March 31, 2005
CareNet: One-stop shopping on UW benefits
Randi Shapiro, assistant director of the Work/Life office, was a little surprised herself when she saw all the UW support and benefit programs lined up together — even though listing them that way had been her idea in the first place.
Shapiro has been reviewing a mockup for a new UW CareNet Web site, a single page that brings the UW’s vast array of employee benefits together in one format.
The page went “live” just this week and is at http://www.washington.edu/admin/hr/worklife/carenet.html. Shapiro said she hopes to add links from many other UW sites as the page evolves. Many UW employees received a brochure about the new Web site recently in their campus mail.
The site divides items into four basic categories — “career,” “financial,” “personal” and “family relationships.” Under each heading are a dozen or more individual topics, each marked with an icon showing their area of origin — be it from Training and Development, Benefits, Disability Services, Transportation or Shapiro’s own area, Work/Life — and linked to that department’s Web pages.
Here, gathered in one place, are gateways to immediate information on many aspects of UW employment and life in general — insurance, professional development, supervisory training, tuition exemption, transportation issues, child care, weight loss, parenting and even personal issues and problems.
Shapiro said the extensive array of support services reflects well on the UW as an employer. “There has been a lot of conversation in both the public and private sectors related to being an employer of choice and one of the best companies to work for,” she said. “But when I got to thinking about programs already offered by the UW, “I said, ‘Wait a second — we do all of that! We’ve got to put together a comprehensive list, because we really do have wonderful opportunities.”
The UW CareNet Web page does not bring with it any new benefit programs, Shapiro said, but merely organizes and improves one-click access for existing programs. Rather, it organizes and improves one-click access for existing programs. Still, the list does contain some of the most recent additions to the Work/Life line-up. Shapiro said these include the new Online Caregiver Directory. Singing the praises of the new service, Shapiro said, “It’s a directory where University members can get access online to people at the UW who can assist them with part-time caregiving work. Whether your needs are the occasional babysitter or a caregiver to run errands for an elder person, the Caregiver Directory may be just what some employees are looking for.”
Shapiro stressed that the new Web page is a work in progress that will likely be revised continually as information is added or changed. She said she’s interested in hearing feedback from the campus community on the content of the page and whether it makes finding information easier for UW employees.
Shapiro is at 206-543-6963, or randis@u.washington.edu. Information on Work/Life itself is available at http://www.washington.edu/admin/hr/worklife/ .
