Jeff Georgilas, Utility Worker, Facilities' Custodial Services: Driving our campus forward

"The collaboration between our teams is like a symphony in which everyone is working to seamlessly keep our campus running."  

Jeff, thank you for reminding us of the importance of teamwork. Your appreciation for your work, team members and our campus inspire us!   

Read Jeff’s story


Share your feedback: Planon user experience survey

The second Planon user experience survey will be launched on Monday, May 15 to Planon users that regularly receive, plan and complete work. The survey results will provide valuable input to determine if your experience using Planon is improving. This survey will also help UBC Facilities evaluate and prioritize the improvements we will need to implement in the coming year to streamline and enhance Planon further.

This year, we have added questions in the survey to gather feedback from Buyers, the Facilities Service Centre, and Facilities Stores, as well as including new questions under Work Order Management related to planned preventative Maintenance.

Please keep an eye out for this survey in your email inbox on May 15. Printed copies of the survey will also be available. We encourage all Planon users to participate in this anonymous survey to help us gain insight into your experience using the system. 


Preparing the air conditioning (chilled water systems) for the summer months 

This year, a number of aging cooling towers including the towers for Life Sciences Centre and Walter C. Koerner Library have been replaced to improve the overall reliability of these important systems. Building Operations’ Mechanical teams have been working on getting the chilled water system cleaned, maintained, serviced and ready for the warmer summer months to keep the campus buildings cool.

The team has also been working with our Maintenance Planning team to have the chilled water system startups added into the Planon annual Preventative Maintenance program. As we get the systems all online in the next few weeks, the team has been checking to make sure the systems are all operating as intended. 

We are on schedule with all chilled water systems, and anticipating all of them to be ready and running by the middle of May.


UBC Power House will begin preparation for demolition in early June 2023

In early June, the UBC Power House will begin preparation for demolition for the development of the new UBC Sauder School of Business expansion

During this project, there will be various levels of disruption and road closures. 

Read the tentative schedule of closures on the Faciliites website 


Know your Joint Occupational Health & Safety Committee (JOHSC) representatives

The Joint Occupational Health and Safety Committee (JOHSC) is comprised of worker and employer representatives and plays an important role in supporting and improving the health and safety of the workplace.  

JOHSC members participate in incident investigations, workplace inspections, and hold monthly meetings to review accidents/incidents, safety concerns and make appropriate recommendations that support a healthy and safe workplace. Monthly meeting minutes are posted on safety boards and can be accessed through UBC’s Safety Committees website

UBC has established and implemented multiple JOHSCs based on relative hazards to account for various work crews in each department. UBC Facilities has five JOHSCs:  

Do you know which JOHSC you belong to and who your JOHSC representatives are? Do you want to learn what your JOHSC has discussed and the progress of action items? Find your JOHSC


Kudos

  • Huge efforts to Facilities’ Custodial Services and Municipal Services for working in tandem in tearing down the exam spaces in Robert F. Osborne Centre (OSBO) gym and Student Recreation Centre, starting on the evening of April 28 throughout the weekend. If you’ve missed the set-up process, take a look on the Facilities website. Great work!
  • Thank you to Facilities’ Waste Management team within Municipal Services for working with Student Housing & Community Services as thousands of students moved out of their residences over the last seven days. Well done and thank you for all your efforts.
     
  • Thank you Facilities’ Municipal Services and Building Operations for participating in this year’s Earth Day ‘Clean-up the Campus’ on April 27. Participants teamed up and were sent on a one-hour litter collection session in assigned clean-up zones within the campus core grounds. Thank you for taking part in this annual event.

People in motion

  • Starting May 1, we will be welcoming Esteban Arratia in Building Operations as the new Utility Plumber joining our E71P shop. He has been working with UBC's Student Housing & Community Services since 2017 and will be a welcomed addition to our team!  
     
  • Vick Jammu has been promoted to Building Operations' Sub-Head Utility Plumber in our E71P shop, starting from May 1. Vic has been with UBC for 10+ years and has been an important part of our Utility Plumbing team for many years. He will be joining Roger (head) and Ian (sub-head) on the supervisory team. Congratulations Vick!
     
  • Lachlan Elliott, Karman Phuong, Oliver Abro, Taren Carnahan, Max Kennedy and Skipp Uren joined Municipal Services as Labourer 2 (Seasonal) on May 1. Welcome all!

Job openings

All positions at UBC are available on the UBC HR Careers website, or through the career application in your Workday account. Please note that applications will be accepted until 11:59 p.m. on the day prior to the posting end date. The following VPFO positions are currently open:

  • Trades 2 - Plumber (JR12569) – 5/8/2023
  • Labourer 2 (Seasonal)-1 (JR12591) – 5/10/2023

Don't forget to apply as an internal candidate! Please review Apply for an Internal Job Posting in the Workday Knowledge Base for instructions on how to apply. Reminder to attach a copy of your resume when you apply for a career opportunity in Workday.


Weekly Emergency Tip: Emergency Preparedness workshops in your community

Have you ever wondered how to prepare, respond and recover from an earthquake or other disasters? Your local community is likely to have free workshops that deal with this subject. These workshops are also great opportunities to connect with like-minded individuals who are also interested in preparedness. 

Visit the City of Vancouver’s website at the following address for more information: vancouver.ca/home-property-development/free-emergency-workshops.aspx 


Managing your mental health

HR has collected mental health resources to help you manage your ups and downs. 

As a manager or leader, you play an important role in supporting your mental health and that of your teams. Complete the new required training: Supporting Mental Health in the Workplace for Managers and Supervisors.

Representatives are always available for a confidential conversation:

  • Monica Haab (monica.haab@ubc.ca): Building Operations, Energy & Water Services, Customer Services & Informatics, and Infrastructure Development
  • Gregor MacDonald (gregor.macdonald@ubc.ca): Custodial Services and Municipal Services

Employee and Family Assistance Program (EFAP) offers an extensive suite of services to support you – from providing wellness coaching or advising on family issues to offering legal support. Access the EAP confidential services through LifeWorks, by calling 1-866-424-0770. 


In case you've missed it 

In case you've missed it Here is a quick recap of key events and information that you may have missed. For more details, please click on the links below or refer to our weekly portfolio newsletter, VPFO Update.

Thanks for reading!

Find this newsletter and past issues on the Facilities website
facilities.ubc.ca/facilities-weekly

For questions and content submission
 Email: facilities@vpfo.ubc.ca.

UBC Facilities is part of the VP Finance & Operations (VPFO) Portfolio, and includes six departments—Building Operations, Custodial Services, Customer Services & Informatics, Energy & Water Services, Infrastructure Development, and Municipal Services.
 

UBC Facilities
The University of British Columbia
Campus & Community Planning (C&CP) Building
2210 West Mall, Vancouver, BC V6T 1Z4
facilities.ubc.ca

VP Finance & Operations (VPFO)
The University of British Columbia
Koerner Library, 6th Floor 
1958 Main Mall, Vancouver, BC V6T 1Z4
vpfo.ubc.ca

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