Voice
President Johnsen discussed the FY20 budget, compensation review, announced new executive hires and answered employee questions during a Conversation with the President on Wednesday Nov. 14. Photo by Monique Musick

Announcements: November 2018

  • Work continues to complete Phase I of compensation review
  • Winter Holiday Closure Notice
  • Teladoc Offers You A “Virtual Care” Option
  • UA Campus Biometric Screenings
  • Questions about the Wellness Rebate?
  • Thanksgiving feast!
  • Give to charities you support through payroll deduction
  • Upcoming Transition from Roxen to OU Campus
  • Network Changes: OIT Updating Device Authentication Systems
  • Phishing Awareness Program Update
  • November Human Resources updates
  • SAA November meeting highlights

Work continues to complete Phase I of compensation review

Campus and statewide human resources staff continue to work on the task of conducting a full compensation, benefit and pay equity review, and are working hard to finish each section. Faculty market data review is expected to be completed in the first quarter of 2019 followed by staff market data, which is a more complex task due to the differences in compensation structures and classifications.

The undertaking is a complex project; expect a more detailed update in early December.

The figures projected for the FY20 budget are just that, projections. It is not until the full Phase 1 analysis is complete that more concrete costs will be determinable.

Current information, with updated FAQs, as well as a form for submitting questions can be found on the compensation website: www.alaska.edu/classification/compensation-review/ Additional updates, including new FAQs will be added to the site as the project continues.

Winter Holiday Closure Notice

As a cost-saving measure, Statewide (SW) observes a winter holiday hard closure period during which all university business offices are closed. This year the winter holiday closure will be Monday, December 24, 2018, through Tuesday, January 1, 2019. Some departments may observe additional soft closure days on December 19-21, 2018 and January 2-4, 2019.

December 24, 25, 31, 2018 and January 1, 2019, are university paid holidays. On both soft and hard closure days that are not paid holidays (December 26-28), employees will need to take annual leave, leave without pay, faculty time off, or furlough day(s).

In an effort to support work-life balance, supervisors and unit leaders are encouraged to approve time off to employees during the soft closure. Department supervisors and unit leaders determine who is required to work to maintain SW operations during soft closure periods. Employees should coordinate with their supervisor regarding leave options and schedules. (Please note that PERS and TRS retirement eligibility may be affected if leave without pay exceeds 10 days in a calendar year.)

Taking leave during the holidays is an excellent opportunity for employees to recharge after the hard work of the last several months. Happy holidays!

If you have questions, please contact:
SW Human Resources at 907-450-8200 or�ua-swhr@alaska.edu

Teladoc Offers You A “Virtual Care” Option

Sometimes, when you have allergies, flu symptoms, a cough that won’t clear up or you’re sure your child has an ear infection, the last thing you want to do is wait to get into the doctor’s office, drive to the appointment, sit in a waiting room with other sick people, and take all that time away from home or work. Premera offers virtual care through Teladoc so you can “visit” a doctor anytime, anywhere.

When you have a virtual visit with a Teladoc board-certified physician, you pay the deductible and in-network coinsurance just like a face-to-face visit, but the cost is much less than most office or urgent care visits. Most Teladoc calls are $40, although dermatology visits can cost more (but still less than an in-person doctor’s office visit).

Common conditions for Teladoc calls include cold and flu symptoms, sinusitis, asthma, bronchitis, allergies, ear infections and pink eye (conjunctivitis), to name a few. Your Teladoc physician can consult, diagnose and prescribe medication if medically necessary, all at the in-network level. This is a great service for busy parents, travelers and members in remote Alaska locations where getting in to see an in-network provider can be a challenge.

How does it work?

How Does It Work?

Register and set up your account. It’s quick and easy and if you do it before you need it, it’ll be ready to access whenever and wherever you need care. Visit teladoc.com/PremeraAK and click on “Set up account.” You’ll fill out a health history, similar to what you’d do at a doctor’s office. You can register your covered family members, and to save time later you can also identify your primary care doctor and preferred pharmacy. You can do all this online, or call 855-332-4059.

When you need to access care, just go online or call 855-332-4059. If you request a visit online, you can even include a picture from your phone to help with diagnosis.

UA Campus Biometric Screenings

On-Site Screenings in early December, February, March

University of Alaska will once again offer on-site biometric screenings for all employees, spouses and FIPs who are enrolled in the UA Choice health plan. Those who have not already participated in a biometric screening for FY19 (5/1/18—4/30/19) either through your health care provider or at a LabCorp location is welcome to participate.

**Be sure to check your Healthyroads account beforehand—if you met the biometric outcomes with your FY18 biometric screening, you are not required to complete a screening this year! (But if you still want to do it, you are welcome to do so!)

Appointments must be scheduled online and you can access using the link below. All up-to-date information regarding the screenings is also posted on the UA benefit/wellness site.

If you have not already signed up for December events in Anchorage or Fairbanks, they are now full. Only those with scheduled appointments are guaranteed to be seen. Making appointments and not keeping them prevents other UA members from being able to attend so be sure to set a reminder for yourself if you have an appointment!

There will be additional campus events planned for Feb/March 2019—More details coming soon.

Event Details

  • Anchorage Campus
    When:
    Tuesday, December 4th, from 7am-Noon
    Where:� HR Services, Room 104
  • Juneau Campus
    When:
    Wednesday, December 5th, from 8am-Noon
    Where:� Egan Library, Room 221
  • Fairbanks Campus - Two days
    When:
    Thursday, December 6th, from 7am-Noon
    �����������
    Friday, December 7th, from 7 a.m. - noon
    Where: Butrovich Building, Room 109 (Board of Regents)

Remember, that you can also complete this requirement by visiting your healthcare provider for an annual, preventive exam and submitting a healthcare provider form or at a LabCorp (for those in Anchorage and Fairbanks). The Student Health and Counseling Center at UAA may also complete these for employees! All biometric information/options are available on the UA benefits/wellness page—scroll down until you see ‘Biometrics Screening Information’.

If you have any questions, please contact Sara Rodewald, UA's Program Manager from Healthyroads at: sararo@ashn.com or (907)450-8203.

How to Schedule a Biometric appointment

Schedule Appointment
1. Visit the LabCorp Scheduling Site
2. Select your preferred location, date, and appointment time
3. Create a log-in and password to finalize your appointment
Log-in will be used to access your account moving forward.

Questions about the Wellness Rebate?

The wellness rebate was paid on the November 23 paycheck. There have been a number of questions asked by employees about it, so here are some of the most frequent questions and the answers.

Q. I completed the wellness requirements by April 30, but I don't see the rebate on my check.

A. Along with changing from a bi-weekly credit to a lump sum payment, we changed where we record the rebate. Previously, it was a "negative deduction" in the deductions section of your paystub, but now it's part of the earnings calculation. Check your stub where your work and leave hours are shown, and you'll see the "UA Choice Wellness Rebate" entry with your rebate amount.

Q. Why did I have to pay taxes on my rebate?

A. The rebate has always been a taxable payment because it is actually income, as opposed to the pre-tax deduction for qualified health care under the Internal Revenue Code. When past rebates were less than $30 a pay period, the tax impact on any given paycheck wasn't significant. Now that it's in a $600 or $1,200 lump sum, it's much more noticeable in that one paycheck.

Q. I added my spouse at open enrollment. She/He completed the requirements within the 90 day completion deadline, but her/his rebate isn't on my check. What went wrong?

A. Employees and spouses coming onto the plan July 1 or later do have 90 days to complete their wellness requirements. Their rebate will be paid out in May, along with other newly hired employees during the year. The plan is to pay the wellness rebate twice per year.

Q. My spouse and I both work for the university and cover each other on our health plan. We both completed the wellness program, but only one rebate is on our checks. What happened?

A. Double-covered employees should each get the double rebate, just like before. There was a delay in getting the double coverage information from Premera so some of these spouse rebates got missed. We're making as many corrections as we can to make sure these rebates get paid out on the next paycheck, December 7.

SAA November Highlights

The Statewide Administration Assembly held a regular business meeting on Thursday, November 12. Below are�highlights�from the meeting.

November 2018 SAA Meeting�Highlights

  1. SAA formed an ad hoc committee to review how bonuses are awarded at Statewide and to develop recommendations on how to streamline the process.�
  2. SAA discussed the November Board of Regents' meeting including the FY20 budget approval and the new policy on reporting misconduct at UA.�
  3. SAA reviewed plans for the Nov. 20 Thanksgiving potluck. Representatives share their thanks with everyone at SW who brought a dish, helped with set-up/breakdown, and showed up to eat! Although this year's turnout was smaller than in previous years, it was a joyous and welcoming celebration of gratitude and togetherness.���
  4. SAA continued to discuss the preliminary results for the staff morale survey and plan to compare with the 2016 survey results.��
  5. Representatives chose to support the Denali Center resident gift drive, organized annually by Diane Slusher. If you would still like to participate, please contact Diane (deslusher@alaska.edu; 450-8098). Gifts are due by Monday, Dec. 3.�

SAA�will meet next on Thursday, December 6 in Butrovich 204 in Fairbanks and Bragaw 210 in Anchorage. All staff are encouraged and welcome to attend. Reach out to�SAA�representatives�to share your ideas and/or concerns. Additional information about�SAA�meetings is available on their�website.�

Thanksgiving feast!

Fred Villa prepares a turkey for the buffet line. Photo by Monique Musick
Thanks to everyone who donated food or drinks and joined together to celebrate the spirit of the holiday here at Statewide. Photo by Monique Musick

Give to charities you support through payroll deduction

It’s easy to give back to the community by donating to the United Way of the Tanana Valley through payroll deduction. Your tax deductible contributions go to any nonprofit you choose, including any fund at the UA Foundation, or you can have your gift go to the United Way Community Care Fund, supporting 20 local non profit�organizations. To give through payroll deduction, please visit�www.unitedwaytv.com/uaf/.Make a pledge of any amount by December 6th and be entered to win two Alaska Airlines vouchers, an annual parking pass, and equipment rentals from Nanook Recreation Outdoor Adventures. Make a new gift of $50, or increase last year’s gift by $50, and be entered to win 100,000 Alaska Airlines miles!Many departments on campus choose to have a United Way presentation. If you would like a presentation done by our UAF United Way Co-Chairs for your department, please email Andrew Aquino at�andrew.aquino@unitedwaytv.com�to schedule one.

Upcoming Transition from Roxen to OU Campus

The University is moving to a new web content management system called OU Campus. Existing content will need to be migrated to OU Campus over the coming months. You can begin this process by completing the self-paced training available in UA Learn starting November 5th. Completing this training will give you access to OU campus.

OIT is currently working on a process to automate the migration of Roxen sites to OU Campus. Migrations will start with smaller sites on December 3rd. During each migration:

  • OIT will contact the site owner(s)
  • Migrate the site content
  • The Site Owner(s) will then validate the migrated site and make any necessary changes
  • Finally, when the owner(s) are ready, OIT will switchover to the migrated site and delete the Roxen site.

OIT is aware of every site that is able to be automatically migrated and no action is needed by your department until you are contacted regarding migration.

If you do not wish to wait for your site to be migrated, you are welcome to manually migrate your content or recreate the content using the new templates.� There are advantages to creating a fresh site in OU Campus, especially if the site has not been maintained regularly in Roxen. Doing so will allow you to make sure all the content is consistent, accurate, and relevant.

If you have questions or would like to to know more about migrating an existing UAF or SW website to this new platform, please visitwww.alaska.edu/oit/projects/oucampus/, or contact the OIT service desk athttp://alaska.edu/oit/get-help/ or helpdesk@alaska.edu.

Network Changes: OIT Updating Device Authentication Systems

Over the winter closure, OIT will be updating the systems used for device authentication.� This change will affect wired network users in the residence halls and also users of the wireless Eduroam network. After the hard closure, all currently connected devices will require your interaction to maintain connectivity. This change will occur December 26 through 28, 2018.

More Information: https://www.alaska.edu/oit/replace-radius/

Phishing Awareness Program Update

On the morning of November 6th, as part of the ongoing �Phishing Awareness Program, we sent out a phishing simulation email that looked like this:

This email has several suspect qualities:

  1. Never ever will the University of Alaska ask you for your passwords
  2. The link “passwordtest.it-security-group.com” is not affiliated with nor branded as University of Alaska
  3. The email ‘sysadmin@it-security-group.com’ is not an email address associated with the University of Alaska

During this campaign, it was projected (based on vendor data ) that 13% of recipients would click the link and/or enter password data. The actual percentage of UA recipients who clicked the link or entered data was 6%. In this simulation, recipients who entered a user name and password were informed that the email was part of a phishing campaign and presented with educational material detailing why the email was suspicious and what the risks are if you respond to a credential phishing email.

Although we setup the email service to allow this message, you may not have seen it; this could be due to your personal email filters or your particular email client settings.

For those of you who reported this email to your local Service Desk, thank you! When you receive any kind of phishing email, we encourage you to report phishing via Google’s web interface.

This helps Google determine which messages should be flagged as suspicious in nature, therefore helping to protect others. If you get your email through a client, such as on your mobile device, marking the email as “Junk” or “Spam” can also be helpful.

Thank You! ... You are our first and best defense against phishing.

What feedback do you have for us regarding this simulation or our Phishing Awareness Program ? Please send it or questions to us at ua-phishme@alaska.edu .

How to report Phising in Google mail

To report phishing in Google Mail:

  1. Open the message.
  2. Next to Reply , click the three dots.
  3. Click Report phishing.

November Human Resources updates

Each month Human Resources provides an update on systemwide projects currently in process. The details of these projects are still being worked on and communication will also be sent to those directly impacted prior to the effective date of the change.

To see previous versions please go to the Statewide Human Resources web page at the following link: http://alaska.edu/hr/whats-new-at-statewide/index.xml.

Updates in the November edition:DOWNLOAD PDF

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