UBS Employee Exchange Program

Purpose

Financial and Administrative Services (FAS) brought together three units to form University Business Services (UBS) in 2019. A key part of a diverse portfolio, UBS staff provide financial, human resources, and technology support to its clients. The goal of the UBS Employee Exchange Program is to build community, increase collaboration, instill staff with a better understanding of what their colleagues do, and spark innovation.

The Employee Exchange Program began in Fall 2022, with the understanding that the structure and/or goals may change. Both the first cohort and all future cohorts are asked to offer feedback on the program and their partner(s) to maintain a quality experience.

Program Structure

Employees in the program will meet weekly for 30 minutes to an hour during work time. Each pair/group will work together for eight weeks. Staff should work with their supervisor to arrange these meetings at a time that does not affect the unit’s needs. Meetings can take place virtually, in person, or both. Prior to each team’s starting a program, they will sign a commitment outlining how they plan to use their time which will be approved by the Assistant Vice President. An assessment at the end of the eight weeks will be used to demonstrate what the participants gained from the program and how they hope to work together moving forward. They will share their outcomes in a presentation to relevant UBS staff.

There are four possible ways to participate in the UBS Employee Exchange Program. Participants may apply for multiple tracks per cycle but will only be able to participate in one. This will depend on participant choice and availability of partner(s).

• Mentor/Mentee: Two employees meet with the goal of one offering guidance on professional development or a skill. Examples: learning a new tool like Qualtrics, improving presentation skills, etc.
• Collaboration: Two or more employees work together to discuss a cross-departmental project, brainstorm, or focus on skill development. Examples: “shadowing” another job to improve collaboration, addressing how to make a process more efficient, testing new programs for bugs and troubleshooting how to fix them, etc.
• Community Building: Two or more employees who are not already connected get to know each other through social or recreational activities, with the goal of bridging two separate teams via personal engagement. Examples: reading a book together, discussing shows/movies/games, participating in community services activities, etc.
• Strategic Planning: Explore how UBS projects fit into UT and UBS Strategic Plans and work on plans for implementation in the coming year with the Assistant Vice President for UBS and UBS leadership.  Examples: identifying process improvement projects, seeking new opportunities for service and collaboration, drafting timelines etc.

Eligibility

Employees who have worked for UBS for at least six months and have supervisor approval are eligible to participate. Former participants’ eligibility is contingent upon past success in the program as demonstrated by positive feedback, skill development, and/or process improvement.

Application and Approval

When the next cohort cycle is announced, application information will be available on this site. Information will be shared with UBS staff via email and Teams.

Cohort One

The first cohort of the exchange program ran from November 2022 to February 2023. All members felt that it was a positive experience and provided valuable feedback to help guide the future of the program. Their projects included financial systems training, exploration of the HRSS Service Portal, and community service planning.

Partipcants

• Amy Gause (TRecs)
• Mary Kemp (UBS)
• Ernest Palma (HRSS)
• Teresa Rodriguez (BFS)
• Dian Smith (BFS)
• Wendy Whipple (HRSS)