Civil Service Probationary Evaluation Requirements

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By  Mirta Mendez, Director of UIC Employment Servicesand Patricia Barrera, Associate Director Medical Center Human Resources
An employee who has accepted a civil service (status) appointment shall serve a probationary period for no less than six (6) months and no longer than twelve (12) months.  If the probationary period is interrupted by a paid or unpaid leave of absence that exceeds more than five consecutive work days, a layoff, or a suspension, a comparable amount of time shall be added to the probationary period. If an extension is necessary, you will need to contact HR Shared Services to request this change.  


The probationary period begins on the date of the appointment to a status position and expires at the close of business on the last working day after the completion of six or twelve months of service, based on criteria of the job classification, regardless of the percentage of time of the employment during the probationary period.  Both a full-time and a half-time employee complete a probationary period within the same six or twelve month period.
The probationary period is an integral part of the examination process, and shall be used by the University for close observation and evaluation of the employee’s work performance.  It is used to determine whether there is an effective adjustment of the new employee to the position and to determine whether an employee demonstrates the ability and qualifications necessary to perform the job.  Periodically, throughout the probationary period, the supervisor should discuss with the employee his/her progress on the job. 
When the employee is hired, Human Resources will send a probationary period evaluation form to the employing unit to be used to evaluate the employee’s progress at the end of one (1) month, three (3) months, and at five (5) months of employment (before the end of the probationary period), and at additional regular intervals for employees in a twelve (12) month probationary periods.   If termination is deemed appropriate, the hiring unit should consult with the Human Resources Employment Officer as early as possible to discuss potential seniority rights or necessary steps to take for dismissal.  The Probationary Period Evaluation Form can be found at the following HR web page link, http://www.uic.edu/depts/hr/, under HR Forms.
The evaluator and the employee should sign the evaluation form at each interval in evaluations period.  These signatures indicate that the employing supervisor and the employee have met and discussed employee’s progress. It also serves to indicate the employee has received a copy of the evaluation.  It does not necessarily signify the employee’s agreement with the results of the evaluation.  Both the employee and supervisor are encouraged to include written comments to further address the evaluation. 
Upon completion of the final evaluation, the evaluator should give a copy to the employee, retain a copy for the department file and the signed original form should be forwarded to:  Human Resources Service Center, 715 South Wood St., Chicago, IL 60612 M/C 900.

OAE Announces Online Sexual Harassment Prevention Course

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By Cheryl Fernandes, Information Technology Technical Associate
Office for Access & Equity
 

The Office for Access and Equity (OAE), as part of the Office of the Chancellor, strives to increase access to employment, programs, and services in an environment free of unlawful discrimination and harassment.  As part of these efforts, OAE has created and rolled out an online course entitled "Online Sexual Harassment Prevention Course." This educational program has been viewed by upper level administrators at all three University of Illinois campuses and has received glowing reviews. The module is housed on Blackboard and developed using SoftChalk. While in-house, face-to-face trainings remain, this online training can be taken anytime, anywhere. It is available to all UIC employees. You can register at:  http://www.oae.uic.edu/SH_Training/shtraining_register.html.

Department of Labor FMLA Forms Update

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By Marilyn Lablaiks, Associate Director Employee Labor and Relations

Standard FMLA forms posted on the Department of Labor website drafted in January 2009 expired on December 31, 2011. Rather than revising the forms as expected to include certain changes in the law, the old forms have been re-posted by the Department of Labor with the only change a new expiration date of February 28, 2015. Two important considerations that are not reflected in the re-posted forms include reference to use of genetic information under the Genetic information Nondiscrimination Act, and changes to military family leave amended in 2010 under the National Defense Authorization Act.

GINA, or the Genetic Information Nondiscrimination Act, prohibits employers and medical providers from requesting or providing genetic information in a request for medical certification. This prevents potential misuse of genetic information that could result in discrimination in health insurance and employment. Genetic information includes genetic testing, participation in genetic research, request for genetic services or manifestation of a genetic disease or disorder, in the covered individual, family member, fetus or embryo. To prevent inadvertent acquisition of genetic information that could be considered a violation the employer must specifically direct the employee and health care provider from whom it requests certification information not to provide genetic information. While such language is not included in the Department of Labor forms, the EEOC has suggests specific “safe harbor” language should be added to any form requesting health related information from employees.The National Defense Authorization Act expands the qualifying reason for military family leave for up to 12 weeks of unpaid leave under FMLA to include the call to service or return from deployment, of a spouse, child or parent. This allows employees to meet family needs as service members prepare for or return from deployment. Additionally, the Act more than doubles the amount of FMLA leave available to care for a family member injured in the line of duty. A spouse, parent, child or next of kin may take up to 26 weeks of unpaid leave to care for a service member recovering from a service related injury that occurred in the last five years while the individual was on active military duty. The Department of Labor announced the intention to develop a new, presumably separate form for the certification of serious injury or illness to a service member, subject to notice and comment by the public at some future unspecified date.Total annual leave under FMLA cannot exceed 26 weeks a year, and separate reasons for leave run concurrently. Leave may be taken intermittently, as a block of time, or on a reduced schedule as permitted under FMLA. University of Illinois FMLA forms and information available through the campus website and in NESSIE are fully compliant with requirements of the Department of Labor, GINA and the National Defense Authorization Act as they stand today. Stay tuned for further developments.http://www.uic.edu/depts/hr/Leave/https://nessie.uihr.uillinois.edu/cf/leave/index.cfm?Item_id=1288&rlink=1194

UIC's Job Analysis: Campus-wide Project

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By Russ Dickow, HR Business Partner

We have now entered the third year of conducting UIC’s campus-wide Job Analysis Project. This project, originally created to comply with requirements of the State Universities Civil Service System (SUCSS), has become more complex and time consuming than was originally anticipated. However, in the past two years 11 campus units have gone through the job analysis process, accounting for 1100 academic professional positions receiving job descriptions. This is already one third of the positions that were identified to be analyzed throughout the project.

Reasoning for the Job Analysis Project
Initially the need to conduct a campus-wide job analysis of Academic Professional positions resulted from audits by SUCSS. It was determined in these audits that many jobs were inappropriately classified as Academic Professional because there were similar classifications within the Civil Service Class Plan. The Job Analysis Project will appropriately classify jobs as Academic Professional or Civil Service, and create a job description for each position in a standardized, campus-wide format.


Through the ongoing project other practicable, long term benefits have been determined. These include creating the foundation for establishing compensation programs, career development, and promotional and training opportunities for Academic Professional employees. An online job library containing job descriptions for use across the campus is also being planned.

Conversions
A critical outcome of the Job Analysis program is the necessity to correct the inappropriate exemption of jobs covered by SUCSS. This does not mean that all employees currently classified as Academic Professional will now be converted to a Civil Service classification. Any Academic Professional employee who is determined to be converted to Civil Service will be given substantial information about the conversion process and plenty of opportunity to ask questions before the actual conversion to Civil Service is completed.


An Ongoing Process
The Job Analysis Project will be continuing as an ongoing process until all campus units are completed. Each unit will be given sufficient notice and a Project Plan outlining the job analysis process when they are scheduled to participant in the program. A process has also been established to help a unit that has a need to fill an open position before it is scheduled for a complete job analysis. An interviewer has been dedicated to conduct a job analysis for these open positions, determine if the position is Academic Professional or Civil Service, and create a job description that the unit can use to fill the position. Finally, all efforts are being made, through a Consistency Check Team, to assure that all positions will be consistently classified, Academic Professional or Civil Service, whether within a unit or campus wide.

If there are questions about the job analysis and job description process contact Joe Fowler, Assistant Director Compensation/Job Analysis, fowlerj@uic.edu or visit the UICHR website where you will find more detailed information (e.g. FAQ’s).

It's Never Too Soon: The Retirement Planning Conference

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Marilyn Sommer, Special Programs

Spring is the time when flowers blossom, when we cast off our winter garb and welcome bright colors and light clothing and when we are reminded of our promises to stay fit and healthy. It is also a time to think about future goals. If one of those is retirement, then hopefully you attended the Retirement Planning Conference which was held on Saturday, April 14, 2012 at Student Center East.

The Retirement Planning Conference is intended to assist UIC faculty, staff, and families in planning for retirement by providing information and access to resources. Retirement planning can never start too soon. Whether you are planning on retiring in three years or thirty years the seminars offer information that assists you in preparing for your retirement. The 400 people in attendance this year were welcomed by Maureen Parks, Executive Director and Associate Vice President, University Human Resources. Next, a presentation on the State of Illinois Retiree Health Plan with insight into the Retirement Steps and Timeline was addressed by Tim Gavin from University Payroll and Benefits Services.

State Universities Retirement System of Illinois (SURS) counselors conducted workshops and seminars covering a wide range of topics for planning and managing your retirement benefits. Representatives of Fidelity and TIA-CREFF provided insight into investment strategies and income distribution at retirement. State Universities Annuitants Association UIC UNITED, UIC Chapter of SUAA representatives were available to discuss protecting your retirement benefits, while other presenters discussed benefit impact on social security and challenges of pension reform.

Of greatest value reported by attendees were the Retirement Planning Expo Fair breakout sessions and the wealth of printed information distributed on arrival.

For more information access the following links:
Retirement Planning Conference http://www.uic.edu/depts/hr/Special_Programs/retirement_conf.shtml
Websites of Interest for Illinois Retirees and the Retiree Guide:
Websites of Interest for Illinois Retirees
The Retiree Guide
For information on protecting your retirement benefits and membership contact SUAA http://www.uic.edu/orgs/suaa/

California EDD Extends Relief for 19 Counties Due to Storms

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The California Employment Development Department (EDD) has advised employers that were directly affected by recent severe rainstorms in 19 counties in the state that they could request up to a 60-day extension of time to file their state payroll reports and/or deposit state payroll taxes without any penalty or interest. 
The counties are Alameda, Amador, Butte, Contra Costa, Del Norte, Humboldt, Madera, Mariposa, Mendocino, Monterey, San Luis Obispo, Santa Barbara, Santa Cruz, Sierra, Stanislaus, Sutter, Trinity, Tuolumne, and Ventura. Written request for the extension must be received within 60 days from the original delinquent date of the payment or return. Related information is available on the EDD website at http://www.edd.ca.gov. Source: (EDD Tax Branch News #134, California Employment Development Department, April 25, 2011.)
Established in 1937, CEA is a non-profit association providing personalized and cost effective comprehensive information, services, and training for all aspects of human resources management,California Labor Law and relations solutions throughout California. Located throughout the state, CEA’s staff of regional directors draw upon more than 150 years combined knowledge and experience to assist in all aspects of employer-employee relations. 


For more information please contact: 
Scott J. Dear, Director of Membership Services 
Toll free 1-800-399-5331 or 916-921-1312 
Mobile 916-281-5898 
Email: sdear@employers.org 
Website: www.employers.org 
Twitter: Caemployers

UIC's Job Analysis: Campus-wide Project

To contact us Click HERE
By Russ Dickow, HR Business Partner

We have now entered the third year of conducting UIC’s campus-wide Job Analysis Project. This project, originally created to comply with requirements of the State Universities Civil Service System (SUCSS), has become more complex and time consuming than was originally anticipated. However, in the past two years 11 campus units have gone through the job analysis process, accounting for 1100 academic professional positions receiving job descriptions. This is already one third of the positions that were identified to be analyzed throughout the project.

Reasoning for the Job Analysis Project
Initially the need to conduct a campus-wide job analysis of Academic Professional positions resulted from audits by SUCSS. It was determined in these audits that many jobs were inappropriately classified as Academic Professional because there were similar classifications within the Civil Service Class Plan. The Job Analysis Project will appropriately classify jobs as Academic Professional or Civil Service, and create a job description for each position in a standardized, campus-wide format.


Through the ongoing project other practicable, long term benefits have been determined. These include creating the foundation for establishing compensation programs, career development, and promotional and training opportunities for Academic Professional employees. An online job library containing job descriptions for use across the campus is also being planned.

Conversions
A critical outcome of the Job Analysis program is the necessity to correct the inappropriate exemption of jobs covered by SUCSS. This does not mean that all employees currently classified as Academic Professional will now be converted to a Civil Service classification. Any Academic Professional employee who is determined to be converted to Civil Service will be given substantial information about the conversion process and plenty of opportunity to ask questions before the actual conversion to Civil Service is completed.


An Ongoing Process
The Job Analysis Project will be continuing as an ongoing process until all campus units are completed. Each unit will be given sufficient notice and a Project Plan outlining the job analysis process when they are scheduled to participant in the program. A process has also been established to help a unit that has a need to fill an open position before it is scheduled for a complete job analysis. An interviewer has been dedicated to conduct a job analysis for these open positions, determine if the position is Academic Professional or Civil Service, and create a job description that the unit can use to fill the position. Finally, all efforts are being made, through a Consistency Check Team, to assure that all positions will be consistently classified, Academic Professional or Civil Service, whether within a unit or campus wide.

If there are questions about the job analysis and job description process contact Joe Fowler, Assistant Director Compensation/Job Analysis, fowlerj@uic.edu or visit the UICHR website where you will find more detailed information (e.g. FAQ’s).