April 2005 InfoGator

InfoGator Archives

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New InfoGator for Department Administrators coming in May

Beginning next month, many of you will notice a significant change in the InfoGator. The "your Department" section, which covers topics of interest for department administrators, will be e-mailed to those with the following myUFL systems security roles:

UF_BN_Department Leavekeeper
UF_HR Department Hiring
UF_HR Manager/Dept Admin
UF_HR Level 1 Approver
UF_KA_Department Admin (distribution)
UF_PY Department Admin
UF_PY College Approver
UF_TL Payroll Processor.

Department administrators will receive the regular edition of the InfoGator as well as the InfoGator for Department Administrators; whereas all other employees will receive the regular edition of the InfoGator with articles pertaining to their employment, pay, development, and benefits.

The Division of Human Resources anticipates this change will make the InfoGator more "reader-friendly" by matching content topics with employees. If you have any questions or concerns about the InfoGator for Department Administrators please e-mail Ryan Ray at the Division of Human Resources.

Fiscal year-end instruction guide now available

Guidelines are now available on the HR web site for department administrators to help prepare for the end of the fiscal year. These guidelines describe some of the Human Resources and Payroll processes that University of Florida department administrators must manage in conjunction with the end of the fiscal year.

yourDevelopment

Open enrollment for adoption benefits begins in April
Open enrollment for the adoption benefits program is now underway and will continue through May 31. Academic Personnel, TEAMS, and USPS employees who have adopted a child on or after October 1, 2000, can apply if permanent custody of the child has been awarded by the Department of Children and Family Services or a Florida-licensed child placement agency.

Open enrollment for long-term care is here!
Open enrollment for long-term care insurance will be held from April 4 to 30 for all eligible employees with a FTE of .50 or greater. During the month of April, current participants may enhance their coverage, and new participants may enroll without going through a medical screening for the guaranteed benefits amount.

Review your earnings statement online to check benefit deductions
UF employees are encouraged to carefully review the benefits deductions portion of their earnings statement over the next few months. New hires should monitor their statements to ensure that deductions begin on the pay period indicated during their group benefits enrollment session. If deductions do not begin as scheduled, please contact University Benefits and Retirement as soon as possible to make up any missed premiums.

One-time term life insurance premium increase this month
Employees who participated in the UF term life insurance open enrollment in March should see premium changes/increases with the April 15 paycheck.

UF-sponsored insurance deductions cease during summer
Academic Personnel and staff participating in UF-sponsored insurance plans will notice a temporary increase in take-home pay in the summer because of the lack of insurance deductions for some UF-sponsored plans. Based on your appointment status, your deduction cycle for these university-sponsored plans will vary.

Reimbursement account claim forms due by April 15
If you established a medical or dependent care reimbursement account for 2004, the deadline to submit claims to the Division of State Group Insurance (DSGI) is April 15, 2005.

Offer for Silver Springs/Wild Waters annual passes extended through April
UF employees are eligible to purchase an annual Super Pass for Silver Springs and Wild Waters for $21.30, and family members may purchase passes for $38.33 each.

Third annual Higher Education Opportunity drawing held
The third annual Higher Education Opportunity (HEO) drawing ceremony was held on March 14 and resulted in 50 eligible applicants being selected to receive the HEO benefit.

The HEO provides in-state tuition assistance for 50 children of TEAMS employees. For each child, the benefit can cover up to 132 credit hours over a six-year period at the University of Florida or a public community college (in the event that the child is not admitted to UF).

This year, 103 applications were submitted to receive the HEO benefit. After verifying the eligibility of all the HEO applicants and ensuring that each child had applied for admission to the University of Florida, 95 applicants were eligible to be included in the drawing.

Chief Linda Stump of the University Police Department officiated in drawing the 50 names.

This year’s ceremony was attended by Paula Fussell, associate vice president of Finance and Administration, and Larry T. Ellis, director of Human Resources.

The eligible TEAMS employees have been notified by e-mail of the results of the drawing.

If you would like more information about the HEO, please visit the Employee Training section of HR's web site or call Training and Development at 392-4626 (SC 622-4626).

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Printer-friendly link added to "View Paycheck" in myUFL systems
Employees can now more easily print their earnings statements from the myUFL systems. To print your earnings statement, log onto the portal and click on My Self Service > Payroll and Compensation > View Paycheck.

myUFL systems now calculate overtime pay and pay additives
Starting May 6, the myUFL systems will automatically calculate overtime payment when non-exempt employees are also eligible to receive certain pay additives (shift differential, on-call, or asbestos abatement) in the same pay period.

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Planning a summer retreat or need a professional meeting facilitator?
Whether you simply need a session facilitated or would like help planning a retreat, Training and Development provides a range of services to meet your needs.

Register May 19 for summer training
Summer is a great time to attend training as a way to brush up existing skills or learn new ones. Registration for Training and Development's summer schedule of ongoing workshops, including those offered as part of the Computer Challenge and Supervisory Challenge, will be available online May 19.

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Staff survey deadline is April 15
As you may know, President Machen commissioned a staff survey--similar to last year’s faculty survey--to gauge the campus climate for TEAMS and USPS employees.

Excellence recognized at Superior Accomplishment Awards ceremony

More than 300 employees gathered at the J. Wayne Reitz Union's Grand Ballroom on March 30 for the 2005 Superior Accomplishment Awards ceremony.

UF employees receive Davis Productivity Awards' highest honors
Several University of Florida employees recently learned they will receive Davis Productivity Awards this June.

Online USPS and TEAMS Employee Handbook updated to reflect myUFL systems requirements
The online USPS and TEAMS Employee Handbook has been updated effective April 1, 2005, to reflect the changes in procedures required as a result of UF’s implementation of the myUFL systems.

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Hired new staff recently?
Department supervisors and personnel administrators play a key role in getting new employees on the right track. When hiring new staff, supervisors and administrators should make sure information pertaining to benefits enrollments are communicated timely, new hire data is processed correctly, and other reminders don’t get lost in the hectic transition to the department.

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Workflow for position actions
Departments may be unable to initiate workflow for position actions. Position actions may include establishing a new position or changing classifications, department IDs, or FTE.

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Some changes to W-4s may be made online
To change your W-4 information via UF's portal, follow this navigation: My Self Service > Payroll and Compensation > W-4 Tax Information.

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Minimum wage increases May 2
To comply with Florida’s minimum wage increase, effective May 2,all employees--including OPS, Student Assistant, and Federal Work Study Students--must be paid at least $6.15 an hour.

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UF 9- and 10-month employees to be placed automatically on “Short Work Breaks”
University of Florida 9- and 10-month employees (graduate assistants, Academic Personnel, TEAMS, USPS) will be placed on “Short Work Breaks” for the summer semester automatically this year.

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