2023

Published by stephanie.stinfort on December 11, 2023

Felicitations, acclamations and congratulations to this weeks Kudos Recipients!

Duke Nyangau for replacing the thermostat at Guthridge Hall: “The guy who came was super super nice and respectful and even offered to leave if I needed to change my clothes or needed privacy as I was getting ready for class. He made us feel super comfortable, was really professional and deserves a raise/ appreciation!!”
Michael Mason for unclogging a toilet at Lafayette Hall: “It was more than great, thanks.”
Kevin Jackson for unclogging a bathroom sink in Shenkman Hall: “The technician was very nice and it was fixed quickly.”
Michael Akyea for replacing faulty lighting fixture and lamps at JBKO: “I love the new lighting fixture.”
Carl Bryant for performing a bulk trash pickup of of old desk chairs at Support Building: “Moon is the best! He is fast and efficient and gets the job done before you even know it!”
Jose Chevez, Kevin Thomas and Jose Ventura for containing and repairing damage caused by a leak in a South Hall Bathroom: “Very friendly and the work was complete quickly! “
Andre Freeman for adjusting the temperature in a Funger classroom: “The classroom was the perfect temperature today — thank you! “
Jose Chevez for unclogging a sink and shower drain at Building JJ: “Very nice and did a great, fast job”

UKG Mobile App: Manage Time Cards and Vacation with Ease

Published by Costanzo on December 6, 2023

If we’re being honest UKG, our time management system formerly known as Kronos, can be a complicated beast to get the hang of. But it doesn’t have to be that way! The UKG mobile app (UKG Workforce Central) for Android and iOS is a much more user-friendly experience that will let you do things like punch in and out, check your accrued vacation time, and manage time off requests from staff.

In order to use the app and get the server name you’ll need to sign in, you’ll first need to sign the user agreement. Once you do that, you’ll simply follow the simple instructions that pop up on screen. HR has guides for how to use the app for employees and managers, but below you can get a sneak peek of the home screen and what you’ll see when you click on “Accruals.”

If you need help, feel free to drop by Margaret Wagner’s desk in Support.

Screenshots showing UKG App home screen and accruals screen

Five Star FixIt Standings for November

Published by Costanzo on December 6, 2023

Competition for the Five Star FixIt Awards is heating up as we head into the colder months! Here are the updated top 10 standings through November. There’s only one month of FixIt reviews to go before we determine the winners!

Souk Vongs – 15
Brian Johnson – 14
Terrence Branch – 13
Carl Bryant – 11
Raymond Wallace – 11
Christopher Gammon – 10
Jose Ventura – 10
Jose Melgar – 9
Julio Martinez – 9
Nestor Fuentes – 9

In total, 115 different people have been awarded at least one Five Star FixIt Review from customers in 2023. We think that’s pretty stunning and worthy of a long holiday break in a few weeks!

Inbox Highlights: Staff Council Meeting with President Granberg and Canva Holiday Templates

Published by Costanzo on December 5, 2023

We encourage you to read all emails sent to university employees, but we realize it’s easy to miss the details in the barrage of content sometimes. Below we’ve compiled a few highlights from recent editions of Digital Download and The GW Staff Council Pillars Newsletter and a GW InfoMail on Campus Store holiday discounts.

Digital Download

Quick web tips from GW Communications & Marketing.

Canva Holiday Templates and Training

Looking for ways to celebrate the holiday season with your community? Use GW holiday-themed Canva templates to create festive email headers, social media graphics, and printable cards. If you’re new to Canva or need a refresher, join Communications & Marketing on December 7 to learn how to use this free web application to create your GW-branded holiday greetings

The GW Staff Council Pillars Newsletter

The official newsletter for GW’s Staff Council.

Attend a Staff Council Meeting

The GW Staff Council typically meets on the third Friday of each month from 10:00am to 12:00pm. GW Staff Council meetings occur via Zoom and are open. Please direct any related questions to staffcouncil@gwu.edu. President Granberg will join the meeting on December 15!

You can find meeting minutes from past meetings on the Staff Council website, along with information on upcoming meetings. Registration is required so please be sure to register for any upcoming meetings you’d like to attend.

Winter Necessities Drive

GW has partnered with DC Public Schools to collect winter necessities for local students and their families. Donate new socks, gloves, mittens, and winter hats for children, teenagers, and adults.

Donation stations will be available at the Virginia Campus and Foggy Bottom Winter Celebrations. If you would like to contribute but are unable to attend the events, you may drop off items at the Honey W. Nashman Center for Civic Engagement at Public Service (2300 H Street, NW), through December 22.

GW InfoMail

Staff Holiday Discount at the GW Campus Store

Visit the GW Campus Store for the Faculty & Staff Holiday Shopping Event!

December 5 & 6

In-Store and Online: 25% off GW Branded Clothing and Gifts

*See store for details. Must show a valid GWorld card. Excludes Lululemon, electronics and technology.

Online Shopping Discount Instructions:

When checking out skip “Have a Promo Code?” option
When it asks for Special Instructions, enter “Holiday 25”
Your discount will not show up in your order total, however, when Follett goes to process the order they will take off the discount.

GW Today: Have You Met… Veronica Franklin?

Published by Costanzo on December 5, 2023

We love when DSF folks make enough positive waves to attract the attention of local media. In this case it’s VERY local media as Veronica Franklin with the custodial team got her very own video feature in GW Today. Veronica is no stranger to TV or our own internal coverage. Over the years, she’s been a frequent contributor to the various iterations of our newsletter, whether it be sending us photos, participating in write-ups, or simply adding a comment to this very blog. Thanks for all the content and keep it coming, Veronica!

Three Tips for Recycling on Campus

Published by Costanzo on December 5, 2023

Recycling centers are raising their standards for the quality and cleanliness of the recyclable materials that are being processed at their facilities. Increasingly, truck loads of recycling that our drivers have brought for these facilities have been “downgraded” due to high levels of contamination with non-recyclables like trash and food waste. These downgraded truckloads are sent entirely to landfill, meaning we do not get credit for the effort our community members and staff took to sort and separate recyclables.

To increase the amount of recycling on campus and bring us closer to our Zero Waste goals, Colin O’Brien and the Sustainability Office are offering three simple tips. Read on below or watch the video!

Tip 1: Recycle Approved Materials Only

Do Recycle: Clean and dry paper, cardboard, hard plastics, metal and glass.

Do not recycle: Thin plastic films, including chip bags and snack wrappers, styrofoam, small plastic items like straws and disposable utensils, and/or any recyclable materials that are contaminated with food waste residue.

Tip 2: Keep Black Liners out of all Recycling Receptacles

Black bags will be considered trash at the Recycling Facility regardless of their contents. If there are too many black liners in a recycling compactor, the entire load can be downgraded and sent to landfill. Keeping black bags out of recycling receptacles increases our chances of a successful load.

Therefore: If you are lining a recycling bin, always use a clear bag.

If you are unloading a recycling bin that has been lined by another staff member with a black bag, remove those items from the bag and place in a clear liner before depositing in a recycling dumpster or compactor.

Tip 3: Check Recycling Bags for Excessive Food or Liquid Contamination

The presence of food waste or liquids in an otherwise clean load of recycling can cause it to be rejected and sent to landfill. If you encounter a recycling bag that contains clearly visible food or liquids, follow the rule of “when in doubt, throw it out.”

Questions? Feel free to email Colin and he’ll fill you in!

DSF Training: Additional FBG Safety Training

Published by stephanie.stinfort on December 4, 2023

Each week we’ll be sharing the upcoming training and professional development opportunities available here at GW.

Wednesday 12/6

Procurement Services 101 Training Session
The Procurement Services 101 Training is designed to help new and experienced personnel gain a deeper understanding of the procurement process, compliance guidelines, and effective routing processes. In this training, participants will understand the importance of strategic sourcing and vendor management, discover best practices to navigate the procurement process to save time and resources, and learn many more strategies.

Time: 10am-11am
Location: Webex Meeting Number 2624 300 0814

Wednesday 12/13

FBG Quarterly Safety Training
Join us for this quarter’s safety training, which will focus on Lockout Tagout Red Tag. Lockout Tagout, or LOTO, is the de-energizing and securing of equipment, machinery, or processes so hazardous energy isn’t re-introduced during servicing or repair. This includes closing electrical circuits and valves, neutralizing extreme temperatures, and the process of affixing a label, or tag, that communicates information about what’s being done to the machine or equipment and why it’s important. This training will specifically focus on Red Tag; alerting employees not to operate tagged equipment. In order to ensure that this training is accessible to as many people as possible, a morning training session has been added.

Session One

Time 7:30am– 9:00am
Location: Funger 108

Session Two

Time: 1pm-2pm
Location: Funger 108

Career Milestone Celebrations 2023

Published by Costanzo on November 30, 2023

We’ve previously covered Career Milestones in 2023 and now we’ve got pictures of some of the folks who attended celebrations in their honor! Baxter Goodly was on hand to congratulate our long-serving colleagues in 1957 E St.’s City View Room. And above is a picture of Calvin Williams with Executive Director GW Talent and Recruitment Diane Conners. Calvin has been with GW an amazing 50 years! Thanks to everyone for all you do to keep GW up and running.

DSF Photo Roundup for 11/29/2023

Published by stephanie.stinfort on November 30, 2023

Welcome to the DSF Photo Roundup where we share a collection of captured moments around campus! This week’s Roundup includes pictures from all sorts of events in 2023.

Move-In 2023

DSF worked hard throughout Move-In 2023. We’ve previously covered all the labor that went into this annual event, but here are some extra pictures of the snacks and food employees enjoyed as well as some shots of Move-In Thank You Ice Cream Parties at both the Foggy Bottom and Mount Vernon campuses.

Sustainability Reuse Market

Here’s a throwback to the GW Office of Sustainability’s reuse market where students were able to choose from donated household items, books, clothing, and more, giving these items another life as they started the school year. Saving money and saving the environment!

FPCM’s Fall All Hands

FPCM’s Fall All Hands was a success as President Granberg made her debut appearance. President Granberg shared some words at all three meetings, going over her career experience, her hopes for future the future of GW, and also addressing current social issues. President Granberg was accompanied by her wife, Sonya, and Executive Vice President and Chief Administration Officer Sharon Reich Paulsen.

Goodbye to Paris

We said our farewells to Paris Rossiter, our former Senior Dining and Retail Property Manager who moved on from GW and is now working at FEMA!

GW Zone Anniversary

FBG celebrated the second anniversary of reorganizing our trades into zones to more efficiently manage work. A big round of applause to everyone who helped make this possible!

Baxter’s Student Outreach

Baxter Goodly spoke at meetings for both the GW Student Association and the Residence Hall Association. He provided students with updates from around campus and addressed any concerns or questions the students had.

How to Get Proof of Employment and Income

Published by Costanzo on November 29, 2023

We’ve all got paperwork to deal with in our personal lives, whether it be for mortgages, apartment leases, or some other necessity. Often this paperwork requires proof of employment or income. GW aims to make that part easier by using a fast and secure automated service called The Work Number. Just follow the simple instructions below or head over the HR website for more info.

Navigate to theworknumber.com
Click the “Log In” prompt at the top right corner
Select “View My Data”
Search Employers by entering The George Washington University Employer or Code: 14290, click to highlight GW, then click “Select Employer”
Click “Register Now!” and follow the instructions for logging into the system
Once registered, the home screen will display, click on the “Employment Letters” icon, and you’ll be able to download an employment letter for immigration, a letter that confirms employment & income, and/or a letter that only includes employment details.