Office of Human Resources                                                                              December 2013

 HR REVIEW

Early Kronos Deadline for December

Please keep in mind that the December time entry deadlines for non-exempt staff, as well as manager approvals, will be early this month due to the holidays.  Employees and managers taking time off at the end of December are urged to complete their Kronos entry/approval process prior to leaving campus.  More information regarding the early deadlines will be sent to employees as the end of the month approaches.  

W-4 Reminder

Remember to submit a new W-4 if your marital status or allowances have changed or will change for 2014.  A new federal and/or state W-4 form can be submitted at any time throughout the year to update your withholding.  Forms can be downloaded from Payroll's website (http://www.northwestern.edu/hr/payroll/tax/index.html) and mailed to or dropped off at the Payroll Office on either campus. The per withholding allowance will increase to $3,950 in 2014 (up from $$3,900 in 2013).

2014 W-4s will be made available on the Payroll website soon after they have been issued by the IRS. Please note that employees do not need to wait for the 2014 form to make a change to their tax withholding. 

2014 Social Security and Medicare Tax Rates

The 2014 FICA wage limits have been issued. The new Social Security wage base will be $117,000 (up from $113,700 in 2013). The Social Security rate will remain at 6.2 percent for 2014. The maximum Social Security tax increases to $7,254 (up from $7049.40 for 2013).

There continues to be no Medicare taxable wage limit with a base rate of 1.45 percent. All taxable wages that exceed $200,000 will continue be taxed at 2.35 percent (an increase of 0.9 percent over the base 1.45 percent rate).

Update Your Address for W-2 Mailing 

Please take a moment to log into the FASIS Self Service Portal at nupa.northwestern.edu and ensure that your home and department mailing addresses are correct.  These addresses will be used for delivery of printed 2013 W-2 Forms. If you manage temps or work-study students, please ensure that their addresses are reviewed as well, W-2s for regular active employees will be sent to the Departmental Location Address; those for temps, worwork-study students, and separated employees will be sent to their last known home address on file. 

New Self Service Portal is Now Live!

The new FASIS Self Service Portal is now live and available for your use! The Portal is your new interaction hub for easy access to all of your demographic, payroll and benefits information. Log in with your NetID and password at: nupa.northwestern.edu.

To make the most of your Portal experience:

• Update any web book marks from the "old" Self Service link to the new Portal link.
• Ensure the Portal supports your web browser version.
• Ensure your pop up blockers are turned off.
• Ensure you refresh your Portal page and that the data is current as of today if you have made an update to your personal information but it is not yet reflected.
• If you have an Administrative ID, continue to use the PROD links as they have not changed.

For more information and to take a virtual tour, see: http://www.northwestern.edu/hr/current-employees/using-self-service-portal/index.html

New Multi-Factor Authentication for FASIS Self Service

Soon FASIS and NUIT will introduce an additional way to secure your personal data in FASIS Self Service, including your W-2 form and Direct Deposit accounts.  A new "multi-factor authentication," provided by  DUO Security, will allow users to integrate a smartphone, cell phone, tablet, or landline telephone into the login process.  After enrolling in the program, any attempt to access your Self Service account must be confirmed in one of three ways: (1) using a simple application on your registered smartphone or tablet, (2) entering a special passcode sent to your text-capable cell phone, or (3) answering a phone call to any registered cell or landline phone number.

When the process is rolled out, all paid employees will have the option to self-enroll in this multi-factor authentication program; enrollment is highly recommended to provide heightened security over your personal data.  Users who choose not to self-enroll take responsibility for any personal damages caused by using potentially weak passwords or passwords that are obtained through phishing attacks or malicious viruses or spyware.

Additional information, including enrollment instructions and answers to common questions, will be sent to all employees in the coming weeks, providing ample time to self-enroll before electronic W-2 forms are released at the end of January 2014.

Making Plans for Winter Break from School

Looking for childcare during winter break from school? SelectPlus/Sittercity can help you find a caregiver this holiday season, with a free membership to Sittercity. Your free membership allows you to arrange child care for school holidays, extended work hours, last-minute care, and more. For more information

McGaw YMCA Children's Center in Evanston offers winter camp for school-age children grades K - 5 through their School's Out Program. To register for winter camp.

More opportunities for school break activities and engagement are available through the City of Evanston Parks and Recreation Programs, the Lill Street Art Center, the Emerald City Theater, and  Chicago Parent.

To view eligibility requirements and to apply for backup care reimbursement.

While we look to the winter holidays to bring warmth and joy, the holidays sometimes arrive at our doorstep with their own set of unwelcome stressors: financial, social and environmental, just to name a few. Rather than turning to unhealthy strategies, the American Psychological Association recommends the following tips to address holiday stress in healthy ways (full text of article available here. Login: northwestern; password: eap):

• Define holiday stress-How do you experience stress? Does that experience change during the holidays? Different people experience stress differently. How do you know when you are stressed?
• Identify holiday stressors-What holiday events or situations trigger stressful feelings? Are they related to work, home, relationships or something else?
• Recognize how you deal with stress-Determine if you are relying on unhealthy behaviors like smoking or eating to manage stress. Is this a behavior you rely on year-round, or is it specific to holiday stress?
• Change one behavior at a time-Unhealthy behaviors develop over the course of time. Replacing unhealthy behaviors with healthy ones requires time. Start small and focus on changing one behavior.
• Take care of yourself-Taking care of yourself during the holiday season helps to keep your mind and body primed to deal with stress. Pay attention to your own needs and feelings. Engage in holiday activities that you enjoy and find relaxing. Exercise regularly. Eat healthy. Make sure you get enough rest and sleep.
• Ask for support-Accepting help from those who care about you and will listen to you strengthens your resilience and ability to manage stress. Use the holidays as a time to reconnect with friends and family and strengthen your support network. If you feel overwhelmed by stress, then consider seeking professional help. Psychologists are uniquely trained to understand the connection between the mind and body. They can offer strategies to help you manage stress, change unhealthy behaviors and address emotional issues.

NU Life Matters is a helpful resource for managing holiday stress. For more information, contact
888-547-1851 or login to the website www.hriworld.com with the username: northwestern, password: eap. Note that NU Life Matters also offers workshops on managing holiday stress. Please contact the Office of Work/Life Resources for more information, or to schedule a workshop for your department.

NU Life Matters 

Open Information Sessions, sponsored by NUSAC

Money Matters Workshop 

Chicago: Tuesday, January 21, 12 noon - 1:00 p.m., Lurie Center, Searle Seminar Room 

Evanston: Thursday, January 23, 12 noon - 1:00 p.m., Norris University Center, Big Ten Room

Join the Office of Work/Life Resources in January for a financial workshop presented by NU Life Matters.

One of the first steps to financial security is planning and following through on a personal budget. This workshop presents the basics of preparing and sticking to a budget. Following the seminar, participants will be better able to:

World AIDS Day 2013 - "Shared Responsibility: Strengthening Results 

for an AIDS-Free Generation"

In recognition of World AIDS Day this December 1, 2013, the Office of Equal Opportunity and Access (OEOA) wishes to express its support for individuals living with HIV and AIDS, and remembers those who have died from contracting the virus.  Furthermore, the OEOA would like to encourage the Northwestern University community to join in the fight against HIV/AIDS.

Currently, an estimated 34 million individuals live with HIV and more than 25 million people have died from the virus between 1981 and 2007.  Therefore, it is important to become educated about the facts of HIV; how it is transmitted, how to prevent it, how to live with it and treat those living with HIV with understanding and respect.  Becoming educated can help to protect yourself and others from HIV as well as increase the fair treatment of individuals living with it.

One way to join in the fight against HIV/AIDS is through the Facing AIDS Initiative, a photo sharing initiative that invites people to share their photos and messages of why they are joining in the fight against HIV/AIDS.  The photos and messages are shared in an online gallery and can be accessed through Facebook and Twitter.  For additional information regarding the Facing AIDS Initiative,visit facing.aids.gov. For other ways to get involved, please visit www.aids.gov/news-and-events/awareness-days/world-aids-day/.

If you are interested in being tested, here are three confidential testing sites in the Chicago area: PEER Services Incorporated (906 Davis Street, Evanston IL), Planned Parenthood of IL - Rogers Park Health Center (6353 N. Broadway, Chicago IL), and Vida/SIDA (2640 W. Division Street, Chicago, IL).  For additional testing sites, you can also text your ZIP code to "KNOWIT" (566948) or visit http://hivtest.cdc.gov/.

Additional information regarding World AIDS Day can be found at http://www.worldaidsday.org and www.aids.gov.

Attainable and Sustainable: Simple Tips for Going Green in the Workplace

There are many ways to promote a greener, more sustainable workplace and even small steps can make a big difference. Integrating the following "green" tips into your daily work habits - or even a few of them - can positively impact Northwestern's footprint and help propel it forward in its sustainability efforts.

Reduce Waste

• Make an effort to bring and use reusable containers while at work - anywhere from the containers you bring your lunch in, to reusable mugs and water bottles. If you have a lunch room, see whether it's stocked with washable dishes and utensils, and if it's not, bring your own.
• Don't print documents unless it's really necessary.  View documents online whenever possible to save paper.  Consider whether any of your files can be stored electronically rather than in paper files.  Contact your local IT support specialist to find out what approved methods are available for electronic storage and sharing of documents, rather than storing or passing around printed copies.  If printing is a must, then print double-sided with wide margin settings and use any misprints as scrap paper.
• Recycle at your desk rather than putting things straight into the garbage can. If you need a recycling bin or bin labels, contact recycling@northwestern.edu.
• Recycle all electronics, such as computers, copiers, and cell phones.  Click here to learn more about Northwestern University's computer and electronic recycling program.

Conserve Energy

• Use natural light whenever possible and turn off the lights when you leave the room, even if it's only for a short time.
• Plug your computer and other electronics into a power strip, and make it a habit to turn off your computer and the power strip at the end of every work day.
• Set your computer to energy-saving settings. Additional information can be found in Northwestern University Information Technology's Policy on Energy Efficient Computing and their Green Technology at NU page. However, it's recommended that you don't make any changes without first consulting with your local IT department.
• Make sure you're not using too much heat in the winter and air conditioning in the summer. If you feel it's running unnecessarily and you don't control the settings in your area, contact Facilities Management to adjust the temperature. Try using a fan to cool off in the summer rather than air conditioning. Also, space heaters use a tremendous amount of energy and are against NU policy.

Travel Sustainably

• Walk, bike, or take public transportation whenever possible when traveling to work. When that's not possible, see whether there is a colleague with whom you can share a ride.