President's Report: January 2026

I hope the holiday break gave many of you a chance to rest and recharge. While January often feels like a bit of a reset, we’ve certainly not lost our momentum, and as we get back into the swing of things I am reminded of the UWSA’s purpose as the voice of staff. We are here to represent you, to advocate for you, and to ensure staff perspectives are elevated at every opportunity. There is a great deal ahead this year, so let’s dive in!

I want to start by acknowledging Michelle Hollis’ departure from the University last week and that staff may be concerned about how this affects our work. Michelle played a key role as Chief Human Resources Officer (CHRO), and we worked closely with her through both the Staff Relations Committee and the Provost’s Advisory Committee on Staff Compensation. In recent years, our relationship has been very constructive, and we appreciate the work we accomplished together.

We expect this positive collaboration to continue with Lisa Yuhasz as she steps into the interim CHRO role and we are in close communication with senior administration to ensure we maintain momentum on all current files.

As always, our focus is on protecting and advancing the interests of UW staff, and we will keep you updated as our work continues.

We continue making good progress on renewing the Memorandum of Agreement and are excited to share the revised version with members soon. Much has changed since the MoA came into effect in October 2022, and this renewal reflects the evolution of the staff experience on campus.

One thing to keep in mind is that eligibility to vote on ratification of the renewed MoA is limited to members in good standing—those who've paid their most recent monthly dues at the time the voting period opens. Based on the anticipated schedule, this will likely mean an eligibility cutoff of February 18, 2026 (payroll deadline). The more member voices we have, the stronger our collective influence is, and colleagues who are not yet members can consider joining online.

In parallel, we are preparing for this year’s salary negotiations and we must also address issues that arose through the transition away from the former merit system, among other factors. While this is taking place in a challenging budget environment, we are confident that our stronger MoA will allow us to secure a meaningful outcome for staff. This work is very much a team effort and I am grateful to be working closely with past president Lisa Habel and president-elect Bill Baer, whose past experience will be critical in the months ahead.

Staff received an invitation to the University’s Budget Information Forum on January 27. We expect this session to include discussion of government and sector context, updates on NOUS and UniForum data, progress on functional reviews, and other information related to cost reductions and financial planning. While the University has provided an option to submit questions, you are also welcome to share questions or topics with the UWSA through our suggestion box or by email so we can continue to ensure staff perspectives are meaningfully incorporated.

The University has updated and added questions to the Frequently Asked Questions on its Budget Plan website, and we encourage you to read those to see if your questions are answered there.

As the University moves through what is likely to be a period of significant change, the UWSA will be firm and consistent in advocating for staff. This includes pushing for transparency, consistency, and thoughtful approaches to organizational change in line with Policy 18. While we do not control these decisions, we will continue to press for thoughtful change management that recognizes the real impact on people, teams, and the work you all do.

We know the updated flex and hybrid guidelines have required adjustments for many staff. As noted in the December report, we held a town hall in late November 2025 with Area Representatives and University leaders, and we have continued discussions as the new guidelines have been rolled out to clarify outstanding questions. A high-level summary and responses from the University are available on our members-only Confluence site.

A staff survey will be launched later this term to better understand how the rollout is affecting staff across campus and to support our advocacy efforts. In the meantime, please do not hesitate to reach out if we can support you through challenges during implementation. While you can always use our suggestion box anonymously, providing your contact information (or at least departmental information) will help us help you.

The UWSA plays an important role in raising individual and systemic issues, identifying communication gaps, and advocating for consistent and fair application. We appreciate the University’s commitment to meaningfully involve the UWSA as the guidelines are reviewed around the midyear point, and our focus remains on supporting staff and enabling leaders to exercise flexibility in ways that reflect the realities of staff roles and working conditions.

Laura Myers from Employee Health and Accommodations (EHA) and Jennifer Gillies, Associate Provost, Campus Support and Accessibility, attended the December Area Representatives meeting to provide an overview of the updated accommodation process and answer questions from reps.

Here are a few important things that were clarified during that meeting and that all staff using or considering the accommodation process should know:

• You can always bring a support person with you to meetings with EHA. That person can be from the UWSA, or another person of your choosing.
• Any costs resulting from approved accommodations (e.g., equipment, tools, space changes) are the responsibility of the university. 
• Whether being on campus full-time is considered an essential requirement depends on the role; no one should assume that it is—or isn’t—by default.
• EHA can’t immediately endorse work-from-home days as an accommodation; all accommodation requests have to go through the full process to figure out the right accommodations. This ensures the university is fulfilling its legal responsibility to employees and performing due diligence.

Through our member advisory work, we track and document ongoing concerns to help strengthen the process and ensure staff feel supported. There has been an influx of accommodation requests recently, and staff are reporting very long wait times to process accommodations. We’re glad to note that the hiring process is underway for new staff in the EHA office and hope to see things moving more quickly soon.

Transparency was a central commitment of my campaign, and that has not changed. As I have settled into this role, I have been guided by principles of shared governance, collaborative decision-making, and consensus-building wherever possible.

There are opportunities to improve how governance processes are communicated in ways that matter most to staff, particularly through bodies like the Staff Relations Committee. The UWSA is working to share more around how issues move through SRC, where we have input or influence, and what non-confidential information can be communicated with members on a regular basis.

Earlier this month, staff received an update regarding changes coming to Workday to support performance development conversations. We have heard questions about how this relates to salary or the former merit process. At this stage, it is important to note that this work is separate from salary decisions and is focused on strengthening ongoing, career-focused performance conversations. I look forward to learning more as this evolves and hope it represents a meaningful step forward for staff.

There are currently calls open to participate in one of two VP nomination committees, as well as an upcoming election for a staff representative to the Board of Governors. These are great opportunities to help shape UW’s leadership and elevate staff voices!

• Vice-President, Research and International: The Staff Association appoints one staff member to this committee in accordance with Policy 68. Our Appointments Committee is accepting self-nominations until January 28.
• Vice-President, Academic and Provost: There are two seats open for staff members (regular staff) and nominations are due on January 23.  More information can be found in Policy 48 and staff can self-nominate using the form provided by the Office of the President.
• Board of Governors: The Secretariat has announced that staff elections for a vacancy on the Board of Governors will take place in March 2026. All eligible staff are encouraged to consider nomination. Board decisions directly affect staff by setting budgets and funding priorities, approving University-wide policies, and shaping our work environments. More information about the Board’s role and the election is available on the Secretariat’s website.

As always, we want to hear from you. Whether one-on-one, with a team, or through a presentation to your department, we are happy to meet in person or virtually to talk about our work or to discuss specific concerns. And if you have colleagues who are not yet members, we would be glad to connect with them as well!

Thank you for your continued trust and engagement.