Departments should prepare now for holiday closing period

All TEAMS employees and 12-month Academic Personnel will be credited with four personal leave days in November to be used when possible during the period of December 26 through December 31. UF vice presidents—working with deans, directors, and department chairs—will determine which TEAMS employees and 12-month Academic Personnel are considered essential personnel and, therefore, will be required to work to support campus operations.

All clinical activities within the College of Medicine and Shands at UF will remain open for patient care. This includes all Shands functions, University of Florida Physicians practices, and UF Jacksonville practices and clinical activities. Health Science Center faculty, staff, and students with clinic responsibilities who are assigned to the Gainesville and Jacksonville campuses must check with their respective colleges, departments, and clinics to determine their work requirements during the December 26 through December 31 time period.

USPS employees are not eligible for the four personal leave days in December and may be required to use vacation or accrued compensatory leave during the holiday closing period if a department is closed or upon supervisory request.

In the event a USPS employee does not have accrued vacation leave to cover the period, he or she may request that vacation leave be advanced to cover that absence, in which case the department is obligated to provide such leave. The holiday closing period is the only time during which vacation leave may be advanced. USPS employees may also elect to use leave without pay during this time.

For planning purposes, departments are advised to initiate discussions to:

• Determine the extent to which departments and work units will be closed during the December 26 through December 30 time period
• Identify those employees who will be designated "essential”
• Share this information with employees in each area

Additional information on the holiday closing period, as well as the holiday schedule for 2012, may be found on the Leave Administration section of the Human Resource Services web site.  If you have questions, please contact Leave Administration at (352) 392-2477 or central-leave@ufl.edu.

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New criteria established for reclassifications

• The employee must meet the minimum qualifications for the new classification.
• The employee must perform the higher level functions for a period of six months prior to the reclassification.
• Employees who do not meet the minimum qualifications for the new classification but meet the equivalent through a combination of education and experience must have performed the higher-level functions for an extended period of time prior to the reclassification request.

A Special Pay Increase may be requested during the period in which the employee performs the higher-level functions prior to the reclassification (see below).

The reclassification proposal, which is initiated by the supervisor and submitted through the appropriate chain of command, includes a revised position description reflecting the newly assigned duties. This is initiated in the myUFL system’s Position Management process via “Add/Update Position Information.” (See the “Reclassifying a Position” instruction guide.)

An updated organizational chart must also be submitted either by fax or e-mail. Classification and Compensation will review and evaluate the changes. If approved, the salary increase given can fall anywhere within the pay range for the new classification, depending on departmental funding and vice presidential policies.

Classification and Compensation will set the effective date with the approval of a classification action.

• The effective date of filled reclassifications will be the first day of the first pay period in the next month after the position classification action has been approved by the Classification and Compensation office.
• The effective date of vacant reclassifications and new positions that need to be posted will be the date the classification has been approved by the Classification and Compensation office.
• The effective date of a classification action may be a date subsequent to the approval date if requested by the department.
• The effective date of a classification action may not be retroactive to the date approved by Classification and Compensation.

Executive Appointments
An appointment of an employee who does not meet the criteria for reclassification to the level of director or above without recruitment requires approval from the vice president for Human Resource Services.

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Deadline extended, open lab sessions added to support effort certification process

Effort coordinators are encouraged to complete their training by Friday, December 2, but will be required to have completed it by Friday, December 23, in order to maintain the role of UF_ET_EFFORT_COORDINATOR.

For those in need of assistance with the new Effort Reporting system, additional open lab sessions have been scheduled. These sessions are a great opportunity to receive assistance with your certification reports and get answers to any questions you might have. No enrollment is required for these sessions; however, participants are strongly encouraged to complete the training and have the correct security access to ensure the open lab session is beneficial.  Sessions are scheduled for:

For more information about the new Effort Reporting system, please visit the Chief Financial Officer’s web site.

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Improvements made to fellowship payment procedures

Look for a new instruction guide and hiring checklist on the HRS web site, and please feel free to contact Academic Personnel at (352) 392-2477 with any questions.

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Spring/summer GatorGradCare enrollment due January 30

The enrollment period for spring-only or spring/summer coverage under GatorGradCare is now open for students who did not previously enroll in annual or fall/spring coverage for the 2011-2012 academic year. Students interested in spring only or spring/summer coverage must log on to the GatorGradCare section of HRS’s web site to complete the enrollment process before January 30, 2012.

Students can also adjust their current and dependent coverage during this enrollment period. To make changes to current or dependent coverage, students can e-mail the GA and Post Doc Associate Benefits Office at gabenefits@admin.ufl.edu before January 30, 2012.

Please note:  Even if a graduate student is unsure about his or her graduate assistantship status, he or she must complete the GatorGradCare enrollment by the January 30 deadline. Eligible students are strongly encouraged to elect the spring/summer enrollment option so their summer coverage can be based on their spring eligibility. This means, as long as the student meets the eligibility criteria for GatorGradCare in the spring term, he or she can maintain continuous coverage throughout the summer. This is only the case with the spring/summer option.

The GatorGradCare eligibility requirements, brochure, and other related information can be found on the GatorGradCare section of the HRS web site.

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Next Exam Report helps track required occupational medical monitoring

To run the report, department administrators with hiring responsibilities will need a specific security role.  For more information, please visit the Environmental Health and Safety web site and see the Health Assessment Next Exam Report instruction guide.

Questions?  Call (352) 392-1591 or email occmed@ehs.ufl.edu.

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©2011 University of Florida Office of Human Resource Services
The InfoGator for Department Administrators is a monthly e-publication produced by the University of Florida’s Office of Human Resource Services. It is distributed electronically to UF faculty and staff and is available online. Please direct questions or comments to its editor, Angie Brown; Human Resource Services; P.O. Box 115006; (352) 392-4626; TDD 800-955-8771. The InfoGator is available in an alternative format upon request.