News for Employees
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Registration open for the 2025 IT Professionals Conference
Registration is now open for the 2025 UW–Madison IT Professionals Conference scheduled for May 29 and 30. Attendees may choose the hybrid option — featuring in-person sessions, food, and beverages at the Pyle Center on May 29 and virtual sessions on May 30 — or may choose to attend both days of the conference on Zoom. This year’s event will feature more than 25 sessions on a wide range of topics and a keynote by UW–Madison Chief Information Office Lois Brooks. Hybrid registration closes May 14. Virtual registration (link coming soon) will remain open throughout the conference.
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New email sending limits to start May 12
Beginning May 12, faculty, staff, students, and affiliates who use UW–Madison Microsoft 365 accounts will be subject to new default sending limits. The goal is to reduce the number of spam and phishing messages sent to the university community, without preventing legitimate campus communication. All employees are encouraged to learn more and determine whether they are impacted by this change. Service accounts will be exempt from sending limits in the initial rollout.
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Applications for 2025–26 parking permits open April 23; rate and program updates
Transportation Services will begin accepting applications for base lot, Flex, Accessible, park and ride, remote lot, and business alternate parking permits. The deadline for early consideration is May 23, with additional deadlines through the summer. Eligible applicants will be considered automatically for the reduced cost parking program. Parking rates will not increase; some program updates apply. Employee bus pass renewals and other parking options will be available starting Aug. 1. Visit transportation.wisc.edu for more information.
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Reminder of June 30 deadline to use specific earned leave
UW–Madison employees are reminded to make plans to use paid leave that will expire on June 30, 2025. Faculty, Academic Staff, and Limited Appointees with 12-month (annual basis) appointments must use personal holiday hours, earned legal holiday hours, and vacation carryover by the upcoming deadline of June 30, 2025, the end of the fiscal year.
As previously announced, beginning January 1, 2025, University Staff now receive paid leave on a new leave schedule that starts on July 1 and ends on June 30. During the transition period of Jan. 1 to June 30, 2025, University Staff must use personal holiday and legal holiday hours by June 30, 2025. University Staff will have until June 30, 2026, to use vacation carryover. Details are available on the University Staff Leave Schedule Change website at go.wisc.edu/rb4ebg.
Leave remaining after these deadlines will be lost. All UW–Madison employees who are eligible to bank leave may do so. Leave balances can be found under “Time and Absence” in MyUW. Employees with questions should contact the human resources department in their school, college, or division.
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Workday in-person employee training series to begin in July
UW–Madison is offering a three-part in-person training series between July 21–August 8 to help employees learn how to use Workday on a computer and smartphone. The training series is designed for employees who do not use a computer in their work. Sessions will be held for daytime, second, and third shifts and will be available in English, Spanish, Hmong, Tibetan, Chinese, and Nepali. Employees can register by contacting their supervisor or local HR representative. All Universities of Wisconsin faculty and staff will use Workday for employee self-service tasks. Online Workday training begins May 6 for supervisors and employees who use a computer at work.
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Limited virtual Strategic Visioning Community Conversations available
Employees who have not yet joined a Strategic Visioning Community Conversation can sign up for limited virtual sessions, now available on a first-come, first-served basis. The sessions are this week and next week. Employees should register now to secure their spot. It’s also not too late to register for an in-person session. Community Conversations provide a chance to discuss and provide feedback on initial concepts developed by the Strategic Visioning Committee for the university’s next strategic framework. A Visioning Committee member will present the concepts and facilitate a discussion around key questions.
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WRS Annual Statement of Benefits now available
If you were covered by the Wisconsin Retirement System (WRS) in 2024, your WRS Annual Statement of Benefits is now available. The statement includes your 2024 earnings, retirement benefit projections, primary beneficiary designation(s) for your WRS account, and more. To view your statement, go to MyUW at my.wisc.edu and launch the Benefit Information module (“View benefits”). Then click on the “WRS Statements of Benefits” tab to find the 2024 statement. For help understanding your statement, visit etf.wi.gov/retirement/wrs-retirement-benefit/my-statement-benefits. If you have questions, please contact your human resources office.
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2025 Administrative Improvement Awards recipients announced
This year, seven teams received Administrative Improvement Awards. These awards highlight dedication to administrative excellence and honor exceptional work in service delivery, process improvement, efficiency, cost savings, and operational excellence.
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Open house offers a preview of Workday
All UW–Madison employees are invited to get a hands-on preview of Workday at an open house tomorrow, Thursday, April 17, 10 a.m.–4 p.m. in the Industry Room (third floor) at Union South. The open house offers a self-guided preview of Workday features such as the home page, pay slips, tax elections, time and absence functions, and more. The event will be held in conjunction with Showcase 2025, but registration for Showcase is not required.
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Medication take-back events on campus next week
Unused, unwanted, or expired medications can be dropped off at upcoming medication take-back events on campus. University Health Services (UHS) and UWPD will host two events this spring at Dejope Hall on April 23 from 11 a.m.–2 p.m. and Gordon Dining & Event Center on April 24 from 4–6 p.m. These events are open to all UW–Madison faculty, staff, students, and visitors. Both prescription and over-the-counter medications are accepted. Responsible disposal of medications protects the environment and helps keep friends, family, and pets safe. UHS also offers information on safe medication storage and disposal.