Category: Human Resources

HR Launches New Applicant Tracking System

The implementation of our new applicant tracking system, iGreentree, will be completed on Wednesday, October 28th. Once we go live, we will be utilizing the same applicant tracking system as Middlebury. Middlebury completed their implementation on October 15th.

HR will provide user names and passwords as needed. Most will not need this information until the initialization of a recruitment or participation in the selection of a candidate. On-going recruitments will be transferred to the new system although some applicant information may be stored separately. We will provide training on the use of iGreentree on an individual basis for hiring managers or administrators as they initiate a recruitment.

To log onto iGreentree to initiate a recruitment or to review applications for current recruitments, after receiving your username and password from HR,please use the following link: https://middlebury.igreentree.com/HiringManager_MIIS

Separate lists of open positions for external and internal applicants, will be available through the MIIS web site on Wednesday, October 28.

Please feel free to contact either Cathy or Michael in the HR office if you have questions (x3520).

Greentree is a private corporation founded in 1983 with headquarters in Campbell, CA. They provide applicant tracking support to numerous entities, both public and private including Temple University, University of California/Irvine, Oak Ridge Associated Universities and various community colleges and schools of medicine. Greentree was selected from a group of three service providers because of their ability to provide the needed flexibility and reporting required for both the Middlebury and MIIS campuses.

Staff Performance Evaluations

It’s that time again!…

As the HR office indicated in a message to all staff in June, the Staff Performance Evaluation period for this year began on August 1 and extends through November 15.  If you have not yet initiated the evaluation process for yourself, or for those you supervise, please consider doing so soon to avoid the last minute rush.

Here’s a recap of the original communication:

This year, because of the number of adjustments in staff positions and supervisors resulting from administrative reorganization, we have decided to shift the staff performance evaluation period until later in the year.

This year, the performance evaluation process will commence August 1 and run through November 15.  This will allow enough time for staff to become accustomed to new responsibilities, and for supervisory relationships to develop.

While we would like for the evaluation process to be constructive and forward-looking, we would also like to acknowledge staff performance prior to the reorganization.  For this reason, we have incorporated into the process a requirement that when a supervisory relationship is less than six months old, input from the previous supervisor should be included.  The form has been revised to provide for this requirement.

The form has also been revised slightly to reflect a need for a more meaningful rating scale in the “general performance” areas such as attendance.

Open Enrollment

All faculty and staff have received information from HR about how to participate in Open Enrollment for the short plan year (October-December 09) that will serve as a bridge between our current plan and the anticipated alignment with Middlebury’s benefit plans.

A question has arisen about how deductibles and out of pocket maximum’s will be handled for the short plan period.  It turns out that these are already calculated on a calendar year (rather than the plan year) so that if your deductible has been completed for Calendar Year 2009, that will continue to be true through December. If your out of pocket max has been reached for Calendar Year 2009, that will continue in place through December.  We will all begin with a clean slate on January 1, 2010.

Please remember that we need to receive a signed flexible spending account election form FROM EVERYONE — regardless of whether you wish to participate in this program, and regardless of whether you are making any other changes in your benefits. Please get your FSA Election Form in to HR as soon as possible!

President’s Message on Health and Welfare Benefits

Dear Monterey Institute Faculty and Staff:

I am writing to keep faculty and staff informed regarding ongoing integration efforts that are bringing systems, processes, and policies at MIIS and Middlebury College into alignment with one another. As you know, the goal of the two boards of trustees and two presidents at MIIS and Middlebury with respect to institutional policies is to achieve parity, meaning not necessarily identical policies, but highly compatible ones that may be adapted to the unique circumstances of either campus.

In the area of health and welfare benefits, our analysis has pointed to distinct advantages with respect to both absolute cost and the coverage we get for our money when we team up with Middlebury to create a larger pool of enrollees.

At the MIIS board meeting later this month, we will be presenting a proposal to align MIIS health and welfare benefits with Middlebury’s beginning on January 1, 2010. The changes being proposed will result in more generous benefits and greater choice of providers than are available under the existing MIIS plans. The specific changes include:

o Transition MIIS to the Middlebury medical plan (a self-insured plan under which the College contracts with CBA Blue to administer its claims process)

o Transition MIIS to the Middlebury dental plan

o Existing vision plan retained by MIIS, but not added by Middlebury

o Consolidate COBRA administration

o Consolidate flexible spending administration (with retention of debit card feature for MIIS employees)

o Consolidate Employee Assistance Program (retaining student coverage at MIIS)

o Joint transition by both MIIS and Midd employees to Mutual of Omaha life insurance, disability, etc., with adjustment for California disability plan

o Implementation of income sensitive premiums at MIIS

Overall Impact of Proposal:

o Significant potential monetary savings for the Institute, that would become available to address other pressing needs

o Plans have similar or greater value

o Greater flexibility in choice of medical and dental providers

o Overall ratio of employer to employee contributions remains approximately the same

o Income sensitivity in employee contributions, based on a percent of pay

o most employees will see reduced premiums

o some more highly compensated employees will see increased premiums

o one-year transitional funding to provide the latter employees with a year to budget for the increase

Among the benefits we can look forward to if this plan is approved by the board is an enhanced ability for Middlebury Human Resources staff to assist Institute employees with questions and issues, since all Middlebury and MIIS employees will be under the same benefit plans.

Because the MIIS plan year begins in October, we will conduct an open enrollment period to continue our existing plans for the three months remaining in 2009. Open enrollment for calendar year 2010 will take place in November and December. HR staff from MIIS and Middlebury will offer a series of webinars and/or videoconferences in order to explain the various benefit plans and answer questions from faculty and staff.

We believe these changes retain all of the key components of existing health and welfare benefits for Institute employees, while offering significant cost and/or coverage advantages for many members of our community. This proposal was presented to the Faculty Senate and the Staff Advisory Team on September 15, and will be presented to the Institute’s board of trustees for approval at their regularly scheduled September 24-26 meeting. This timing will ensure our ability to implement the changes by the January 1 start of the new plan year.

We will make every effort to respond to any questions or concerns faculty or staff may have about these changes. Please direct your questions to Cathy Vincent or Michael Ulibarri in the Human Resources office.

Sunder

M-squared HR offices share new applicant tracking system

We are pleased to announce the selection of a new applicant tracking system (ATS) to be hosted by Greentree Systems, Inc., a California-based software company that’s been in existence since 1983. After recently undertaking a thorough analysis of available ATS products with our HR counterparts at Middlebury College, we have elected to replace our existing ATS with an automated recruitment tool that can effectively support the employment functions at both institutions. The characteristic that distinguishes the Greentree product from the others we reviewed is its straightforward ability to support multiple hiring processes on each campus without requiring either school to conform to a shared set of internal process requirements. Instead, the new system will provide both institutions with improved functionality and greater customization while allowing each to maintain its own distinct brand, requisition/posting processes, and recruitment forms. By pooling resources to purchase this new software, both campuses will be able to obtain an enhanced recruitment system that we believe will better sustain the ongoing recruitment needs of both institutions for some time to come — and at a more affordable price!

If you participate in the hiring process, stay tuned for more information about the timeline for rolling out the new system, and training for hiring managers.

Staff Workshop on Diversity and Communication

Thanks to our connection with EdFund through the Financial Aid Office, we are able to offer a second staff development workshop entitled “Communicating In a Diverse World,” on Thursday, May 28th, from 1:30-3:30 pm in room B104 of the Morse Building.  In this engaging, two-hour workshop, you will take a fun and interactive look at how our understanding of diversity influences our communication.  Decode hidden assumptions, and learn the true impact of body language and stereotyping. Examine how you as a leader can help your team feel more comfortable with diversity, and establish a positive context for every interaction.

Here is some information on the workshop leader, Mark Gotsch:

Mark joined EdFund’s Professional Development training team in January 2004. Mark comes from a well-rounded public service background and has over 15 years experience as an instructor for community colleges, technical high schools, and has experience in program development and coordination. He has worked in radio and television and has appeared on Southern California cable TV news programs.  Mark holds a bachelor’s degree in Liberal Arts and a master’s of arts in Adult Education.

Please email Michael Ulibarri if you plan to attend.

HR Hosts Team Building Workshop

Thanks to our connection with EDFUND through the Financial Aid Office, we are able to offer a staff development workshop entitled “Building Teams for Your Future,” March 26, 1:30-3:30, CF 452.  This is a very timely offering, especially in light of the call that has just gone out for volunteers to form a Staff Advisory Team (deadline March 23).  The workshop will cover:

Defining teams
How teams benefit an organization
Being passionate about what we do
Defining the difference between teams and groups
Avoiding team mistakes
Developing team culture
Transforming your organization
Importance of attitude
Becoming multi-functional
Pulling it all together – building a bridge to success

Here is some information on the workshop leader:
Joel Kordis – Senior Professional Development Trainer, EDFUND

Beginning in 2001, Joel came to EDFUND with a well-rounded background in Financial Aid, Training, and Education and has over 20 years experience in both post-secondary and adult educational institutions. Academically, Joel holds degrees specializing in Leadership and Motivational Skills.  Some of the positions he has held include Academic Program Director, State Training Manager and Adjunct Assistant Professor. Joel is certified as a Facilitator for Development Dimensions International Learning Systems, and by the Bob Pike Group as a Master Trainer in Participant Centered Instruction.  While at EDFUND Joel has provided training events and graduation key note addresses to over 10,000 participants.

W-2s, by the Numbers

This year, the Instiitute issued a total of 890 for MIIS faculty, staff and students.
771 paper W-2s were printed and 119 electronic W-2s were issued.   (This is a great response for our first effort to save paper, postage and time with an electronic distribution.  Thanks to all who participated!)

On the downside, 78 W-2s have been returned for incorrect addresses.
We are still trying to track down over 50 people for their updated addresses.  If you have not received your W-2, please contact Human Resources and update your address record — and if you plan to move, please remember to let HR know about your change of address so that your form will arrive on time next year.

AIG/Valic Representative Visits MIIS

ATTENTION ALL BENEFIT-ELIGIBLE FACULTY AND STAFF:

Rodney Smith, our AIG/VALIC representative, will be on campus in the Human Resources Conference Room to assist you with your retirement questions on Tuesday February 24, 2009 from 10:00 a.m. through 2:00 p.m.

If you would like to arrange to meet with Rodney at a particular time, please give him a call on his cell phone at 595-2588.

Cathy Vincent Returns to MIIS HR

If you didn’t get to say goodbye to Cathy Vincent when she returned to Middlebury in November, don’t worry – now you can say hello!  Cathy will be returning to Monterey, beginning Monday, January 26.

Cathy will continue to co-manage the HR department with Michael Ulibarri, but we have reconfigured their job responsibilities so that each of them will have oversight of specific HR functions.  Michael will continue to serve as the primary point of contact for staff and student HR issues, while Cathy will focus on developing more specialized HR processes and services for faculty.  Cathy will also be the primary liaison with Middlebury HR for integration issues, including our shared HR information systems. Michael will continue to focus on compliance, training and development. Together, they are charged with pursuing the following priorities for strengthening MIIS HR, as we move toward integration with Middlebury:

1. Continue transition of benefits and compensation management to Middlebury;
2. Educate members of the community about important policies and procedures, leading to a culture of cooperation and compliance;
3. Differentiate and improve HR capacity for faculty recruitment and services;
4. Provide orientation opportunities for new faculty and staff that are tailored to the needs of those groups;
5. Develop, collaboratively with Middlebury, “21st century employment practices” that take into account mobility and work-life balance issues.

e-W-2s

In conjunction with Middlebury College, the Payroll Office is making your W-2 Tax and Wage Statement available to you electronically, if you wish. Moving to an electronic W-2 saves the Institute time and money.  In addition, the electronic W-2 is a safer method in delivering personal and financial information of a confidential nature that would otherwise be sent through the U.S. Postal Service.

Please read the following Q & A’s if you are interested in participating in this process.  If you do not wish to take advantage of this option you need take no action.  Your W-2 will be mailed to you on Feb 2, 2009.

The Payroll office can be contacted at payroll@miis.edu with any additional questions.
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Q: What is an ‘electronic W-2’?
A: This is an option to access and print your W-2 information electronically through Banner Self Service. The electronic version prints out an IRS approved paper W-2.

Q: Why should I choose to receive my W-2 this way?
A: Electronic W-2’s benefit everyone. Not only will you be able to access your W-2 information sooner, you have the ability to access and print the W-2 as often as you like. The Institute saves time, effort and money associated with printing, stuffing and mailing over 1,000 W-2’s.

Q. How do I sign up to receive my electronic W-2?
A. Log into Banner Web (Self Service)
Click on the ‘Employee’ section, select ‘Tax Forms’ and ‘Electronic W-2 Consent’. Please read the consent information carefully, make your choice and then hit the submit button. Please make your selection by January 23, 2009 if you want to receive an electronic W-2 for 2008.

Q. How do I print my Electronic W-2?
A. Log into Banner Web (Self Service)
Click on the ‘Employee’ section, select ‘Tax Forms’ then ‘W-2 Tax and Wage Statement’. Select ‘Tax Year’ and hit the ‘display’ button. Select the Print button below the W-2 form to display the current statement for printing. Print a copy for your records and print copies as needed for submission to federal, state and local entities. Printed copies do not indicate if they are Federal, State, Local or an Employee copy, but the electronic version can be used for any of these filings.

Q. When will my electronic W-2 be ready?
A. You will receive an email from the Payroll Office informing you that the W-2 is available for viewing and printing. Per IRS regulations, W-2’s need to be either postmarked or available electronically by February 2, 2009 for tax year 2008. We will make every effort to have the electronic W-2’s available earlier than February 2, 2009.

Q. What if I do not have access to a printer?
A. Please do not choose electronic delivery if you do not have access to a printer. For security reasons we suggest you avoid using printers located in public areas.

Q: What if my address is incorrect on the printed W-2?
A: You may still file using the electronic copy but you must contact Human Resources to make any changes to your address.

“Un” Book Club Reflections

In the first “un” book club meeting, we discussed the book Outliers by Malcolm Gladwell.  There was a nice, diverse group of folks who came by the TLC sandbox to discuss the main concepts and relate them to our work here at MIIS.  In his book, Gladwell outlines some relatively hidden secrets to success – timing, opportunity, culture and experience.  The typical success story is told as if the person arose from ashes and took the world by surprise when actually the very opposite is the case.  He highlights cases such as Bill Gates who was born in the exact right year in the exact right town to have access to computers at a young age so by the time he left college, he had more than 10,000 hours of experience working with computers.

Some of the big ideas/questions that came up during the meeting were:

  • Should we be trying to recruit outliers, create outliers, raise the curve of outliers or treat each student as if they are a potential outlier?
  • How can we “engineer” opportunities for students?
  • Timing is so important – we must prepare students so that they are ready to take advantage of an opportunity when the time strikes.

After a successful first “un” book club meeting, the group has decided to move forward and pick a new book to help us frame our upcoming conversation.  The new book will be My Stroke of Insight by Jill Bolte Taylor.  We will be meeting at noon on Monday, February 9th in the TLC Sandbox (Kade, second floor).

Staff Meeting – 3:30 pm on Thursday, January 15th, Irvine Auditorium

The work group of staff members that formed after the last all staff meeting has been working hard to come up with some ideas for the structure of a staff council.  They have met, researched, brainstormed, debated and researched some more to find ideas that might help to organize the MIIS staff into a high performing team.  This group is now bringing three ideas for a structure back to the entire staff population to get their insights as to the best approach to give voice to the entire staff.  The meeting on January 15th, at 3:30 pm in the Irvine Auditorium will be to introduce the ideas and solicit feedback/new ideas.  There is a quick overview of the ideas below, but it is important for staff to attend the meeting  to discuss the various benefits of the different structures.

Regardless of structure, it is the hope that some sort of organization for staff will promote a sense of community, act as a liaison between the various constituents at MIIS, foster a culture of communication and collaboration, and work towards making MIIS more effective in living up to its mission.  All ideas include more all-staff meetings, working with the administration/board/faculty/students, and strengthening communication among the groups on campus.

Representative Structure

  • The staff is divided into 8 to 10 groups – each group elects or volunteers one representative to serve for 1 or 2 years.
  • Council has a President, VP and recording secretary/treasurer
  • The council has various committees such as: benefits/compensation, communications, professional development, event/philanthropy
  • Committee chairs solicit help from others on campus to deal with particular issues

3-person Steering Committee

  • Steering committee facilitates one or two all-staff meetings per semester
  • May also meet with board, faculty senate, or student council
  • Provides means of communication between staff and administration
  • Committee members nominated and elected by staff
  • Serve for one year term
  • Voluntary subcommittees formed ad hoc as needed to address current issues and concerns

6-Person Advisory Team

  • Small diverse group (5-6 people) – volunteers
  • New volunteer opportunities offered annually
  • Dynamic/flexible – dependent on the needs/concerns of the staff
  • Work off annual agendas set by the entire staff
  • Facilitate regular staff meetings (quarterly, monthly?)

See you on January 15th!