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HR REVIEW October 2015
YOUR SOURCE FOR UNIVERSITY HUMAN RESOURCES NEWS AND INFORMATION
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BENEFITS
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Open Enrollment Dates: October 19 - November 6
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Thursday, October 1
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Open Enrollment Guide mailed to home address*
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Monday, October 19, 9:00 AM
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First Day of Open Enrollment
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Friday, November 6, 5:00 PM
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Last Day of Open Enrollment
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*Please make certain that your home address is accurate in the FASIS Self Service Portal. Allow 7-10 business days to receive your Open Enrollment Guide.
Important Note: You must re-enroll during open enrollment in the Health Care, Limited Use, Dependent Care flexible spending accounts (FSA), and the Health Savings Account (HSA) in order to participate in these accounts in 2016.
The following benefit enhancements will be effective as of January 1, 2016:
- The University will add matching Health Savings Account (HSA) contributions for every year that you are enrolled. Northwestern will annually match your contributions up to the single Value PPO plan deductible of $1,400 or the family Value PPO plan deductible of $2,800.
- The maximum limit for employee tuition benefits will increase to $12,000 per calendar year.
- The Employee Northwestern Certificate tuition benefit will increase to a $5,250 reimbursement per calendar year.
- The Dependent Portable and Dependent Reduced tuition benefits will increase to a rate of 50% of tuition and eligible fees.
2015 Health and Benefits Fair
Mark your calendar for the 2015 Health and Benefits Fairs:
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Evanston Campus Fair
Tuesday, October 13, 2015
11:00 am - 2:00 pm
Norris University Center
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Chicago Campus Fair
Tuesday, October 20, 2015
11:00 am - 2:00 pm
Lurie Atrium
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Flu Shots
Flu shots are available at no cost for all faculty and staff. For more information please click the link: Flu Shots
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FASIS
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Maintaining "Reports To" Approvers and "Expenses" Supervisor
Is the Kronos Time Card Approver or Expenses Supervisor incorrect for you or an employee in your department? Any authorized FASIS Administration Lookup User in your department or school may submit changes online to adjust Reports To Approvers or Expenses Supervisors, including Kronos and Expenses Backups.
For more information, including who may qualify as an Approver and how to submit the changes, please see the following links:
Need a quick way to find Approvers in your area? FASIS Administration users with Query access may run the following queries in the Reporting database:
- PUB_APPROVERS - displays all approvers, including the Expenses Supervisor, for all employees in your access
- PUB_APPROVERS_BY_POSN - when running this query, enter an 8-digit Position Number; the results will display any employee that "reports to" this position or has this position set as the primary Expenses Supervisor
- PUB_EXPENSES_SUPERVISORS - displays all employees eligible to receive an Expenses Supervisor, including the primary and any backup Expenses Supervisors that are already set
- PUB_KRONOS_APPROVERS - displays all employees with a time sheet, including the current primary and any backup Kronos Approvers that are already set
Employee Office Phone Numbers in Northwestern Online Directory
All active regular employees must have a work phone number visible in the Online Directory. Employees who do not have their own direct line should ensure that their general office contact number is published instead.
To review and edit your work phone number:
- Log in to the FASIS Self Service Portal with your NetID and Password
- On the left side of the Portal, click "My Personal Information" and select "Update My Phone Number"
- If your Work Phone is listed but incorrect, enter the correct Work Phone. To add a Work Phone, click a [+] button on the right side and use the drop-down box to select "Work Phone 1" or "Work Phone 2"
- After editing/adding your numbers, click "Save" and close the pop-up window
Once you have reviewed your Work Phone, ensure that it is published in the directory:
- On the left side of the FASIS Portal, under "My Personal Information," select "Update My Online Directory"
- Scroll to the "Phone Numbers" section, and select the checkbox next to any phone number you wish to display. You must list at least one work phone number
- Scroll to the bottom of the page and click "Save"
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PAYROLL
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New Hire Paperwork and I-9 Reminders
As the fall hiring season is upon us, please be aware of the following important requirements:
- New hire paperwork for temporary employees must be submitted within 5 business days of hire. Please mail, fax, or email temp new hire paperwork to the Payroll office on either campus as soon as possible.
- Section 1 of the I-9 must be completed no later than the first day of employment for all employees. This can be completed by the employee from any computer.
- Section 2 of the I-9 must be finished no later than the third day of employment. This includes the employee showing appropriate documents, in person, to a Northwestern representative.
If an employee cannot complete the I-9 Section 1 or Section 2 by these deadlines, the employee cannot begin working.
NOTE: New hire paperwork should not be held until the I-9 is completed.
Employee Reinstatements
When hiring an employee into your department, the employee may be eligible for reinstatement. According to the Northwestern University Staff Handbook, "Staff members who leave University employment in good standing and who return to any regular staff position at the University within six months will be reinstated without the loss of prior service or benefits status. Paid time benefits are not accrued during the absence and the number of days absent is not included in the calculation of University service."
Please note: When a reinstatement occurs, the employee's prior vacation payout (if any) cannot be reversed.
Non-Resident Independent Contractors
NOTE: To clarify a previous policy, payment paperwork for Non-Resident Independent Contractors DOES NOT require completion of the DCFS Acknowledgement Form. While the completion of this form is encouraged, it is required only if the non-resident contractor will be working directly with minors.
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WORK/LIFE RESOURCES
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Caregiving Corner -
info for parents and caregivers
Bernice Lavin/Bright Horizons Fee Assistance Program
Through an agreement with Northwestern Medicine, Northwestern University will now offer childcare fee assistance for its faculty, staff and graduate students who have children enrolled at the Bernice Lavin Childcare Center. Funds are awarded to Northwestern University families who demonstrate financial need and meet the following eligibility requirements:
- Recipients must be full-time faculty, staff or undergraduate/graduate school students
- Children must be enrolled full time, five days per week, at the center
- Combined family income must be $100,000 or less, as documented on last year's tax return
- Both parents must be employed or in school full time (as is consistent with Dependent Care Flexible Spending Account rules)
- Recipients cannot be receiving fee assistance or scholarship from another source, for example a program through another entity
Applications are accepted on a rolling basis, beginning in January for the following school year. Families currently receiving assistance are given priority. School year awards are determined on a first come first served basis. Please apply early. For more information about fee assistance contact the business manager, Matt Allerton by email at mattallerton@belecec.org or by phone at 312-926-5437.
LifeNotes: Financial Wellness:
On the one hand, it seems like everything costs a ton of money. On the other hand, there are often ways to spend less. This month's feature focuses on living within a budget, including resources on:
- Spending less on daily expenses
- Financing college
- Traveling on a budget
Read more (login: northwestern, password: eap)
Upcoming Workshops -
What's on your mind?
Elder Care "Caregiving and Sibling Warfare"
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Evanston Campus
Wednesday, October 14, 2015
12:00 noon - 1:30 pm
Norris Center
Wildcat Room (101 A)
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Chicago Campus
Thursday, October 15, 2015
12:00 noon -1:30 pm
Rubloff Building
9th Floor Lake Shore Conference Room
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Financial Wellness "It's Never Too Early to Start Planning for the Future"
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Evanston Campus
Tuesday, October 27, 2015
12:00 noon -1:30 pm
Norris Center
Wildcat Room (101 B)
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Chicago Campus
Wednesday, October 28, 2015
12:00 noon-1:30 pm
Rubloff Building
9th Floor Lake Shore Conference Room
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Announcing National Work/Family Month Keynote Speaker: Scott Behson
Scott Behson, PhD, is a professor of management at Fairleigh Dickinson University, a national expert in work and family issues, and was a featured speaker at the recent White House Summit on Working Families. He is the author of The Working Dad's Survival Guide: How to Succeed at Work and at Home, the first book of its kind to provide advice and encouragement for working fathers, helping them to achieve success in their careers while also being the involved, loving dads they always wanted to be. For more information
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Evanston Campus
Thursday, October 22, 2015
12:00 noon - 1:30 pm
Hardin Hall
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Chicago Campus
Thursday, October 22, 2015
3:30 pm - 5:00 pm
McGaw Daniel Hale Williams Auditorium
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November Workshop "Building Resilience: Your best weapon against stress"
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Evanston Campus
Tuesday, November 17, 2015
12:00 noon - 1:00 pm
Norris Center
Wildcat Room (101 A)
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Chicago Campus
Wednesday, November 18, 2015
12:00 noon - 1:00 pm
Rubloff Building
9th Floor Lake Shore Conference Room
RSVP
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Visit our Work/Life Resources Workshop web page
For information, to RSVP to any upcoming Work/Life workshops, or to request a workshop for your school or department, please visit the Workshops web page.
Workshops: We want to hear from you!
What's on your mind? We are always interested to hear what Work/Life workshop topics you'd like to see offered. Please share your ideas for our upcoming calendar of workshops by email or by phone at (847) 467-1460.
Twitter
Follow the Office of Work/Life Resources on Twitter @NUWorkLife for the latest in work/life news, workshops and more!
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STAFFING
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Onboarding Pre-Identified (Direct) Temporary Employees through the Temporary Staffing Center
The Northwestern University Temporary Staffing Center is always available to help you find a temporary employee to fit your needs. However, there are times when departments have already identified the temporary employee they wish to hire and are ready to put him/her on the Northwestern University's payroll. In these instances, it is still important that you contact the Temp Center to process the new hire.
Background checks are conducted on all staff hires including temporary employees. This is one way we can help keep our campuses safe. The Temporary Staffing Center will conduct background checks on all pre-identified (or "direct") temps, at no cost to your department. Direct temps are temporary employees recruited and vetted by the department that are not currently registered with the Temporary Staffing Center. To successfully onboard a new direct hire temp staff member, the Temporary Staffing Center will also ensure that direct hired temporary staff complete all pre-employment and new hire documentation including Payroll information and the required "Acknowledgement of Mandated Reporter Status" form for the protection of minors among other key documents. The Temporary Staffing Center will serve as a point of contact for any questions new direct hire temps may have as they start new assignments.
Please make contacting the Temporary Staffing Center a part of your process to onboard your new temporary staff. If you have any questions regarding this process, please contact the Temporary Staffing Center at (847) 467-1048 (Evanston) or (312) 503-1234 (Chicago), or tcadmin@northwestern.edu.
How Effective Goal Setting Sets the Course for Performance and Excellence throughout the Year
Goal setting is an integral part of the annual performance review process. Setting the right goals, or objectives, makes the connection between an employee's work and the larger organizational goals explicit, and is an important mechanism for providing ongoing and year-end feedback. By setting specific goals that can be monitored throughout the year, managers are able to provide real-time feedback on how goals are being met and employees have greater clarity on their progress and when they may be charting off-course.
A robust goal-setting process can facilitate the performance feedback process throughout the year. Keep in mind these important considerations when developing goals?
- It is important for Managers and employees to partner in writing goals.Since failure to meet the goals impacts the manager and organization, the manager should be involved in helping employees write objectives. However, this involvement needs to be balanced with employees' ownership over the process.
- Don't set too many goals for the year.The goal-setting process is not about documenting every task. Rather, the intent is to focus on three or four major responsibilities or deliverables that are critical for the employee's success in his or her role in a given year. Once these three or four goals are outlined, make sure they have been broken down into interim objectives and work together to determine whom the employee is dependent upon for success and what resources will be needed.
- Apply this same rigor to your development goals. As a manager, taking into account what an employee is trying to personally accomplish in the context of the work can yield greater value both for the organization and the employee.
- Goals can evolve throughout the year.Your Performance Excellence Annual Plan is a living and breathing document, and the goals and timeframes you set within it can - and should - be updated throughout the year as work and priorities inevitably shift.
Keeping these considerations in mind to establish strong objectives at the beginning of the cycle provides the foundation for ongoing performance conversations throughout the year. Managers will have specific deliverables and timeframes on which informal touchbase meetings, mid-year check-ins, and end of year performance discussions can be based, and a framework for managing the conversation that is both objective and results-focused. Employees will have a clear and concise understanding of how work will be measured and evaluated and can use this to make adjustments throughout the year, along with a better understanding of their priorities so they can more effectively allocate their time and resources.
In short, investing in a robust goal setting process can pay dividends throughout the year with better performance-focused conversations and, ultimately, higher levels of performance across the organization.
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COMPENSATION
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Paying Non-Exempt Employees Appropriately
Part 1: Travel time and work related events
From time-to-time, in addition to regularly scheduled hours, non-exempt employees may need to be paid for other activities relating to their work. Determining when to pay non-exempt staff for these instances can be complex and confusing. This month, we will focus on two of the most common questions surrounding when to pay non-exempt employees who need to travel for work and/or attend training, lectures, and special events.
When to Pay Employees for Travel Time
There are varying types of travel to consider and the following guidelines will help in determining whether or not travel time is paid.
Home to work travel (ordinary commute): Travel for an employee to a regular work site before the regular work day begins and after the regular work day ends is not considered work time and is not paid.
Home to work in emergency situations: This scenario is complex. In general, here is the rule. (However, please discuss with your compensation consultant for more specific guidance tailored to your situation.) If an employee is called to assist a customer after the employee's designated work day ends, and the employee needs to "travel a substantial distance," all time spent on such travel would be considered work time and would be paid.
Home to work travel on a special one day assignment in another city: When an employee who regularly works at a fixed location in one city is given a special one-day assignment in another city, and returns home the same day, the time spent traveling to and from the other city is work time, and is paid. However, the employer can deduct the time it would have taken the employee to drive from his/her home to work.
Travel that is all in a day's work: When an employee travels from work site to job site during the workday, the employee is working and this travel time must be paid.
Travel away from the home community: When an employee travels and is away from his/her home overnight, if the travel time occurs during the employee's normal work hours (including Saturday and Sunday), the employee is working and this travel time should be considered as a substitution for work and be counted as hours worked.
Time spent traveling away from home as a passenger (e.g. riding on a bus, train, plane, etc,) outside of the normal work hours is not considered work time and is not paid (some exceptions might apply). Additionally, the hours an employee spends away from home during which he or she is not working or traveling (such as shopping during a conference break, watching a movie in the hotel at night, etc.) are not paid.
When to Pay Non-Exempt Employees for Work Related Events
The University promotes continued professional development for all employees and hosts numerous events each year. In certain circumstances, non-exempt employees may need to be paid while attending such events.
Training and Seminars: Attendance at lectures, meetings, training programs, and similar activities need not be counted as work time only if four criteria are met, namely: it is outside normal hours, it is voluntary, not job related, and no other work is concurrently performed.
- All on-the-job training and work-related meetings constitute work time and must be paid.
- If an employer-sponsored training or seminar is directly related to the employees' current job, it is considered time worked.
- General academic classes or training courses available to the public are typically not counted as hours worked unless the employer requires the employee to attend.
Special Events: In most instances, special events are voluntary and unpaid, but there are a few exceptions. For example:
- If attendance is outside of regular work hours and is mandatory, or strongly recommended by the University, the employee must be paid.
- If the employee is given the impression that attendance is mandatory they must be paid.
- If the purpose of a special event is necessary to perform one's job, it is considered work.
When in doubt, a discussion with your Compensation or Human Resources Consultant is encouraged, prior to taking action.
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OFFICE OF EQUAL OPPORTUNITY AND ACCESS
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Honoring National Disability Employment Awareness Month
October marks the observance of "National Disability Employment Awareness Month" (NDEAM). The US Department of Labor announced this year's theme is, "My Disability Is One Part of Who I Am." This theme reinforces the "What Can You Do?" Campaign for Disability Employment. It is a message to employees and employers alike that people with disabilities are just people. "And like all people, we are the sum of many parts, including our work experiences." - Jennifer Sheehy, Acting Assistant Secretary of Labor for Disability Employment Policy.
"Who I am"
The Office of Equal Opportunity & Access (OEOA) would like to share a 60-Second video with a powerful message. It was created by The Campaign for Disability Employment. "Who I AM"
Update your disability status
In conjunction with National Disability Employment Awareness Month, OEOA the Office of Equal Opportunity & Access will send an email asking all employees to share or update their disability status with us. When you receive the email later this month, please take the time to share your disability status with OEOA. Your response to the survey will not be available to individuals outside of the Office of Human Resources and will remain confidential to the extent that laws permit. For our reporting obligations to the US Department of Labor, we will provide numbers but only in the aggregate. If you have any questions about the survey please contact the Office of Equal Opportunity and Access at 847-491-7458 or via email at EEO@northwestern.edu. LGBT History Month & National Coming Out Day - October 11th
October is also LGBT History Month, which observes the collective history of lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender communities and their civil rights movements. One highly recognized and celebrated day in October is National Coming Out Day, October 11th. This year, the Northwestern Chicago Out Network is hosting a Network Mixer in honor of National Coming Out Day on Friday, October 16th. As in recent years, this event is being generously sponsored by Northwestern Memorial Hospital.
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Network Mixer in honor of National Coming Out Day
Friday, October 16th
5:00 pm -7:00 pm
3rd Floor Harris Atrium
Prentice Women's Hospital
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If you are interested in attending this event or being added to the Northwestern Chicago Out Network mailing list, please reach out to Eric Boberg, Executive Director for Research for Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine at e-boberg@northwestern.edu. The Northwestern Chicago Out Network would appreciate an RSVP (to Eric) for planning purposes, but it is not necessary for attendance to this mixer. Spouses, partners, and friends are also welcome to attend.
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LEARNING AND ORGANIZATION DEVELOPMENT
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The Northwestern University Learning & Organization Development (L&OD) team collaborates with faculty and staff who want to develop their talent and advance their workplace outcomes, processes and engagement. L&OD provides consulting, coaching, workshops, retreats and tools for individuals, groups and organizations.
Registration Open for Fall Workshops
October 21 & 27
9:00 AM - 4:00 PM
Evanston Campus
Norris University Center, Room 206
Whether it's a difference of opinion, strong emotions or high stakes, crucial conversations take place every day in our work. Many of the common problems that can hinder a team's success stem from conversations that are either not being handled-or not being handled well.
To increase your skill in holding difficult conversations with your staff, peers or manager, we encourage you to consider attending an upcoming session of the Crucial Conversations® two-day workshop. This practical and powerful workshop provides the tools for you to: - Speak persuasively not abrasively, no matter the topic
- Make it safe for others to share their honest opinions
- Gain control of your own emotional responses
- Influence without exerting force
- Improve teamwork, productivity and effectiveness
Workshop participants receive the New York Times bestselling book Crucial Conversations: Tools for Talking When Stakes Are High and several practical resources for future success, including a six-CD audio companion and a toolkit.
Registration is now open for workshops offered this month and November. Check out the catalog to see what's scheduled.
Remember lynda.com!
Thousands of Northwestern faculty, staff and students have used lynda.com. Check out the almost 4,000 on-demand video tutorials with unlimited access through the University's Lynda.com web page.
L&OD offers a variety of workshops and additional opportunities to help improve workplace performance. Check them out!
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