HUMAN RESOURCES (HR) CONNECTION

SUMMER 2003

Table of Contents

• UUSAC LEAPS Into the Pages of HR Connection
• New FOCUS, New SERVICES New NAME: Organizational Development Services (ODS)
• Winners of the 2003 Presidential Staff Awards
• eRecruit - The Recruitment Process of the Future
• UUSAC President’s Message
• Be a Volunteer Mentor from the Convenience of Your Desk
• UUSAC Executive Committee and Newsletter Committee Members
• The Four Lessons of Appreciation: For a Job Worth Enjoying
• Saving for Retirement: Tips and Tools
• Remaining Holidays for 2003
• HR Directory

UUSAC LEAPS INTO THE PAGES OF HR CONNECTION

Welcome to the HR Connection, Summer 2003! The HR Connection is a quarterly newsletter previously sponsored solely by Human Resources (HR). This issue, however, represents the official kick-off merger of The University of Utah Staff Advisory Council (UUSAC’s) newsletter with Human Resource’s newsletter - the HR Connection. For those of you who read our spring 2003 issue, you may have noticed several articles by UUSAC. The spring issue was UUSAC’s unofficial entry into the pages of the HR Connection.

The goal of this merger is to combine resources to provide “U” employees with the most up-to-date information while reducing production costs. Previous issues of UUSAC will continue to be available on-line and may be found at: www.utah.edu/uusac/.

The new HR Connection will continue to provide “U” employees with developments in human resources, “U” health benefits and updates to “U” policies and procedures. The positive changes that will also appear, and that represent staff concerns, include UUSAC announcements about staff changes, updates to legislative issues and staff news around campus.

We welcome your suggestions on ways to improve the HR Connection as we continue to develop our newsletter and serve the University of Utah community.

New FOCUS, New SERVICES New NAME: ORGANIZATIONAL DEVELOPMENT SERVICES (ODS))

• Organizational Performance Needs Assessment
• Strategic Solution Implementation
• Project and Meeting Facilitation Services
• Customized Training Solutions
• Skill-Building
• Coaching Services
• Retreat Planning

To learn more about ODS (formerly the Center for Employee Development), visit our web site at www.hr.utah.edu/ods/ or call 585-2300.

WINNERS OF THE 2003 PRESIDENTIAL STAFF AWARDS

Congratulations to Mary Bishop Stone, Aglaia Fox, Carolyn Hebert, Marilyn Hoffman, Linda Peterson and Mary Ann Woolf! The above winners were selected from among more than 50 nominees to receive the 2003 Presidential Staff Awards.

The Presidential Staff Awards are presented annually to six staff employees: three exempt and three non-exempt employees. Recipients are nominated by their peers and selected by a committee comprised of various staff employees from across the university, based on eligibility, service excellence, commitment to the university, outstanding personal traits and other exceptional contributions.

This year’s award recipients each received an honorarium of $3000, a special plaque and had their names added to a perpetual plaque now located in the Human Resources building at 420 Wakara Way.

Exempt Employees

Mary Bishop Stone, Research Associate, Family and Preventive Medicine, 28 years of service
Carolyn Hebert, Executive Assistant to the Vice President of Student Affairs, 14 years of service
Marilyn Hoffman, Coordinator of Pre-Profession Advising, University College, 26 years of service

Non-Exempt Employees

Aglaia Fox, Administrative Assistant to the Dean of Students, 33 years of service
Linda Peterson, Dispatcher, Plant Operations, 25 years of service
Mary Ann Woolf, Editorial Assistant, Physics Department, 28 years of service

eRecruit - THE RECRUITMENT PROCESS OF THE FUTURE

To facilitate the University’s recruitment process, Human Resources will be implementing a new process called eRecruit. This new process is one of several new PeopleSoft self-service modules recently purchased by the University of Utah. eRecruit will enhance the current recruitment process in the following ways:

• Hiring supervisors will be able to submit Position Requisitions directly on-line.
• Applicants will be able to attach a resume with a new on-line application. Information on applicants will be entered directly into PeopleSoft making information more readily available to hiring supervisors.
• Hiring supervisors will be able to view applications on-line with the options to view summary information on an applicant, a full application or just a resume.

Currently in development, eRecruit will be implemented with the above enhancements after final testing has been completed. Service Teams will work with each University department to ensure a smooth transition to the new more efficient electronic process. For further information on eRecruit, please contact your HR Service Team.

WATCH FOR UPCOMING ENHANCEMENTS TO THE RECRUITMENT PROCESS!

UUSAC PRESIDENT'S MESSAGE

Dear UUSAC Members:

As your new President, I hope to lead our Executive Board and UUSAC Board in being pro-active, responsive, and invested in solving the challenges and issues you find to be important. We are your colleagues and we hope you think of us as your representatives!

We represent all of the staff on the University of Utah campus; we serve in an advisory capacity to the President and the Board of Trustees and we care about your well-being and satisfaction in working at the “U.” Every month we host a UUSAC Board meeting. These are open to every staff member who wishes to attend and it is my goal and commitment to address, at each meeting, those issues we can attend to and can positively impact.

If we can be supportive of your concerns or of your visions of how to make the “U” a more positive environment, please contact me. We are here to work with you as members of the “U’s” staff community!

Best regards,
Aaron White
President, UUSAC
2003-2004
581-8518

BE A VOLUNTEER MENTOR FROM THE CONVENIENCE OF YOUR DESK

The Achievement Advocate Program was founded in 2000 by Student Achievement and Advocacy Services, a not-for-profit section 501(c)(3) organization, dedicated to helping students maximize their potential. The Achievement Advocate is a computer-based on-line mentoring program that focuses on developing those life skills the student will need to transition to a contented and productive adulthood.

Designed for 4th-8th graders, the Achievement Advocate brings together the nurturing support of a caring adult mentor with a student through the on-line activities that focus on thinking, organizational, career, and character skills. The student’s participation in the activities creates the opportunity for the Advocate to mentor. (A mentor is called “Advocate” because he or she advocates for the student’s achievement.) For example, after seeing that a student has entered a new personal goal in his “Pot O’ Goals”, the Advocate can help the student attain that goal by suggesting intermediate steps he/she can take toward achievement of that goal.

Being an Advocate is fun, easy, and – best of all – it can make a difference in a child’s life. It only takes about 30 minutes a week (usually in five to ten minute increments) at times and places convenient to the Advocate. When a student participates in an activity, his Advocate receives an email telling him to check the web site to review his student’s completed activities.

If you are interested in helping a child maximize his potential and transition to a contented and productive adulthood, please explore the Achievement Advocate web site at www.achievementadvocate.org. To log on as a test student and advocate, please use the test student name “Sally” and the password “1111” and the test advocate name “Joseph” and the password “1111”, respectively. Please direct any questions regarding the program to Mary Tull, Program Administrator. She can be reached at 539-1489 or at marytull@aol.com.

UUSAC EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE AND NEWSLETTER MEMBERS

If you have story ideas or comments regarding information in this publication, please contact Sheri Gordon or Kathy Marlock. Visit UUSAC’s web site at www.utah.edu/uusac/

THE FOUR LESSONS OF APPRECIATION: FOR A JOB WORTH ENJOYING

By: Mark Lamont Stevens, Journeyman Plumber in the “U” Plumbing Shop

I don’t know about you, but I like my job; I like working at the U; and, I’ve learned some important lessons. I have the advantage of being in one of those occupations where every single day is different. I never know what buildings I will find myself in, what people I will be encountering, what challenges I will be addressing and also what, as the Chair of a great committee of people who participate on the Salaries, Wage and Benefits (SWAB) Committee, we can do to support “U” staff in having more satisfying experiences as employees.

Now, I’m the kind of person who looks forward to coming to work; I normally wake up before the sounds of the alarm clock bounce off the morning walls. On weekends, I usually wake up at the same time as I do on weekdays. So, my body is comfortable with this schedule. The other morning, however, was not the case. I was in such a deep sleep that the alarm clock didn’t even penetrate my determined slumber. When I did get up, I was really light-headed and feeling nauseated. Normally when I wake up feeling like this, these feelings fade gradually and I feel better by the time I get to work. On this particular morning, I didn’t. But, I began my day anyway at the “U” much like every other day.

My first service call of the morning took me to a department of people that (in the past) didn’t seem to have a very good attitude about their work and/or working here. Over the past couple of years, since a new supervisor started, I have noticed a change in the attitudes of the people in the department. The new supervisor started his reign with a friendly, caring attitude and I noticed he started to show a genuine appreciation for the work his people were doing. To me, it seems his people were not only happier, but they were also doing better, more productive work. And, what really helped me to shake the unsettling feelings of the morning was the way this same department of people willingly showed their appreciation for the work that others do for them.

Let me hasten to add I am not wearing rose-colored glasses. There are plenty of problems here at the U but if we only look at the problems, we may become bitter and negative. To avoid this possibility, I have been trying to look for solutions to the problems I see, as I encounter them. Realistically, the University of Utah is a pretty big animal; and, most of the time, it takes a lot of energy and hard work to get things to change. In the relatively few years that I have been working at the U, I have noticed there are little places, like departments, where things have been improving.

From my own experience, I feel what goes into the way I feel about my work can be summed up in four lessons. First, I was taught my profession by someone who took pride in this profession and in his work as a member of the field. Second, I enjoy the challenges and opportunities to learn more about my profession that come along on a daily basis. Third, I respect and admire those people in my shop that I work with and I feel I have earned their respect as well. Fourth, and, finally, (and I feel that this is very important) you would have to look long and hard to find a supervisor that is better than the one I have; he makes a big difference in creating a climate where I have a job that I want to do and, thus, I am able to deliver.

There are a lot of things here at the U that I am unable to do anything about, most of the things that I can change here will take a lot of work and a lot of time and a lot of support from each of you, but one thing I can help out with right now is, as I am out doing my job, to show respect and appreciation for the work that you do. In return, I ask that you try to be aware of and grateful for the things your fellow staff employees do for you. If we all practice being mindful that we are rarely ever able to accomplish anything alone and we are each actually serving one another in our roles, then maybe others will share my feelings that they really do like their job at the “U.” I think it’s worth a try and I believe that beginning with a sense of appreciation goes a long way.

SAVING FOR RETIREMENT: TIPS AND TOOLS

No matter where you are in your career, investing for retirement should be a key priority. Experts suggest that you’ll need to have 70 to 100 percent of your annual pre-retirement income to live on, and that money should last 20 or 30 years or even longer. It’s a challenge to save for retirement, but there are a good deal of tax-deferred options that may be available to you.

The best way to save for retirement is to contribute as much as you can to employer-sponsored retirement plans and supplemental plans like 403(b)s or 457(b)s.

These plans provide a double tax advantage. First, because they are tax deferred, you won’t owe taxes on earnings and contributions until you make qualified withdrawals. (Withdrawals from a 403(b) account prior age 59 ½ are generally subject to a 10 percent penalty tax, as well as regular income tax. Withdrawals from a 457(b) account are not subject to a 10% penalty tax, but generally cannot occur while you are still actively employed by the University of Utah.)

Second, because 403(b) and 457(b) plan contributions are deducted from your salary before you pay taxes, you report a lower salary to the IRS – which means you pay less in current federal and Utah state taxes.

Traditional (Classic) and Roth IRAs offer another excellent way to supplement your retirement savings, especially once you reach the contribution limits for your 403(b) or 457(b) plan.

It can pay to get help on the web. The TIAA-CREF Web Center offers several calculators that can help you see how much you’ll need to contribute for your retirement goals. To use these calculators, go to the Planning Tools web page at http://www.tiaa-cref.org/general/calcs.html and choose the calculator of your choice based on your retirement objectives.

Use the Retirement Goal Evaluator (next to the “Saving for Retirement” section of the Planning Tools web page) to see how much of your salary you’ll be able to replace at retirement with a TIAA-CREF lifetime annuity. The evaluator also calculates how much additional money you’ll need to invest to catch up to your goal.

The Compound Interest calculator and the Target Value calculator (found at the end of the Planning Tools list) can help you determine how much you need to contribute for retirement and other goals. The Asset Allocation calculator (you will need a User ID and password to log on) gives you an asset allocation model for your retirement portfolio, based on your risk tolerance and investment preferences.

Once you have an idea of how much you’ll need to contribute, the Prioritizing Your Goals section of the web site (www.tiaa-cref.org/pubs/html/financial_organizer/section_2a.html)) helps you consider which TIAA-CREF products (www.tiaa-cref.org/pubs/html/financial_organizer/section_3c.html) you can use to reach your objectives. The Asset Allocation calculator mentioned above in the Planning Tools section can also help you develop an investment strategy not only for retirement, but for your other savings goals as well. You can also schedule an individual consulting session by calling 800 842-2009 for help in understanding where and how much to contribute.

You can also use the Web Center to learn more about retirement planning, TIAA-CREF Supplemental Retirement Annuities (SRAs) and IRAs, life insurance, and other products. To learn more, go to www.tiaa-cref.org and select the area you’re interested in under the “Products” section. You can also access an online copy of “Your Financial Organizer,” a publication that can help you keep your finances in order. To access the booklet, go to www.tiaa-cref.org/libra and select it in the “Education Publications” section.

TIAA-CREF Individual and Institution Services, Inc., and Teachers Personal Investors Services, Inc. distribute securities products. For more complete information on securities products, call 800 842-2773, ext. 5509 for prospectuses. Read them carefully before you invest. TIAA (Teachers Insurance and Annuity Association), New York, and TIAA-CREF Life Insurance Co., New York, NY, 10017, issue insurance and annuities.

REMAINING HOLIDAYS FOR 2003

Monday, September 1 - Labor Day (PPH)
Thursday, November 27 - Thanksgiving Day (PPH)
Friday, November 28 - Day after Thanksgiving
Thursday, December 25 - Christmas Day (PPH)

If employed by January 1, 2003, two personal preference days must be taken before December 31, 2003.

PPH: Premium Pay Holidays for University Hospital Staff.

HR DIRECTORY