of Fame

Join us for the 3rd annual UW Scavenger Hunt, an exploration of the Bothell, Seattle, and Tacoma campuses that highlights some of the most acclaimed Huskies of all time. You'll never see these secret locations the same after you learn the story behind their namesakes or famous alums and faculty. The first 1,000 participants to complete the Scavenger Hunt will receive a Whole U stadium cup that proves they went the distance. Hunt with your family, friends, colleagues, or solo on Friday, April 8 or Saturday, April 9. Register now.

National Nutrition Month Potluck Competition

Celebrate National Nutrition Month and share your love for food by hosting a potluck with your colleagues any day in March. There will be so many prizes for participating and for submitting a winning recipe, including reusable sandwich bags, Whole U swag packs, and having your recipe featured at the UW Club. Learn more.

Experience Laughing Yoga at Harborview Medical Center

Join laughing yoga experts Tita Begshaw, Keving Wilhelmsen, and Judy Cashman on Friday, April 1 for a fun and funny yoga session and laughter seminar. These three have been laughing together at Harborview since 2001 and reap the benefits of laughter daily. Laughter has been known to help change our mental state from negative to positive, improve the immune system, and cultivate relationships. Come see what all the fun is all about. Sign up.

Prepare for an Earthquake with UW Emergency Management

Disasters happen, so let's get prepared! Plans & Training Manager Siri-Elizabeth Mclean from the UW Department of Emergency Management will present on preparing for an earthquake. You'll learn what to do in the aftermath of an earthquake, the potential impacts on your local community, and what your emergency kit should include. Walk away feeling like a seasoned survivalist! Join us Wednesday, April 6 at noon in the HUB. Register here.

One-Day Mindfulness Retreat

Sponsored by The Whole U and UW Medicine, we invite you to experience a full day of mindfulness with Tim Burnett from Mindfulness Northwest on Saturday, April 30. Join us for a day of immersion into mindfulness, stress reduction, body awareness, and inner care. Formal practices including body scan, mindful yoga, sitting and walking meditation will be practiced together in silence. The day will conclude with small group discussion and dialog with the instructor on your experience of the day and how mindfulness can be integrated into daily life. The retreat is based on Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction (MBSR) — a well-researched class that has proved very effective in helping with many stress-related issues. The cost is $45 and there are 110 spots available. Friends and family members (over 18 years of age) are welcome. Doors will open at 8:30 a.m. Register here.

Save more and better manage your finances with free financial education seminars. Presented by two local nonprofit credit unions, WSECU and Inspirus, these seminars are held at convenient campus locations during the lunch hour.

• Buying and Remodeling a Fixer Upper – Best options for distressed properties; deciding what should be DIY vs hiring out.
• Buying a Condominium – Learn the pros and cons of condo ownership, including how to find the right community and securing financing.
• Buying a Home with Down Payment Assistance – Low down-payment programs, eligibility how to assess your eligibility.
• Credit Reporting 101 – Come away with valuable tips to help you get the most from your creditworthiness.
• Financial Yoga: Stretching Your Hard-Earned Dollars – Learn tips that will help you gain control of your finances and reduce financial stress.

Access seminar information and registration.

BALANCE to the Rescue!

In a world with so many financial obligations and options, it's no wonder money management often seems overwhelming. That's one reason why the UW has partnered with two local credit unions—Inspirus and Washington State Employees Credit Union—to offer the financial fitness program called BALANCE. Both credit unions give you free access to this confidential financial counseling service to help you banish debt, design a money management plan, and achieve your financial goals. Learn more about the BALANCE Program.

Professional & Organizational Development (POD) courses are open to all UW employees, subject to supervisor/budgetary approval and UW's release time policy. Please view our policy page for additional information.

Spring is Here!

The first day of spring may still be a few weeks away, but registration is now open for more than 50 spring classes and webinars designed to advance the success and development of UW employees. Don't miss out on new titles such as Cultural Proficiency and Introduction to Federal Taxation; classes typically offered just once a year, including Designing the End-User Experience and The Trust Advantage; and perennial favorites like How to Give and Receive Feedback, Microsoft Excel Macros, and Process Improvement Tools. Check out POD's spring offerings.

Plant Seeds for Your Growth

Whether your work supports an entire program or one busy leader, you can benefit from this one-day conference designed to enrich the skills, personal growth, and on-the-job success of UW administrative support professionals. Attend sessions that focus on goal achievement, personal branding, self-awareness, leadership, wellness, and other topics as you enjoy the amenities of a world-class conference center and network with your peers. Register for the Support Professionals Spring Retreat.

Spring Forward With Your Career

With clocks jumping forward an hour this weekend, perhaps it's time to look ahead and think about what's next for your career. One-on-one career counseling can help you assess your career fit, make the most of your strengths, prepare for a job search, or plot a new career path. Sessions with Training and Organizational Development Consultant Susan Templeton are $110 per one-hour session if paid with a UW budget number (with supervisor approval) or $127.16 if paid with cash, check, or credit card (due to a mandatory institutional overhead fee). Learn more about career counseling.

SafeCampus's Role in Suicide Prevention

Did you know you can call SafeCampus for suicide-related concerns? SafeCampus has caring and compassionate staff who are prepared to support University of Washington faculty, staff, and students when they are worried someone they care about may be considering suicide. Each year, sadly, the UW loses community members to suicide. Suicide affects people of all races, genders, sexual orientations, social classes, ages, and abilities. Some of the potential indicators of suicide risk are talking about suicide, withdrawing from others, and expressing feelings of despair or hopelessness. When you are concerned, SafeCampus is here to creatively problem-solve next steps. We can help you learn about resources on campus and discuss the best way to connect the person you care about to resources. To learn more about the ways SafeCampus supports the UW community, visit our website and register for an upcoming SafeCampus Violence Prevention and Response Training.

Drop by the UW Home Improvement Fair!

What's on your home project list? Need a little more motivation and inspiration? Come to the UW Home Improvement Fair for bright ideas to transform, improve, and update your living spaces. Chat with interior designers, home-efficiency specialists, and other experts. Enjoy refreshments and enter to win door prizes, including a chance to win a Kindle™ Fire!

Tuesday, April 5
10 a.m.-3 p.m.
HUB Lyceum, Room 160

Learn more at HomeStreet-UW Home Fair.

Whether you're starting out, mid-career, or getting ready to retire, the Benefits Office sponsors free seminars packed with information that can help you through your journey. The following is a list of seminars offered on campus by Fidelity representatives. Access seminar registration and information for any of these seminars.

Getting on the Right Path with Your Workplace Savings Plan - This beginner-level workshop is intended for individuals who are not participating in their workplace savings plan, or who would like to learn ways to save more.

Designing Your Financial Roadmap - Learn how to design a financial roadmap to help you achieve your savings goals, how to establish a budget and manage debt, and how to balance and prioritize other nonretirement goals such as college planning.

Income Strategies for Your Retirement - This intermediate-level workshop is designed for individuals who are less than one year from retirement and would like to learn how to establish and maintain income during retirement.

Preparing Your Savings for Retirement - This intermediate-level workshop is designed for individuals age 55 or older who are 2 - 10 years from retirement and who would like to learn how to develop a retirement income plan.

Social Security: A Foundation for Your Future

Achieving financial independence is key to enjoying a satisfying retirement. Social Security has the tools to help get you there. Attend this free Social Security seminar:

Wednesday, March 30
11:30 a.m. - 1:00 p.m.
UW Tower

At this seminar you will get answers to questions like:

• What are the eligibility requirements for Social Security and retirement?
• When do Social Security and Medicare benefits begin?
• What are the criteria for receiving family benefits?
• What programs are administered under the Social Security Act?
• How does early retirement affect your benefits?
• How to use your "my Social Security" Online Account and other online services.

Open to UW faculty, staff, students, and retirees. Access seminar information and registration here.

Take Advantage of Free Retirement Planning Guidance

Few things in life are free but here's one. Schedule time with a knowledgeable Fidelity or TIAA-CREF consultant and you'll get free retirement planning guidance—no strings attached. These individual appointments are an excellent time for you to:

• Ask about saving for retirement and other goals
• Evaluate investment choices that meet your needs
• Create an action plan to get and stay on track for retirement
• Review retirement income options

Schedule an appointment today!

Personalized Workplace Safety Presentations

Community Services at the UW Police Department provides personalized safety presentations for your workplace or building at your request. An officer can come speak with your unit or department about safety issues of concern and what you can do to stay safe in the workplace. To schedule a time or learn more, contact UWPD Community Services at crimeprv@uw.edu or 206-616-0873.

What Does Light Rail Mean for You?

Transit to UW is about to be revolutionized with the new UW Link light rail station opening on March 19, followed by realigned Metro bus service changes on March 26. Use your U-PASS to access a better transportation network, with higher performance, better service, quicker trips, more choices, and more benefits. Now is the time to get ready—learn more.