The
Human Resources
Messenger
January 2005 Volume 4 http://www.twu.edu/humanresources
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Texas Woman's University Human Resources Messenger |
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January 2005 Volume 4 http://www.twu.edu/humanresources |
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From the Director's Desk Welcome back!!!! I would like to remind all fulltime benefits eligible faculty and staff that you now have access to the services of an Employee Assistance Program (EAP). This new benefit is at no cost to you, your spouse, or family. Alliance Work Partners (AWP) based out of Arlington, Texas serves both the University of North Texas and Texas Woman’s University. AWP can to help you deal with life’s stresses and a variety of personal problems including:
Professional help through your EAP is available for many other types of problems that may affect your quality of life. All guidance and counseling is confidential for you and your family. Alliance Work Partners EAP Benefits webpage: http://www.wapeap.com/benefits/index.html. To access the AWP HelpNet, go to http://www.wapeap.com or www.alliancewp.com. Click on the HelpNet button at the bottom of the home page. This will transfer you to the HelpNet website. Input the company name as TWU or Texas Woman's University (case sensitive!) and explore the opportunities. To enter LawAccess, use the same HelpNet URL's and click on the LawAccess button at the bottom of the page. On the LawAccess home page, input the user name as TWU (case sensitive) and the password as TWU (case sensitive). Employees can also obtain the user name and password by calling the toll-free phone line at 1-800-343-3822. Cheers,
Lewis Benavides
Director of Human Resources |
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Everyone’s health insurance begins the first of the month following the 90th day of employment. However, you may not receive your ID cards by that date. If you have a need for medical attention or prescriptions before you receive your ID cards please contact BCBS at 1-800-252-8039 to verify you are in the system before seeing the doctor or Medco Health at 1-800-903-8345 for prescriptions. If you are not in the system contact either Angela Cagle at 940-898-3552 or Tiffany Hull at 940-898-3554. You can also email us at acagle@mail.twu.ed or thull@twu.edu. We can then fax a verification form to Employees Retirement System to request that your coverage be updated with BCBS and Medco Health. Please note that these verifications take up to 24 hours to process. You also have the option to pay for a doctor visit and file a claim for reimbursement. You can do the same purchasing a prescription. Please visit the ERS website at http://www.ers.state.tx.us/Insurance/HS_IDCard.htm for further instructions on how to access your medical coverage prior to receiving your ID Cards. We are here to make this process as smooth and convenient as possible. With your help and advance notice of doctor appointments and necessary prescriptions we can get this information in the system so you can see your doctor and purchase a prescription with out paying unnecessary out of pocket expenses. To Departments with Terminating Employees Do you have an employee, whether staff, faculty or Graduate Assistant (GA, GTA, GRA) who is terminating (or has terminated) their employment with your department? If so, please be sure to complete a terminating PTF as soon as possible. The Office of Human Resources is required to notify the Employees Retirement System (ERS) when an employee terminates employment so that their insurance coverage is terminated the last day of the month in which they work their last day. If we do not notify ERS of the employee’s termination, TWU continues to be responsible for payment of that employee’s insurance premiums until ERS is notified. Please note: just because the Graduate Assistant’s initial PTF has an end date on the assignment does not mean that they are automatically terminated in the system on that date. They remain in the system as an employee until a terminating PTF is done. |
Personal Information Verification ERS recently sent out Personal Annual Statement of Benefits to our home addresses. You can also log into the ERS website (www.ers.state.tx.us) and view your records. Please review the Statement of Benefits to determine if your personal information is correct such as spelling name and names of dependents, SS#’s, addresses, etc. If you detect any errors, you can correct this by logging onto the ERS website at the above address, or you can contact the Office of Human Resources for assistance from Angela Cagle (acagle@mail.twu.edu) or Tiffany Hull (thull@twu.edu) or call x81-3552. Please note: If is very important to make sure that all personal information is correct in order to prevent a delay in coverage when medical attention is required. New TDA/457 Maximums for 2005 If you are participating in a Tax Deferred Annuity, please be informed that effective January 1, 2005 the maximum annual amount that you can contribute is increasing from $13,000 to $14,000 per year. In addition to the elective deferral, if you are age 50+ you can contribute an additional $4,000. And, if you have 15+ years of service with TWU, you can contribute an additional $3,000 for calendar year 2005. If you are participating in a Texa$aver 457 plan, the annual maximum is also increasing from $13,000 to $14,000 per year. In addition to the elective deferral, if you are age 50+ you can contribute an additional $4,000. If you are not currently participating in the Tax Deferred Annuity and would like to, or need to make changes to the contribution amounts, please contact an ORP/TDA representative from the list of approved carriers: (http://www.twu.edu/humanresources/benefits/ApprovedCarriers.2004.xls). The representative can provide you with the proper paperwork. Or you can go to the TWU Benefits website: http://www.twu.edu/humanresources/benefits/TaxShelteredIncomePrograms.htm for instructions and links to the forms. If you are interested in the Texa$aver 457 program, you can get more information from the ERS website: http://www.ers.state.tx.us/DeferredComp/Default.htm.
Important Insurance Deductible Information This is a reminder that on January 1, 2005, all calendar year medical coinsurance, deductible and inpatient co-payment maximums will re-start. No amounts paid in 2004 will be carried over into 2005. All benefits maximums, except lifetime benefit maximums (non-network benefits), are calculated on a calendar year (January 1 through December 31). Note: the Prescription Drug deductible is calculated on a plan year basis (September 1 through August 31).
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D E P A R T M E N T ROUTINE R E M I N D E R S!
· Texas Woman’s University Pay Plan 2004-2005 is available on the HR Web site under Compensation: http://www.twu.edu/humanresources/compensation/PayPlan2004_2005.htm · Please have new employees come to the Office of Human Resources to complete a Payroll packet on their First Day of Employment. If employee is off working at another site and will not be able to come to campus at all, call HR and we will mail the payroll packet to the employee. Employee can get the I-9 Form notarized by a public notary and mailed back to us. REMEMBER: Departments will not be able to pull the new employee up on the on-line PTF screen until employee’s demographical information is entered by HR. · 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 so we may remove them from an active status. · Request for supervisor change for timesheets: Please email MFlores@mail.twu.edu · JANUARY PTF Deadline: On-line PTF is due in the Budget Office by January 10, 2005 for a February 1 pay check · Personnel Vacancy Forms (PVF): Please route these forms through appropriate signature channels · Supplemental Task Payment Policy and Form is located under Policies and Procedures under Financials
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Employee Advocacy and Performance Management Did you know that TWU has a policy for staff standards of conduct and discipline? Policy 50.03 “Standards of Conduct, Discipline and Corrective Action Guidelines, and Separation for Non-Faculty Personnel” offers Corrective Action guide lines as well as templates for the various corrective action letters. A progressive disciplinary process is advised, but this policy takes into consideration that all disciplinary issues are not the same. Be sure to check out this important information. Employees with questions concerning this policy should contact Annette Johnson, Manager of Employee Advocacy and Performance Management at 940-898-3553, or send an e-mail to ajohnson2@twu.edu. |
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Do you work with Oracle? Do you ever wonder what some of the terms mean? If you are a faculty or staff member dealing with Oracle Self Serve, here is some information designed to help you understand various Oracle terms and issues. DateTrack When you change your effective date (either to past or future), DateTrack enables you to enter information that takes effect on your new effective date, and to review information as of the new date. Assignment A worker's assignment identifies their role within a business group. The assignment is made up of a number of assignment components including the organization (department), dates of appointment, job, position, pay grade, type of payroll (salaried or hourly), location, etc. Assignment Number A number that uniquely identifies an employee’s assignment. An employee with multiple assignments has multiple assignment numbers. Job A job is a generic role within a business group, which is independent of any single organization (department). For example, the jobs "Manager" and "Consultant" can occur in many organizations. Organization An organization is the same thing as a department at TWU. It is a required component of employee assignments. |
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By Joye Williams, PHR
Manager, Recruitment & Selection
Do you ever wish you had a crystal ball to set in front of you to help determine if you are selecting the right candidate for the job??? Well, that would be too easy for us. Hiring the perfect fit for the position is a challenge, at the least. Here are some tips on the selection process.
The article in this block was written by Watson Wyatt regarding desirable qualities in the applicants:
WHAT DO EMPLOYERS WANT?
What are the most desirable qualities for job seekers in the 2004 workplace? Watson Wyatt, a global consulting firm, offers the following list of in-demand skills:
1. Willingness to share information and ideas.
2. Commitment to teamwork.
3. Responsiveness to change.
4. Ability to work under pressure.
5. Sense of ownership of work and ideas.
6. Willingness to take calculated risks, without fear of consequences.
7. Multicultural experience and/or ability to speak multiple languages.
8. Ability to communicate clearly and honestly with peers, managers, customers.
9. Understanding of business strategy and how you create shareholder value.
10. Commitment to continuous learning, skill development.
Good luck on your employee searches. If I may ever be of assistance, please do not hesitate to contact me. Joye Williams - Manager, Recruitment & Selection – Jwilliams6@mail.twu.edu – Extension 940-898-3518.
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Attention Supervisors!!
