UK Appreciation Week 'Recognize and Recharge' Events Scheduled
LEXINGTON, Ky. (Sept. 29, 2020) — Did you miss UK Appreciation Day this past spring? How about Well-being Week? Like nearly all events this past spring and summer, both events were canceled to help ensure the health and safety of University of Kentucky employees during the COVID-19 pandemic.
As the pandemic continues to reshape the ways in which we connect, UK Staff Senate and Human Resources teamed up to offer something special for everyone to enjoy this fall and beyond.
“Recognize and Recharge” events will run the week of Oct. 5-9 and a new community quickstarts webpage features a book raffle and year-round tools for appreciation, belonging and self-care.
“Recognize and Recharge” events invite everyone — faculty and staff — to pause and emerge stronger and better individually and as a community. Among the 15+ events, you’ll find these community-wide opportunities:
- Outstanding Staff Awards;
- Moment of Appreciation Unity Meditation;
- Staff Senate Main Body Session with the Office for Institutional Diversity;
- professional development workshops;
- wellness experiences including yoga and a kitchen scavenger hunt; and
- Real Talk Roundtable.
Whether you’re on campus, another UK site or remote, you are welcome to join these online events to “Recognize and Recharge” with the campus community. The university appreciates all your dedication and contributions to make the University of Kentucky a member of the 2020 Great Colleges to Work for Honor Roll.
The book raffle is now open and will close Octo. 9. Simply enter to win the book of your choice from these options:
- "The 5 Languages of Appreciation in the Workplace" by Gary Chapman and Paul White;
- "We Can’t Talk About That at Work! How to Talk About Race, Religion, Politics, and other Polarizing Topics" by Mary Frances Winters; and
- "The Gifts of Imperfection: 10th Anniversary Edition" by Brené Brown.
You’ll find more information about the events and books on the community quickstarts webpage, which serves as a single place on the HR website to find tools to more easily activate community.
As a response to survey results about appreciation conducted in July, the university created tools to make it easier to show appreciation to peers, leaders and your employees.
As a reminder of existing tools, community quickstarts also shows several employee networks in one place, including affinity groups, the UK working parents’ group and the UK Women’s Forum. Additionally, workshops and resources for diversity, inclusion and equity are offered by HR and UK Inclusive Excellence and Diversity Education, including sessions for teams by request.
These tools and events, available no matter your location, contribute not only to helping create resilient individuals, but also to a university community that will stand stronger and better over time.
As the state’s flagship, land-grant institution, the University of Kentucky exists to advance the Commonwealth. We do that by preparing the next generation of leaders — placing students at the heart of everything we do — and transforming the lives of Kentuckians through education, research and creative work, service and health care. We pride ourselves on being a catalyst for breakthroughs and a force for healing, a place where ingenuity unfolds. It's all made possible by our people — visionaries, disruptors and pioneers — who make up 200 academic programs, a $476.5 million research and development enterprise and a world-class medical center, all on one campus.
In 2022, UK was ranked by Forbes as one of the “Best Employers for New Grads” and named a “Diversity Champion” by INSIGHT into Diversity, a testament to our commitment to advance Kentucky and create a community of belonging for everyone. While our mission looks different in many ways than it did in 1865, the vision of service to our Commonwealth and the world remains the same. We are the University for Kentucky.