4-H & Families

Nominate exceptional staff for STAR Awards by April 5

Nominations are being accepted now for the annual UC ANR Staff Appreciation and Recognition (STAR) Awards. The deadline for submission is April 5, 2019.

The STAR program is your opportunity to celebrate and reward the great contributions of ANR's people. The program provides one-time cash awards to eligible staff in recognition of outstanding achievement. Managers may nominate individuals and teams demonstrating exceptional performance, creativity, organizational abilities, work success and teamwork.  

Policy-covered ANR staff and members of the Clerical Unit (CX) are eligible to be nominated for STAR awards. Staff in other collective bargaining units, academics and members of the Senior Management Group are not eligible to receive STAR awards.

Nomination forms and program guidelines are available on the UC ANR Human Resources website. 

Send your nominations via e-mail to humanresources@ucanr.edu by April 5, 2019.

STAR Awards will be celebrated during an ANR recognition event at the ANR building in Davis on June 18, 2019.

Don’t fall for phishing emails

ANR's IT team has seen an increase in the number of spoofed emails, a form of phishing or spam email.

Email spoofing is the forgery of an email so that the message appears to be from someone or somewhere other than the actual source.

The goal here is to persuade you to assist the “supervisor” in purchasing some gift cards. The email is structured in a sense that indicates the supervisor is not available, there is a certain sense of urgency and validity, and it is sent from a mobile device.

There are also other clues within the email. Even though the name of the supervisor is correct, the email address is not and is not part of the organization. Scratching the back of the card to get the code doesn't make sense, especially if you are planning to give it to your clients, customers, etc.

The best thing to do with these types of phishing emails is simply to call or text your supervisor's known cell phone number and confirm before making a purchase.

Prepare for upcoming UCPath outages and print your W-2

The UCPath system is preparing to transition UC Berkeley, UC Davis and Agriculture and Natural Resources to UCPath. During the month of March, there will be two seven-day outages that will affect all employees currently using UCPath.

• Outage 1: Friday, March 1, at 5 p.m. until Thursday, March 7, at 8 a.m.
• Outage 2: Thursday, March 14, at 5 p.m. until Wednesday, March 20, at 8 a.m.

During this time, UC employees will be unable to log into UCPath online to view or download pay statements, W-2s, leave balances and other employment records.

If you are planning to file your income taxes in March, make sure to download your W-2 in advance.

This temporary outage will not impact pay processing or leave/service accrual.

If you have a question or need information during the outage, UCPath Center associates will be available by phone. Call (855) 982-7284 Monday through Friday, from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Pacific Time, for assistance.

Learning & Development: Visual storytelling, LinkedIn Learning

Check out the growing list of learning opportunities on the ANR Learning & Development website!

 

Best Practices for Outreach and Engagement to Latino Audiences Using Community-Based Programs
Join the California 4-H Association on
March 11, 2019
11am-Noon 
https://ucanr.zoom.us/j/2093857418
669 900 6833 US 
Meeting ID: 209 385 7418
One tap mobile
6699006833,,2093857418#

Liliana Vega, 4-H advisor in San Luis Obispo and Santa Barbara counties, comes with vast experience working with underserved and marginalized communities. Vega published a article in the Journal of Human Science and Extension titled, “Best Practices for Outreach and Engagement to Latino Audiences Using Community-Based Programs” in collaboration with extension 4-H educators Barbara Brody of Oregon State University and Missy Cummins of Washington State University. Vega will share her research in reaching and serving Latino families and her experience in Idaho. Vega will highlight her work in hopes that others can identify how she may be a resource to staff and other educators across the state.

WebANR Café Thursday
TED-Worthy PowerPoint, Visual Storytelling
March 21, 2019
Time: noon-12:30pm
https://ucanr.zoom.us/j/751701428
1 669 900 6833 or +1 646 558 8656
Webinar ID: 751 701 428

Create a PowerPoint presentation that tells a story in an engaging and effective manner. Presenter, Adam Napolitan,
Director of Web Communications, UC Davis.
A recording will be linked on the ANR Webinar page.

Start preparing for your performance review: You'll feel better!

Is it time to shake the nervousness connected to your performance review/appraisal? Preparing can help. For instance, prepare a list of things you'd like to talk about before your appraisal review:

• What were your greatest challenges?
• What were your biggest accomplishments?
• Reflect on previous reviews and highlight how you've developed.

Be honest about what is not working for you and where you need support. Frame your words positively. Instead of "I am bad at X," use the statement, ”One of the challenges I have faced is X.” Be alert, upbeat and ready to talk about your job. Also, have a few points that you'd like to leave the manager to take away from the discussion:

• Results you achieved
• Work commitment or ethic
• Leadership you've increased
• What you want to achieve in the next year

If you feel that your manager is not using all of your skills, let them know. Be ready to talk about how your work supports the mission of UC, UC ANR and your unit.

Here are some YouTube video resources:

• Prepare for your performance review ( 2:46 min)
• Be ready to discuss your role in the big picture (5:34 min)
• Humorous skit on performance appraisal to lighten up! (5:43)
  

LinkedIn Learning (with Lynda.com content)

ANR employees who had Lynda.com accounts should now have access to LinkedIn Learning (an online library of high-quality video tutorials) for creative and professional skills development.

As with Lynda.com, learn at your own pace and access course content anytime. You can even view videos at home for personal growth and development. Your transcript and training information will carry over from your Lynda.com account. In this LinkedIn Learning Blog post, you'll find out what hard and soft skills are needed most in 2019. Learn about LinkedIn Learning privacy information.

If you did not have a Lynda.com account before January 2019 and would like to access LinkedIn Learning, please contact Jodi Azulai at jlazulai@ucanr.edu.

Thirteen songs that describe what it means to be a manager (LinkedIn Learning)

Being a manager is a challenging role. Maybe some of America's hit singers know this because about 99 percent of the songs in this article are actually all about being a manager! For example, Bonnie Tyler's "I need a hero."

You want to get the most out of your people. You want your team to hit its goals. And it would be nice to spend at least a tiny portion of your day not thinking about work.

LinkedIn Learning has hundreds of courses to help you work through some of biggest challenges all managers face. But sometimes, before you learn, you just need to know you aren't alone.

Note two link options for people manager videos (LinkedIn Learning or Lynda.com). Happy Learning!

Excellent videos to develop supervisory skills:
Coaching for Results (LinkedIn Learning)
Lead Like a Boss (LinkedIn Learning)
Management Tips Weekly (LinkedIn Learning)
Leading With Purpose (LinkedIn Learning)
Coaching Employees Through Difficult Situations (LinkedIn Learning)

Improving feedback with neuroscience

Direct reports and managers are encouraged to consider that constructive feedback can improve performance by up to 39 percent.

The big issue is knowing how to provide this feedback WITHOUT associating it with conflict or hurting someone's feelings. View the webinar replay on Gartner®. All ANR employees have access to Gartner. If you have not yet registered, going to the above link will give you the opportunity to register for your account.

Join the growing number of ANR people completing the UC Managing Implicit Bias Series (UC Learning Center)

What is Implicit Bias? (28 min.) Defines implicit bias; explores how it derives from the natural way human brains function.

The Impact of Implicit Bias (28 min.) Delves into how, and how often, implicit biases influence the decisions we make and actions we take; makes the case for the value in mitigating that influence.

Common Forms of Bias (21 min.) Identifies common forms of workplace bias, as well as various cognitive biases.

Managing Implicit Bias in the Hiring Process (23 min.) Explores methods for avoiding bias in the hiring process for anyone with a hiring-related role.

Managing the Influence of Implicit Bias: Awareness (24 min.) At the end of this module you'll be able to assess your implicit biases, recognize situations where you're prone to the influence of bias, and evaluate whether you are being influenced by bias.

Managing the Influence of Implicit Bias: Mindfulness and Conscious Debiasing (24 min.) Completing this module enables you to evaluate the influence of bias on the decision-making process, employ counter examples and stereotype replacement, demonstrate thoughtful and purposeful signaling, and construct a personal plan for managing the influence of implicit bias.

ANR staff benefit from My UC Career! How about you?

My UC Career is an online self-directed development portal available to all UC employees seeking to advance their careers. Already, 103 ANR staff members have benefited from My UC Career! A UC email address is all that's needed to register for an account.

The systemwide portal provides access to job openings at all UC locations via the Systemwide Job Board, as well as resources and tools to create and refine resumes, write cover letters, identify strengths, practice interviewing and find professional networking opportunities.  

Check out our growing list of learning opportunities on the ANR Learning & Development website. Happy Learning.

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UC ANR at World Ag Expo in Tulare Feb. 12-14

The public is invited to taste, see and learn about many UC ANR programs offered in California at the World Ag Expo, the world's largest agricultural exposition to be held in Tulare Feb. 12-14.

Attractions in our tent at space 137 on I Street, just west of Pavilion A, include the opportunity to meet researchers, enjoy fresh citrus from the Lindcove Research and Extension Center, taste moringa tea, and enter to win a poster-size image of their own farm.

The tent displays include leaf-footed bugs controlled by microbes, traps for managing vertebrate pests, the superior quality of soils managed with conservation techniques, and high-tech ag innovations, including a drone.

In two booths inside Pavilion A, the UC ANR programs that target the general public will be featured. The Tulare County nutrition educators will be playing nutrition Jeopardy! with visitors. The UC Master Gardeners plan to reach out with research-based gardening information. The 4-H Youth Development program will all youth to peer into virtual reality goggles to give them an idea about the fun activities that can be part of joining 4-H.

With VR goggles, viewers can be immersed in expeditions from Mount Everest to the undersea world. Expeditions explore history, science, the arts and nature. World Ag Expo visitors will have the opportunity to experience a variety of virtual experiences, from scuba diving with sea lions to flying over Greece.

Two UC academics are presenting seminars during the show.

Getting it Right: Livestock's Environmental Story
1 to 2 p.m., Feb. 12, in seminar trailer 1
Frank Mitloehner, UC Cooperative Extension specialist
Mitloehner will discuss confusion in the media about the impact livestock supposedly has on our environment. This presentation reviews how the efficiencies in livestock production and environmental emissions are related, and how our producers are leading the way to a "greener future" for California and U.S. agriculture.

Asian Citrus Psyllid and Huanglongbing - Regulatory Compliance Update and Treatment Protocols
12 to 1 p.m., Feb. 13, in seminar trailer 1
Beth Grafton-Cardwell, UC Cooperative Extension citrus entomology specialist
Victoria Hornbaker, California Department of Food and Agriculture
An update on regulatory protocols relating to Asian citrus psyllid and HLB quarantines and the proper transportation of bulk citrus to mitigate against the spread of the pest and disease. Speakers will review the University of California recommended treatment options for Asian citrus psyllid in commercial citrus groves and residential citrus trees. Continuing Education units have been requested. 

UC VINE holds meeting with Dutch agtech professionals during World Ag Expo

The California and Dutch AgFoodTech innovation partnership is reuniting in California during the show to share their action plan and scope the projects. Contact Gabe Youtsey, UC ANR chief innovation officer, to request an invitation to the presentation and networking luncheon on Feb. 12 at the UC Cooperative Extension office across the street from the International Agri-Center in Tulare.

 

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