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A big thanks to Human Resources' newest team member Gerson Guttierez for his outstanding help!! If you're asking "What's an EAP?" check out the article below and start using this great benefit today!

Benefits

New TexFlex Convenience^® Cards Will Have New Numbers

New TexFlex Convenience Cards are being issued this month for all cards expiring on September 30, 2005. The new card has a new number.

If you will be receiving a new TexFlex Card because your current one is expiring, remember to give any vendors who have your card on file, such as your mail order pharmacy, the new number.

You will not receive a new card if your account has been temporarily inactivated because of outstanding receipts. A new card will be sent after all requests for receipts are resolved.

Before you pick up or order your next prescription, remember: A new plan year (September 1) means a new $50 prescription drug deductible for you and for each family member.

Deductible example:
You have a $40 retail cost for a Tier 1 prescription. You will pay the $40 as part of the $50 deductible. Later, when you refill that prescription, you will pay $10 to complete the deductible and $10 as your copayment. Your health plan will pay the remaining $20.

You and each covered dependent have a separate $50 deductible. If you have three dependents, your family would have a total deductible of $200 per plan year for prescription medications if you all fill at least $50 worth of prescriptions.

Tiffany Hull, Manager, Benefits and Welfare

Training

HR Welcomes all new faculty and staff!!

Extended New Employee Orientation (NEO)

September kicked off the new day and half NEO.

The new program extends NEO beyond providing the State-mandated safety, EEO, sexual harassment training and insurance/retirement enrollment. Now, supervisors receive basic information regarding workers' compensation and documenting discipline. In addition, new employees are introduced to HR-related policies. ITS has also joined in NEO to answer and provide our new members with the all important computer and technology questions. On day one, employees are treated to an HR-sponsored lunch and a campus walking tour.

Day two includes programs on TWU's performance evaluation, recruitment, diversity, compensation and payroll plans. A section on the importance of quality customer service focusing on the needs of TWU's most important customer, THE STUDENT, has been expanded.

The NEO schedule for the fall semester is:

Tuesday/Wednesday, October 4-5
Tuesday/Wednesday, October 18-19
Tuesday/Wednesday, November 15-16
Tuesday/Wednesday, December 13-14

All sessions will be conducted in the HR conference room at 1219 Oakland. Tuesday sessions begin at 8:00 a.m. and Wednesday sessions begin at 8:30 a.m.

Supervisors......if you have a new employee that will need translation for NEO, please contact Susan Testa at x8-1-3558 or Monica Kozak at x8-1-3542.

Susan Testa, Manger, Training & Orientation

Did you know…

TWU’s new Employee Assistance Program (EAP) offers employees a wealth of help and information. Your EAP can help you with:

Family issues
Grief and bereavement
Self improvement plans
Stress management
Career management
Job performance
Child and elder care resources

and much, much more. This service is confidential and there for your benefit. Best of all – it’s no cost to employees and their families!

To speak to a counselor:

(800) 343-3822

TDD: (800)448-1823

Toll Free Teen Helpline:

(800) 334-8336

So please make sure you make use of this valuable resource if you have not done so already.

You can start right now by visiting the Alliance Work Partners web site at www.alliancewp.com web site. Once at this web site, scroll down to the bottom of the page and click on “AWP HelpNet”. The next page will ask for a username; type in TWU. This will take you to the AWP HelpNet page (be patient, it’s a little slow to load).

The HelpNet offers a variety of topics – from personal to professional topics. The material is well organized and quick to read.

Employee Assistance Plan – Encouragement…Action…Performance!

Annette Johnson, Manager, Employee Advocacy & Performance Management

Oracle Update

"How does the Oracle system affect me?"

The Oracle Human Resources Information System (HRIS) used at Texas Woman’s University consists of several products that are integrated into one application family. Many steps are involved in processing data through the Oracle HRIS modules in order for faculty, staff, graduate assistants and temporary (hourly) employees to be paid timely and accurately.

Oracle Human Resources
- All new employees must report to Human Resources on the first day of employment to complete required forms. At this time, basic biographical information necessary to set up the employee for payroll is entered on the University's main frame computer system.
- The employing department will process a Personnel Transaction Form (PTF) for employees within the following categories:
  - Regular employees (full-time or part-time)
  - Faculty (full-time or part-time)
  - Adjunct faculty
  - Graduate assistants
  - Temporary (hourly)
- PTFs must be submitted according to the published PTF deadlines (http://www.twu.edu/humanresources/payroll/NonAcademicPTFDeadlines05_06)
Oracle Advanced Benefits
- Insurance and retirement elections of employees that are enrolled in benefits are entered and maintained in OAB.

Oracle Payroll
- Direct deposit and W-4 information is entered into Oracle Payroll. In addition, data from Oracle HR and OAB feeds to Oracle payroll for processing of checks.
Oracle Self-Service
- Time sheet entry, time card search and viewing pay slips is for Oracle is available through Oracle.
Oracle Time & Labor
- Employees are responsible for accurately reflecting work time and time off on time sheets. Oracle Time & Labor is a solution for requirements for time capture, validation, time management, and approval.

Amy Hall, SPHR, Director, HRIS & Reporting

For faculty searches, staff searches and promotions/transfers…

please check out our newly updated “Search and Selection Handbook” on our website. Go to the TWU home page and click on “Employment”. Then click on “Search and Selection Handbook.” If you look at the Table of Contents, you will see:

IV. FACULTY CHECKLIST

V. STAFF CHECKLIST

VI. PROMOTIONS & TRANSFERS CHECKLIST

Click on the section you want to view. A step-by-step procedure is outlined from posting the position to filling the position.

If you have any questions, please contact Joye Williams at Jwilliams6@mail.twu.edu.

Joye Williams, Manager, Recruitment and Selection

Search for the Best!

PAYROLL

Timesheets for Staff

To ensure accurate pay and accruals, monthly on-line timecards are required and are to be finalized and approved by the first working day of the month. To access your timecard, log into Phoenix and then select TWU Self-Service and Timecard Entry. Please ensure that all of your timecards through June 2005 are completed and approved.

Some of the frequent problems that have been identified with timecard entry include:

Non-exempt employees failing to enter their lunch hour taken.
Non-exempt employees attempting to calculate their overtime hours. Please simply record the total hours worked and the system will calculate your overtime hours.
Exempt employees submitting a blank timecard. If you do not have any time off to report, please select vacation hours and enter a 0 in the first day. This step will alleviate future problems.

Timesheets for Hourly Employees

To ensure accurate pay, hourly on-line timecards are required and are to be finalized and approved by the 16th of the month. These timecards should include hours worked from the 16th of the previous month to the 15th of the current month.

Please contact the Payroll Office at 898-3561 or 898-3562 if you have any questions.

Diane Taylor, Manager, Payroll

October 3rd Payroll

Welcome to the new fiscal year! The first payroll of the new fiscal year will be payable on Monday, October 3^rd. The payslips will be available for viewing on Phoenix by Thursday, September 29^th. New employees can gain access to their payslips by following the “Need Payslip Access?” link on the front page of the Pioneer Portal.

As this is the first payroll for new TWU employees and will reflect the new assignments and open enrollment changes for returning employees, we encourage you to review your payslips on line. Please direct any salary/earnings questions to your department and any deduction questions (benefits, taxes, parking, etc.) to Human Resources at 940-898-3555.


	Texas Woman’s University Pay Plan 2005-2006 is available on the HR Web site under Compensation: http://www.twu.edu/humanresources/compensation/PayPlanText2005_2006.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. For academic departments, please submit your termination PTF to Academic Financial Services for on-line processing. Request for supervisor change for timesheets: Please email MFlores@mail.twu.edu Personnel Vacancy Forms (PVF): Please route these forms through appropriate signature channels Departments hiring temporary staff employees: Please remind these employees that hourly paid employees get paid once a month just like regular staff. The pay period for hourly employees is the 16th of the month through the 15th of the following month to be paid the first business day of the following month. For example: A temporary employee starting on October 1st will get paid for hours turned in from October 1st through October 15th to be paid November 1. Any hours turned in from October 16th through November 15th will get paid on December 1.	PTF DEADLINES!! Non-Academic For November 1, 2005 Thursday, October 13, 2005 - PTF's due in Budget Office by 4:00 p.m. Tuesday, October 18, 2005- PTF's due in Human Resources by 4:00 p.m. Academic For November 1, 2005 Monday, October 3, 2005 - PTF's due in Graduate Office/Research & Sponsored Programs by 4:00 p.m. Thursday, October 6, 2005 - PTF's due in Academic Affairs by 4:00 p.m. Thursday, October 13, 2005 - PTF's due in Budget Office by 4:00 p.m. Tuesday, October 18, 2005 - PTF's due in Human Resources by 4:00 p.m.
	WHAT'S COMING UP IN COMPENSATION? Job descriptions of positions that report to your area will be mailed to department heads and supervisors. We are at the last stage of our continued effort to update our job descriptions. if you are missing a job description, please contact Estela Long at elong@twu.edu or Gerson Gutierrez at GGerson@twu.edu and we will email it to you.
	Estela Long, Manager, Compensation & Classification/Records