News for Employees
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Town Halls for Employees Moving from Monthly to Biweekly Pay Schedule
As previously announced, all UW System employees who are paid monthly—including UW–Madison employees—will be moved to a biweekly pay schedule beginning in July. A virtual Town Hall will be hosted by UW System on Wednesday, March 3, noon–1 p.m., to provide information about the upcoming change. Time will be included for questions and answers. The event will be repeated on May 4, 13, and 17, and it will be recorded for viewing later on demand. Advance registration is not required. Frequently asked questions, financial resources, and contact information for employees who need assistance can be found at hr.wisc.edu/pay/single-payroll.
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Language Assistance Available to UW–Madison Employees
As UW–Madison responds to the ongoing health crisis, the need to communicate with employees in their native languages has become increasingly important. A new multilingual website is available at covidresponse.wisc.edu/translations to provide important information about the campus response to COVID-19 in English, Spanish, Hmong, Tibetan, Chinese and Nepali. In addition, language assistance is available on request at all COVID-19 testing sites on campus. Employees are also encouraged to sign up for a WhatsApp Group to receive key campus information sent directly to their smartphone or mobile device. Instructions to install and join the Whats App Groups are available at hr.wisc.edu/cls/whatsapp.
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Reminder to Observe Public Health Measures
UW–Madison leadership is urging all members of the campus community to continue to take steps to prevent the spread of COVID-19. If you test positive, please isolate immediately and follow all public health guidelines. If you are identified as a close contact, please protect the rest of the community by following quarantine instructions. Everyone should observe the following precautions: wear a face covering when outside your household; continue regular COVID-19 testing; limit trips out; practice physical distancing; and wash hands frequently. Employees may wish to review the UW–Madison COVID-19 Workplace Safety Policy. Updated information continues to be posted at covidresponse.wisc.edu.
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Free Group Fitness Classes Include Virtual Options
UW–Madison Recreation & Wellbeing (Rec Well) offers group fitness classes that are open to faculty and staff. For the week of March 1–7, Rec Well is partnering with American Family Insurance to offer free group fitness classes (no pass required). Virtual classes are offered via Zoom. Visit recwell.wisc.edu/groupfitness for a list of classes and information on how to register. Registration opens 48 hours in advance.
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COVID-19 Vaccination Updates Available Online
University Health Services is vaccinating eligible members of the campus community under Wisconsin’s COVID-19 vaccination program. The university is committed to distributing no-cost vaccines to the UW–Madison community equitably, safely and effectively. Those who are eligible for the vaccine separate from their work or education on campus will be vaccinated through Public Health Madison and Dane County. Individuals in the Phase 1b eligibility group who are aged 65 or over may also be able to receive the vaccine through a health care provider. All individuals are encouraged to seek the vaccine as they become eligible, though the vaccine is not currently mandatory and vaccine supply remains limited. Information about vaccine eligibility and other resources can be found at uhs.wisc.edu/medical/covid19vaccine.
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Well Wisconsin Program Has New Website
The Well Wisconsin Program administrator (StayWell) has merged with WebMD Health Services. To participate in the Well Wisconsin Program, you need to create an account on the new WebMD ONE website at webmdhealth.com/wellwisconsin. You should also download the Wellness At Your Side mobile app through the App Store or on Google Play (code: SOWI).The Well Wisconsin Program remains the same in 2021. To earn the $150 wellness incentive, you need to complete a health assessment, a health check and one well-being activity by October 8, 2021. The WebMD ONE website and Wellness At Your Side mobile app are where you will track your progress toward earning the $150 well-being incentive. If you are enrolled in the State Group Health Insurance Program, you are eligible for the Well Wisconsin Program.
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Improvements Coming to Shop@UW, Direct Payments, and Payments to Individuals
UW–Madison employees who currently use Shop@UW, submit purchase requisitions, or submit requests for payments will soon have new tools to support their work. In mid-April, all related transactions will run through a new cloud-based platform, ShopUW+. Users will be able to see the status of orders and payment requests; work more efficiently with electronic approvals; and easily access supporting documentation. Training will be provided in April. Learn more about ShopUW+ on the Procure-to-Pay (P2P) Automation project website and the video library on YouTube.
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Changes to WiscVPN Effective February 21
The servers that authenticate the WiscVPN service will be getting an upgrade at the end of February. The change will allow Multi-factor Authentication (MFA) to be enabled at a later date. The change, set to take place Sunday, Feb. 21 at 7 a.m., does not require any action on the part of current users and should not cause any interruption in service. WiscVPN users who currently request static IP addresses should also not see any interruption in service. However, the current Static IP assignment website will be disabled on Feb. 19 to allow time to implement the change. After Feb. 21, the website for requesting or releasing a static IP address will move to the URL https://access.services.wisc.edu/IPaddress.
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Answers to Your Questions about Campus COVID-19 Response
Effective today, students and employees must have a negative COVID-19 test result in order to enter a building on the main campus. The Badger Badge screen on your Safer Badgers app will need to show a green checkmark (access granted). UW–Madison has a website at covidresponse.wisc.edu that includes answers to many common questions about COVID-19 testing and safety measures. If you still have questions, contact covidresponse@vc.wisc.edu.
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Reminder of Deadlines to Use Personal Holiday and Vacation Carryover
UW–Madison leadership would like to encourage employees to tend to their well-being by taking the time off they have earned. Employees are also reminded of the upcoming deadlines to use personal holiday hours or vacation carryover. Faculty, Academic Staff, and Limited Appointees with 12-month (annual basis) appointments must use all carried-over vacation and personal holiday hours by June 30, the end of the fiscal year. For University Staff, all carried-over vacation and all personal holiday hours must be used by December 31, the end of the calendar year. Any vacation carryover or personal holiday hours remaining after these respective deadlines will be lost. 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.