The COVID-19 pandemic and adaptations it has required in our day-to-day lives continue to impact our workplace experience in countless ways. From senior leadership to entry-level staff, we are reevaluating our professional priorities and how we want our workplace goals to intersect with our personal values and lives. We have never been more poised to redefine, redesign and reinvigorate our careers to pursue new opportunities. 

To support employees through this exciting time and to enhance the overall workplace experience, UC has just launched a new UC Experience Conversations toolkit — a suite of resources designed to support meaningful one-on-one conversations between managers and employees.  

What are UC Experience Conversations? 

UC Experience Conversations are opportunities for employees to explore what is important to them as individuals, considering their satisfaction, engagement and motivation at work.  

During UC Experience Conversations, employees and managers may discuss topics like: 

• The employee’s career goals and interests, including new or shifted aspirations 
• Ideas for how the employee could gain additional value from their current position to support their career goals 
• How the employee and manager could work better together  
• Any support the employee needs to improve their well-being or work-life balance 

Why are we launching UC Experience Conversations? 

UC Experience Conversations came out of a request by the UC Talent Management Consortium to develop a “stay interview” process. The project goal was to support employee career development and increase retention by giving employees an opportunity to share their aspirations and support their career goals.  

When will UC Experience Conversations take place? 

Employees and managers can decide when it makes sense for them to have a UC Experience Conversation — either in a scheduled development-focused conversation or as part of ongoing one-on-one conversations. Visit the UC Experience Conversations website for additional guidance. 

What has the reaction been to UC Experience Conversations so far? 

A pilot group of employees and supervisors tested the UC Experience Conversations toolkit to provide feedback on the effectiveness of the conversations and tools from both perspectives. Here are some of their comments. 

• “Though my supervisor and I meet regularly to discuss my performance-related goals, this was the first time we spoke about my employment experience as a whole. It was meaningful for me to have a place to explain my thoughts and experiences in this context and to know they are tied to a larger goal.” 
• “Getting to know what is important to my direct report was a wonderful way to understand what motivates her and drives her success. We were able to talk about things we typically don’t cover in our regular check-ins. It was an awesome discussion!” 
• “It was a great opportunity to connect with my manager on my career goals and strategize on the bigger picture for my role and the department.” 
• “My boss took the time to cater the conversation to my world. It was a life-changing conversation that took an already good relationship to a deeper level of honesty and future-building.” 

The toolkit can be found on the UC Experience Conversations website.  

Attend a virtual lunch and learn

To learn more about UC Experience Conversations and to get answers to any questions you may have, attend a virtual lunch & learn on November 15 at 12:10 p.m. (PT). Register online here.

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