WRS Contribution Rates for 2021 to Remain Stable

The Department of Employee Trust Funds (ETF) recently announced the Wisconsin Retirement System (WRS) employee and employer contribution rates effective January 1, 2021. WRS rates are evaluated and adjusted annually.

Positive investment returns in 2019 were offset by the effect of salary and demographic experience resulting in no change in rates for the general, executive, and elected category. There will be a small increase in rates for the protective categories.

Contribution increase and decrease fluctuations are considered normal for retirement systems like the WRS that pre-fund retirement benefits.

UW System employee contribution rates are determined by employment category. Most UW System 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.

WRS Contribution Rates
Employee Category General, Teacher and Executive Protectives with Social Security
Year 2020 2021 2020 2021
Employer Contribution 6.75% 6.75% 11.75% 11.65%
Employee Contribution 6.75% 6.75% 6.75% 6.75%
Total Contribution 13.5% 13.5% 18.5% 18.4%

The 2021 rates will apply to all paychecks paid in 2021; beginning January 4, 2021 for Faculty/Academic Staff and Limited Appointees paid monthly, and January 14, 2021 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

Teaching, Learning, and Technology Consultant

This position reports to the Director of the Center for Advancement of Teaching and Learning (CATL) and plays a key role in the University’s efforts to develop and support teaching and learning across modalities. This person works with faculty and staff and provides instructional design support, software and technology instruction, and educational development programming. As a member of CATL, this person will also support the operation of teaching and learning tools and equity-minded, evidence-based instructional methods. Responsibilities include, but are not limited to, working with instructors and instructional designers to develop courses, projects, activities, and assignments; supporting UW-Green Bay and UW System initiatives and campus education technology efforts; and supporting the learning management system (LMS) and other tools.

For further information and position responsibilities, please see the full position announcement.

To ensure consideration, please apply by Friday, August 14, 2020.

 

Cabinet Liaison for Internal Affairs

This position reports to the Chancellor and serves as primary support for internal initiatives on campus. This position acts as a senior advisor to the Chancellor and serves as a liaison between the Chancellor’s office, Cabinet, and various internal constituencies. In addition to supporting the activities of the Chancellor and Cabinet, the Cabinet Liaison for Internal Affairs will attend meetings on campus with faculty and staff on behalf of the Chancellor and/or the Cabinet. This position is expected to understand the strategic goals of the university and work with the entire cabinet to advance initiatives.

For further information and position responsibilities, please see the full position announcement.

To ensure consideration, please apply by Wednesday, August 5, 2020.

Marketing and Graphics Design Specialist

The Marketing and Graphic Design Specialist is responsible for providing marketing and graphic design services for the Division of Student Affairs and Campus Climate.  Responsibilities include supervising the Union Graphic Design, Marketing & Promotions student teams.  This position provides guidance to the design efforts of the University Union, Student Life, and Residence Life graphic designers for quality, consistency, copy, and adherence to the style guide requirements of the University.  This position serves as the design lead for major Student Affairs projects across all mediums including web, print, and social media.  Additionally, the Marketing and Graphic Design Specialist will assist Division personnel on marketing research to support effective connection and communication of information and promotional efforts that engage the campus community. This position reports to the Manager of Union Services with additional oversight from University Marketing and Communications. This position will work to create a safe and inclusive environment for all UW Green Bay students where all feel a sense of place and pride.

For further information and position responsibilities, please see the full position announcement.

To ensure consideration, please apply by Tuesday, August 4, 2020.

Multicultural Admissions Counselor

The Multicultural Admissions Counselor implements a comprehensive recruitment plan designed to enrich the campus community by attracting and enrolling a diverse student body, with special focus on the recruitment of underrepresented minority students including African American, American Indian, Asian, Latinx, and Somali students. Recruit students and provide support for prospects as they progress through the admissions process. Advise on academic planning, programs, requirements, and campus resources. Coordinate and attend recruitment events to increase brand awareness and to build a diverse recruitment pipeline. Assist in identifying, communicating, and implementing vital recruitment strategies targeting diverse populations, in an effort to enhance and grow the University’s student body. Recruit and serve within the local community, while creating and implementing outreach programs targeted toward all students of color. Work to enhance UW-Green Bay’s multicultural recruitment efforts and create an environment that acknowledges, encourages, and celebrates those with diverse identities, beliefs and cultural backgrounds.

For further information and position responsibilities, please see the full position announcement.

To ensure consideration, please apply by Sunday, August 2, 2020.

Electronic Health Assessment Requirement – Supervisor Information

Beginning Monday, July 20th, all employees (including student employees) who are scheduled to be working on campus are required to complete an online health assessment prior to arriving to campus each day. This electronic health assessment will replace any similar processes currently being performed within individual departments.

Please see below for additional details for supervisors related to this requirement:

    • This assessment may be completed on a desktop or mobile device. For best user experience, please use Chrome, IE, Edge, or Safari. Firefox is not recommended. Remember also to turn off pop-up blockers on your browsers.
    • The time performing the self-assessment is considered de minimus (insignificant) time and therefore is unpaid in accordance with FLSA.
    • Employees must complete this assessment each day that they are scheduled to be on campus.
      • For example: If a department is rotating staff on campus and an employee is scheduled to be on campus on Mondays and Thursdays (and working remotely the other three days), they must complete the assessment each Monday and Thursday prior to arriving on campus. They are not required to complete the assessment the other three days of the workweek because they are not scheduled to work on campus.
    • Should the employee not have access to technology needed to complete the assessment, supervisors may allow reporting via telephone.
      • Supervisors should provide to these employees a printed version of the Employee Screening Questionnaire – Telephone Reporting.
      • Supervisors will communicate to the employee an acceptable way to contact the supervisor via phone prior to the start of their scheduled workday.
      • Supervisors should keep a record of which employees have called in to acknowledge the assessment each day. This record can be maintained within the department and does not need to be shared unless requested.
    • If an employee answered “yes” to any of the assessment questions, they should mark the checkbox, submit the form, and communicate with their supervisor via email or phone.
      • If you hear from an employee that they would respond “yes” to any of the questions, please instruct the employee to remain at home.
      • Employees are not required to disclose to their supervisor the reason that they are unable to be present on campus.
      • The supervisor is not required to report any “yes” answers further, as there is not a suspected case at this point. We only know that the employee could not answer “no” to all the questions.
      • If their assigned duties permit it, employees may discuss with their supervisor the ability to work remotely during the time they are unable to work on campus. The ability to work remotely is at the discretion of the supervisor.
      • If sufficient work is unavailable, employees will need to account for any time off through sick, vacation/ personal holiday or if available COVID-19 leave.
      • The self-assessment will need to be completed for each day of scheduled work, even if notice has been given that the condition which prevents presence on campus is on-going.
    • Please see the How To: Employee Screening Questionnaire document for instructions on completing the online health assessment as well as viewing names of those employees you supervise who have completed their assessments each day.
    • HR will not be providing a list of employees completing assessments to supervisors, as supervisors will have access to that information through BP Logix.

For more supervisor information, please see the supplementary Assessment Tool – Supervisor Guidance Document.

If you have technical questions, problems logging in or getting access to the form, please contact help desk at (920) 465-2309 or helpdesk@uwgb.edu.

Questions or concerns regarding the form content or process, please contact Human Resources at (920) 465-2390 or hr@uwgb.edu.

More information on UW-Green Bay’s efforts to ensure a responsible opening of campus can be found in the Phoenix Forward: Return to Workplace Plan and Employee Workplace Expectations for July 1, 2020 – August 31, 2020.

 

Electronic Health Assessment Requirement

Beginning Monday, July 20th, all employees who are scheduled to be working on campus are required to complete an online health assessment prior to arriving to campus each day. This electronic health assessment will replace any similar processes currently being performed within individual departments.

Please see below for additional details related to this requirement:

    • This form may be completed on a desktop or mobile device. For best user experience, please use Chrome, IE, Edge, or Safari. Firefox is not recommended. Remember also to turn off pop-up blockers on your browsers.
    • The time performing the self-assessment is considered de minimus (insignificant) time and therefore is unpaid in accordance with FLSA.
    • Should the employee not have access to technology in order to access the assessment, supervisors may allow reporting via telephone. If an employee will need to utilize a telephone reporting process, they should communicate with their supervisor for details on that process.
    • Employees must complete this assessment each day that they are scheduled to be on campus.
      • For example: If a department is rotating staff on campus and an employee is scheduled to be on campus on Mondays and Thursdays (and working remotely the other three days), they must complete the assessment each Monday and Thursday prior to arriving on campus. They are not required to complete the assessment the other three days of the workweek because they are not scheduled to work on campus.
    • If an employee answers “no” to all the questions, they should mark the checkbox, click “submit”, and they are done.
    • If an employee answered “yes” to any of the questions, they should mark the checkbox, submit the form, and communicate with their supervisor in a fashion consistent with their office policy for absence notification.
      • Employees are not required to disclose to their supervisor the reason that they are unable to be present on campus.
      • If their assigned duties permit it, employees may discuss with their supervisor the ability to work remotely during the time they are unable to work on campus.
      • If sufficient work is unavailable, employees will need to account for any time off through sick, vacation/ personal holiday or, if available, COVID-19 leave.
      • The self-assessment will need to be completed for each day of scheduled work, even if notice has been given that the condition which prevents presence on campus is on-going.
    • Please see the How To: Employee Screening Questionnaire document for instructions on completing the online health assessment.

If you have technical questions, problems logging in or getting access to the form, please contact help desk at (920) 465-2309 or helpdesk@uwgb.edu.

Questions or concerns regarding the form content or process, please contact Human Resources at (920) 465-2390 or hr@uwgb.edu.

More information on UW-Green Bay’s efforts to ensure a responsible opening of campus can be found in the Phoenix Forward: Return to Workplace Plan and Employee Workplace Expectations for July 1, 2020 – August 31, 2020.

Refinding Your Work Groove After Sheltering in Place

For many people, the COVID-19 pandemic created a whole new work reality. During shelter-in-place orders, you may have been working from home—or maybe you were unable to work at all.

Either way, when it’s time to restart your work life—heading into the office again, rejoining your old job, starting a new gig—the transition may feel a bit odd. Going from sweatpants (or no pants) to work attire is tough enough. But then you throw in the new routines, the different environments, and the overall newness of everything and, whew, this sounds tough.

Here are tips for smoothing your transition back to work and refinding your day-to-day groove.

Act Like You’re Starting a Brand-New Job—Even If You Aren’t

Hey, a little extra effort never hurt anybody at work.

If you’re starting a new job, congratulations! If you’re returning to an already-held job, you’re getting reacquainted with your office, your coworkers, your bosses, etc. In any case, use it as an opportunity to establish yourself.

  • Respect the workplace environment. Every place of business has a unique dynamic and culture—and it may be different after the pandemic. Read the room so you can determine how to put your best foot forward.
  • Set boundaries. Even though you want to impress, it’s important to maintain a work-life balance and avoid burnout.
  • Be inquisitive. Asking questions is important: It’s how you learn. If you seek guidance from people around you, you’ll gain a lot of knowledge.

Relearn How to Focus

Your environment at work is likely different from what you had at home. Get back in the swing with these tips:

  • Prioritize your day. A to-do list can be your best friend when you’re looking to maintain focus.
  • Limit distractions. Set aside time without gadgets or interruptions.
  • Take breaks. Stopping and going for a quick walk can help recharge your mind.

Re-Establish Good Workplace Habits

Getting to a specific place on time. Packing a healthy lunch. Putting on pants. These are all habits you haven’t employed in a while. But that doesn’t mean they’re lost.

Reacquire and re-solidify these actions by:

  • Identifying your goals. Figure out the behaviors you want to change, or those you want to start, like showing up on time.
  • Making a plan of action. Set small, reasonable goals so you don’t dive in all at once. (Start setting your alarm earlier by increments, for example.)
  • Being patient. You may not fall back into these habits right away. Be nice to yourself and allow for hiccups.

We’re all coming back into the workplace together, so if you’re feeling a little uneasy, you’re part of a big club. You can find a groove again—just give it time.

Source: The StayWell Company, LLC

Manager of Special Events & Annual Giving

This position reports to the Vice Chancellor for University Advancement and President of the UW-Green Bay Foundation and is responsible for planning, organizing, and implementing university and donor events and an annual giving program that help advance the University of Wisconsin-Green Bay and its mission of teaching, research, and public service.

For further information and position responsibilities, please see the full position announcement.

To ensure consideration, please apply by Sunday, August 9, 2020.