University of Washington Human Resources

Vision, values, and priorities

Vision: UW Human Resources supports the University of Washington’s reputation as a world-class university by ensuring all employees are welcome, supported and able to achieve their full potential.

Mission: To recruit, develop, and retain individuals whose work advances the vision and mission of the University of Washington and to foster a workplace culture in which all employees understand workplace policies and resources and demonstrate a commitment to contributing to an inclusive working environment.

Values

Diversity: We value, support and celebrate individual differences and believe that they are integral to institutional excellence.

Equity: We seek to understand employee experiences and advance equitable policies that create pathways for historically underrepresented populations to have equal access to thrive and advance through employment at the University of Washington.

Inclusion: We strive to create a workplace with HR programs and opportunities that instill a sense of belonging and are intentionally inclusive, welcoming and supportive.

Respect: We accept the responsibility of active listening and clear communications and challenge all of those in our community to act ethically by modeling integrity, honesty and accountability.

Excellence: We strive to provide innovative and creative solutions, support a culture of compliance and foster programs that recognize and support the unique needs of the UW community.

Innovation: We collaborate with our clients and partners in developing solutions that streamline processes and produce more efficient and effective outcomes.

Areas of strategic focus for 2024 – 2026

1. Enhancing recruitment and retention efforts through data-driven decision making and forward-thinking workforce management practices.

• Consolidate diversity data resources to leverage expertise and provide leadership in assessing progress in advancing Diversity Blueprint goals.
• Provide comprehensive consultations on workforce profiles with deans, vice presidents and vice provosts.
• Advance policy, process and program improvements using data-driven decision making.
• Develop and implement an employee-focused customer service model to support employees and clients navigating HR policy, process and systems. 
• Anticipate the impacts of increasing numbers of employees becoming unionized and overtime exempt.
• Understand and provide insights to leaders on the intersection of succession planning and generational differences/expectations of workplace culture and practices.
• Advocate for responsible use of survey tools so that employees find the experience valuable and results can be acted upon.

2. Investing in the structural tools and supports that bolster UWHR team effectiveness and ability to innovate. 

• Transition support for Workday HCM into UWHR to optimize Human Capital Management processes, aiming to enhance efficiencies and user experience. 
• Collaborate to enhance the University’s investment in the Workday platform by championing the implementations of Workday Recruiting and Workday LMS, and by partnering with UW-IT to streamline HR workflows and support within the Workday ecosystem to optimize Human Capital Management (HCM) processes.
• Enhance records management capabilities and streamline responsibilities through implementation of DocFinity in conjunction with centralized and modern records management processes.
• Leverage AI-enabled tools that allow for greater automation and efficiency of routine tasks.
• Prioritize the organizational health of UWHR by listening attentively for and addressing themes in employee concerns, with a focus on retention and career development.
• Continue the intentional evolution of DEI within UWHR so that the work of inclusion becomes a fully shared and integrated responsibility amongst all staff.
• Work to identify and simplify internal complexities due to organizational structure or work processes that create barriers to fostering an inclusive and accessible workplace culture.

3. By sustaining long-term strategies while being agile enough to address the immediate needs of the University, UWHR nurtures enduring partnerships, develops policies and programs that are both inclusive and equitable, and prepares for both short-term and long-term fluctuations in workload that affect the UWHR team.

• Actively contribute HR perspective to conversations that impact UW’s employees and workplace culture, including supporting UW Medicine’s financial turnaround initiatives through strategic HR interventions, the campus effort for DEIB training completion and reporting to state in 2024 and the Campus Climate Assessment in 2025.
• Enhance manager expertise in labor and employee relations through developing POD’s Supervisor Power Series and ongoing outreach and communications.
• Strengthen workplace culture by bolstering connections, wellbeing and community.
• Champion collaborative solutions that align with the University’s holistic needs, by fostering mutual understanding and advancing forward-thinking strategies in key partnership discussions that involve shared goals, resources, systems and employee populations. 
• Cultivate strong relationships with UW leaders, HR administrators, union partners, higher ed peers and state agencies to effectively advocate and advance solutions and processes that promote a healthy work environment and engaged workforce.
• Incubate and innovate through pilot programs that can quickly be stood up and evaluated.