Connect Newsletter (July 29, 2025)

Driving Excellence: Annual Performance & Development Process is Underway

The Performance & Development process aims to create a transparent and consistent process for employee reviews, career planning, goal setting and more – all in Workday. It is designed to help you continually strengthen your professional skills to keep Cook Children’s a model of excellence in pediatric health care and workplace culture. We've outlined upcoming action items and due dates here.

Annual ULearn courses are due Aug. 1, 2025

Employees are required to complete annual competency modules in ULearn as part of the year-end performance evaluation. The deadline to complete all courses assigned to you is Aug. 1, 2025.

Failure to complete the annual ULearn courses will result in disciplinary action:

• Failure to complete by deadline – Written warning
• Failure to complete within next 30 days – Final written warning
• Failure to complete within next 14 days – Suspension
• Referenced Policy HR 190 Mandatory training, education and competency validation

Leaders: Understanding performance dimensions and ratings

Are you looking to sharpen your skills in evaluating your team's performance? The Performance & Development (P&D) team is offering a specialized training designed to help leaders accurately assess their team members and provide feedback that is helpful and effective.

This class will help you understand the performance dimensions used in our P&D process. You'll learn a clear, structured approach for considering ratings and discover best practices for completing comprehensive year-end performance evaluations.

Sign up for a class on ULearn:

• 5 p.m., July 30
• Noon, Aug. 4
• 2 p.m., Aug. 5
• 8 a.m., Aug. 6
• 10 a.m., Aug. 8

Looking Back: Self-evaluations are due Aug. 10

The year-end performance evaluation process kicked off last month with Peer Feedback, which was an opportunity for employees to provide insights to those with whom they worked most closely during the performance year.

Now, it is time for employees to complete their self-evaluations in Workday. A self-evaluation is an opportunity for employees to conduct an honest reflection of the contributions you have made and how it has impacted the work of your team or department during the Fiscal 2025 performance year. 

Employees are strongly encouraged to complete their self-evaluation to document their achievements and opportunities for growth by Aug. 10. Self-evaluations are required for Magnet nurses.

Key Dates:  

• July 27 – Aug. 10: Employees Complete Optional Self-Evaluation (required for Magnet nurses)
• Aug. 10 – Sept. 13: Managers Complete Performance Evaluation
• Sept. 13 – Sept. 28: Managers/Employees Complete Year-End Discussion
• Sept. 28 – Oct 5:  Employees Acknowledge Year-End Discussion

The full Fiscal Year 2025 Year-End Performance Timeline is always available on the Performance & Development site on CookNet, along with helpful tools and resources for both managers and employees.

Find out more about Employee and Manager Evaluations, and other components of the year-end performance process by visiting the Performance & Development site on CookNet.

Optional leader feedback for directors and below is due Aug. 3

If you were selected, this is your opportunity to provide feedback to your leader on the effectiveness of their coaching, leadership and teamwork. 

Tips:

Provide examples of specific behaviors, leadership, coaching, collaboration, and guidance that your leader exhibited that helped you grow and/or navigate your work successfully.

Provide ways that your leader could cultivate a healthier, more inclusive environment. Remember to keep it fact-based and work-related.

Leader feedback is due Aug. 3, 2025.

Resources:

Job Aids, Click Views and Timelines are all available on CookNet. 

Eighth Avenue Sidewalk Closes to Pedestrian Traffic 

As we build the new West Tower, ongoing construction is expected to impact local roads and thoroughfares around the main campus. To ensure a smooth journey to and from work, we highly recommend that you plan ahead for your commute and allow extra time to arrive and report for your shift at your scheduled time.

We've made some changes to our Construction web page that will make it easier for you and our patient families to find their way around. 

To ensure you know the most current traffic updates, please bookmark the Construction page. We update it often with details on major street closures, pedestrian sidewalk closures, and any potential detours and reroutes.

Please note: starting Friday, Aug. 1, the Eighth Avenue sidewalk will be closed to pedestrian traffic. 

For more general information on the growth and development across the system, visit our "We're Growing” page.

Under the Peaks Anniversary Bash Finale

It's the Under the Peaks two-year anniversary and they are wrapping up a month of sales and promotions this week.

The store will be open during normal operating hours and open for extended hours from 7 a.m. - 7 p.m. on Wednesday, July 30.

Click here to learn more.

News from Prosper 

We love hearing the great things happening across our System and want to share them with you. With the new Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU) opening soon, a nominee for the prestigious DAISY award for extraordinary nurses, and a successful disaster drill, Prosper has lots of news for you to check out. 

Take a look at the news and achievements happening in Prosper. 

Spotlight on Social Security Retirement Income

Presenters from Fidelity will explain Social Security and the key points you need to consider. This webinar will help prepare you to make smart decisions on the timing of your Social Security benefits. Join this session, called “Learn the Basics of When and How to Claim Social Security,” at 11 a.m. on Thursday, Aug. 7.

Register here.

You’ll earn 100 Personify Health Points as an added benefit of participating. Points can be cashed in for gift cards through the Cook Children’s employee wellness program.

School Nurse Symposium Highlights 

The 2025 School Nurse Symposium marked our return to an in-person format for the first time since the pandemic, with school nurses joining us both onsite and via live webcast. School nurses from over 15 states attended, making this a truly nationwide event.

More than 1,400 nurses registered for the first day of the event, which included a wide variety of topics, from acute life threating illnesses, depression, autism, drug abuse and more. The opening session featured a panel discussion on Acute Life-Threatening Illnesses, equipping nurses with critical knowledge for emergency situations. On Day Two, there was a focus on diabetes education and understanding the best strategies for managing diabetes in school settings.

Cook Children’s has proudly hosted this conference for 33 years, supporting school nurses with the latest in pediatric care and student health trends.

Thank you to everyone who made this year’s symposium a success—together, we’re advancing student health and well-being.

Interested in Speaking?
We invite staff to share their expertise at future school nurse webcasts or symposiums. If you would like to present, please reach out to Danielle Allsbrook, Meeting and Event Coordinator

Employee Relations Popups at McCart NHC and Burleson Primary Care

Our Employee Relations Team is visiting locations across the System to meet with you and answer your questions. 

What are popups? They are “Interactive Meetings Promoting Accountability, Communication and Trust” (IMPACT) with employees and Human Resources representatives. We know your busy schedules may not allow you to give the team a call or send an email to ask your questions. So, HR is coming to you. This is your opportunity to have one-on-one private conversations, ask questions, and spin the wheel to win Cook Children's swag. 

Don’t you fret, if you don’t see your location. We are working with leaders to confirm a date. See you soon.

Upcoming popups:

• McCart Neighborhood Health Centers: 10 a.m. - 1 p.m., July 31
• Burleson Primary Care: 10 a.m. - 12:30 p.m., Aug. 28

Cool Off with A Treat That Benefits Cook Children's 

Helping kids has never been so sweet. 

On Miracle Treat Day, $1 or more from every Blizzard Treat sold at participating DQ locations will benefit Cook Children's. 

Click here to see participating stores.

Share Your Content with Us

Do you have any tips, ideas or content you would like us to know about? We want to hear from you. Please view our SharePoint site and email us at InternalCommunications@cookchildrens.org. 

To find more content about our employees and news you need to know, bookmark our Connect Newsroom website.