HR Connect

ETF is offering a series of 30-minute, live, interactive webinars designed to increase your understanding of Wisconsin Retirement System benefits.  Individuals can also ask questions at the end of sessions.

Annuity Options: This webinar will help to increase your understanding of the WRS annuity options available to you at retirement. ETF will also explain the difference between a beneficiary and a named survivor.

• Fri, June 2, 2017 12:30 p.m. – 1:00 p.m.
• Wed, June 14, 2017 6:00 p.m. – 6:30 p.m.
• Thurs, June 22, 2017 11:00 a.m. – 11:30 a.m.
• Wed, June 28, 2017 11:30 a.m. – 12:00 p.m.

Buying Service: If you are eligible to purchase service, doing so would increase your retirement or disability benefit. Find out how by viewing this webinar. ETF will cover the types of service you may be able to buy, how and when you can buy service, and much more. Eligible types of service include service earned during prior WRS covered employment and forfeited through a separation benefit and some types of service earned with other government employers.

• Fri, June 2, 2017 11:00 a.m. – 11:30 a.m.
• Wed, June 7, 2017 6:00 p.m. – 6:30 p.m.
• Fri, June 9, 2017 12:00 p.m. – 12:30 p.m.
• Thurs, June 22, 2017 12:30 p.m. – 1:00 p.m.

Understanding Your Annual WRS Statement of Benefits: Join ETF as they review key things you can find out about your WRS benefits, simply just by reading and understanding your WRS annual Statement of Benefits. Some topics ETF will review include:

• How much you and your employer have contributed to your WRS pension
• Your vesting status and years of service
• Your beneficiary designation – what happens to your account if you die before taking a benefit

Tip: Have your statement in hand while attending this webinar.

• Tues, June 6, 2017 11:00 a.m. – 11:30 a.m.
• Mon, June 19, 2017 11:30 a.m. – 12:00 p.m.

Variable Fund: In this webinar ETF will discuss the Variable Fund – what it is, how it differs from the Core Fund, and the affect participation in this fund may have on your retirement benefit calculations. ETF will also discuss how to elect to participate in the Variable Fund, how to cancel participation, and how the timing of these decisions may affect your Wisconsin Retirement System benefits.

• Thurs, June 8, 2017 12:30 p.m. – 1:00 p.m.
• Mon, June 12, 2017 11:00 a.m. – 11:30 a.m.
• Mon, June 19, 2017 6:00 p.m. – 6:30 p.m.
• Tues, June 27, 2017 11:30 a.m. – 12:00 p.m.

WRS Benefits For New and Mid-Career Employees: This one-hour webinar is for employees who are five years – or more – from retirement. The information presented will help you make sound, strategic decisions over the course of your career. Topics include vesting, ways to enhance a WRS retirement benefit, purchasing service, military service credit, the Core and Variable Trust Funds, contribution rates, the importance of a beneficiary form and how to complete one, and how “life event” changes affect retirement benefits.

• Wed, June 7, 2017 12:00 p.m. – 1:00 p.m.
• Thurs, June 15, 2017 12:30 p.m. – 1:30 p.m.
• Wed, June 21, 2017 11:30 a.m. – 12:30 p.m.
• Thurs, June 29, 2017 6:00 p.m. – 7:00 p.m.

Register for a Webinar

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

 

Due to a change with the recent HRS system upgrade in February, the system will now automatically enter and approve an absence request for 8 hours of legal holiday on the observed legal holiday for University Staff Ongoing employees who are in a 100% position.

• If you are a University Staff Ongoing 100% FTE employee:
  • If you don’t work on the observed legal holiday and want to use 8 hours of legal holiday for that day, there is nothing you need to do.
  • If you don’t want to use 8 hours of legal holiday for that day, please contact payrollandbenefits@uwgb.edu (ex. you work a longer day later that week, so only want to use 6 hours of legal holiday)
• Any University Staff Ongoing employees who are less than 100% FTE (part-time), will not have legal holidays automatically entered, so you will need to enter absence requests manually.  Emails with instructions were sent out to impacted employees.
• Public Safety and Power Plant employees will not have legal holidays automatically entered.
• This year there are two floating legal holidays (Christmas Eve and New Year’s Eve), so University Staff Ongoing employees can enter legal holiday absence requests anytime in 2017 to use up these hours.  These floating legal holiday hours will not be automatically loaded.
• Please note that legal holiday hours expire at the end of the calendar year (12/31/17) for University Staff Ongoing employees, and the legal holiday balance combines both observed and floating legal holiday hours.
• There are nine legal holidays per year, and here is a list of the legal holidays: http://www.uwgb.edu/human-resources/payroll/legal-holidays/

Please contact Payroll at payrollandbenefits@uwgb.edu or (920) 465-2390 with any questions.

This is a reminder to all Non-Instructional Academic Staff & Limited Employees:  As we are nearing the end of the 2016-2017 Fiscal Year, you should be reviewing your vacation and personal holiday leave balances.  You can locate your balances on your last earnings statement or the My UW System Portal.  Please read the information below to avoid losing leave hours not used by 6/30/2017.

Personal Holiday:

• Personal Holiday hours not used by 6/30/17 will be dropped as of 7/1/17.  They do not carry over to the next fiscal year.

Vacation:

• Vacation Carryover hours from the 2015-2016 fiscal year that have not been used by 6/30/17 will be dropped as of 7/1/17.
• If you are eligible for Annual Leave Reserve Account (ALRA), you may bank vacation (up to your eligible maximum hours) first from the 2015-2016 Vacation Carryover as of 6/30/17 and then from your 2016-2017 Vacation Allocation.
• A communication regarding ALRA will be sent to employees in July.
• All remaining 2016-2017 Vacation Allocation hours as of 6/30/17 will automatically be carried over into the 2017-2018 Fiscal Year on 7/1/17 as Vacation Carryover.

Legal Holiday:

• Memorial Day is the last legal holiday in the 2016-2017 fiscal year.  Your balance on your most recent earnings statement should be 8 hours.
• Floating legal holiday hours not used by 6/30/17 will be dropped as of 7/1/17.

Please contact Payroll at payrollandbenefits@uwgb.edu if you have any questions.