News for Employees
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Become a candidate for University Staff Congress
Seats are now open in the University Staff Congress. University Staff who would like to serve on the Congress are invited to declare their candidacy. Congress members meet with campus administration and have a voice in discussions about campus policy. Members meet once a month from August to the following June, and participate without loss of pay. Elections will be held to determine the Congress representatives from each district.
To become a candidate for Congress, send an email stating that you wish to run for Congress to John Lease, Secretary of the University Staff, at john.lease@wisc.edu. You can also visit the Office of the Secretary in 271 Bascom Hall during regular business hours. Language assistance is available. The last day to self-nominate is April 3 at 1 p.m. Learn more at ous.wisc.edu/elections.
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Workshop teaches bystander intervention skills
An interactive workshop, Bystander Intervention: Stepping In with Care and Confidence, introduces UW–Madison faculty and staff to intervention skills that can contribute to healthy, inclusive, and engaging workplaces. Participants will practice multiple intervention options in real-life scenarios, and will learn how to identify, intervene, interrupt, and improve workplace situations when they arise. An in-person session will be held on Thursday, April 3, 1–4 p.m. on campus at 21 North Park St., Madison. In addition, a two-part virtual session will be held on Thursday, May 15, 2–4 p.m. and Friday, May 16, 9–11 a.m. UW employees may attend at no cost. Advance registration is required.
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Planned outage will affect MyUW self-service functions
The Human Resources System (HRS) will be unavailable Friday, March 14, 4 p.m. through midday Sunday, March 16, due to a planned maintenance outage. During this time period, employees will not be able to access self-service functions in MyUW, including timesheets, absence reporting, personal information, benefits, payroll, and tax documents. Employees who may need access to this information during the outage period should plan ahead.
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Help make UW–Madison a drug-free workplace
All faculty and staff are encouraged to contribute to a drug-free workplace. You can do this by learning the facts about substance abuse, encouraging others to avoid substance abuse, and knowing where you or others can go for help with a drug or alcohol problem. The laws and expectations regarding substance abuse apply to all members of the UW–Madison campus community. You can review this information and find resources for drug and alcohol abuse prevention at go.wisc.edu/j15c7c.
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Campus leaders affirm commitment to UW–Madison mission amid uncertainty
On Friday, Feb. 28, 2025, Chancellor Jennifer L. Mnookin and Provost Charles Isbell Jr. emailed a message to all students, faculty, and staff. The message provided some updates on recent activity at the federal level and detailed ways that UW–Madison leaders continue to assess the implications of these actions and respond across multiple levels. Mnookin and Isbell also affirmed that UW–Madison will be guided by our commitment to our mission of excellence in teaching, research and service as well as to our commitment to the values that help support that excellence. The full message is available in six languages at news.wisc.edu.
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Upcoming open houses provide a hands-on preview of Workday
UW–Madison employees are invited to get a hands-on preview of Workday at two upcoming open houses. The open houses will offer a self-guided preview, allowing employees to explore Workday features such as the home page, pay slips, tax elections, time and absence functions, and more. On Tuesday, March 18, the Workday open house will be offered 9 a.m.–4:30 p.m. at the Academic Staff Institute at Union South. On Thursday, April 17, the open house will be held 10 a.m.–4 p.m. in conjunction with Showcase 2025, also at Union South. The open houses are offered on a drop-in basis at no cost; registration for the events is not required.
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Multilingual sessions for employees to review retirement benefits
UW‒Madison Benefits Services and Cultural Linguistic Services will be presenting two sessions to help employees learn about their UW retirement benefits and how to prepare for a secure financial future. A late-night session for second and third shift employees will be held on Thursday, March 27, 11 p.m.‒1 a.m. at the Health Sciences Learning Center (HSLC). A daytime session will be held on Wednesday, April 2, 9:30—11:30 a.m. at Gordon Dining & Event Center. Both sessions will be offered in English, Spanish, Hmong, Tibetan, Chinese, and Nepali. No registration is required, and employees may attend on their work time. Supervisors are encouraged to approve employee requests to attend.
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Webinar teaches skills to improve sleep and enhance well-being
LifeMatters and the Employee Assistance Office are offering a virtual webinar, The Stress–Sleep Correlation, on Tuesday, March 18, noon‒1 p.m. This webinar teaches skills that can help participants make changes to their daily routine and get better sleep. Participants will learn about the benefits of sleep, causes and effects of poor sleep, and healthy sleep habits. The webinar is offered at no cost to all UW‒Madison employees. Register online to receive the Zoom link.
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New guide to checking documents for accessibility using built-in tools
The Center for User Experience has published a new Document Testing guide that walks users through checking accessibility in Microsoft Word, PowerPoint, Google Docs, Slides and PDFs, using each platform’s built-in tools. The guide offers practical tips and testing methods to help identify and fix accessibility barriers when creating course materials, reports, presentations, and more.
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Resources preview how procurement will change in Workday
As part of the Administrative Transformation Program (ATP), UW‒Madison will transition to Workday, a cloud-based software platform that will streamline and simplify administrative processes. This includes procurement tasks completed by staff who place orders or approve purchases and payables. Starting in July 2025, most of the steps in the procurement process that take place in ShopUW+ will move into Workday, while use of the ShopUW+ catalogs will be retained. Learn more about procurement in the ATP What’s Changing series. You can access these and other What Workday Means for You resources with your UW login.