General – Page 29 – HR Connect

Tortilla Pizzas

Did you know that your kids are more likely to gain weight during the summer than while they’re in school?

Help your kids maintain a healthy weight this summer by keeping them active and trying some new low-calorie, kid-friendly recipes. This one provides 1 cup of healthy vegetables per serving!

Ingredients

12 small corn or flour tortillas
Vegetable oil
1 16-oz. can refried beans
1/4 cup chopped onion
2 oz. canned green chili peppers, diced (optional)
6 tbsp. red taco sauce
3 cups chopped vegetables, such as broccoli, mushrooms, spinach, and bell peppers
1/2 cup shredded part-skim mozzarella cheese

Directions

Brush 1 side of each of 2 tortillas with water. Press the wet sides of the tortillas together to form a thick crust for the pizza. Brush the outside of the tortillas with a small amount of vegetable oil. Evenly brown both sides in a heated frying pan. Repeat with the rest of the tortillas. Set aside.

Heat refried beans, chopped onion, and half of the diced chili peppers together in a medium saucepan, stirring occasionally. Remove from heat.

Spread about 1/3 cup of the bean mixture on each tortilla pizza. Sprinkle with 1 tablespoon taco sauce, then top with 1/2 cup chopped vegetables, 1 teaspoon of diced chili peppers if desired, and 1 tablespoon of shredded cheese for each pizza.

Return to frying pan and heat until cheese melts. Serve immediately.

Makes 6 servings

Each serving contains 270 calories, 7 g fat, 5 mg cholesterol, 370 mg sodium, and 42 g carbohydrates.

Recipe from the StayWell Company, LLC.

Relationship Between Sleep and Weight

The amount of sleep you get each night may be hampering your ability to lose weight. A number of studies have found a strong connection between lack of sleep and increased weight gain. Unfortunately, people who carry excess weight are already at a higher risk for sleep problems—creating a destructive cycle of weight gain. Studies show that getting less than 7 hours at night can affect weight gain. And the greater the sleep deficit, the higher the chance of weight problems.

If you’re not getting 7 to 9 hours of sleep a night, it’s time to take action. Don’t make your weight loss goals more difficult thr sleep and weight ough lack of sleep. If you have trouble sleeping, try out one of these tactics today.

Establish a sleep-wake cycle by going to bed and waking up at the same time each day, even on weekends.
Increase exercise levels during the day, but refrain from physical activity at least 3 hours before bedtime.
If you nap, keep it to less than 1 hour, and don’t nap after 3 p.m.
Stay away from caffeine, alcohol, and nicotine for 6 to 8 hours before sleep.
Create a relaxing bedtime routine. Take a warm bath, read for 30 minutes, or listen to soft music.

If these tips don’t help get your sleep back on track—or if you still feel sleepy during the day despite a full night’s rest—call your healthcare provider. You may have a sleep disorder.

Article from the StayWell Company, LLC

WRS Contribution Rates to Increase in 2020

The Department of Employee Trust Funds (ETF) recently announced that the Wisconsin Retirement System (WRS) employee and employer contribution rates will increase slightly effective January 1, 2020. WRS rates are evaluated and adjusted annually.

The slight increase is due to lower than expected Core Trust Fund investment performance and economic assumption changes that were approved by the ETF Board in December, 2018.

Contribution increase and decrease fluctuations are considered normal for retirement systems like the WRS that pre-fund retirement benefits. For example, WRS contribution rates in 2019 were lowered due to favorable investment performance.

UW System employee contribution rates are determined by employment category. Most UW employees are in the General/Teacher/Executive category. Employees with law enforcement or public protection duties (police officers, fire fighters) are in the Protective category.

The 2020 contribution rates will apply to all paychecks paid in 2020; beginning with the January 2, 2020 paycheck for Faculty, Academic Staff and Limited Appointees paid monthly, and the January 2, 2020 paycheck for University staff paid bi-weekly. As a reminder, WRS contributions are taken on a pre-tax basis for state and federal tax purposes.

For more information, visit the WRS webpage on the UW System Employee Benefits website.

Source: UW System Human Resources

Submit Fiscal Year 2018-19 Leave Reports by September 2019

Faculty, Academic Staff and Limited appointees who have an active leave-eligible appointment are required to submit a leave report each month, whether or not leave is used. This is a reminder that all Leave Reports for fiscal year July 1, 2018 through June 30, 2019 must be submitted by September 2019.

Failure to submit all leave reports for the 2018-19 fiscal year by September 2019 will result in a reduction of employee sick leave hours. Even one unsubmitted leave report may reduce an employee’s sick leave balance. To review this policy:

University of Wisconsin System UPS Operational Policy: BN 3, Sick Leave (section 4.G.(3) and (7)

Leave reports may be submitted electronically via the MyUW portal. Paper leave reports may also be submitted. Visit the Time and Absence Help Pages for assistance with reporting leave.

If you have questions, please contact payrollandbenefits@uwgb.edu or (920) 465-2390.

Source: UW Service Center

Title & Total Compensation Project Update – July 2019

The University of Wisconsin (UW) is embarking on a complete redesign of its current classification and compensation structure. The goal of the Title & Total Compensation Project will be to develop new systems that will enable institutions to continue to attract and retain the best talent.

For Title & Total Compensation Project background information related to job titles, job descriptions, compensation, and benefits, please see this handout.

Managers and Division Leaders – would you like a poster for your area about Title & Total Compensation Project? Please print off this poster and showcase within your department!

Recent UW System Updates:

Titles and Job Descriptions

Review of the draft titles and standard job descriptions is complete! The job titles and standard job descriptions will remain in draft form until after employee-manager conversations this winter 2019-2020.
The next step is job mapping. Work on job mapping will wrap up during the fall of 2019.
Job mapping will lead to a process of discussions where employees will review their updated job title and standard job description with managers during winter 2019-2020.

While job titles and job descriptions may change, employees will not lose their jobs, employees will not need to reapply for their jobs, and the work done by employees will not change.

Benefits

UW partnered with Mercer Consulting to compare UW benefits to what other employers with similar workforces are offering.
A summary of the benefits analysis preliminary findings will be available to employees in the fall of 2019.
Based on the Mercer benefits analysis and stakeholder input, the project team will recommend a benefits strategy to enhance UW benefits offerings and help keep UW competitive within the market.

Changes to current benefits offerings are out of scope of this project and subject to Board of Regents and legislature reviews and approvals.

Compensation

This project creates the foundation for a market informed UW compensation structure for leadership to identify compensation issues and advocate for employees, but does not directly address compensation issues.
Employee pay will not be cut. Employee pay will also not be increased as a part of this project. Any increases in pay are out of scope of this project and would need to be funded and planned over time by leadership.

In the Queue:

Summary of Results for the Employee Benefits Preferences Survey & Benefits Value Analysis, estimated completion: September 2019 (Q3)
Proposed Titles and Standard Job Descriptions Posted Online, estimated completion: December 2019 (Q3)
Titles and Standard Job Descriptions Implementation, estimated completion: March 2020 (Q1)

For up-to-date information about the Title & Total Compensation Project, please see the UW System Title & Total Compensation Project website. Answers to frequently asked questions can be found on the UW System FAQ page.

UW-Green Bay Updates:

Open Forums will take place in August. Please see this blog post for more information about open forums.
UW-Green Bay HR has started conversations with University Staff and Academic Staff governance groups related to a potential appeals process for title determinations.
UW-Green Bay has an institutional T&TC project team, whose goal is to engage with subject matter experts and stakeholders. Feedback and information about T&TC flows to and from the project team. A listing of members of the UW-Green Bay institutional T&TC project team can be found here.

Integration of UPS Policies into UW System Administrative Policy Series

The University Personnel Systems (UPS) policies have been successfully integrated into the UW System Administrative (SYS) policy framework .What was previously UPS policies has become the 1200 series in the SYS policy set. The goal of the reorganization was to make all system wide policies more accessible by housing them in one place. This process resulted in no substantive changes to the policies, and the UPS/1200 policies will continue to apply to all UW Institutions. The 1200 series is now live. Between July 2019 and July 2020, the links to the UPS policies will redirect to the new 1200 series. The Office of Human Resources and Workforce Diversity will continue working to ensure all UPS policy references are updated prior to the July 2020 expiration date.

Please contact Human Resources at hr@uwgb.edu or ext. 2390 if you have any questions.

Southwestern Spaghetti Squash and Turkey Meatballs

Ingredients

4 cups spaghetti squash, cooked using whatever method you prefer; if your squash is large, you’ll have more than you need for this recipe
1/2 lb. ground breast-meat turkey
1 tbsp. minced onion
1 tbsp. dried parsley
1 tbsp. dried basil
2 tbsp. breadcrumbs
1 large egg, lightly beaten
1 tbsp. olive oil
2 14.5-oz. cans petite cut diced tomatoes with jalapenos
2 oz. Monterey jack cheese
1/4 cup fresh cilantro

Directions

Mix turkey with minced onion, parsley, basil, and breadcrumbs. Mix in egg. Form into 12 meatballs—each about a rounded tablespoon.

Heat oil in a skillet. Brown meatballs evenly, about 5 minutes total. Pour tomatoes over meatballs and heat for about 5 minutes. Meatballs will be cooked through and tomatoes heated.

To serve: Put about 1 cup of squash on each plate and top with meatballs and sauce. Sprinkle with Monterey jack cheese and cilantro.

Makes 4 servings

Each serving contains about 297 calories, 14 g fat (5 g saturated fat, no trans fat, 110 mg cholesterol), 990 mg sodium, 24 g carbohydrate, 4 g dietary fiber, 10 g sugars, and 18 g protein.

Recipe from the StayWell Company, LLC.

Consider Dusting and Vacuuming Your Bedroom Today

Yes, today’s challenge qualifies as a chore, but it’s one that may help you sleep better at night. Break out the duster and vacuum cleaner and tackle your bedroom today. You’ll be fending off dust mites, which can cause itchyeyes, nasal congestion, and coughing that make it tough to get restful sleep. Dust mites love finding a home in your carpet, and they’re equally comfy in fabric headboards and curtains. So take some time to clear your bedroom air. If allergies are a real problem for you, consider hardwood floors and washable curtains or roller shades. And declutter your room as much as possible—it’ll make dusting less of a chore. Sara-Slade-Glam-Bedroom-Decorating-Ideas

Article from the StayWell Company, LLC

On-campus and community service work study job fair

The Office of Financial Aid and Student Employment and the Office of Human Resources and Workforce Diversity are hosting a job fair for on-campus employers and community service work study partners. The event will be held Wednesday, October 9 from 11:00am-1:00pm in the Phoenix Rooms. Employers may advertise current openings, recruit for future positions, or simply connect with students who are seeking jobs. On-campus supervisors should have received an email with a link to register through Handshake. If you did not receive a link and would like to participate, please contact Allen Voelker (Student Employment and Scholarship Coordinator) at voelkera@uwgb.edu or 920/465-2556.