The UW Staff Association is the official voice of staff at the University of Waterloo. Our mission is to cultivate a progressive work environment where employees feel safe, empowered to grow, and able to thrive.
News
2024 Staff Enhancement Grant Stories
One of our favourite things in the UWSA office is getting a window into the lives of members through the Staff Enhancement Grant. Here are just a few stories from recent grant recipients about how they used the grant and what it meant to them.
Introducing: What Your Colleagues Want You to Know
To help us all understand each other better—and to offer staff a chance to have your voices heard—we’re launching a new blog and social media series featuring members’ own experiences and words.
Update February 6: Our first post amplifying the voices of contract staff is now live! Submissions are currently open for:
- staff with disabilities and/or chronic illness (deadline: February 10)
- Black staff (deadline: February 19)
What do you want to share about your experience working at UW? What should we all know about what you need to feel safe, empowered to grow, and able to thrive?
Welcome to our new website
Please take a few minutes to browse the new features and information we developed based on your feedback, and let us know what else we should add in our Suggestion Box!
Events
SOLD OUT: Brunch @ Lunch
Do you smell bacon? The UWSA is hosting staff for brunch at lunch on February 11, prepared fresh by Mel's Diner! This event is now sold out. Please stay tuned for more social events!
February 2025 Area Reps: Vivek Goel and Jacinda Reistma
The February 2025 meeting welcomes guests President Vivek Goel and Vice-President, Administration and Finance Jacinda Reistma. This meeting is for Area Reps only, but all members can submit questions through our Suggestion Box.
How UW Works: An Active Learning Workshop
Join your colleagues to learn from each other as we explore the governance structures of the University, where staff have power, and how you can participate.
President’s Office Hours
Come by our offices to chat with UWSA President Lisa Habel!
Personal Finance Workshop: Understanding TFSAs, RRSPs, and FHSAs
Based on requests from its members, the UWSA is pleased to announce a new series of workshops on personal finance for staff. Workshops will be hosted throughout 2025, and will cover topics like savings, investments, budgeting, and mortgages. Our first workshop of this series takes place February 19 at 12:00 p.m.
President’s Office Hours
Come by our offices to chat with UWSA President Lisa Habel!
Blog
What Contract Staff Want You to Know
The Staff Association membership is incredibly diverse. We encompass a wide range of roles, backgrounds, lived experiences, and so much more. Our mission at the UWSA is to cultivate a progressive work environment where staff feel safe, empowered to grow, and able to thrive, but we need different things to make this a reality.
To help us all understand each other better, we’re launching a new blog and social media series featuring members’ own experiences and words. We’re kicking it off with contract staff, who make up 18% of the UWSA.
UWSA 101: What it’s like to be a UWSA director or president
In the last post, we talked about the difference between the work of the Board and the work of the presidents and Operations Team. Now we’ll hear directly from current directors and presidents about what it’s like to serve in these roles!
UWSA 101: Governance and Operations
There are two big categories of UWSA activities, which we refer to as “governance” and "operations." The operations team is concerned with serving UW staff, and the board is concerned with stewarding the UWSA as a corporation.
Opportunities
The Contract Staff Working Group is looking to fill two vacancies as they continue their work on a report on the nature and key concerns of contract USG staff at the University of Waterloo and how the UWSA can better serve the needs of contract staff.
We’re always looking for more members to represent staff on our Area Representatives Council. This group meets virtually September through June to share and hear updates on issues affecting staff. Feedback from Area Reps shapes UWSA priorities.