Staff Engagement
At Penn GSE, we’re dedicated to building a welcoming and supportive community where every employee feels valued and included.
Below are some of the various ways we engage with staff at GSE, ranging in topics and formats, to support a productive and positive working environment. We also encourage participating in the broader staff community across Penn.
One Penn GSE Newsletter
Monthly newsletter for current staff and faculty of important announcements with some fun features thrown in.
Chat Channels on Microsoft Teams
Join the GSE All Staff & Faculty Team on Microsoft Teams, our school-wide collaboration and productivity tool for our flexible working culture.
This platfrom can enhance communicatiton, knowledge management, and relationship-building within your team and across teams at GSE. Features include private and group chats, audio and video calls, file-sharing, and a variety of app integrations, and more.
Please note that this team is only for regular staff (not temporary or student workers) and faculty members at GSE.
How to Join:
- Log into https://teams.microsoft.com
- Click on the "Teams" icon on the screen’s left side
- Click "Join or Create Team" in the upper right corner
- Choose "Join a Team with a Code" and enter xc9f9sl
- We recommend setting your channel notifications to "banner and feed” (learn more about managing notifications here)
Current Channels:
- General - general conversations that may not fit into the specific subchannels
- HR Updates & Tips - general HR announcements
- GSE Job Postings - announcements of newly posted staff positions
- IT Updates & Tips - general IT announcements
- Recommendations - for those seeking recommendations on different topics (providers, restaurants, etc.)
- Music, Podcasts, and Books
- Free Food
- Buy Nothing - for free giveaways or things found
- Parents Group - for parents of all stages (from expecting to those with parental responsibilities)
- Pets of GSE
- GSE Steppers - walking club (please email Olivia Farkas for more information)
- Green Team - for those interested in supporting Penn's substainability initiatives (please email Kim York for more information)
- Staff Managers - for managers with 1+ staff direct reports (invite only)
Depending on your settings and preferences, your list may look different. If you have questions or feedback, please reach out to Olivia Farkas.
Events
GSE HR provides a wide range of staff events that encourage a holistic employee experience. Some of those events include:
- Monthly staff meetings
- Monthly staff & faculty breakfasts
- Semesterly new staff hire mixers
- Annual staff retreat
- Annual Years of Service Awards celebration
- Annual Administrative Professionals Day celebration
- Annual staff & faculty fall picnic
- Annual staff & faculty holiday party
- Occasional wellness walks
Feedback
We're always open to feedback on how we can better support our staff community. Please don't hesitate to reach out to anyone on the GSE HR team to share your thoughts. We also have a GSE Staff Meeting survey and a GSE Staff & Faculty Microsoft Teams Channel survey.
