Posts Tagged: Human Resources

Understanding UC’s benefits for domestic partners

UC offers comprehensive benefits to faculty, staff and retirees, and to their families. The rules around these benefits can be complicated, though, especially for domestic partners. If you are in a domestic partnership, check out Establishing a Domestic Partnership and Benefits for Domestic PartnersPDF to make sure you understand the rules and how to ensure your partner doesn't lose out on any valuable benefits. 

One important reminder is that eligibility requirements for health and welfare benefits are different from eligibility requirements for UC Retirement Plan (UCRP) benefits. That means your partner might be eligible for one kind of benefits, but not the other — and only if you take the necessary steps. Here's an overview.

Health and welfare benefits

Opposite-gender domestic partners are only eligible for health and welfare benefits if the employee or the domestic partner is age 62 or older. For same-gender domestic partners, there is no age requirement for health and welfare benefits eligibility.

While no documentation of the relationship is required to enroll and start coverage, you will receive a Family Member Eligibility Verification packet which will require you to provide proof of your domestic partnership in order to continue the coverage. If you do not provide proof, your partner will be disenrolled.

UCRP survivor and death benefits

UCRP is different. There is no age requirement for eligibility for UCRP survivor and death benefits for same-gender or opposite-gender domestic partners. But your domestic partnership must be established by an approved method, apart from the Family Member Eligibility Verification process described above. See Establishing a Domestic Partnership and Benefits for Domestic PartnersPDF for details.

It is very important to know that if you pass away before completing the steps to establish your domestic partnership, your partner could forego UCRP benefits. Protect the UCRP benefits to which your partner may be entitled by formally establishing your domestic partnership as soon as possible, regardless of whether you're enrolling your partner in UC health and welfare benefits.

Please note that Savings Choice does not include UCRP survivor or death benefits, but you can leave the vested balance of your Savings Choice account to the beneficiary or beneficiaries of your choice. Establishing a Domestic Partnership explains how to make sure all of your beneficiary information is up to date.

Don’t lose your vacation time! Plan a leave now

If you can't remember when you last took time off, you might be missing out on more than rest and relaxation. UC policy limits your maximum balance of accrued vacation leave (based on your leave accrual code), and when you reach the limit, you lose any additional vacation hours you might have earned.

Taking a break from work is important for your health and well-being. Summer is a great time to work with your supervisor to schedule time away from the office, and ensure that you will continue to build up your leave balance.

How much vacation leave do I have?

Vacation leave accrual is calculated based on your appointment type, percent of time worked and how long you have worked at UC. You can see how much vacation you have accrued, as well as your maximum vacation accrual balance, by checking your time and attendance record in the Time Reporting System (for employees paid through UC Davis payroll).  

For staff employees: When should you use your compensatory time off?  

Some non-exempt staff earn compensatory time off (comp time) in lieu of overtime pay when they work more than 40 hours in a workweek. Comp time is tracked in the Time Reporting System separately from vacation leave. If you have earned comp time hours, it is best to use those hours first before using vacation leave (unless you are approaching your maximum vacation accrual balance). 

Please talk with your supervisor about taking vacation leave or comp time to ensure that you have the opportunity for rest and renewal, especially if you are approaching or have already reached your maximum vacation accrual balance.

If you still have questions regarding your leave balances, please contact ANR Human Resources.

April is National Sexual Assault Awareness Month

UC Agriculture and Natural Resources is committed to creating and maintaining a community where all individuals who are employed or participate in University programs and activities can work and learn together in an atmosphere free of sexual violence and sexual harassment.

This is a reminder that “Responsible Employees,” which is all UC employees who are not designated as confidential resources, are required to report sexual violence, sexual harassment or other conduct prohibited by the UC Policy on Sexual Violence and Sexual Harassment. Please review UCOP's FAQs and the letter from Kathleen Salvaty, UC Systemwide Title IX coordinator, to understand your obligations as a responsible employee.

ANR's Affirmative Action Office has brought together the following resources for academic and staff employees to join the Sexual Assault Awareness Month campaign:

• “Engaging New Voices” video
• President Trump's  Proclamation of National Sexual Assault Awareness and Prevention Month 2017

 What is sexual assault?

Sexual assault is a term that is used to encompass the multitude of ways in which a person can be violated in a sexual nature against her or his will. Sexual assault is defined as any sexual act directed against another person that is forcible and/or against that person's will; or, where that person is incapable of giving consent. Sexual assault is a crime in all U.S. states and territories.

Sexual Assault Awareness Month Campaign

Did you know that Sexual Assault Awareness Campaigns began in the early 1970s and the 2017 campaign is part of the world SAAM history? The National Sexual Violence Resource Center offers a summary of this history that adds broader meaning to the campaign.

In April 2001, the U.S. began to observe the month of April as Sexual Assault Awareness Month. Teal ribbons are worn to raise awareness in support of the cause.

Other Sexual Assault Awareness Month resources can be found at

• www.nsvrc.org/publications
• http://nsvrc.org/saam/resources

For more information on Sexual Violence and Sexual Harassment, please visit UC ANR's Discrimination and Sexual Violence Prevention website at http://ucanr.edu/sites/DiscriminationSexual_Violence.

If you have questions, please contact John I. Sims at jsims@ucanr.edu or David White at dewhite@ucanr.edu.

 

 

 

Annual staff performance review launched March 1

The annual performance review season for all ANR staff employees has begun. Performance reviews are an opportunity for staff and supervisors to step back from the day-to-day tasks to review past accomplishments and set clear goals for the future. People are at the core of ANR, and to be successful, people need to know how they're doing and how they can improve. It's also an opportunity to celebrate accomplishments and think about how we can develop professionally.

The process starts with each staff member preparing a Summary of Accomplishments. While writing their summaries, staff are encouraged to identify potential trainings and development opportunities to share with your supervisor in the performance discussion.

The Summary of Accomplishments form and other performance management resources are available on the ANR Human Resources website http://ucanr.edu/sites/ANRSPU/Supervisor_Resources/Performance_Management.

This year ANR is transitioning to a new performance review cycle. The 2016-17 review cycle runs from July 1, 2016 –March 31, 2017. Going forward, all ANR staff employees, represented and non-represented, will follow an April 1 – March 31 performance review cycle. SX-represented employees at our Research and Extension Centers have historically followed a calendar year cycle. These employees will transition to the new cycle as well, starting in April 2017.  

Following is a recommended timeline for the performance review process. May 12 is a hard deadline for ANR Human Resources to receive preliminary performance ratings for all staff. (ANR employees based at the Office of the President should refer to the OP process and timeline.)

If you have any questions regarding the appraisal process, please contact John Fox, Human Resources executive director, at jsafox@ucanr.edu or Mary Roberts at maroberts@ucanr.edu.

TIMELINE

March 1- March 15	Each employee prepares a Summary of Accomplishment (SOA) for the supervisor.
March 15-April 30	Supervisor reviews SOA with employee and drafts a Performance Appraisal, including proposed overall rating.
May 1-11	Supervisor reviews draft Performance Appraisal with second-level supervisor for approval.
May 12	Preliminary ratings and draft appraisals for those rated “Exceptional”, “Partially Meets” and “Does Not Meet” are due to HR. The second level supervisor must sign-off on the proposed overall rating before submitting.
May 15-June 9	Calibration review. HR communicates review results to supervisors by June 9.
June 12-July 31	Supervisors meet with employee to discuss and finalize performance appraisals.
All written performance appraisals are due to Human Resources by July 31, 2017.

 

 

 

UC launches People Management Series and Certificate Program

UC ANR Human Resources is preparing to launch the 2017 UC Systemwide People Management Series and Certificate Program. The program is for all people managers who want to build on their baseline supervisory skills. The course list includes 10 core and four electives covering performance management, managing people, administrative & operations, change management and communications. The courses are available online through our Learning Management System.

You can complete the certification program either as part of a facilitated group or an individual, self-directed basis. The group approach will include monthly peer networking calls facilitated by Human Resources.

In addition to receiving a certificate of completion, successful participants will be eligible to attend the UC Systemwide People Management Conference to be held in the summer of 2018. The conference brings together leaders from across the UC system to collaborate, learn about current topics, share best practices and continue their learning on relevant leadership topics.

If you are interested in participating, please complete the following brief survey by Feb. 10 so we can send you program details and logistics: https://ucanr.edu/survey/survey.cfm?surveynumber=19877.

If you have any questions in the interim, please contact Jodi Azulai at jlazulai@ucanr.edu or Mary Roberts at maroberts@ucanr.edu.

See additional information and an introduction video at http://ucnet.universityofcalifornia.edu/working-at-uc/your-career/talent-management/people-management-series-and-certificate/index.html.

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