Events

Format: In-person and online workshop options

Managers and leaders play a key role in building a culture of flexibility by guiding and supporting teams through shifting expectations, fostering trust and accountability, and ensuring service excellence while thoughtfully incorporating flexibility where it makes sense. 

This session will help managers explore their role in creating a culture of trust, inclusion, and connections while balancing operational needs. Participants will gain strategies for navigating challenges such as perceptions of equity, performance, development and complex work requests, using decision-making approaches grounded in our values, clear communication and practical tools.  

Format: In-person and online workshop options

Flexibility in the workplace involves adapting routines, expectations, and ways of working to make the most of both on-campus presence and flexible arrangements. Employees contribute to a culture of flexibility by building trust, communicating openly, supporting colleagues, and taking accountability for their role in supporting team and organizational success. 

This session will help participants navigate shifting expectations while maintaining strong communication, connections, and collaboration. Employees will gain strategies for balancing personal well-being with productivity, and for contributing to a culture of trust, inclusion, and accountability within their teams. They will also explore engaging in effective conversations with managers about flexible work needs and arrangements.  

Format: In-person and online workshop options

Flexibility in the workplace involves adapting routines, expectations, and ways of working to make the most of both on-campus presence and flexible arrangements. Employees contribute to a culture of flexibility by building trust, communicating openly, supporting colleagues, and taking accountability for their role in supporting team and organizational success. 

This session will help participants navigate shifting expectations while maintaining strong communication, connections, and collaboration. Employees will gain strategies for balancing personal well-being with productivity, and for contributing to a culture of trust, inclusion, and accountability within their teams. They will also explore engaging in effective conversations with managers about flexible work needs and arrangements.  

Format: In-person and online workshop options

Flexibility in the workplace involves adapting routines, expectations, and ways of working to make the most of both on-campus presence and flexible arrangements. Employees contribute to a culture of flexibility by building trust, communicating openly, supporting colleagues, and taking accountability for their role in supporting team and organizational success. 

This session will help participants navigate shifting expectations while maintaining strong communication, connections, and collaboration. Employees will gain strategies for balancing personal well-being with productivity, and for contributing to a culture of trust, inclusion, and accountability within their teams. They will also explore engaging in effective conversations with managers about flexible work needs and arrangements.  

Format: In-person and online workshop options

Flexibility in the workplace involves adapting routines, expectations, and ways of working to make the most of both on-campus presence and flexible arrangements. Employees contribute to a culture of flexibility by building trust, communicating openly, supporting colleagues, and taking accountability for their role in supporting team and organizational success. 

This session will help participants navigate shifting expectations while maintaining strong communication, connections, and collaboration. Employees will gain strategies for balancing personal well-being with productivity, and for contributing to a culture of trust, inclusion, and accountability within their teams. They will also explore engaging in effective conversations with managers about flexible work needs and arrangements.  

Format: Online workshop on January 13
 

At the University of Waterloo, our values are more than words on a page. They represent a commitment to build on our existing strengths while identifying areas to evolve. This interactive workshop invites participants to explore, reflect on, and align with our values to think differently, act with purpose and work together. Through guided activities, meaningful dialogue, and real-world scenarios, participants will unpack what it means to challenge the status quo, take purposeful action, and foster intentional collaborations.  

Whether you’re a longtime UWaterloo employee, leader, or new to campus, this session will spark fresh thinking and help you connect your work to the impact we strive to make. 

You're welcome to bring and eat your lunch during the first half of the session; the last 20 minutes will include more interactive components so you can engage with fellow participants.

Format: Online workshop

What is "purpose?" How do our purpose and values affect how we live, work, and interact with others? In this workshop, we will explore the concept of purpose by mapping out our accomplishments, interests and values using the Japanese concept of Ikigai, which means "a reason for being." We will then gain practical tips for finding and discovering our purpose using our personal aspirations. At the end of this workshop, we will develop a personal “Purpose-for-Now” statement that aligns with and reflects our values and goals. 

Format: In-person workshop January 2026

HR Foundations for Managers are a series of learning modules intended to build awareness and a deeper understanding of how to navigate Human Resources-related processes, procedures, and policies at the University of Waterloo.

These modules are designed to provide insight and guidance, showcasing the information and support available for the HR processes managers are accountable for in support of their teams.

Format: In-person workshop

This workshop was formerly known as Conflict & Self and has been renamed to accurately signal the main themes explored in this session.

Do you ever feel like your understanding of conflict and your reaction to it don’t align? Our individual mindsets to conflict play a big role in how we respond in moments of tension and opposition. In this workshop, participants will lean in with curiosity about how they respond to conflict, how they approach conflict, and how our narratives play out. Through individual reflection, small and large group discussion, and workplace conflict case studies, participants will gain tools to approaching conflict productively and authentically. 

Format: In-person workshop

As flexible and hybrid work takes shape in practice this year, meaningful dialogue – not guidelines alone – will determine how well teams adapt, collaborate, and thrive. Making Flexibility Work: Conversations that Matter is an interactive workshop designed to equip people leaders with the skills, tools, and shared language needed to navigate shifting expectations with clarity, trust, and connection. 

Intended Audience: Staff members who have direct supervisory reports. Please note: This offering has been designed to be audience specific. Participants WITHOUT direct supervisory responsibility are encouraged to register for the Leadership Lab: Personal Leadership offerings.