Category Archives: Human Resources

Workplace Etiquette – Holiday Tipping and Solicitation

Human Resources, Institutional News

The holiday season has arrived and, along with the wreaths and menorahs, the perennial workplace etiquette issues around tipping and solicitation of donations for office parties and/or gifts have appeared.  While no doubt tipping, gifts and parties are prompted by goodwill and the desire to share the joy and bounty of the season, such practices can (and sometimes do) inadvertently have the opposite effect.  In fact, each year the Administration, Middlebury Staff Council and the Human Resources Department receive feedback from members of our community who feel uncomfortable about such holiday practices.

The Administration, MSC and the Human Resources Department discourage tipping employees and urge caution in soliciting for parties or gifts because of the inherent inequity in tipping, and the potential for perceived pressure to contribute to office parties or gifts.

Instead of cash tipping, employees who would like to recognize specific staff are encouraged to do so with a verbal thank-you and/or a note or card.  If there is a strong desire to do more, consider a non-monetary treat that can be shared among co-workers; for example sending bagels and coffee, or sweets, to a December staff meeting can be a great way to express your appreciation.  (Consider contacting the supervisor or manager to discuss what might work well in the specific workgroup.)

Employees (especially managers) are encouraged to be sensitive when organizing holiday gatherings and/or soliciting donations for gifts.  Please keep in mind that not everyone celebrates the same holidays (or any holidays), that not everyone is equally in a position to make a donation (either of money or goods) and that some people are simply not interested in doing so. While the myriad of year-end holidays can provide a wonderful opportunity for workgroups to come together socially – and such gatherings can be completely appropriate in the workplace – please do be sensitive to the varying beliefs, interests and resources of ALL of your colleagues as you make plans.  With a little care celebrations and get-togethers can be fun and comfortable for all employees who choose to participate.

Best wishes for a happy – and stress-free – holiday season!

-Cheryl Mullins

December EFAP News: Setting Priorities

Human Resources, Wellness

As an adult, you have to juggle multiple responsibilities and while some people seem to manage multiple responsibilities with ease, it is by no means an easy task. Here are some tips that may make managing life’s responsibilities a little easier.

First, identify your long-term goals and objectives:

Make a “to-do” list of the five most important tasks for the next day. Consider the most pressing work, family and personal time commitments. On busy days, there may need to be compromise.

Second, set priorities:

Prioritize the items on your new to-do list. As you assign a priority to each item, ask yourself:

  • Why am I doing this?
  • How does this relate to my goals and objectives?
  • How urgent is this task?
  • Can anyone else do it?

One way to prioritize is with the ABC method. This method creates three lists:

A. “Must-Do” Items – These essential items often include crucial deadlines, opportunities for success or promotion, management directives or customer requests.

B. “Should-Do” Items – These are items of medium value which do not have critical deadlines. These tasks may contribute to improved performance, but they usually can be postponed temporarily, if necessary.

C. “Nice-to-Do” Items – These items could be eliminated, postponed or scheduled for slower periods.

Items on your A, B and C lists may shift positions over time. Deadlines come and go and important new projects land on your desk.  As such it is important to review your priority list regularly to reflect the changing demands on your time. By doing this you will be better able to manage your time and shifting responsibilities.

MONTHLY WEBINAR

Wednesday, December 19th
Turning the Table on Bad Habits

Many of us realize that we have habits that are not healthy or helpful, but are unsure how to promote positive, lasting change. This seminar will help you learn to:

  • Recognize habits that are negatively impacting your life
  • Understand the stages of change
  • Identify what stage you are in and when it is best to attempt to make changes
  • Be your own coach when making changes
  • Develop and maintain positive habits

TO REGISTER:

– Click HERE 

– Select the time

– Or – click on “Upcoming Webinars” from the homepage of the website and follow the easy instructions

e4health administers the College’s EFAP program.  To access their comprehensive web site, with many tools and articles, go to the e4health web site.
Username:  middlebury college
Password:    guest
Or call them at: 800-828-6025

Annual Performance Summary for Staff Members

Human Resources, Institutional News, Midd Points

Dear Colleagues,

As 2018 draws to a close, I would like to offer you resources to prepare for the Annual Performance Summary (APS) process upon our return in the new year.  As you may recall, the annual performance evaluation process for staff members takes place between January 1 and March 31 of each year.  The APS form for 2019 remains the same as in previous years.  (Please note, however, that plans have already begun to update the process in the coming year incorporating campus feedback received through the institution-wide employee engagement survey, follow-up performance management discussions with the community, and opportunities to utilize the new Oracle ERP in exciting ways.  See MiddPoints for more information: MiddPoints 8-23-18.)

Below, please find links to the form, helpful tools and guides to support the APS process, and an on-line audio training presentation that will help you prepare whether you are a supervisor or individual contributor.  For those who have attended the training sessions offered in past years, you may find this recorded presentation to be a convenient refresher.  In addition to the on-line tools, beginning in January we will be offering APS workshops for new employees and supervisors.  For those who have already attended a live or recorded workshop, additional question & answer sessions will be offered to provide support as you prepare your performance documentation.

http://www.middlebury.edu/offices/business/hr/staffandfaculty/evals (Vermont campus)

https://www.middlebury.edu/institute/offices-services/human-resources/employee-resources  (MIIS)

Workshop dates will be announced soon via MiddPoints.  In addition, individual support is available to staff and supervisors and department specific training and consultation is available upon request.  Feel free to contact me with any questions.

Best,

Laura Carotenuto

Manager of Employee Relations

Change in payroll deadlines for the LAST payroll of 2018 and the FIRST payroll of 2019

For Faculty, For Staff, Human Resources, Midd Points

The College will be closed for the December break beginning at 5:01pm on Friday, December 21, 2018 through 11:59pm on Tuesday, January 1, 2019. The following changes have been made to the time entry and time approval deadlines.

LAST PAYROLL OF 2018 (BW26): 

Deadline for submitting AND approving time- Friday, 12/14/18 at NOON (12:00pm)

Remember to submit your time prior to NOON to allow supervisors adequate time to approve timesheets; please note, the pay period is12/03/18 -12/16/18 and does not include any Holiday Time.

  • Paychecks* will be delivered through regular campus mail on Friday, 12/21/18
  • Paychecks* and direct deposits will be dated Friday, 12/21/18

FIRST PAYROLL OF 2019 (BW1):

Deadline for submitting AND approving time – Thursday, 12/20/18 at NOON (12:00pm)

Remember to submit your time prior to NOON to allow supervisors adequate time to approve timesheets; please note, the pay period is 12/17/18-12/30/18 and does include Holiday time.

  • Paychecks* will be delivered through regular campus mail on Friday, 1/04/19
  • Paychecks* and direct deposits will be dated Friday, 1/04/19

Holiday pay time entry procedures go/middpoints

*Sign up for direct deposit go/payroll/direct deposit

 Please inform all your staff of this change in the payroll schedule

Payroll/Human Resources

 

Holiday Pay Time Entry Reminder for 2018-19

For Staff, Human Resources, Institutional News

horn-o-plentysnowmanHere is a review of procedures regarding time entry during the November and December breaks, as well as for Martin Luther King Day.  Hourly (non-exempt) employees must use specific pay codes to record time during the designated breaks. Exempt (salaried) employees do not have use special codes since the appropriate number of days for each of the breaks will default in as Holiday Pay.

The 2018-19 holiday schedule is:

Thanksgiving Break: 5:01 p.m. Wednesday, November 21, through 11:59 p.m. Saturday, November 24 (regular operations resume Sunday, November 25.)

December Break: 5:01 p.m. Friday, December 21 through 11:59 p.m. Tuesday, January 1 (regular operations resume Wednesday, January 2, 2019)

Martin Luther King Day: 5:01 p.m. Sunday, January 20 through 11:59 p.m. Monday, January 21 (regular operations resume Tuesday, January 22, 2019)

Hourly Employees:  There are two pay codes – Holiday Pay and Holiday Premium Pay – that are used only during the designated holiday periods:

Holiday Pay (HOL): a benefit that is provided by Middlebury College to keep benefit-eligible employees’ pay whole without having to use CTO during designated holiday periods. It is not intended to provide extra pay: HOL, which pays at an employee’s regular hourly rate, is to be entered for normally scheduled hours by non-exempt benefit eligible employees on days during the specified holiday break periods whether or not they work.  For the Thanksgiving break, up to two days may be entered, for the December break, up to six days may be used, and for Martin Luther King Day, one day may be used.  Employees who work variable or flexible schedules should coordinate entry of HOL with their supervisor to determine the appropriate number of HOL hours.

Holiday Pay Premium (HPP): a benefit that pays eligible non-exempt employees extra for working during the designated holiday periods. HPP, which pays at time-and-a-half the employee’s base hourly rate, is to be used by all eligible employees for hours worked during the specified holiday break periods. A limited number of part-time non-benefit eligible employees (such as those who work at the Snow Bowl, as the Snow Bowl is open for regular business during the December break) are not eligible for HPP. Please speak with your supervisor or Human Resources if you have questions regarding your status or eligibility for HPP.

Who Worked on a Holiday Who Did Not Work on a Holiday
Hourly benefit-eligible staff Enter Holiday Pay for any normally scheduled hours AND Enter Holiday Pay Premium for hours actually worked.* Enter Holiday Pay for any normally scheduled hours.
Hourly non-benefit-eligible staff Enter Holiday Pay Premium for hours actually worked.* No action needed.
Hourly non-benefit-eligible staff in positions designated as ineligible for HPP Enter Regular for hours actually worked.* No action needed.
Salaried, exempt staff No action needed. No action needed.  Holiday Pay code will default in during payroll.

* Remember to enter hours on the correct shift.

Please contact Human Resources if you have additional questions regarding time entry of HOL or HPP.

FAQs

Q: I understand that holiday pay is for benefit eligible staff. However, I had coordinated with my supervisor and indeed worked during Thursday and Friday of Thanksgiving. Can I enter the hours normally in this case?

A: Worked hours during the holiday breaks should be entered as Holiday Pay Premium (HPP) by all non-exempt staff, whether or not they are benefits-eligible. The only exception would be Snow Bowl non-benefits eligible employees during the December break, since, unlike the rest of the campus, the Snow Bowl is open for business.

Q: I am a benefits-eligible employee who normally works Tues-Sat; how would I enter time for the Thanksgiving break if I am off Thursday and Friday, then work Saturday? Would I get three days of holiday pay?

A: Remember, the maximum holiday pay benefit is two days for the Thanksgiving break, so you would have to use CTO for one of the three days if you were off all three days.  If you work on Saturday, you would enter holiday pay premium for the hours if you work, but it wouldn’t be necessary to enter CTO since you would receive two days of holiday pay for Thursday and Friday.

Q: I normally work Sunday through Thursday; how would I enter my hours for the Thanksgiving break?

A: You would enter holiday time for Thursday, and nothing for Friday and Saturday since you would not normally be scheduled to work on those days. Sunday would be regular hours, or CTO if you did not work.