The

Human Resources

Messenger

October 2004     Volume 3                 www.twu.edu/humanresources

From the Director's Desk

Are Your Benefit Deductions Accurate?

As a new fiscal year is under way benefits-eligible employees received their first fiscal year pay checks October 1, 2004 which show September 1, 2004 benefit changes.  The benefits staff is dedicated to making sure all benefit premiums are accurate.  However, at times, we may not receive notice of changes for various reasons.  Employees need to be pro-active in checking their pay stubs to ensure that their deductions are correct every month.  If the premium deductions are not correct please contact our office (by email at abomar@twu.edu ) as soon as possible.  You can help us by reviewing your pay stub and calling any premium discrepancies to our attention.

In the coming months new employees will also have new benefits begin such as retirement, health insurance, and optional coverages.  You also can help us by verifying your retirement contribution and insurance premium deductions each month. 

Prescription Benefits

Several changes to our benefits became effective back in September 2003.  One major change many employees may not be familiar with is the deductible for prescription benefits.  A $50.00 deductible per participant is required before co-payments are charged.  This means the employee plus each dependent enrolled is required to meet the deductible each year.  The deductible is required by Medco each year on September 1^st . 

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 Routine Reminders from Compensation & Records:

• Please have new employees come to the Office of Human Resource to complete a Payroll packet on their First Day of Employment.

• If an employee has resigned from the University, please have employee submit a resignation letter and forward a copy to the Office of Human Resources.  And please initiate an on-line Personnel Transaction Form (PTF) so we may remove them from an active status.

• Request for supervisor change for timesheets:  Please email MFlores@mail.twu.edu

• NOVEMBER PTF Deadline:  PTF is due in the Budget Office by November 12, 2004 for a December 1 paycheck.

• Personnel Vacancy Forms (PVF):  Please route these forms through appropriate signature channels.

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Employee Advocacy and Performance Management

 Managers and Supervisors:

Have you read the new “Staff Attendance, Vacation, and Sick Leave Policy” (3.17)?  This policy will be a helpful tool in addressing performance issues connected to excessive absenteeism.

While this is a University wide policy, departments that require a greater operational control and efficiency may develop an attendance policy based on its needs.  A departmental attendance policy will provide its employees with specific guidelines for its staff employees.

The Office of Human Resources has also developed a “Good Attendance Habits” information page (located within the TWU Staff Handbook).  This attendance info sheet will assist supervisors and managers communicate to employees what the University defines as good attendance.  Please feel free to make copies and cover this information during staff meeting or during employee counseling sessions when addressing excessive absences.

To review this important new policy, please click on this link (or copy and paste into the address area of the browser page):

http://www.twu.edu/humanresources/StaffAttendance317.htm

To download and print a copy of “Good Attendance Habits”, click on the following link (or copy and paste into the address area of the browser page):

http://www.twu.edu/humanresources/good_attendance_habits.htm

Please note that the above information is covered and referenced in the TWU Staff Handbook.  This handbook is an important source of information to all TWU staff.

As always, if you have any questions about this or other HR related policies, please give me a call at 898-3553, or e-mail me at ajohnson2@twu.edu.

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Oracle Update

September is one of the most exciting times for our university.  We have new students and employees on campus that are processing paperwork and familiarizing themselves with our campus.  We also have a new Oracle system that we are becoming familiar with.  As we had anticipated, we have faced several challenges with the system but thanks to the efforts of many people and departments, we were able to successfully process the September payroll.  Part of the challenge since implementing Oracle last January has been processing 4,015 personnel transaction forms (PTFs) with a new system.  Many PTFs were processed for the September payroll.  We are still working toward implementing the self-service capabilities within Oracle which will assist with the processing and routing of these transaction forms in the future. Once fully implemented and tested, a manager will have access to manager self-service functionality.  Using the manager self-service feature, managers can perform day-to-day processes for employees under their management, such as initiating the personnel transaction forms that will be routed through the defined approval process.  Once approved, the transaction will be updated in Oracle HR. 

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PAYROLL NEWS

We hope you all are having a good fall semester.  Just a couple of items:

 1.  TWU has gone with Glacier International to monitor our payments to international individuals or entities (either through Payroll, Financial Aid or Accounts Payable).  If you are making any type of payment to an international person or entity or to a US entity on behalf of an international person, please contact Colleen Sallee at 3563; so she can gather the necessary information for Glacier.  Glacier will be processing the required forms to the Internal Revenue Service on behalf of TWU.

 For those departments that have international students who have not received their initial email message from Glacier with their login and password, please have them contact Colleen at 3563 or have them come by Human Resources and speak with her directly.

 2.  All staff employees should check their timesheets to make sure all timesheets for the FY04 fiscal year have been created and approved.  If you have some that still need approval, make sure your supervisor knows; so the pending timesheets can be finalized.  Contact Payroll at 3561 if you are showing one that is not approved, and your supervisor does not see it in the approval queue.

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Need Some Training?

Do you ever wonder how to pull it all together?  Need some tips on time management, stress management or the latest techniques in supervising?  Off-campus training opportunities in the Denton, Dallas and Houston areas can be found at Off-Campus Training on the HR web pages.  Attendance and funding are at departmental discretion.

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