April Training & Learning Opportunities

Welcome to April and all the signs of Spring! With warmer days, members of our community spend more time outside and a vibrancy emerges along with the spring flowers. We are over halfway through the semester, with LOTS of great opportunities left to unite and learn together. April brings a focus on change, stress, and mindfulness. 

April is Stress Awareness Month. Instead of one Wellness Wednesday session, we will be holding a session each Wednesday in April (10:30-12:00) for an exploration of Stress Awareness: causes & impacts, stress management, stress at work, and creating a stress management plan. Come for as many as you are able.

Spring brings changes and transitions to our physical environment that we can see all around us. Change in our professional and personal lives aren't always as welcomed and our feelings about change can add to our stress. In April and May we lean into change and our reactions to it with two book discussion groups. First, we have a group based on the book Managing Transitions: Making the Most of Change, that is focused on "the human side of organizational change". This discussion is for managers and leaders and is led by Lynne Adams, CHRO, and Jill Wardell, Director of Workplace Learning, OD & Wellness. Second, we have a group based on the book Thriving Through Uncertainty: Moving Beyond Fear of the Unknown and Making Change Work for You. This group is for anyone wanting to learn more about moving through uncertainty and welcoming change. This discussion group is led by Melody Wright and Monique Conelius of the Workplace Learning, OD & Wellness team.

Mindfulness is a great resource to combat stress and uncertainty. Attached is a flyer announcing Community Mindfulness for Mental Health; mindfulness opportunities throughout April and May on Tuesdays and Fridays. These sessions are presented by a partnership between Human Resources and Retriever Integrated Health and are open to anyone in our community (students, faculty, staff). Registration for each session is individual, so sign up for those sessions that fit your schedule.

Other highlights this month include: two sessions of Violence Prevention: Behaviors of Concern; PMP Training for Supervisors; Effective Delegation; and Unconscious Bias.

Save the Date: 

HR WEEK is coming the week of May 8th! Join members of Human Resources for sessions throughout the week. Topics include: recruitment and retention; benefits; giving effective feedback; work-life balance; leading hybrid teams, payroll topics, and more! Everyone will also have the opportunity for a virtual meet and greet with all of the HR staff so you can put a face with the name.

Retriever Talks 2023 is coming in May! Save May 17th 10:00am-12:00pm with a reception following from 12:00-1:00. More info will be forthcoming.

Please share this information with all that we may be able to serve. 

Happy Learning!

Jill Wardell, Monique Conelius, and Melody Wright

UMBC Workplace Learning, OD & Wellness