In a continued effort to better support UW-Green Bay faculty and staff, align with the institution’s mission and strategic initiatives, and streamline processes, the Office of Human Resources and Workforce Diversity will be transitioning benefits administration functions to UW System on April 10, 2023. UW System has been leading this move to a centralized, shared-services benefits support model over the past couple of years. It follows the centralization of payroll support, which UW-Green Bay transitioned in November, 2021.
UW-Green Bay will join a number of other UW institutions who are already utilizing the UW System Benefits Counseling Team, including UW-Oshkosh, UW-Parkside, UW-Whitewater, UW-Platteville, UW-Stevens Point, and UW-Superior. The UW System Benefits Counseling team is comprised of benefits specialists who have deep and broad subject matter expertise on the benefits offered by the UW System.
This benefits support change aligns with recent efforts undertaken by the UW-Green Bay Office of Human Resources and Workforce Diversity to transition away from primarily transactional activities, and towards becoming a true strategic partner with employees, managers and leadership at UW-Green Bay. Centralization of payroll/benefits and the upcoming implementation of Workday will allow our office to become more future-focused, holistically supporting employees and managers throughout the career lifecycle and contributing more fully in the areas of business analytics, employee engagement, and organizational strategy.
What does the change in benefits support mean for employees?
- General Questions and Support: Employees needing benefit-related information or counseling will work directly with a team of benefit counselors at UW System. Employees will experience little to no change in service as this team is trained in the full array of benefit options offered to UW System employees and can offer individualized support while considering each employee’s unique situation.
- Retirement Counseling: Employees considering retirement, or those who are ready to finalize the details of their retirement, will be able to meet virtually with the benefit counselors to receive guidance through the retirement process.
- Benefit Orientations: Newly hired employees, or those transitioning into benefits-eligible positions, will be contacted directly by the benefit counseling team and offered information on enrollment deadlines and benefit packages available. They will be encouraged to attend a virtual bi-weekly benefits orientation session. One-on-one appointments are also available.
- Open Enrollment: The benefits counseling team will lead open enrollment activity at our university with virtual informational sessions while still offering the ability to meet with employees to answer questions and review options.
How do employees get benefits support when they need it?
The Benefits Counseling Team uses a ticketing system to track and respond to all inquiries. Employees can contact the team by either sending an e-mail to benefits@uwss.wisconsin.edu or leaving a message at (888) 298-0141. This contact information will also be housed on our UW-Green Bay benefits website. Employees will begin utilizing this contact starting April 10, 2023.
What will be the role of the UW-Green Bay Office of Human Resources for benefits functions going forward?
- FMLA & ADA: The UW-Green Bay HR team will remain responsible for administration of all Family and Medical Leave Programs and accommodation requests. Employees can contact hr@uwgb.edu if they need assistance or have questions about FMLA and/or ADA.
- Employee Well-being: The UW-Green Bay HR team will continue to work with the Wellness Committee to lead all well-being related activities and programs for our employees.
- UW-Green Bay HR Systems & Rewards Team: The team will maintain responsibility for all activity within HRS and related systems, play a key role in the Workday transition, and serve as a liaison to UW System Payroll & Benefits teams. In addition, this team will provide additional strategic data analysis, forecasting for decision-making, and digital transformation of HR-related business processes.
While our office will move away from providing benefits services, we are excited about the opportunities this transition will provide to better serve as a strategic partner with the campus community. If you aren’t sure who to reach out to, or have any questions or concerns about this transition, please feel free to contact us at hr@uwgb.edu or (920) 465-2390.