Category: General

The start of the new year is just around the corner and with it brings the kickoff to the annual performance evaluation process for University Staff, Non-Instructional Academic Staff and Limited employees. With the approval from Cabinet this past spring, all non-instructional evaluations have shifted to one review period (Calendar Year).

A new performance review form was drafted in an effort to align current form(s) with implemented changes post Title & Total Compensation, ensure adherence to SYS 1254, Performance Management and UW-Green Bay Compensation and Pay Plan Policy and assist in streamlining the business process. Over the last month, the Office of Human Resources and Workforce Diversity circulated the proposed draft of the Performance Review template engaging with Shared Governance and Leadership to gather feedback. The below information outlines the process moving forward with this year’s performance review:

• • • All University Staff (Non-Exempt & Exempt) should utilize the new Performance Review Form for the review period of January 1, 2022 – December 31, 2022.

• • • All Non-Instructional Academic Staff and Limited Employees (contingent upon agreement between the employee and supervisor) may elect to utilize the new Performance Review Form or the Non-Exempt Evaluation Narrative Form for the review period of July 1, 2021 – December 31, 2022.

To help facilitate these changes, the Office of Human Resources will be offering several trainings both specific to supervisors and employees. At these sessions, we will briefly highlight why changes to the form were necessary, an overview of the new forms (including update to electronic process), and in-depth discussion on filling out the form. These sessions will be held in person, with a Teams option for those that would prefer to attend virtually. Please see below for specific dates and times:

Supervisor Training was held on Wednesday, January 11th and Tuesday, January 17th. A recording of the training along with the presentation can be viewed here.

Employee Training / Open Lab Sessions

• • Wednesday, January 25, from 10:00 – 11:00am in GAC Lab A (1129A) For Teams link click here
  • Tuesday, January 31, from 11:00 – 12:00pm in GAC Lab A (1129A) For Teams link click here (REVISED DATE)
  • Wednesday, February 15, from 2:30 – 3:30pm in GAC Lab A (1129A) For Teams link click here

No need to RSVP, just mark your calendar to attend utilizing the links above! We will also be recording a session, which will be available on the HR Connect blog.

With inclement weather in the forecast for later this week, we wanted to take the opportunity to remind the University community about the Inclement Weather / Emergency Conditions Policy. The Chancellor has the authority to cancel classes, close all or part of the institution to the public, or completely close all or part of an institution to the public and employees based on emergency or unsafe conditions caused by weather.

Consistent with SYS 1235: Inclement Weather/Emergency Conditions, when the institution is not closed, employees are expected to report to work unless paid leave or other working arrangement is approved by the employee’s supervisor. Employees are expected to notify their supervisors if they cannot report to work or will report late.

In the event of an institutional closure, most employees will be directed not to work. Employees at work when the institution is closed will be given the option of remaining at work or leaving their worksite, operational needs permitting. This applies to all employees except essential employees whose continued presence is required to maintain critical operations.

Contingent upon approval from their supervisor, employees have three options if they are unable to make it to work due to inclement weather (including during an institutional closure):

• • Utilize available paid leave, including vacation, accrued compensatory time, available holidays, or leave without pay to cover the absence.
  • Make up the missed time by working extra hours on other days within the same week. Supervisors may require the employee to make up lost time during the same workweek of the absence if required for the operation of the work unit.
  • Alternative work arrangements (i.e. remote work, flexible work schedule) may be acceptable based upon the employee’s job functions.

The University policy recognizes that driving conditions can vary across the region, and employees should use their own judgment about whether they can safely travel to campus.

Last year, JCOER approved a 2021-2023 pay plan for UW System employees, which provides a base rate increase to all eligible employees of 2% in FY22 and 2% in FY23. During the months of October and November, the Office of Human Resources took measures to prepare for the second 2% pay plan increase for eligible employees, which will be effective on January 1, 2023.

Most FY 2023 pay plan notifications for eligible employees were sent by UW System on the morning of Wednesday, December 14, 2022. Those notices were sent via email from UWSystemHR@uwss.wisconsin.edu. Notices for ineligible employees or employees with unique circumstances (i.e. current temporary base rate adjustment) will be sent by the UW-Green Bay HR Office by the end of the day on Friday, December 16, 2022. Employees with a start date of October 1, 2022 or later are ineligible based upon their start date (pursuant to the UW-Green Bay Compensation and Pay Plan Policy), and will not receive a notice related to pay plan.

If you have any questions related to pay plan or received notices, please contact us at hr@uwgb.edu or (920) 465-2390.

In early 2023, UW-Green Bay will be facilitating a faculty & staff climate and engagement survey.  UW-System coordinated a climate survey for students in 2021, but a concurrent faculty and staff survey was ultimately postponed due to COVID.

We appreciate your participation in taking the upcoming survey and encouraging peers to complete the survey as well. With that in mind, please see below for some frequently asked questions regarding the 2023 Faculty & Staff Climate and Engagement Survey:

Why should I complete the climate and engagement survey?

It is important to make your voice heard so that the institution can better understand the faculty and staff experience. Assessing campus climate and employee engagement is critically important to support strategic planning, faculty & staff recruitment/retention, and professional development activities. By capturing faculty and staff perceptions of diversity and campus climate issues (among other topics), we can better understand employee needs and what we can do to improve the experiences of all employees here at UW-Green Bay.

When will the survey be distributed?

The climate and engagement survey will be distributed starting on January 31, 2023 and collection of survey responses will continue through March 9, 2023.

What survey instrument will be used?

The determination has been made to utilize the Higher Education Research Institute at UCLA (or HERI) surveys for faculty and staff. While a couple of other survey options were considered, the HERI survey was chosen because it is so commonly used (allowing us to utilize comparison groups), the questions asked especially in the faculty survey go well-beyond climate (i.e. pedagogical practices, research & service, faculty experience, etc.), and UW-Green Bay has utilized the HERI survey multiple times in the past so we have consistency in historical reporting.

Will all employees be invited to participate?

All active, professional employees at the time of distribution with an appointment of at least one semester will be invited to participate. Student employees and graduate assistants will not be a part of this survey since those populations were invited to participate in the 2021 student climate survey.

Will all employees get the same survey?

There is a separate survey for faculty and for staff. Employee whose responsibilities are primarily instructional (tenured/tenure-track faculty, instructional academic staff in teaching professor titles, and temporary/part-time lecturers) will be invited to complete the faculty survey. Those whose primary responsibilities are non-instructional will be invited to complete the staff survey.

How will I get the link to the survey?

The actual request to participate with the link to the survey and reminders during the collection period will be sent from HERI directly from the following email addresses: 

• • Faculty Survey: HERIFacultySurvey@DataRecognitionCorp.com 
  • Staff Survey: heri@vainc.net  

About a week prior to the January 31^st distribution date, all employees will receive a communication from HR which will prepare them for the information they can expect to receive from HERI.

How long will the survey take to complete?

In their administration materials, HERI has communicated that if all questions are answered, the survey will take approximately 25-30 minutes to complete.

Can I complete the survey on paid work time?

Yes, the survey can be taken on work time, and supervisors are encouraged to work with employees to set aside time for survey completion.

Are any of the questions required?

Every question on the survey is optional, so you can refrain from answering anything that may make you feel uncomfortable.

Are my responses confidential?

The HERI survey is confidential. You will not be asked identifying information including name or address. HERI will request your email address for potential follow-up surveys, however if you answer “no” your email address is not retained. Even if answering “yes”, your email address will not be linked to your survey results in any form. In the HERI-provided sharable reports, any item with fewer than five respondents will be suppressed in order to protect confidentiality. For more information about HERI confidentiality, please see https://ucla.box.com/v/FAC-Confidentiality-Privacy

How will response data be handled by UW-Green Bay?

The Senior HR/AA Officer will receive a data file of responses, however the data will not be attached to email addresses and may only be used for statistical analysis and reporting of aggregate information, not for the investigation into specific individuals. Before receiving the data, the Senior HR/AA Officer will certify compliance with HERI’s confidentiality agreement, which states that nobody at the institution will use the data to investigate any individual responses. The Senior HR/AA Officer will generate any requested reports in aggregate so as not to inadvertently disclose the identity of respondents, and data will be stored in the secure, restricted HR drive.

When will the results be published?

We expect that HERI reports will be released in the late summer of 2023. For information about HERI’s data reporting, please see https://ucla.box.com/v/FAC-Data-and-Reporting.

What happens after we get the climate study results?

In order for a climate and engagement survey to be meaningful, there must be recognition of the results and recommendations for action as warranted. Both leadership and the work group are committed to continuing the survey process into the fall to include a period of time in which recommendations for action based upon survey results can be considered.

Who should I contact if I have questions?

You are welcome to contact anyone on the climate and engagement survey work group. Members include:

• • Melissa Nash (HR)
  • Stacie Christian (University Inclusivity & Student Affairs)
  • Courtney Sherman (Academic Affairs)
  • Kristin Bouchard (Marketing & University Communications)
  • Devin Bickner (Resch School of Engineering, UC Chair)
  • Georjeanna Wilson-Doenges (Psychology, Faculty Representative)
  • Kate Farley (Library, Academic Staff Representative)
  • Kim Mezger (Academic Affairs, University Staff Representative)

 

 

The Public Service Loan Forgiveness program can help employees pay off their student loans.  This program forgives the remaining balance on qualified federal loans after borrowers have made 120 qualifying monthly payments under a qualifying repayment plan while working full-time for a qualifying employer, such as the University of Wisconsin System.  Further information can be found at the Department of Education website at https://studentaid.gov/manage-loans/forgiveness-cancellation/public-service.

There are a number of federal income-based repayment plans. Whether the Public Service Loan Forgiveness program is right for an individual can vary.  A student loan borrower needs to work for a public service qualifying employer to qualify the loan forgiveness benefit.

The Department of Education recommends that if you would like to qualify for this program now or in the future, you would complete the Employment Certification form (https://studentaid.gov/sites/default/files/public-service-application-for-forgiveness.pdf) as soon as possible. You would complete sections 1 and 2 of this form, as well as the Public Service Loan Forgiveness cover sheet (https://uwservice.wisconsin.edu/docs/publications/voe-uws-pslf-request.pdf), and fax or mail (don’t email due to the confidential information on the form) the forms to UW-Shared Services (fax number and address is listed on the cover sheet). This website from UW-Shared Services offers detailed instructions: https://uwservice.wisconsin.edu/loan-forgiveness.

The Department of Education website also has instructions for submitting applications digitally (using the PSLF Help Tool): https://studentaid.gov/pslf/

Last year, JCOER approved a 2021-2023 pay plan for UW System employees, which provides a base rate increase to all eligible employees of 2% in FY22 and 2% in FY23. At this time, the Office of Human Resources is taking measures to prepare for the second 2% pay plan increase for eligible employees, which will be effective on January 1, 2023.

During the next month, we will be determining which employees are eligible for pay plan under the UW-Green Bay Compensation and Pay Plan Policy. Eligible employees for the proposed FY 2022 pay plan include faculty, academic staff, limited, university staff, and university staff project appointments in ongoing positions with a budgeted FTE of 50% or greater. Pursuant to the UW-Green Bay Compensation and Pay Plan Policy, SYS 1278: UW System Pay Plan Distribution Framework, and other publicized guidelines, the following list represents employees who would be ineligible for pay plan:

1. 1. Employees paid from provisional, non-budgeted salary lines, including all temporary appointments and positions less than 50% FTE.
   2. Employees represented by a collective bargaining agreement (CBA). Respective pay increases for pay plan will be negotiated separately through the CBA.
   3. Employees currently under a performance improvement plan (PIP).
   4. Employees with performance which does not merit eligibility for pay plan, per their most recent performance evaluation.
   5. Ongoing employees with three-months of service or less as of the effective date of pay plan (those with a start date after 9/30/2022).
   6. Faculty, Academic Staff, and Limited employees without a current Outside Activities Report (OAR) on file
   7. Employees who have not completed required campus compliance trainings. Required trainings include:
      1. 1. Sexual Harassment (Title IX) (Required every three years)
         2. Information Security Awareness (Required annually)
         3. Mandated Reporter (One-time training required at time of hire)
         4. Injury and Illness Prevention (EDU) (One-time training required at time of hire)
         5. FERPA Basics (One-time training required at time of hire)
         6. Tools for an Ethical Workplace (One-time training required at time of hire)
         7. Campus Security Authority Training (required annually for employees designated as Campus Security Authority (CSA) only)
   8. Supervisors who do not have completed, up to date evaluations on file and OAR forms approved for all of their direct reports. The performance evaluation periods to assess for FY23 pay plan are as follows:
      1. 1. University Staff: 1/1/2021 – 12/31/2021 (and probationary evaluations as applicable)
         2. Non-Instructional Academic Staff / Limited:  7/1/2020 – 6/30/2021 (and 6-month evaluations as applicable) – please note that we are using last year’s evaluation due to the AS/LI evaluation calendar change
         3. Faculty / Instructional Academic Staff: 2020-2021 Academic Year (these annual evaluations were due in early spring, 2022)

In order to be eligible for the proposed pay plan, required trainings, OAR forms, and performance evaluations must be complete by November 30, 2022.

During October and November, the HR Office will be sending reminders to employees any missing training and/or performance evaluation requirements. You will only receive emails from our office if you are missing something. Please make sure to be looking out for these emails over the next month. Our timeline of communications is outlined below:

Week of October 17th	Initial Communications Blog post announcing Pay Plan Information for FY2023 and inclusion in HR Connect newsletter. Direct email from UWGB HR to employees who need to complete trainings, evaluations, or OAR forms prior to November 30, 2022 Tracking spreadsheets sent to Dean/Division Leaders
Week of November 7th	Reminder Communications Direct email from UWGB HR to employees who still need to complete trainings, evaluations, or OAR forms prior to November 30, 2022 Updated tracking spreadsheets sent to Dean/Division Leaders
November 28th	Final Reminder Communications Final direct email from UWGB HR to employees who still need to complete trainings, evaluations, or OAR forms prior to November 30, 2022 Updated tracking spreadsheets sent to Dean/Division Leaders
November 30th	Deadline for completion of trainings and return of evaluations and OAR forms
Late December/Early January	UW Shared Services will send out notices to employees communicating their individual pay plan increase.

If you have questions about the FY 2023 pay plan, please feel free to contact Human Resources at hr@uwgb.edu or (920) 465-2390.