UHR|Connect July 2015 Vol. 1 No. 2 UHR staff cooling off with ice cream courtesy of the Department of Transportation Services
A GREAT PLACE TO WORK
DID YOU KNOW?
In this issue of UHRConnect, we have featured our Office of Employee Benefits. Here, you will find a team of dedicated benefits specialists who are ready to help you with all of your benefits and retirement needs. At this time of the year, we frequently have a number of employees who contact the benefits staff to discuss their options for retirement. We receive several questions such as: How much income will I need when I retire? How much money can I contribute to my Supplemental Retirement Account (SRA) each year? When am I eligible for social security? Planning for retirement can be overwhelming, but our team will do their best to make this a smooth and joyful time. Although every situation is different, there are preliminary steps to start planning for your retirement. You can (1) draft out a budget to determine the amount of income you might need/want in retirement and include an “emergency fund” in your planning; (2) take a test run of living on that budget; (3) discuss your retirement income needs and options with your family and a financial advisor and, finally, (4) review your current debt and consider ways to reduce it before you retire. If you believe you are ready to retire, schedule a meeting with the Office of Employee Benefits for a minimum of six months prior to your anticipated retirement date. In order to make the process as easy as possible, your Benefits Services Counselor can assist you in completing all the necessary forms. If you are not ready to meet with a counselor, please visit our website (uhr.umd.edu) and select “Planning for Retirement” for more information about the retirement process. Retirement does not have to be scary. We can help you to plan so that this is a pleasant phase in your life journey.
Jewel Washington Assistant Vice President University Human Resources
Maryland Family Network The service that now assists University of Maryland faculty, staff, and students with their family care needs and concerns is the Maryland Family Network (MFN). See page 2
State Minimum Wage Increase The Maryland State Minimum Wage will be increasing to $8.25/hour effective, July 1, 2015. If you have any employees, including students and general assistants, who are currently being paid less than $8.25/hour, please be sure to increase their pay rates.
Chesapeake Building | uhr.umd.edu | UHRConnect@umd.edu
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Maryland Family Network The service that now provides assistance to University of Maryland faculty, staff, and students for their family care needs and concerns is the Maryland Family Network (MFN). MFN is the state’s foremost child advocacy organization. One of their services, LOCATE: Child Care, is the only free, comprehensive, and individualized database with information on all regulated child care in Maryland. La filosofía del familiar (MFN es su sigla en inglés) es que todos los niños, independientemente del idioma que hablen, tienen derecho a cuidado infantil económico y de calidad. MFN cree que es el derecho de los padres tomar una decisión informada acerca del cuidado infantil. Por eso, MFN ha desarrollado el servicio LOCATE: Child Care en español.
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Services Offered:
Contact:
MFN also offers many more services, including:
A trained LOCATE: Child Care Referral Specialist is ready to help you to select the best child care option for your family. (Toll-Free) 800.999.0120. Please note you will need to provide your UID number.
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Training and other professional opportunities to the child care community Works with employers on work/family policy issues Parenting and family workshops Stimulates the supply of child care resources across the state Services for children with special needs Language services
Health Risk Assessment This is a call to all UMD faculty, staff, graduate assistants, and spouses, who are enrolled in the State of Maryland medical plans. You have until September 30th to complete the healthy activities report/form for this year. There are three things that each enrolled adult will need to do by the deadline: • • •
Select a Primary Care Physician (PCP) Complete the Health Risk Assessment Meet with your Primary Care Physician
An online version of Health Risk Assessment Form is available on each health provider’s website. Or you can call
your provider’s toll free number, noted in the box on the right, to request that they send the forms to you in the mail. The submission instructions are included on the forms.
ADDITIONAL INFORMATION For more information on the Maryland Family Network you can visit their website at: www.marylandfamilynetwork.org. You can also call them at 410-6597701 or email them at info@marylandfamilynetwork.org.
CareFirst BlueCross BlueShield EPO, PPO
Once you complete the online form, a report with the results will be generated for you. Bring a printed copy of them to discuss with your selected PCP and have them sign the Physician Verification Form.
Kaiser Permanente IHM
Instructions for this process for each plan are available at: http://ter.ps/healthrisk.
United HealthCare Choice EPO, Choice PPO
The full Wellness Program information can be found at: http://ter.ps/992.
For the health assessment form call: 1-800-783-4582 To designate a Primary Care Physician (PCP), call: 1-800-225-0131 To obtain both the health assessment form and a form to designate a Primary Care Physician (PCP) call: 1-855-839-5763 To obtain both the health assessment form and a form to designate a Primary Care Physician (PCP), call: 1-877-818-5826
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Have you heard? LinkedIn acquired lynda.com in April 2015 "In LinkedIn, we have found an incredible partner who shares our vision and passion for empowering people around the world to make real change in their lives through access to information, learning and professional development," ‐ Eric Robison, CEO of lynda.com.1 This new partnership between the university’s professional development eLearning tool, lynda.com, and leading career site, LinkedIn, will give users even more resources to support their career paths. More than 6,800 UMD community members have accessed lynda.com (www.lyndatraining.umd.edu) since January 2014. Faculty are using the courses and videos in their classes. Students are using lynda.com to gain skills for class projects and for their futures. Staff are learning new technologies and expanding their business/leadership skills.
of the global economy.”2 He’s creating an Economic Graph that will show the skills, experience, and knowledge needed for specific jobs and then, ultimately, connect people’s LinkedIn profiles to job openings posted on the site. Additionally, an aspiring professional will be able to view a job and learn what’s needed to obtain that position in the future. “lynda.com’s extensive library of premium video content helps empower people to develop the skills needed to accelerate their careers,” he says. “When integrated with the hundreds of millions of members and millions of jobs on LinkedIn, lynda.com can change the way in which people connect to opportunity.”3
LinkedIn’s purchase of lynda.com in April 2015 means that users will learn about new job opportunities across the country and, now, quickly access courses, videos, articles, and playlists to support their pursuit of these jobs. Jeff Weiner CEO of LinkedIn, believes that “the growing skills gap is one of the biggest challenges to the future
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THERE’S MORE FROM Learning & Talent Development
Learn about the Supervisor’s Essentials and the Admin Professional’s Track classes this summer ‐‐
Leadership Development Initiatives (LDI), Track I sessions are still available this summer! Hurry, going FAST! ‐‐
LDI, Track II is rolling out Fall 2015 ‐‐
We can customize any/all LDI classes to meet the needs of your teams!
Check out our website for details ‐‐ https://uhr.umd.edu/learning‐and‐talent‐development/
The July calendar is at the end of this newsletter ‐‐
Send an email with questions to UHRConnect@umd.edu
LinkedIn to Acquire lynda.com. (2015, April 9). Retrieved May 15, 2015
2 Weiner, J. (2015, April 9). Always Be Learning: LinkedIn to Acquire lynda.com. Retrieved May 15, 2015 3
LinkedIn to Acquire lynda.com (2015, April 9). Retrieved May 15, 2015
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Turkish Delegation Visits University Human Resources The University of Human Resources (UHR) senior staff team hosted leaders from the Turkish State Personnel Presidency Delegation on May 21st. The purpose of their visit was to research human resources services at various U.S. public institutions. They are gathering information to assist them with a project to improve their organizational structures in public management and human resources. UHR was honored to be selected as one of their site visits!
Family and Medical Leave The Family and Medical Leave Act of 1993 (FMLA) affords eligible employees a maximum of twelve (12) weeks of unpaid leave each calendar year for certain individual and family health conditions. The following reasons are included under FML :
(1,040) hours during the twelve (12) month period immediately prior to the beginning date of the leave. Employees working on a part-time basis of at least a 50% will have the minimum number of hours required for eligibility prorated.
The birth of the employee’s child. The placement of a child with the employee for adoption or foster care. The need to take care of the employee's child within a twelve (12) month period from birth or placement. The need to take care of the employee's immediate family member who has a serious health condition. The serious health condition of the employee, defined as “an illness, injury, impairment, or physical or mental condition that involves either an overnight stay in a medical facility or continuing treatment by a health care provider”. The need to take care of a covered service member’s serious injury or illness. Qualifying exigencies arising out of military active duty and call-up.
Family Medical Leave is unpaid leave and employees must use their own accrued leave (sick, annual, certain holiday, personal, and comp time) to cover the period of FML. In addition, FML can be used in conjunction with other leave categories such as Advanced Sick Leave, Extended Sick Leave, Leave Reserve Fund, and Parental Leave, when the employee is otherwise eligible for these leave categories.
Family Medical Leave is not intended to cover minor illnesses that last less than four (4) days. A “serious health condition” means that the employee must be unable to perform any one of the essential functions of his or her job. An eligible regular exempt or nonexempt employee or a qualifying employee in the military is one who has been employed for a total of at least twelve (12) months and who has worked for at least one thousand and forty
This information serves as a general overview of Family Medical Leave for regular employees. Please review the policy for http://www.president.umd.edu/policies/docs/VII-750.pdf more detailed information. Faculty are covered by policy II2.31(A): www.president.umd.edu. Other employees are covered by the federal FMLA law. Should you have any questions, please contact the Staff Relations Office at 301-405-0001 (or x50001, on campus).
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Profiles | Office of Employee Benefits MONICA GONSALVES As a Tuition Remission Associate, Monica assists in all aspects of the tuition remission process for GA’s, faculty, staff, and their eligible dependents. She works closely with departmental representatives to assist with, and approve, tuition remission application and requests. Monica can also assist with health plan and retirement inquiries.
JANICE SMITH Janice is one of our Benefits Associates. She provides customer service support to all walk‐in, email, and call‐in customers regarding health plan and retirement inquiries. She can assist with all health plan related questions and with error resolution. In addition, Janice coordinates the enrollment and claims process for UNUM Life and Disability Insurance.
SHIRLEEN MOORE As a Health Insurance Counselor, Shirleen is the primary liaison with the Maryland State Department of Budget and Management Employee Benefits Division. She is responsible for coordinating all aspects of the health plan enrollment process, assisting with health plan claims and error resolution, and ensuring health benefits are maintained during an approved leave of absence. She assists the departmental human resources representatives with all health plan benefit related issues and concerns. Shirleen also assists with retirement counseling and enrollment.
JOE WINDSOR Joe is one of our Benefits Service Counselors. His primary role is to advise faculty and staff regarding the selection process of retirement and health plans. He provides one‐to‐one retirement counseling to faculty and staff and pre‐retirement information sessions. He serves as a consultant to departmental human resources representatives to provide support, training, and assistance in all aspects of the retirement and health plan processes.
RUTH YUN
Alesia Ruiz Alesia is one of our Benefits Service Counselors. Her primary role is to advise faculty and staff regarding the selection process of retirement and health plans. She provides one‐to‐one retirement counseling to faculty and staff and pre‐retirement information sessions. She serves as a consultant to departmental human resources representatives to provide support, training, and assistance in all aspects of the retirement and health plan processes.
Ruth is one of our Benefits Associates. She provides customer service support to all walk‐ in, email, and call‐in customers regarding health plan and retirement inquiries. She can assist with all health related questions and with error resolution. In addition, Ruth is the Family Care Resource and Referral Service liaison, assisting with obtaining child care and elder care referral information.
DAVE RIEGER | ASSISTANT DIRECTOR STACY SIMS Stacy is one of our Benefits Service Counselors. Her primary role is to advise faculty and staff regarding the selection process of retirement and health plans. She provides one‐to‐one retirement counseling to faculty and staff and pre‐retirement information sessions. She serves as a consultant to departmental human resources representatives to provide support, training, and assistance in all aspects of the retirement and health plan processes.
As the Assistant Director, Dave Rieger, leads the university’s administration of the State of Maryland health/medical plans, retirement, and tuition remission benefits for faculty, staff, and graduate assistants. He has over forty years of experience in finance and human resources. Dave has served on several University Senate committees, including Elections, Representation, and Governance and Equity, Diversity and Inclusion and he currently serves on the Staff Affairs committee.
Contact Us at 301‐405‐5654
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JULY 2015 UHR EVENTS Monday
Summer ESOL starts June 1st
Tuesday 29
Wednesday
Computer Connections Class Pre-Test today and July 27th Chesapeake Bldg, 1-5pm
6
Placement tests this week – More info soon!
training.umd.edu
30
New Employee Orientation
Thursday 1
2
Stamp Student Union Register at training.umd.edu 7
3
University Closed 8
9
10
Track I Communication Essentials (course 2 of 6)
13
14
Admin Professionals – Writing Email (Lynda.com) 1pm, 1101U Chesapeake
20
21
Track II 15 Performance Management Rolling Out Fall 2015
27
24
1101U Chesapeake Building
July 23 & 24 28
17
Admin Professionals – Managing Your Manager (Lynda.com) 1pm, 1101U Chesapeake
ESOL Placement Testing
(course 3 of 6)
Computer Connections Class Pre-Test today
16
22 23
Track I Conflict Resolution
Chesapeake Bldg 1-5pm
Friday
29
30
31
Supervisor’s Essentials – Ethics,
Track I Effective Delegation
Emergency Preparedness ++
(course 4 of 6)
Chesapeake Bldg, 9am
Let us know how we’re doing! UHRConnect@umd.edu