News for Employees
-
Benefits enrollment period ends at 4:30 p.m. Friday
The Annual Benefits Enrollment period, your opportunity to review your benefits coverage and make choices for the 2017 plan year, is nearing its end. Employees must enroll or make changes by 4:30 p.m., Friday, Nov. 11. Enroll through the eBenefits online tool. Changes are effective January 1, 2017. You may be eligible to change coverage for health, dental, vision and life insurance, as well as Flexible Spending Accounts and Health Savings Accounts. FSAs, HSAs and Opt-Out Incentive plans require a new enrollment each year to continue participation. Review the benefit checklist. You can log into the MyUW portal to review your current benefit enrollments under the ‘View Benefits Summary Detail’ tab. The Annual Benefits Enrollment website will show changes in plans and coverage for 2017.
-
Be sure to plan vacation time as year nears end
As the end of the year nears, winter holidays are when many employees are thinking about taking a long, well-deserved break. Several upcoming holidays are falling on weekends so be sure to consult the legal holiday list to ensure you are getting approval for and are using floating holidays available to you within the given time frame.
-
FLSA changes to affect some employees' status
Approximately 3,000 campus employees will be affected when the Fair Labor Standards Act salary threshold is raised to $47,476 annually on Dec. 1. Some employees will see changes in their pay or FTE status, but most will experience a change in their FLSA exemption status, meaning they will move from salaried to hourly. Those who manage an employee who will be moving from FLSA exempt (salaried) to non-exempt (hourly) on Dec. 1, are encouraged to attend a forum being held on Nov. 3 and Nov. 18.
-
UW policy on voting during working hours
With the presidential election coming up on Nov. 8, questions have arisen about the policy for voting during working hours. Employees eligible to vote who find it impossible to vote during non-working hours will be allowed reasonable time off, without loss of pay, to vote. If this happens, employees should coordinate with their supervisor, to ensure that their absence from the workplace can be accommodated.
-
Instructors sought for Wisconsin Experience Seminar
The Center for the First-Year Experience is seeking qualified, passionate instructors to teach the Wisconsin Experience Seminar (Counseling Psychology 125) in fall 2017.
The course is a 1-credit, extended-orientation, first-year seminar designed to help new students (freshmen and transfers) make a successful transition to academic and student life. Instructors co-teach the class with an undergraduate teaching fellow, participate in a community of practice to enhance their teaching skills, and are compensated for their time and effort. To apply, please complete this application form with a cover letter, resume, and supervisor permission by Jan. 20, 2017. -
Child care grants are available
The Office of Child Care and Family Resources is accepting grant applications from university staff employees to assist with the cost of child care. Private UW Foundation funds have been earmarked for employees on the lower end of the pay spectrum. This program helps make high-quality child care more accessible, which benefits the child, the employee and the employer. For more information, contact Teri Stratton at teri.stratton@wisc.edu or (608) 890-0436.
-
Bus ticket sales move to Union Box Office
On Nov. 3, the Wisconsin Union will move Van Galder Bus ticket sales from the Essentials Store to the Wisconsin Union Theater Box Office. Located on the first floor of the Memorial Union, the Box Office is open Monday-Friday from 11:30 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. The Box Office is not open regularly on weekends, so be sure to plan your trips accordingly.
-
Langdon Street to be closed for repaving
Langdon Street will be closed in both directions between Park Street and Lake Street for repaving starting at 9 a.m. on Monday, Oct. 31. The street is scheduled reopen at 6 a.m. on Monday, Nov. 7. This repaving work is part of the ongoing renovation of the Memorial Union. Three bus routes will be affected. For more information about road closures on campus, consult the Campus Road Closures map.
-
Register now for 2016 UW Diversity Forum
To include UW-Madison second and third shift employees, this year’s forum will have an extended format with the opening at 8 a.m., Tuesday, Nov. 1, and the last session of the day at 11 p.m.
The final session will focus on the fundamental values, traditions, and expectations of the UW Madison campus community. This experience will provide access to campus culture, and aims to make our campus more inclusive, especially of second and third shift employees and English language learners. This session will promote the ideas of living together as a campus community.
For a full schedule and to register, visit diversity.wisc.edu/forums/ or call (608) 265-5228.
-
A more predictable Academic Calendar
The Faculty Senate has approved revisions to the Academic Calendar for academic years 2017 through 2021, including more predictable, even-length semesters of 69 days of instruction over 15 weeks. The summary period will also be shortened by one day and no exams will be held on the day of commencement. View the calendar at secfac.wisc.edu/academic-calendar.htm.