T E X A S A & M ... October 27, 2014

TEXAS A&M UNIVERSITY HUMAN RESOURCES
Please make the following information available to employees in your department as appropriate.
October 27, 2014
HUMAN RESOURCES
Benefit Enrollment Window Expiring – Default Coverage Pending
Voting Leave for Election Day
ORP Retirement Plan Enrollments
Fostering a Work Culture Welcoming ALL People
Flu Vaccine Clinic – It’s Not too Late to Get Vaccinated
Recap of the Retirement & Financial Planning Fair
Do you Like “Working at A&M”?
Benefit Briefs Newsletter
Revised HR Web Forms/Docs
PAYROLL SERVICES
Duplicate Reports
ANNOUNCEMENTS
Departmental Responsibilities Regarding Terminating Employees
PAYROLL REMINDERS
October 27:
EPAs due at noon
October 28:
PPRs print
October 29:
PPRs available online
October 31:
Supplements due at noon
Uploads due at 1pm
TimeTraq due at 4pm
Processing Schedules
Payroll Reports
TIP OF THE WEEK
Hiring, Onboarding and Exiting Tools
HUMAN RESOURCES
Benefit Enrollment Window Expiring – Default Coverage Pending
As a reminder, employees have 60 days from their date of hire into a benefit-eligible position to make their benefit
selections online before they are defaulted into the A&M Care insurance plan and designated as a tobacco
user. There is a relatively large number of employees hired at the beginning of the fall semester who have not
completed their online enrollment and whose benefit enrollment window is about to expire. Email reminders have
been sent to these employees. Please encourage new hires to complete their enrollment during their 60-day
enrollment window to avoid the default coverage.
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Voting Leave for Election Day
Employees may be allowed sufficient time off to vote in national, state, and local elections on Election Day, Tuesday,
November 4. Employees should notify their supervisor prior to Election Day if they do not have sufficient time to vote
on their own time. Supervisors may schedule voting leave by allowing the employee to:
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arrive to work later than normally scheduled in order to allow sufficient time to vote before the workday;
leave work early without the expectation to return in order to allow sufficient time to vote; or
take a longer lunch than is normally scheduled in order to vote.
Voting leave is not intended to be used for early voting. For more information,
visit http://employees.tamu.edu/benefits/leave/other/ on the HR website. For details about the elections,
visit http://www.brazosvotes.org online.
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ORP Retirement Plan Enrollments
Under the Texas A&M University System plan rules, an employee eligible to participate in the Optional Retirement
Plan (ORP) has 90 days to make an election. Benefit Services will notify employees eligible for ORP directly by
sending an ORP notification packet. During the 90-day election window, the employee will automatically default into
the Teacher Retirement System (TRS) until an ORP election is made and the completed paperwork has been
received by Payroll Services. The actual ORP enrollment date, not the employee’s hire date, is the date used to
determine ORP vesting requirements.
It is important for the employee to make their decision as quickly as possible and to understand the implications of
the delayed decision. An employee who elects to move from TRS to ORP in this 90-day period will not receive the
employer portion of the contributions already made to TRS during that period. However, the employee’s portion of
the contribution to TRS will be refunded directly to them by TRS. Detailed information is available on the retirement
website <http://www.tamus.edu/offices/benefits/retirement/>. Questions related to ORP eligibility and plan benefits
should be directed to Benefit Services ([email protected] or 862-4028) or Payroll Services ([email protected] or
845-2711).
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Fostering a Work Culture Welcoming ALL People
As National Disability Employment Awareness Month comes to a close, HR would
like to remind everyone that fostering a work culture welcoming of the talents of all
individuals, including people with disabilities, promotes workplace success for
everyone -- every day. At work, it's what people CAN do that matters. Focus on
abilities, not disabilities!
Remember, employees with disabilities:
 Have talent.
 Help businesses gain a competitive edge through innovative thinking.
 Mirror an important and increasingly expanding customer base.
 Are experienced problem solvers with a proven ability to adapt.
 Value and want to work.
HR encourages you to promote the hiring, retention and advancement of people with
disabilities and dispel negative stereotypes about disability and employment. Expect.
Employ. Empower. Learn more at www.whatcanyoudocampaign.org.
HR still has several posters your department can use to show your support for the Campaign for Disability
Employment throughout the year. For posters contact HR at [email protected] or (979) 845-6287. You can
also print them from the web.
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Please share the following four items with all employees in your department.
Flu Vaccine Clinic – It’s Not too Late to Get Vaccinated
There is still time to get your flu vaccine at the annual flu vaccine clinic hosted by Texas A&M University Human
Resources in partnership with Scott & White Clinic. Seasonal and H1N1 combined quadrivalent flu vaccine are
available today and tomorrow from 8:00 a.m. - 5:00 p.m. in the General Services Complex. Employees and their
family members are welcome to participate. No cost if filed with insurance. A $25 cash option is available for those
without insurance. Consent forms required. View the flu clinic flyer for more information.
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Recap of the Retirement & Financial Planning Fair
The Retirement & Financial Planning Fair was a big success with several local vendors and 14 well attended
information sessions including a packed house for the Teacher’s Retirement System of Texas (TRS)
presentation. Additionally, we would like to congratulate the following winners in the prize drawing:
Name & Department
Daniel Archibeque – Transportation Services
Florencia Choto – Library
Betty Cotton – Biochemistry & Biophysics
D’Anne Crain – Civil Engineering
Rhonda Fuhrmann – Medical Science Library
Betty Gibson – Human Resources
Mary Kay Hicks – TFS MITI - Mcgregor
Nora Martinez – TTI Ctr for Transportation Safety
Prize
Brother Color Page Mobile Scanner
Brother Easy-to-Use Label Maker
Book – Complete Estate Planning Guidebook
High Security Cross-Cut Shredder
Blanket – Donated by Element Retirement
iCat Retention Device for iPhone/iPads
iCat Retention Device for iPhone/iPads
Kindle Paperwhite – Donated by VALIC
Elvia Oliva – TTI Human Resources
Tapati Pal – System Benefits Administration
Norma Ramos – Educational Psychology
James Sifuentez – Large Animal
Nancy Stratta – TTI Transportation Operations
Glenda Supak – University Police Department
Karen Terrell – University Police Department
Danielle Whitaker – IT Academic Services
Athletic Bag – Donated by Fidelity
iCat Retention Device for iPhone/iPads
Book – How to Retire Happy
Monster Power Strip with USB Charging Ports
My Passport 1tb Portable Storage
Quicken Manage Your Money and Save Software
Book – The Everything Budgeting Book
Fire Safe
Be on the lookout for future financial wellness events and resources as part of the Wellness Works program focusing
on Financial, Physical and Interpersonal well-being.
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Do you Like “Working at A&M”?
In the fall HR EXPRESS newsletter <http://employees.tamu.edu/HR-EXPRESS> we featured three
employees for the “Working at A&M” section: Cynthia Ishaq, Transportation Services; Janie Lois
Williams, Athletics; and Andi Bednorz, Student Health Services. How did we pick these folks? They
volunteered after someone suggested they would make a great feature! Would you like to be featured
or do you know someone who would make a great featured employee? Contact us at [email protected] and give us some details! The next issue will be published in January. Read
the full issue at http://employees.tamu.edu/HREXPRESS online.
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Benefit Briefs Newsletter
System Benefits Administration recently published their latest edition of Benefits Briefs with information about Don’t
Get Caught by the Bug!, National Save 4 Retirement Week, Breast Cancer Awareness Month, Are You on the Move
and Wills & Estate Planning. You may view this newsletter online.
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Revised HR Web Forms/Docs
 Flu Vaccine Consent Forms
 Network News Archive – last week’s issue posted
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PAYROLL SERVICES
Duplicate Reports
The Payroll imaging system has been adding multiple copies of some reports such as the PVDs. The programmers
are aware of the problem and they are working with the imaging system vendor to resolve the issue.
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ANNOUNCEMENTS
Departmental Responsibilities Regarding Terminating Employees
The following information was provided by Financial Management Operations (FMO).
 It is the Department’s responsibility to immediately notify Financial Access & Security if an employee
terminates. This should be done BEFORE the termination/transfer date whenever possible.
 If someone leaves without warning, email Financial Access and Security at [email protected]
immediately and then follow up by sending the completed FD-805.
 If the terminated employee had a university credit card (Payment or Travel), please notify the Payment Card
Office at [email protected] to immediately inactivate their card.
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TIP OF THE WEEK
Hiring, Onboarding and Exiting Tools
Are you involved with the hiring process? Do you get called upon to help onboard new employees? What about
exiting employees? These processes may not occur on a regular basis in your department but when they do, we
want to make sure you have the right tools for success. Check out the HR resources available to assist managers
and HR Liaisons with the hiring, onboarding and exiting processes. Visit
http://employees.tamu.edu/liaisons/common-processes/ for more information.
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HR Liaison Network News (LNN) is distributed weekly to departmental HR Liaisons at
Texas A&M University. If you have questions about LNN contact:
Laura Dohnalik, Liaison Administrator
[email protected] | 979.862.3854
Human Resources Main Contact Information:
PHONE: 979.845.4141
MAIL STOP: 1255 TAMU
MAIN OFFICE LOCATION:
750 Agronomy Road, General Services Complex, Suite 1201
College Station, TX 77845-1255
MAP
Next Network Meeting:
February 5, 2015