HRF Meetings -- 2007-02 [Winter]

A search committee was formed in late 2006, chaired by David Perry. It includes three SPA employees, three EPA Non-Faculty employees, and two faculty members. A search firm (Brill Neumann Associates) was hired to facilitate this search. After research, it was felt that the University would be at a competitive disadvantage if a search firm was not used. Brill Neumann is a highly recommended search firm specializing in higher education administration searches. The position was posted in early February. Many applications are being received, and Brill Neumann is also contacting potential candidates.

The search firm is scheduled to come back to the search committee in mid-March with their best candidates. From that list, a "semi-short list" will be compiled and those applicants will be invited to come to campus for brief interviews with the search committee and Vice Chancellor for Finance and Administration Richard Mann. From that group, a short list will be provided by the search committee to Dr. Mann, so that he can complete the process. The current timetable is to have a candidate selected by late April.

See attached.

The "go-live" date for transitioning Research and Social/Clinical Research positions was January 22, 2007. Almost 1,400 positions (filled and vacant) were included in this transition, or walkover, from the traditional pay grade system to career banding.

We have validated all positions included in the walkover to ensure they were processed correctly according to the crosswalk provided by OSP. As of today, we are working with the programmers to resolve data discrepancies on the records of 13 positions.

We are reviewing several other positions with the HR Generalists and Facilitators, and in some cases with OSP. Those include positions that, at the time of the walkover, were: in active recruitment; in the midst of a classification review; or employees who were on leave of absence.

The majority of the training and information sessions have been completed. We will be conducting two additional information sessions for employees on March 1 and 15.

Ongoing activities: Remember that the deadline to complete Position Competency Review forms (PCR) is May 1. If major changes are being made to a position's competency level, we strongly encourage you to contact your HR Generalist for advice and guidance before having employees sign the forms and submitting them to your Generalist. After the PCR is complete and has been submitted, managers should then complete Employee Competency Assessments (maintained in individual departments). These also have a deadline of May 1.

Programming continues in HRIS for processing career banding position and salary actions. If you have specific questions about position actions, contact your HR Generalist. If you have specific questions about salary actions, contact Kevin Adcock.

Roughly 1,500 new employees have been hired by the University since the Basic Pilot employment eligibility verification (EEV) process began on Jan. 1, 2007. Of that number, we have received 53 Tentative Non-Confirmations; however, we have not been required to terminate anyone's employment due to a Final Non-Confirmation.

Strict guidelines govern both the I-9 and EEV processes. If you have any questions about your responsibilities in these areas, contact the EEV Coordinators at either 843-8172 or 843-8350. We will also provide training sessions on I-9 and EEV processes in the next several weeks. It is extremely important that the I-9 and Basic Pilot processes are performed fully and completely; compliance with these requirements is required to avoid civil and criminal penalties under Federal law.

Here are some reminders about the program:

• Require each new employee to complete and sign section one of the I 9 form on the day they start work. An I-9 form may not be completed in advance or after the fact.
• Information from the completed I-9 form must be entered in the EEV tool no more than two business days after the employee's start date.
• Ask each new employee if they are on active status or being paid by any department of the University. If they say that they are, consult the EEV Coordinators on the day the employee starts work to determine next steps. If an employee in active status has been paid within the past nine months, an EEV check is not required; however, an EEV Coordinator must confirm this for you.
• If the EEV Coordinator notifies you that an employee has received a Tentative Non-Confirmation, work closely with the EEV Coordinator on any further action. Formal processes with very strict timelines must be adhered to.
• No action can be taken based on an employee's Basic Pilot status without explicit instructions from the EEV Coordinator. Further, no employee can be terminated without written confirmation from a senior administrator in either the Office of Human Resources or the Provost's Office. In particular, no department can make the decision to terminate an employee because of difficulties with the EEV check on its own.

The University has selected a new vendor to assist with outplacement counseling services for EPA and SPA employees laid off due to State budget cuts or program eliminations. Our new provider, Lee Hecht Harrison, is a global leader in career counseling, with local offices located on Trinity Road in Raleigh.

Services available to affected employees include:

• A two-day group seminar covering topics such as:
  • Resume development and creating a professional objective and communications strategy
  • Defining your target job market
  • Reviewing the online Career Resource Center available to affected employees 24/7 for six months (includes access to job banks, writing tools, career support, etc.)
  • Effective networking and alternative search methods
  • Interviewing, cultivating offers, and negotiating offers
  • Transitioning into a new position
• One-on-one career coaching with a minimum of two one-hour appointments with an experienced career counselor.

See attached.

Online Recruitment Web training is now ready for use by campus at http://www.recruitmentwebtraining.unc.edu/.

The training offers step-by-step tutorials for each of the five roles in Recruitment Web using sound and Flash movie files.

This training works at various resolutions, but for optimal viewing, set your computer's screen resolution to 1280 x 1024. You can do this by clicking on Start (button) > Control Panel > Display > Settings (tab). The training will work on lower resolutions (e.g., 1024 x 768), but will require you to scroll to see portions of the on-screen Flash demonstrations.

Health insurance open enrollment runs March 1-30, 2007. Employees who are currently enrolled in one of the state's health insurance options should have received an enrollment package at their home address. If you do not want to change your current coverage, you do not have to submit a form during the enrollment period. Enrollment materials are available online.

Grievance Policy Revisions: Effective February 1, the SPA grievance policy expressly covers the eligibility to grieve denial of reasonable accommodation for disability. (This has always been grievable for SPA employees through the University's policy, but never expressly at the State level.) It also extends this grievance right to SPA temporary employees and to applicants for SPA positions who believe they have been denied reasonable accommodation for a disability during the hiring process. SPA temporary employees may use the internal grievance process (the only issue for which they can use it). Applicants must file their grievances with the Office of Administrative Hearings directly.

New Statewide Minimum Wage: The North Carolina statewide minimum wage was increased to $6.15 per hour, effective January 1, 2007. Hourly rates for permanent and temporary SPA employees already exceeded this amount and were not affected by the change. However, some student employment hourly rates had to be increased to meet the new requirement.

Employment Posters: Many of you receive email solicitations, faxes, or letters from various companies attempting to sell you employment posters. You may ignore these mailings. You can receive free copies of the required posters through the Office of Human Resources. Each department must post in a conspicuous location the posters included in the packet. The updated packet will be emailed to Facilitators the week of February 26.

Recording Employee Separations: A few reminders about employee separations:

• Timeliness of Action: It is important that termination transactions (either in HRIS or EPAweb) are completed in a timely manner so that overpayments to separating employees are not incurred. This is especially important for permanent employees and for EPA temporary appointments paid on an automatic schedule (for example, Teaching Assistant stipends). It is difficult and time-consuming for the University to reclaim overpayments to employees.
• Separation Reason: It is important that separation reasons entered into HRIS accurately reflect the nature of the separation. For employees whose employment is terminated through the disciplinary process, the separation reason must be "discharge" and the type of cause must be listed (ie, job performance, personal conduct, grossly inefficient job performance).  Employees whose employment is terminated by the department during their probationary period must have a separation reason of "discharge during probationary period."  Most of the other categories listed for separation reason are employee-initiated voluntary separations.
• Leave Payouts and Overpayments: It is important to reconcile employee leave records at the time of separation so that appropriate additions or subtractions from the employee's final paycheck can be made. 

Compensatory Time Reminders: Comp-time accrual and payout must be tracked appropriately for both SPA exempt and non-exempt employees. 

	SPA Non-Exempt	SPA Exempt
Required?	YES For all hours worked over 40 in a workweek	NO Optional at management's discretion; must be approved in advance in writing and is allowable only for specific, short-term projects (less than 3 months)
Rate	1.5x	Hour-for-hour
Max accumulation	240 hrs (pro-rated for part-time) any amount in excess of maximum accumulation must be paid out as paid overtime immediately	None
Lifespan	12 months	6 months
Payout?	YES Must pay out after 12 months or if employee leaves position or changes FLSA status	NO

Carolina Kids Camp: Applications are now being accepted for the 2007 Carolina Kids Camp. This year Carolina Kids Camp will offer nine one-week sessions:

• Week 1 -- June 11 - June 15
• Week 2 -- June 18 - June 22
• Week 3 -- June 25 - June 29
• Week 4 -- July 2 - July 6*
• Week 5 -- July 9 - July 13
• Week 6 -- July 16 - July 20
• Week 7 -- July 23 - July 27
• Week 8 - July 30 - August 3
• Week 9 -- August 6 - August 10
  *no camp July 4

A completed application and correct payment for each camper should be mailed or delivered to the address below, payable by cash, check, money order or credit card. Cash must be paid in person. If using a check or money order, please make it payable to UNC-Chapel Hill and print the full name(s) of your camper(s) on the document. Mail, fax or deliver application forms and payments to:

Carolina Kids Camp
Employee Services Department, Suite 1500
Office of Human Resources
104 Airport Drive, CB# 1045
Chapel Hill, NC 27599-1045
Fax: 843-9850

Employee Services will not be responsible for delayed or damaged materials sent through US Mail or campus mail.

Carolina Kids Camp accepts children who will be in grades 1-7 in fall 2007; in general, this is children aged 6-12. Carolina Kids Camp is located at Woollen Gym and operates Monday-Friday, with drop-off beginning at 7:30 a.m. and pick-up ending at 5:30 p.m.

Junior Counselor positions are also available for children ages 13 and 14 whose parents are affiliated with the University. Information on the junior counselor program is also available at the above web link.

Contact Aimee Krans, Work/Life Manager, at 962-6008 or aimee_krans@unc.edu.

Adoption/Foster Care Information Session Offered: Employee Services is pleased to announce that we are partnering with Orange County DSS to sponsor a DSS Adoption/Foster Care information session on March 16 from 12:30-1:30pm at the Administrative Office Building, Room 1500-C. Depending upon interest, there may be additional, more specialized sessions in the future. To register, contact Cookie Dais at cookie_dais@unc.edu.

Child Care Center Accepting Applications: The University Child Care Center is now accepting applications for children ages 6 weeks to 5 years. Children of students, faculty and staff of UNC-Chapel Hill and UNC Health Care Systems are eligible to enroll. Currently, there are spaces available immediately in the infant and toddler classrooms.

Choosing & Using Child Care Classes: As a result of continuing interest in child care, the "Choosing and Using Child Care" class will now be offered on the 2nd and 4th Thursday of each month from 1:30-2:30 p.m. at the Administrative Office Building, Room 1500-C. We are researching options to provide this session on campus. If you would like to offer this class in your department, contact Cookie Dais at cookie_dais@unc.edu.

Choosing and Using Child Care is a workshop that is designed for all stages of parenthood. Following each session, a family support counselor from CCSA will be available to answer questions and create a customized list of child care options to fit individual family needs. Space is limited, so contact Cookie Dais to register at cookie_dais@unc.edu.

Summer Blood Drive: The 19th annual Carolina Blood Drive is set for June 5 from 7 a.m. -- 6 p.m. in the Dean E. Smith Center. A theme and logo contest will be advertised in the next issue of the University Gazette. Donation appointments and Volunteers may begin signing up on Thursday, May 3. Register to donate blood by contacting your departmental recruiter, by dialing 96-BLOOD (962-5663) or registering online at the address below. For detailed information, including important facts about new travel restrictions for donors, check the Blood Drive web site.

20-Year Service Appreciation Banquet: The 20-Year Service Appreciation Banquet will be held at the Carolina Inn on Wednesday, April 25. This event honors all permanent SPA and EPA Non-Faculty employees who will reach their anniversary date during the 2007 fiscal year (July 1, 2006 -- June 30, 2007). At the banquet, each employee is presented with a personalized engraved plaque and is inducted into the Carolina 20-Year Society. Invitations will be mailed to employees in mid-March.

Service Awards: A luncheon will be held in early summer to recognize employees with 25 years of service and above (employees reaching anniversaries during FY07, 7/1/06 -- 6/30/07). More communications with HR Facilitators will follow soon.
 
In April 2007, service award date verifications for employees reaching 5-, 10- and 15-year anniversaries will be mailed to HR Facilitators for verification. These awards will be distributed in July 2007 for the upcoming fiscal year (7/1/07 -- 6/30/08).

Earned Income Tax Credit and Volunteer Income Tax Assistance: The campus community is now being notified about the Earned Income Tax Credit program for low-income earners. This year, the income limits for qualifying for EITC have increased. You may qualify if:

• You have more than one qualifying child and your earned income was less than $36,348 ($38,348 if married filing jointly). Last year, this was $34,458/$35,458.
• You have one qualifying child and your earned income was less than $32,001($34,001 if married filing jointly). 
• You do not have a qualifying child and your earned income was less than $12,120 ($14,120 if married filing jointly).

Volunteer income tax assistance is available to UNC-Chapel Hill employees with incomes less than $50,000, who do NOT itemize and who are NOT self-employed. This assistance is provided by the Master of Accounting Student Association, Law School and Student Poverty Reduction Outreach Club. See flyer for details.

Chancellor's Awards for Excellence & Excellence in Management Awards: The Chancellor's Award Program recognizes the contributions made by University employees based on meritorious or distinguished accomplishments in the categories of devotion to duty, innovations, public service, safety/heroism, human relations, and other achievements. The call for nominations will be made in March. The five award recipients, who receive a monetary award and leave time, will attend a luncheon with the Chancellor in the fall.

The EMA Award is designed to recognize meritorious and distinguished accomplishments in management at UNC-Chapel Hill. The call for nominations for the Excellence in Management Awards will be made in May. The two award recipients, who receive a monetary award, will attend a fall luncheon with the Chancellor.