Overview of Human Resources

Paula Varnes Fussell,VP Human Resource Services

Jan Eller, Associate Dean for Administrative

Affairs, COM

Agenda• Baby Gator Child Development & Research

Center• Benefits, Retirement and Leave• Classification and Compensation• Equity and Diversity (EEO and Title IX Officer)• Employee Relations• Recruitment and Staffing(academic

personnel, employment and immigration Services)

• Privacy Office• Training and Organizational Development

Baby Gator Child Development and Research Center

Two locations:• Newell Drive and Lake Alice Enrollment:• ~290 children enrolled• Over 380 on the waiting listCenter for Excellence in Early Childhood

Studies (COM, COE, BG and others)

Benefits, Retirement and Leave

• New hires, retirees, employees leaving the university, leave of absences

• Health Insurance, voluntary benefits• Three retirement plans for faculty and

staff• FICA Alternative for

OPS/Temporary/Residents

Qualifying Status Change (QSC)

• Major “life or work events”– Marriage/divorce– Birth/adoption – Dependent’s changes – Employment changes– Loss of coverage

• Change must be made within 31 calendar days of the QSC

• Need documentation

FMLAFamily and Medical Leave Act

What Is the FMLA?• Federal law designed to protect

employees when leave is required due to:– Serious medical situations/serious health

condition of employee, parent, spouse, or child

– Birth or adoption of a child– Foster care– Military Family Leave and other updates in

2008

Under the FMLA . . .• All USPS, TEAMS, and salaried faculty

are eligible– OPS employees, upon meeting criteria,

have protection as well• 12 workweek “entitlement” in the fiscal

year (or 480 hours)– Prorated for part-time employees (OPS-

1,250 hours per year to be eligible)

FMLA Entitlement • Leave must be approved unless FMLA

entitlement has been met• No additional paid leave is accrued

under the FMLA– It is a designation associated with accrued

vacation, sick, or leave without pay• Accurate record keeping is essential

UF Policy (Extensions)• Parental leave

– UF policy grants 6 months - new program to advance 6 weeks

• Medical leave– For self or immediate family

• Immediate family– Spouse, domestic partner, great-grandparents,

grandparents, parents, brothers, sisters, children, and grandchildren of employee and spouse or domestic partner (“Step” relations are also included)

Recent Leave Regulation Changes

• Reduce vacation leave payment when leaving UF

• Staff (TEAMS and USPS)• Provides funding for 3% salary increases• Other leave changes will be proposed

this fall• Changes would provide funding for 3%

faculty salary increases in January

Classification and Compensation

UF Employment GroupsStaff Appointments• TEAMS (~6,900)

– Technical, Executive, Administrative, and Managerial Support

• USPS (~1,300)– University Support Personnel System– No new USPS after 1/7/03

• OPS – Other Personnel Services/Temporary

UF Employment Groups

Faculty Appointments• Salaried Faculty (~4,900)• Adjunct Faculty (OPS/Temporary) Other Appointments• Residents• Fellows

– Pre- and Post-Doctoral

UF Employment GroupsStudent Appointments• Student OPS • Graduate Assistants

Staff Classification and Compensation Framework

• Designed to help ensure that staff positions similar in duties and responsibilities are grouped together

• Facilitates administration of funds allocated for wages and salaries in an equitable and legal manner

Reclassifications?• When there is a significant change in the

duties assigned to a position, a reclassification should be requested– Focus on duties and responsibilities

assigned to a position, rather than the individual occupying the position

– The employee should already be performing the work

In General …• HRS can provide information related to:

– What’s the average pay on campus for a particular classification?

– What’s an appropriate range to use when advertising a vacancy that takes into account appropriate market data?

– What’s an appropriate amount for a Special Pay Increase, or SPI – market, counter-offer, additional duties (temporary or permanent)?

Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA) originally

1938 (updated in 2002)

Fair Labor Standards Act• Prescribes standards for wages and

overtime pay that affect most private and public employment

• Requires employers to pay covered employees (non-exempt)– Overtime pay of one and one-half times the

regular rate of pay– At least the federal minimum wage

Fair Labor Standards Act• “Non-exempt” (hourly)

– Not exempt from the FLSA– Must be compensated for hours worked

over 40/workweek with overtime (1.5)– UF’s workweek: Friday–Thursday– NOT calculated on biweekly period

• “Exempt”– Exempt from, or not covered by, the

provisions of the FLSA

Overtime• Overtime compensation for USPS/TEAMS

is provided either as pay or accrued compensatory leave– Both calculated at 1.5– Employees cannot volunteer for their own

job• In the event of a disagreement between

payment and compensatory leave accrual, it’s the employee’s choice

Overtime

• Even unauthorized overtime must be compensated if worked

• NOTE: OPS employees must be paid for overtime worked

Minimum Wage

• Federal - $7.25/hour• State of Florida (Student and OPS) -

$7.31/hour• UF Staff Employees - $9.75/hour

Equity & Diversity

How Federal Laws Affect Employment Decisions

Federal Laws

• Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, as amended, and CRA of 1991

• Age Discrimination in Employment Act (ADEA) of 1967, as amended

• Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA)

Federal Laws• Equal Pay Act of 1963, as amended• Veterans Readjustment Act of 1974• Pregnancy Discrimination Act• Immigration Reform and Control Act• Executive Order 11246 from 1960’s

(Affirmative Action Plans) - Office of Federal Contract Compliance Programs (OFCCP)

Affect All Employment Practices

• Hiring• Promoting• Training• Disciplining• Providing benefits• Firing• Layoffs

Non-Discrimination

• Age• Race• Color• Religion• Pregnancy• Veteran status• Genetic

Information

• Sex• Disability• National origin• Marital status• UF policy added

sexual orientation, gender identity and expression

It’s Illegal to . . .

• Refuse to hire or pay based on sex, age, race, or disability

• Make employment decisions based on appearance, accent, religion or ethnic background

• Discriminate based on citizenship status

Prevention of Sexual Harassment

• It is the policy of The University of Florida to provide an educational and working environment for its students, faculty, and staff that is free from sexual harassment. UF has a zero tolerance policy for sexual harassment which prohibits any member of the University community—student, faculty, or staff—from harassing any other member or visitor.

• Individuals who engage in such conduct will be subject to disciplinary action.

• Reporting requirements: http://www.hr.ufl.edu/eeo/sexharassment.htm

• All employees of the university are expected to complete the online training for the prevention of sexual harassment. http://www.hr.ufl.edu/eeo/training.htm

Recruitment and Staffing• GatorJobs – filling a vacancy• Faculty and Staff Search Waivers• E-Verify• Criminal Background Checks

Filling a Vacancy

• Vacant faculty and staff positions are posted via GatorJobs.

Filling a Vacancy– Faculty recruitment and retention

information, including Faculty Recruitment Toolkit and Search Committee Tutorial available at: www.aa.ufl.edu/aa/facdev/recruit

– Administrative staff members should attend GatorJobs training

– GatorJobs Toolkits available at: www.hr.ufl.edu/training/myUFL/toolkits/HiringAddPay.asp

Faculty and Staff Recruitment (Search) Waivers

Recruitment Waivers

COMPLIANCE SOLUTION

• The Human Resource Services, in cooperation with

the Office of the Provost, researched processes of

UF peers within the Association of American

Universities and developed procedures to improve

compliance with federal Equal Employment

Opportunity laws.

• These procedures limited and clarified appropriate

exceptions to open and competitive faculty

recruitments.

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Recruitment Waivers

COMPLIANCE SOLUTION (CONTINUED)

• A multi-layer process for review and determination

was established.

• Revised the existing tracking process to monitor

trends and patterns.

• As a federal contractor, the University is required to

comply with all federal equal employment

opportunity laws which require fair, open and

competitive searches, and consistent treatment of

applicants. Non-compliance with federal EEO laws

could result in cancellation, termination or

suspension of Federal contracts.40

Examples of Waiver Requests

Critical Hire

For a position deemed critical to the overall advancement

of the University.

Degree Waiver

An appointment without the usual required academic

degree to non-tenure accruing position. Instructional

Necessity

A time-limited appointment during an emergency situation.

Internal Search Only

For UF applicants only.

Named in Contract / Award (100%)

An appointment of person(s) named in and paid 100%

from the contract or grant.

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• Recruitment waivers for TEAMS positions are rarely granted.

• Less than 1% of TEAMS recruitments are granted waivers.

• An example of a granted recruitment waiver request: A new faculty member is bringing a grant to UF and the perspective employee is specifically named in that grant.

• An example of a request not granted: Moving a current OPS employee into a TEAMS position.

STAFF/TEAMS Recruitment Waivers

Examples of Waiver Requests

Special Professional Distinction

An individual with truly outstanding achievements

and significant contributions.

Spouse or Domestic Partner Hire

An appointment in a dual career family or

domestic partnership to enhance the

hire/retention.

Target of Opportunity (record of inclusion)

The Recruitment Waiver Procedures and Form along with additional information regarding faculty recruitment and retention is available:

http://www.aa.ufl.edu/Data/Sites/18/media/forms/waiver_procedures_form.pdf 43

Other Examples

1) No search may be required for an increase in FTE of an

existing appointment.

2) Faculty appointments with an OPS/temporary title (adjunct

faculty) do not require a search.

3) Post-docs: If competitively searched for original hire as

post-docs they would not need a waiver to transfer as a

research assistant professor or some similar title.

4) Some situations may only require an internal search.

Examples may include assistant deans/ department chairs.

5) In general, a newly established position will require an

external search.

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Rehired Retirees • New state and university requirements• State guidelinehttps://www.rol.frs.state.fl.us/forms/reminder.pdf• UF form http://www.hr.ufl.edu/recruitment/forms/rehire_request.pdf

E-Verify• An employment eligibility verification

system operated by the U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS)and U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS).

• Implemented January 2010.• E-Verify checks information electronically

against records contained in DHS and Social Security Administration databases.

What does E-Verify Mean to UF?

• Executive Order 13465 required all federal contractors to participate in E-verify.

• As a federal contractor, UF is required to perform E-verify checks on all newly hired employees.

• To be in compliance, the E-Verify check must be performed by the end of the employee’s third workday.

What does E-Verify Mean to UF?

• All employees, including adjunct faculty and graduate assistants, must sign the I-9 ON OR BEFORE the first day of employment.

• All employees must produce documents proving authorization to work in U.S by the end of the third day of work.

• Hires must be entered into the UF payroll system, which is now connected to E-Verify, by the end of the third workday.

• Penalties for not complying with E-Verify within 3 days of the hire include fines and loss of federal funding.

• By law, employees who do not produce documents by the end of the third business day are not eligible to return to work and must be terminated.

What does E-Verify Mean to UF?

Criminal Background Checks for New Employees

Criminal Background Checks• To foster and maintain safety and

security of students, faculty and, staff.• Already performed for many hires.• Beginning March 1, 2011, UF began

completing for all “new” faculty and TEAMS staff hires.

• Excludes temporary employees (OPS) unless legally required (Federal or State).

Criminal Background Checks

• Cost of background check paid from central funds.

• Background checks for existing employees funded by departments.

• Coordinate through UF Human Resource Services Recruitment and Staffing.

• Form - http://www.hr.ufl.edu/recruitment/forms/background_screening_form.pdf

Employee Relations

Staff Performance Appraisals

UF’s performance appraisal system is designed to improve

communication between supervisors and employees

Performance Appraisals for Staff

• Exempt staff: Evaluated by supervisor via a narrative letter and form in March each year

• Non-exempt staff are evaluated via a form, using a set of established ratings– Exceeds, Above Average, Achieves,

Minimally Achieves, Below Performance Standards

Types for Non-exempt Staff

• Probationary – Typically completed during an employee’s

sixth month• Annual

– In March of each year—unless another appraisal was completed within the last 60 days

– Next evaluation period: March 1, 2011-February 28, 2012

• Returned to HR by March 31

Other UF Staff Appraisals• “Special” appraisals

– Covers evaluation for period of 60 days to 6 months

– Notes changes in performance• Best practice

– Please contact HR satellite office if you believe a special appraisal is warranted or when there are overall performance concerns

Labor Relations at UF

Union Representation

• AFSCME – Staff USPS• GAU – Graduate Assistants• PBA – Police Benevolent Association• UFF – United Faculty of Florida

Collective Bargaining Agreements/Contracts

• Define working conditions• Drive salary increases• Provide grievance procedures• Typically three years in duration,

with reopeners

Discipline

UF encourages all staff members to contribute to a positive and productive work environment

Progressive Discipline

• Oral reprimand• Written reprimand• Suspension• Dismissal

Appealable Actions

• Predetermination Conference• Option to Arbitrate

Complaints & Grievances

• Various options for faculty and staff• Includes internal and external reviews • UF Regulations http://regulations.ufl.edu/chapter3/• Union Contractshttp://www.hr.ufl.edu/labor-relations/default.asp• Non-reappointments/Non-renewals

– Not considered disciplinary

TEAMS Appointments

TEAMS Appointments

• “New to UF” staff hires:– TEAMS non-exempt (hourly)

• Serve six-month probationary period• Then issued annual appointment

– TEAMS exempt• Department should issue six-month initial

appointment• Then issued annual appointment

TEAMS Appointments

• Internal candidate – May be USPS or TEAMS (employee brings

current status) unless position is TEAMS only

– USPS employee will serve six-month probationary period if never been in classification

– TEAMS issued annual appointment—no probationary periods—if employee has completed initial 6 months at UF

Non-Reappointments

• Hired after June 30, 2005:– Three months notice

• Hired before June 30, 2005:– Six months notice

• Does not apply if serving a probationary period

• Employees may apply for other jobs on campus

Time-Limited Positions

• When possible, employees are provided a minimum of 45 days’ notice in the event funding is being eliminated

• Time-limited provisions in appointment letter take precedence over appointment and non-reappointment requirements

Training and Organizational Development

Leadership Development:• UF management/leadership competency

model– “Managing at UF” curriculum supports

competency development• 360-degree assessment available

– Year-long leadership programs:• Advanced Leadership for Academics and

Professionals program• UF Academy (emerging leaders)

Training and Organizational Development

• Training – business and compliance • Education Benefits• Awards Programs• Strategic planning and retreat facilitation• Managerial coaching• Visit www.hr.ufl.edu/training

Health Insurance

Resources Are Available• Mary Alice Albritton, Director for

Benefits and Retirement• Melissa Curry, Director for

Recruitment and Staffing• Kim Czaplewski, Director for

Employee Relations,392-1072• Larry Ellis, Director of Equity and

Diversity,273-1778• Jodi Gentry, Director of Training and

Organizational Development

Thank You!