News for Employees
-
Plans for Fall Announced
On June 24, Chancellor Blank provided an update on how UW–Madison plans to operate during the fall semester, citing the high COVID vaccination rate in Dane County and on campus as encouraging progress. Plans for fall include a transition to in-person work, relaxed masking and distancing requirements, and a new app to track COVID testing and vaccination. Links to resources for employees and supervisors are also provided. To find the latest updates, please continue to monitor covidresponse.wisc.edu.
-
Employees Encouraged to Plan Now for the Transition to Biweekly Pay
As a result of the transition from monthly to biweekly pay for all UW System employees, UW–Madison employees who are paid over 12 months (i.e., have a 12-month appointment) are receiving their last full monthly paycheck on June 30. These employees will receive their next paycheck on July 30 for the first 17 days of work in July (July 1–17), and will receive pay for the remaining days of July (July 18–31) on August 12. The August 12 paycheck will be the first biweekly paycheck; after that, biweekly paychecks will continue to be issued every other Thursday. Employees are advised to prepare for this transition and have a plan to cover bills and expenses in early August. Eligible employees who may experience financial hardship due to this transition can apply for a no-interest Payroll Transition Employee Loan.
To understand how this transition will work, employees are encouraged to review the resources available at hr.wisc.edu/single-payroll. These include a transition timeline for 12-month appointments, a Paycheck Estimator, and a recorded presentation with questions and answers that provides specific examples of how paychecks will be affected by the change to a biweekly pay schedule. Employees who are paid over nine months have a different transition timeline.
-
New Process for Reporting No Leave Taken
Faculty, Academic Staff, and Limited Appointees will now use a new process to report No Leave Taken in MyUW. As a reminder, No Leave Taken is reported when no leave (such as vacation, personal holiday, and sick leave) was requested in a given calendar month. The new process allows for one-click reporting and provides employees with a complete view of the status of prior months’ submissions. The No Leave Taken reporting function can be found in MyUW by launching the “Time and Absence” app. Click on “No Leave Taken Reporting” to submit a report. A tipsheet with instructions on how to enter No Leave Taken is also provided. Nine-month employees with a summer appointment will continue to report summer leave on the Summer Appt Leave Reporting page.
-
Road Closures and Detours
Campus construction projects will affect commuting routes for motorists, pedestrians, and bicyclists throughout the summer. To view the most up-to-date information, visit the Transportation Services website at transportation.wisc.edu.
-
Working at UW on Holiday Break
Working at UW will be taking a one-week break next week. The next issue will be published on July 14.
-
Preparing for Biweekly Pay: Consider Changing Contributions and Withholdings
In July 2021, all UW System employees who are paid monthly—including UW–Madison employees—will be moved to a biweekly pay schedule. Most benefits deductions, including deductions for health, dental, vision and life insurance, will be split evenly across two pay periods each month. In months when there are three pay periods, benefits deductions will not be taken from the third pay period. These adjustments will be made automatically.
Deductions for direct deposit into multiple accounts, contributions, or withholdings will be taken from all 26 biweekly paychecks per year. These include the UW Tax-Sheltered Annuity (TSA) 403(b) Program, Wisconsin Deferred Compensation (WDC) 457 Program, Wisconsin Retirement System (WRS) additional contributions, additional tax withholding, direct deposits into multiple accounts, and payroll contributions to an Edvest section 529 college savings account. If you currently have any of these set up as flat dollar amounts, you will want to adjust the amount that is deducted under the new biweekly payroll schedule so that you do not end up with more money deducted than you intended. To review the actions you may wish to take, please see the checklist for UW–Madison employees. This and many other resources to help with the transition to biweekly pay are available at hr.wisc.edu/single-payroll.
-
Reminder: Review Leave Balances and Schedule Time Off as Fiscal Year Ends
As announced in March 2021, Faculty, Academic Staff, and Limited Appointees with 12-month appointments have until Oct. 9, 2021, to use their current carried-over vacation hours. Personal holiday hours and any unused floating holiday time must still be used by the June 30, 2021, deadline. When the new fiscal year begins on July 1, 2021, any vacation time earned in the July 2020–June 2021 fiscal year will be added to an employee’s total carryover balance. These “new” carryover hours must be used by June 30, 2022, per the existing UW–Madison leave policies for paid vacation and personal and legal holidays. Employees are encouraged to check their leave balances on or before June 30 and make note of any carryover vacation time that must be used by Oct. 9, 2021. University Staff must use their vacation carryover and personal holiday hours by Dec. 31, 2021. Leave balances can be found under “Time and Absence” in MyUW. Employees who wish to verify their leave balances and the corresponding deadlines should contact the human resources department in their school, college, or division.
-
First Round of Parking Applications Closes June 25
The first parking permit application deadline for parking year 2021–22 (Sept. 1, 2021–Aug. 31, 2022) is June 25. Parking offers for those who applied between May 17 and June 25 will be emailed the week of July 19, with a purchase deadline of August 3. Other rounds of applications will open later this summer (mid-July and August) for individuals who miss the first application deadline. If you get an offer, you can decide at that time if you want to purchase the permit. Find details at transportation.wisc.edu.
-
New Resources Prepare Employees for Reuniting Campus
In late summer, many UW–Madison employees who have been working remotely will be returning to onsite work, joining those who have been working on campus throughout the pandemic. Hybrid work environments, in which some team members work remotely while others work onsite, will also become more common. Learning and Talent Development has assembled a number of resources designed to help employees adapt to the evolving workplace, navigate change, communicate effectively, and focus on wellness. Employees can choose to participate in virtual courses or learn at their own pace using toolkits and additional resources. Content specifically designed for supervisors is also included. All resources are available to UW-Madison employees at no cost. Learn more at hr.wisc.edu/reuniting-campus.
-
More Accessible Cybersecurity Awareness Training Now in Canvas
All UW–Madison faculty and staff are required to complete Cybersecurity Awareness Training. Alternative versions of the mandatory training are now available in Canvas. This training is accessible to all users, including those with disabilities, and is available in English, Spanish, Hmong, Tibetan, Chinese, and Nepali. Individuals using the text-based Canvas option will have until July 16, 2021, to complete their training. The deadline for those using the highly visual and interactive training delivered through the Drip7 platform remains June 30, 2021. For details, visit the Cybersecurity Awareness Training page at it.wisc.edu/it-projects/cybersecurity-awareness-training. If you have questions, please contact the DoIT Help Desk at 608-264-4357 or cybersecurityawareness@cio.wisc.edu.