Human Resources News

NEW POLICY DRAFT

SYS 920, Standards Manual for UW Managed Capital Projects

The policy establishes the requirement that the Capital Planning & Budget (CPB) department create, manage, and regularly update a standards manual for guiding the project delivery of UW Solely Managed (also known as Gift & Grant) capital projects for the University of Wisconsin System. The policy notes salient aspects of UW managed projects that the manual will include and establishes the rationale for having the manual. The policy also establishes the expectation for applicable employees and third parties to adhere to the provisions of the manual.

DRAFT POLICY REVISIONS

SYS 306, Accounting and Budget Control

This policy identifies the basic accounting activities to be performed within the University of Wisconsin System and establishes requirements for each accounting activity. Revisions to the policy include:  ​

·        Reformatted policy to meet current policy format in alignment with SYS 1.A, UW System Administrative Policy Template, including drafting new sections for the scope, background, and definitions, and moving some previously used language to different sections to better cohere with the policy format. 

·        Revised language for concision and clarity.

·        Throughout policy, replaced references to “Central Administration” with “UW System Administration”.

·        In Section 6.A, removed definition of budget now included in definitions section.

·        In section 6.A, removed unnecessary references to specific types of budget adjustments to be reported to the Board of Regents.

·        In Section 6.A, revised the frequency with which budget adjustments must be reported to the Board of Regents from “monthly” to “at least […] semi-annual[ly]”.

·        In Section 6.C.I, removed outdated references to processing centers.

·        In Section 6.C.I, added language to reflect current UW System Administration and business unit responsibilities related to the UW System’s finance ERP system.

·        In Section 6.C.II, removed outdated references to a Central Administration pre-audit department.

·        In Section 6.E., clarified updated responsibilities for business units and UW System Administration related to preparing the Annual Financial Report, as well as reporting standards.

DRAFT POLICY REVISIONS

SYS 1237, Student Employment

This policy outlines UW System provisions specific to student employment and provides guidance for university departments on complying with the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act of 2010 as those requirements relate to student workers. Revisions to this policy include:

·        Throughout the policy, updating language to use “UW System” when the entire system is being referenced.

·        In Section 1, clarified the acronym of “ACA” for the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act of 2010).

·        In section 3, updated definition of Non-benefits eligible to include corrected titles of benefits packages.

·        In section 3, updated definition of Standard Measurement Period to reflect the date parameters for this period.

·        Throughout the policy, made other formatting changes like removing unnecessary spaces.

DRAFT POLICY REVISIONS

SYS 1277, Compensation

This policy outlines the parameters for setting and adjusting salaries of UW System employees. Revisions to the policy include:

·        Revised language in section 6.C related to salary changes due to career progression. The new language clarifies that institution base funds may be used to increase salaries within a salary range.

·        The new language also stipulates that criteria must be met  to increase a salary within a salary range.

PROPOSED POLICY RESCISSION

SYS 1110, Information Technology Acquisitions Approval

The purpose of this policy has been to authorize UW System institutions to make information technology acquisitions and provide for review by the UW System Chief Information Officer where such an acquisition would be classified as a large or high risk information technology project under Regent Policy Document 25-4, Strategic Planning and Large or High Risk Projects. The State of Wisconsin has delegated information technology acquisition authority to the UW System. Separately, under,  36.59, Wis. Stats., the UW System Administration is responsible for reporting semi-annually on all large or high-risk information technology projects to the legislature’s Joint Committee on Information Technology. Regent Policy Document 25-4, Strategic Planning and High Risk Projects, outlines requirements institutions must follow when managing and overseeing projects that are reportable as large or high risk. The rationale for rescinding this policy is as follows: 

·        The amendment to RPD 25-4 (in 7/9/2021) formally the delegates limits of information technology purchases below $1 million to the UW President and Chancellors and establishes clear a process for approval of the large or high-risk projects above the $1 million threshold.

·        As such, all policy statements from SYS 1110 are superseded and should be rescinded to avoid duplication and confusion.

Expiring Interim Policy Actions

As an additional reminder, multiple interim policy actions will be expiring on December 31, 2021. These include: 

Four (4) interim policies:

·        SYS 100-05, Interim: Veteran Access, Choice, and Accountability Act Requirement Waiver

·        SYS 100-06, Interim: Lawton Undergraduate Minority Retention Grant Program Requirements Waiver Extension (Fall 2021)

·        SYS 1200-06, Interim: University Staff Vacation and Personal Holiday Carryover

·        SYS 1200-09, Interim: Salary Advances for Employees Converting to Biweekly Pay

·        ​Related FAQ document: Implementation Guidance and FAQ's for Salary Advances for Employees Transitioning to a Biweekly Pay Schedule

Two (2) interim Regent Policy Document waivers:

·        Interim RPD Waiver #06, COVID-19 Grants and Contracts Waiver (for Fall Semester 2021)

·        Interim RPD Waiver #07, COVID-19 Leasing of Real Property Waiver (for Fall Semester 2021)

One (1) interim guidance:

·        Interim Guidance: Fall 2021 Guidance for Minors on UW System Campuses

Please see below for more information on these expiring interim policy actions. 

SYS Policy Action Approvals

On December 22, 2021, President Thompson approved revisions to the following UW System administrative policies: 

Five (5) policies:

·        SYS 230, Salary & Fringe Benefit Calculations

·        SYS 1238, Crafts Workers

·        SYS 1244, Summer Prepay Deductions and Summer Session Benefits Eligibility

·        SYS 1278, UW System Pay Plan Distribution Framework for University Workforce

·        SYS 1287, Voluntary Reassignment of Formerly Classified FLSA Exempt Employees and Certain Current University Staff to Academic Staff/Limited Appointment Positions

For more information on these updated policies, please see the summaries below. 

APPROVED POLICY

SYS 230, Salary & Fringe Benefit Calculations

·        This policy describes the process for calculating salaries and fringe benefits to UW System employees.

·        Revisions have been made to Section 6.D., Summer Payments, to reflect the shift to a biweekly pay schedule for all employees.

APPROVED POLICY

SYS 1238, Crafts Workers

·        This purpose of this operational policy is to provide compensation structures and benefits information for crafts worker employees working at UW System institutions. Revisions to this policy are as follows:

·        In section 3, revised definition of “Crafts worker” to clarify that it includes only those who practice skilled trades as defined by the State of Wisconsin.

·        In section 3, revised definition of “Crafts worker supervisor, Shop supervisor, and Crafts operations manager” to include academic staff positions.

·        Revised section 4.E, Health Insurance Premiums, to indicate health insurance eligibility for crafts workers.

APPROVED POLICY

SYS 1244, Summer Prepay Deductions and Summer Session Benefits Eligibility

·        This policy outlines the process for maintaining employee benefits over the summer for Academic Year Employees. This version of the policy includes the following revisions:

·        Throughout policy, replaced “taken” with “deducted.”

·        Throughout policy, replaced language referring to “the first six bi-weekly pay periods in March, April and May” with “the first two paychecks of the month in March, April and May” to enhance clarity.

·        In sub-section 6.A, added “System” to “UW” to ensure consistency with other UW System administrative policies.

·        In sub-section 6.B, updated names of retirement plans.

·        In sub-section 6.F.2, changed “Grad Assist/ Short Term Academic benefits package” to “Graduate Assistant/Short Term Academic Staff Benefits Package.”

·        In sub-section 6.G, updated link to the UW System Human Resources Family Changes web page.

APPROVED POLICY

SYS 1278, UW System Pay Plan Distribution Framework for University Workforce

·        The purpose of this policy is to provide Chancellors with a framework for the distribution of UW System approved pay plans for the university workforce. Revisions to the policy include:

·        Revised definition of “Continuing Staff” for concision.

·        Revised sub-section 6.B to clarify updated criteria for receiving pay plan increases; the revised policy eliminates the ability of Chancellors to earmark 15% of the total pay plan each year for the chancellor’s discretionary use.

·        Revised sub-section 6.E to remove the language, “across-the-board compensation adjustments not based on merit are prohibited.”

·        Revised sub-section 6.G to clarify updated effective payment dates.

·        Revised sub-section 6.I to reflect changes resulting from the 2021 Title and Total Compensation project.

APPROVED POLICY

SYS 1287, Voluntary Reassignment of Formerly Classified FLSA Exempt Employees and Certain Current University Staff to Academic Staff/Limited Appointment Positions

·        The purpose of this policy is to provide the necessary information formerly classified Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA) exempt staff, and certain current university staff, need to make an informed decision regarding whether to accept a voluntary reassignment to a position that the institution has designated as either an academic staff or limited appointment position as a result of system-wide classification project. Revisions to the policy include:

·        Revised section 1 to clarify that the revised policy includes certain current university staff, and the information it provides may be applicable in the event of a system-wide classification project.

·        Added language to section 2 to reflect changes made as a result of the 2021 Title and Total Compensation project.

·        Revised definition of “Incumbent employee” to include additional employees with FLSA exempt university staff positions.

·        Revised sub-section 4.A to reflect expanded nature of the policy.

·        In sub-section 4.B, added language to clarify effective date of voluntary reassignment and related reasoning.

·        In sub-section 4.C, revised language on benefits eligibility to improve clarity.

·        Added sub-section 4.D to communicate new policy sunset date of June 30, 2022.

Policy Effective Date Reminder

One policy has an upcoming effective date in the next two months. Please review the policy below and visit the link to familiarize yourself with the content that will be coming into effect. If you have questions about implementation leading up to the effective date, please contact the policy owner for more information and clarification.

The policy below will go into effect on January 1, 2022:

·        SYS 1039, Information Security: Risk Management