A beneficiary is someone you designate to receive benefits that are payable upon your death. Naming beneficiaries ensures that your assets are distributed according to your wishes. You may change your beneficiary designations at any time. It is important to review your beneficiary designations regularly, especially when you have experienced a life event such as birth or adoption of a child, marriage, or divorce. To change a beneficiary designation, complete a beneficiary form for each plan in which you are enrolled. Forms can be found on the UW System employee benefits website. Keep a copy of each beneficiary form for your records.

Employees can use their NetIDs to access the UW–Madison enterprise accounts for several free collaboration tools, such as Google Drive, Box, and OneDrive. These tools can help faculty and staff work efficiently with other campus users. Some of the benefits of using the UW–Madison accounts include protection of intellectual property, authentication of collaborators using their wisc.edu emails, and unlimited storage for your files and documents for Google and Box (OneDrive has a one-terabyte limit). DoIT offers a comparison of features for these different collaboration tools on their website, as well as free support for users from the DoIT Help Desk.

UW–Madison has introduced a new online tool, YOU@WISC, that can help employees manage stress, set goals, and promote happiness and well-being. Although much of the content is geared to students, YOU@WISC offers helpful content for anyone who is seeking advice, inspiration and support. Resources include assessments, articles, videos and more on a number of wellness topics. The online tool is available to anyone with a NetID.

Several units within UW–Extension (Cooperative Extension, Conference Centers, and Wisconsin Public Broadcasting) are merging with UW–Madison as part of a larger restructuring of the UW System. Returning these institutions to the UW–Madison campus—where Cooperative Extension and public broadcasting were once based—is expected to strengthen existing partnerships and develop new collaborations that will serve all 72 counties in Wisconsin. The campus has established a steering committee and several working groups to ensure a smooth integration of these units. A website has been established to provide updates on their work and the status of the transition.