President's Report: July 2026

I hope everyone is finding time for some well-deserved vacation, stay-cation, or any opportunities to recharge (and cool off) this summer. 🌞

I first want to acknowledge the upcoming retirement of Bill Baer. Bill has been a dedicated contributor to the UWSA for many years as past president (2017–2018), many years as a director on our board, and more recently as president-elect. Bill supported the UWSA through many periods of significant change and growth and we are grateful for his service to staff. On behalf of the UWSA staff, I wish him all the very best in his retirement. There will be a small celebration on July 23 during the lunch hour—watch for an invitation shortly!

As noted in a recent update from the Chair of the UWSA Board of Directors, the team is taking a critical look at the applicable governance requirements and considering not just the immediate needs, but long-term needs of the UWSA as well. More information will be shared with members soon.

I have had the opportunity to meet several times with UW’s new President, Bill Rosehart, and have been encouraged by our discussions about staff and the critical role we play here. On behalf of the UWSA, I offer a very warm welcome to President Rosehart! We look forward to working together to support the success of Waterloo and continue improving the experience of staff across our community.

To meet the requirements of our recent compensation settlement, we have established a temporary UWSA-UW working group to review the governance, guidelines, and administration of the SEF by September 2026. The review will focus on improving transparency, awareness, effectiveness, and sustainability of the fund so we can ensure that staff receive the greatest benefit from it. We are running a survey until July 22 to help shape recommendations for the future of the fund.

Save the date! The UWSA’s Annual Meeting will be on October 22, 2026, at 9:30 a.m. in hybrid format. Additional details will be shared closer to the meeting, including updates to the UWSA’s By-laws and Articles of Incorporation that will be proposed for member vote, and are to align with both the Ontario Not-for-Profit Corporations Act (ONCA) and our revised Memorandum of Agreement (MoA) with the University.

While summer is often a quieter time on campus (or at least the time we tell ourselves it will be quieter so we can get through some of the backlog), there is no shortage of work behind the scenes. Highlights for us include:

• 2026 UWSA staff survey: Thank you to the hundreds of staff who responded to our survey. We are diving deep into the analysis and look forward to sharing a report with members ahead of our Annual Meeting this fall. Results will also inform our feedback on the Hybrid and Flexible Work Guidelines and UWSA strategic planning this summer.
• Strategic planning: The Board is leading the work of the Strategic Planning Committee, which includes several member appointees, who are beginning work on the next UWSA Strategic Plan that will help guide our future priorities and direction. Stay tuned as this committee will be seeking member input!
• Policy work: We continue to work with UW on several policy updates that stem from our recent settlement and MoA renewal, include expanding the permitted uses of paid emergency days (updates targeted for September), alongside longer-term work on Policy 6 (Vacation) and Policy 23 (contract staff sick days). We are also eagerly supporting long-awaited updates to faculty-staff (FS) policies, including Policy 33 (Ethical Behaviour), Policy 12 (Compassionate Care and Bereavement Leave), and Policy 57 (Employee Accommodations).
• Expected updates from UW in the coming months:
  • Implementation details for the new Health Care Spending Account (HCSA).
  • Next steps in UW’s exploration of the University Pension Plan (UPP). Note, we recently posted a summary of key takeaways from the University’s June 22 information session and the many important questions that remain.
  • A review of the Flexible and Hybrid Work Guidelines: UW leadership has reaffirmed this will occur soon, and we will continue to ensure staff feedback and experience is part of that conversation.
  • Further updates on functional reviews, including continued rollout of the Marcomm and IT changes announced, along with updates on the finance, human resources and student services reviews. Many of us continue to have questions about timelines, impacts, and what comes next.
  • Greater clarity on the job architecture framework, which is expected to influence not only job titles but organizational design across all of UW. We have also received confirmation that no new career path positions— roles that include progression through multiple salary grades within a single job classification—will be created under this framework and that some existing ones are being phased out through organizational changes. We continue to seek information about what this means for staff now and in the future.

As always, we are committed to pushing for clearer information, more frequent communication and a stronger focus on the staff experience throughout these changes.

That’s all from me for now. We have a number of exciting events, workshops, and other opportunities in the works for staff this summer, and I’m looking forward to sharing more soon. Thank you, as always, for your support, your feedback, and for continuing to shape the work of the UWSA. My door (as well as Teams and email) are always open if you have questions, would like to book a department visit, or just want to talk!