Vision, values, and priorities
2020 – 2023 strategic 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
1. Leverage UWHR’s programs, expertise and relationships to foster employee engagement and support an inclusive workplace culture that is open to new ideas, transparent and collaborative in decision making, and has the structural tools and supports to provide effective recruitment, employee development and employee relations strategies. Driven by the results of the 2019 – 2020 UW Climate study and meeting the needs of our community during an ongoing public health emergency, we will:
- Launch the UWHR DEI Initiative with the goal of developing UWHR into an antiracist organization as measured by a review and shift in practices, policies, and procedures that have local and institutional impact.
- Purposefully seek to strengthen our own department’s climate.
2. UWHR will continue efforts to build trusting and respectful partnerships that allow for honest conversation and practical solutions. With the understanding that people may be experiencing high levels of stress throughout 2020 – 2021, we will be accountable and intentional in fostering sustainable partnerships and providing responsive policies and programs needed to navigate the challenges resulting from the COVID-19 pandemic.
- Incubate and innovate through pilot programs that can quickly be stood up and evaluated.
- Internal HR programming focused on relationship building, diversity and accountability.
- Road maps for improving relationships where challenged.
- Avenues for employees to prioritize their physical & mental health with COVID-19 pandemic.
3. UWHR is charged with stewarding the UW’s most valuable resource—its people. Enhancing recruitment and retention efforts in concert with UW’s diversity and inclusion goals and initiatives, we will continue to cultivate workforce management practices that allow for data-driven decision making. Included in this effort:
- Workforce planning and recruiting strategy using accessible data and metrics.
- Policy and process updates resulting from UWHR DEI Initiative.
- Partnership project with UMAC to update employment branding.
- Distribution of total compensation statements.
- Continued emphasis on succession planning and pathways for career development.
- Responsive benefits programs.