Join us for a real Snooze Fest

Take a moment to dream a little.

Of a life that lets you be the best possible you. You wake up energized each morning. You are using your many talents. You are accomplishing new things. You feel good about yourself, your health and your future.

Our program is designed to help make that dream a reality, and we are throwing a snooze fest to get you on your way! After all, while hard work is important in meeting your future goals—so is the time you spend snuggled under a blanket. Quality sleep is a must for recharging your mind and body. Virtually all of us could benefit from more of it.

Introducing the Sleep Challenge

  • Get seven hours of sleep on 21 nights during the month of July.
  • Learn how to make sleep a priority so you can get more of it.
  • Fulfill the well-being activity portion of your Well Wisconsin incentive*.

Is the Sleep Challenge for you?

Do any of these statements sound like you?

  • I sleep a lot, but I always feel tired anyway.
  • I’m a total insomniac. I’ve tried to sleep better but I can’t.
  • I may not sleep as much as I’d like, but I’m doing OK most days.
  • I sleep pretty well already. I’m not sure I need more.
  • I’m so busy keeping up with my family that I barely have time to sleep.

If you said Yes, then this competition is for you!

» Access the Sleep Challenge

*The Well Wisconsin incentive program is a voluntary program available to employees, retirees and spouses enrolled in the State of Wisconsin Group Health Insurance Program, excluding Medicare Advantage participants who have incentives available through their health plan. The Well Wisconsin incentive will automatically be issued to eligible participants upon completing the applicable activities. All wellness incentives paid to participants are considered taxable income to the group health plan subscriber and are reported to their employer, who will issue a W2. In some cases, the Wisconsin Retirement System acts as the employer. Retirees, continuants and their spouses will have some taxes withheld from the incentive amount earned.

465245      Copyright © 2020 The StayWell Company, LLC. StayWell is a registered trademark of The StayWell Company, LLC.

2020-2021 Academic Staff Contract Letters

Per Wis. Stat. Chapter UWS 10, Academic Staff appointments are fixed-term, probationary, or indefinite.  The University of Wisconsin-Green Bay has a contract scheme, according to the Employee Handbook, that allows for various length appointments based upon years in position.

Contract letters were sent today (June 25th) to Academic Staff employees with contracts expiring this year. Employees currently on rolling horizon contracts  receive a letter each year, as the contract dates are extended yearly. Employees in a multi-year fixed-term appointment whose contracts are not expiring this year will not receive an appointment renewal letter until the end of their current contract period.

Appointment changes (i.e. Title, FTE, or Salary Change, etc.) that occur within a given contract term will be communicated separately by HR upon implementation.

As a reminder, no additional rolling horizon contracts will be issued. Therefore, employees moving from a three-year rolling horizon to a five-year term in the 15th year of service will move to a five-year fixed-term contract.

Should you have any questions about details contained within the letter or about the contract process, please contact Human Resources.

Workforce-Wide Intermittent Furlough Time Entry Approval for Supervisors

As determined by Chancellor Alexander, commencing July 1, 2020 and continuing through December 31, 2020, UWGB will implement workforce-wide furloughs for all ongoing employees for the purpose of reducing overall institutional expenses in anticipation of reduced program revenue and loss of state funding.

On Friday, June 19th, employees received an email from Human Resources with designation of their individual number of furlough days. As indicated within the notice, employees will be required to record their intermittent furlough dates via their My UW Portal.

Additional instructions for furlough entry based on employee classification:

For supervisors of University Staff and Academic Staff Hourly (Employees paid on a Bi-weekly basis):

      • Instructions: https://uwservice.wisconsin.edu/docs/covid19/Furlough_timesheet%20entry_biweekly.pdf
      • Items to note:
        • Employee will enter designated date of intermittent furlough on their timesheet utilizing the FURLH code.
        • Employee will report any hours worked or leave taken on timesheet as normal on days not designated as intermittent furlough.
        • The process to approve employees submitted furlough timesheet entry is the same as the current process for approving all submitted hours.

For supervisors of Non-Instructional Academic Staff and Limited (Employees paid on a Monthly basis):

      • Instructions: https://uwservice.wisconsin.edu/docs/publications/mss-payable-time-approvals.pdf
      • Items to note:
        • Employees will need to complete a bi-weekly timesheet for the week they are on intermittent furlough
        • The biweekly timesheet entry has different deadlines than monthly leave reporting (biweekly timesheet entry deadlines: https://uwservice.wisconsin.edu/docs/covid19/timesheet_entry_deadline_2020.pdf), so employees may need to enter their intermittent furlough day before the end of the month. Supervisors should also be approving these hours in accordance with this schedule.
        • If the employee missed the deadline for entering hours on their timesheet, you can enter and submit the hours on their timesheet for them (instructions: https://uwservice.wisconsin.edu/docs/publications/mss-access_ee_timesheet.pdf).
        • Employees will still need to enter their monthly leave report as usual for the month. A “no leave taken report” should still be entered if only furlough days were taken within the month.
        • Employees will only need to enter hours on the timesheet for the week that they have the furlough day – not both weeks (example below).
        • If the employee’s appointment is less than full-time, the hours entered per day on the timesheet should match the FTE.  For example, if the FTE is 75%, 6 hours would be entered for each day that week in the quantity field.

For supervisors of Instructional Academic Staff and Faculty (Employees paid on month basis, 9-Month):

As a reminder, employees will be furloughed November 27, 2020 (Day after Thanksgiving) and all campus locations will be closed for business on that date. Furlough time entry will still need to be completed for this day following the procedures above.

Information for how to complete time entry for employees on intermittent furlough can be found by clicking here.

Please contact Human Resources at hr@uwgb.edu or (920) 465-2390 with any questions.

Workforce-Wide Intermittent Furlough Time Entry

As determined by Chancellor Alexander, commencing July 1, 2020 and continuing through December 31, 2020, UWGB will implement workforce-wide furloughs for all ongoing employees for the purpose of reducing overall institutional expenses in anticipation of reduced program revenue and loss of state funding.

On Friday, June 19th, employees received an email from Human Resources with designation of their individual number of furlough days. As indicated within the notice, employees will be required to record their intermittent furlough dates via their My UW Portal.

Additional instructions for furlough entry based on employee classification:

University Staff and Academic Staff Hourly (Employees paid on a Bi-weekly basis):

Non-Instructional Academic Staff and Limited (Employees paid on a Monthly basis):

      • Instructions: https://uwservice.wisconsin.edu/docs/covid19/Furlough_timesheet_entry_monthly.pdf
      • Items to note for employees paid on a monthly basis:
        • You will need to complete a bi-weekly timesheet for the week you are on intermittent furlough
        • The biweekly timesheet entry has different deadlines than monthly leave reporting (biweekly timesheet entry deadlines: https://uwservice.wisconsin.edu/docs/covid19/timesheet_entry_deadline_2020.pdf, so you may need to enter your intermittent furlough day before the end of the month
        • You will still need to enter your monthly leave report as usual for the month. A “no leave taken report” should still be entered if only furlough days were taken within the month.
        • You will only need to enter hours on the timesheet for the week that you have the furlough day – not both weeks (example below).
        • If your appointment is less than full-time, please enter the hours per day on the timesheet according to your FTE.  For example, if your FTE is 75%, you can enter 6 hours in the quantity field.

Instructional Academic Staff and Faculty (Employees paid on month basis, 9-Month):

As a reminder, employees will be furloughed November 27, 2020 (Day after Thanksgiving) and all campus locations will be closed for business on that date. Furlough time entry will still need to be completed for this day following the procedures above.

Information for Supervisors on how to approve time entry for employees on intermittent furlough can be found by clicking here.

Please contact Human Resources at hr@uwgb.edu or (920) 465-2390 with any questions.

Managing Anxiety When Returning to Work

COVID-19 has challenged many people’s security and sense of control. Returning to work represents a return to normal, but it may not be without its own causes for anxiety. Finding a balance between your personal wellbeing and work environment and responsibilities is important. So, before and after your return to work, you should address any reservations related to COVID-19 that may affect your work duties.

Continue to follow the recommended measures to prevent spreading the virus. Take care of yourself and others by taking the necessary actions at work (washing your hands often, staying home if you’re sick, and maintaining social distancing), as well as in your daily interactions. If the kind of work you do needs additional precautions, discuss necessary changes, and follow the instructions from your manager.

Don’t be afraid to propose additional suggestions. If you find yourself coming up with more ideas outside of the recommended safety measures, bring those up to your manager. This is a time where everyone must adapt to a new way of doing things—at work and home. By becoming more involved, this can provide a refocus of your thoughts and put you in a more optimistic place during this transition. So, go ahead and suggest your ideas. These could be beneficial to your workplace and create an easier transition for the rest of your team.

Keep communication open with your manager. Do you have children or an elderly family member at home? Or, do you have health conditions that put you at greater risk for COVID-19 infection, disrupted childcare arrangements, or other concerns? Be honest with your manager if you need certain arrangements (working from home for longer or working in a solitary space away from other staff members). Even if your manager cannot accommodate your needs exactly, most will do what they can. When you create an open line of communication, you can keep your supervisor informed on your day-to-day, as well as alleviate any apprehensions you may have about your work situation.

Be patient with yourself and your coworkers. In the aftermath of a stressful or disruptive event, it is natural to move at a slower pace while you recover and adjust to new circumstances. If you have concerns that are keeping you from focusing on your work (anxiety about working in a shared space with other staff or fear over the spread of the virus), share these thoughts with your manager. They may be able to offer guidance or options for you. Keep in mind that returning to work from COVID-19 puts everyone in circumstances that are new and different. Give yourself some time to return to your former focus and full productivity. Be patient and trust that your team will find its old rhythm.

Take care of your mental health. Anxiety and fear are normal when you come back to work after a stressful event. If you realize that you are not able to manage these feelings, ask for help. There are various resources you can locate, including your employee assistance program (EAP) or additional professional support.

The above article is from our Employee Assistance Program, FEI.

Here are some other helpful resources from FEI:

HRS System Maintenance on June 27 – 28 Weekend

Employees will not have access to their online timesheet, earnings statements and other related documents and services during a UW Human Resources System (HRS) outage that will occur on Saturday, June 27th at 8:00 a.m. to Monday, June 29th at 8:00 a.m.  This outage is due to system maintenance.  The following self-service features that employees access through the My UW System portal will be unavailable during this outage:

  • Online timesheet and web clock
  • Absence reporting
  • Updates to personal information
  • Access to electronic earnings statements, tax statements (W-2, 1042-S, etc.), leave statements and other HR, Payroll and Benefits documents
  • Access to TAM job application service (applicants will not be able to apply for positions during this time)

Please contact Human Resources at hr@uwgb.edu or (920) 465-2390 if you have any questions.

Welcome Will Ryan!

On June 10, 2020, the Athletics department welcomed Will Ryan as the Head Men’s Basketball Coach.

Will comes to us from Platteville, WI. Will previously worked at Wheeling University.

In his free time, Will enjoys running and lifting. Will is married with three sons.

Will has an educational background in Educational Studies/ Youth Leadership.

Welcome Will!