Service and Support Staff Advisory Committee Meeting Minutes
| September 2007 | December 2007 | March 2008 |
| October 2007 | January 2008 | |
| November 2007 | February 2008 |
April 1, 2008
Present: Tory Borovsky, Dan Hudson, Lynda Muas, Colleen McShane, Pat O’Brien
Absent: Natalie Mogren
May will be the last meeting of the committee for the ’07-’08 academic year. Lynda Maus and Natalie Mogren will be completing their 2nd year on the committee and will either re-committ to another 2 year term or recommend a new replacement from their respective areas.
Roundtable dicussion items included: using committee next year for feedback on future time-reporting system, new rate for summer employment and new form available, invite to Roger Loftus for an update on benefit news at the May meeting.
Present: Tory Borovksy, Dan Hudson, Lynda Maus, Colleen McShane, Pat O’Brien
Absent: Natalie Mogren
Roundtable discussion items included: no unfavorable responses to years of service recognition event; some minor issues with new timesheet where some text appears to be in another language – Colleen McShane will test this out and correct.
An observation was made that there seems to an increase in the # of parking tickets for the Buntrock Commons lot. Suggestion that Public Safety periodically send out emails reminding staff and faculty about no parking locations (fire lanes, ect). Other concerns were raised regarding the speed of cars and not yeilding to pedestrians especially at end of the day.
The upcoming increase in tuition was raised. There seems to be some interest in knowing more about what goes into the decision to set tuition at a new level and how that impacts the ability to recruit new students and the college’s financial picture.
Present: Tory Borovsky, Dan Hudson, Colleen McShane, Pat O’Brien
Absent: Lynda Maus, Natalie Mogren
Roundtable discussion items included new Credit Card authorization process and future plans to be able to use flex dollars for bookstore food items.
Present: Tory Borovsky, Dan Hudson, Lynda Maus, Colleen McShane, Natalie Mogren, Pat O’Brien
Roundtable items from the committee included:
An updated employee staff handbook is available on-line and incorporates the new Short Term Disability benefit and Paid Time Off program for non-exempt employees. Limited paper copies are available in the HR offices.
The committee reviewed the holiday schedule for 2009 and has requested HR to send out.
Request was made to payroll to send out an e-mail on the new timesheet to be used effective January 5 th and it’s availability on-line on the Payroll webpage.
A lengthy discussion regarding timesheets followed prompted by a risk assessment concern that employee timesheets should be turned in by the supervisor to payroll as opposed to returning the approved timesheet to the employee for submittal. There was discussion on correctly recording all time worked, comp time rules, overtime calculation, etc. There was a general feeling that a refresher time reporting training session for both non-exempt employees and their supervisors would be beneficial.
Present: Tory Borovsky, Dan Hudson, Lynda Maus, Colleen McShane, Natalie Mogren, Pat O’Brien
Guests: Roger Loftus, Anne Wallin
Roger previewed the powerpoint presentation that will be communicated to hourly employees and thier supervisors. Payroll presented examples of two different timesheets that will be used under the new PTO/STD Disability benefits that will go into effect January 5th, 2008.
Present: Tory Borovsky, Colleen McShane, Natalie Mogren, Pat O’Brien
Absent: Dan Hudson, Lynda Maus,
Guests: Roger Loftus, President Anderson
Roger Loftus and President Anderson briefed the committee on the status of the creation of a Short-Term Disability (STD) benefit, and the implementation of a Paid Time Off (PTO) plan. The Board of Regents approved the concept in theory but asked the benefits committee to benchmark with local employers on paid time off benefits and to address the issue of work/life balance and the maximum accruals proposed under the PTO plan.
The plan that will presented to the Finance Committee of the Board of Regents in early December include the following:
Service Yrs Max PTO Accrual
0-6 years 144 hours
7-14 years 184 hours
15+ years 224 hours
- Buy down option for employees at or near the current accrual maximum; employees can elect to buy down vacation balance to 40 hours below proposed Max PTO accrual.
- 6 month grace period starting January 1 st, 2008 in which Sick Leave Reserve can be used to cover sick-self and sick-child instead of PTO.
Human Resources will initiate various forms of communication to employees regarding the new benefits once approval from the Board of Regents is received.
President Anderson affirmed his support of the committee and it’s role in helping the President filter issues and help surface long-term issues of the college community. A lively discussion on community celebrations, a possible earth day holiday and role of the committee continued.
The committee wrapped up with a sharing of feedback on recognition of years of service. This information will be shared with Jean Callister-Benson and Human Resources who are charged with planning the annual recognition event.
Present: Dan Hudson, Lynda Maus, Colleen McShane, Natalie Mogren, Pat O’Brien
Absent: Tory Borovsky
A question was raised regarding Sick/Medical bonus days and if these days would be added to PTO or sick reserve if the conversion to Paid Time Off (PTO) goes into effect on January 1 st. 2008.
The committee continued their discussion on how departments charge gifts or memorials for employees and/or family of employees for such things as retirement, resignation, births, adoptions, illness, death, etc. Concerns have been raised regarding inconsistencies across the campus community and lack of controls. The committee has asked Colleen McShane to offer our assistance to Accounts Payable to be used as a resource and sounding board for issues they see and provide feedback if guidelines or policies are deemed appropriate.
This committee has historically recommended the College holiday schedule to the President. The committee reviewed the 2009 calendar against the college-designated holidays and is recommending no change. This will be communicated with the President’s office.
The idea of designating a holiday or partial holiday in recognition of earth day, April 22 nd, in support of the College’s sustainability theme was raised. The idea that employees could participate in activities, such as campus clean-up, plantings, writing campaigns, etc. and receive holiday credit or work credit for sponsored activities. The committee will continue to discuss at our next meeting.
September 11, 2007
Present: Tory Borovsky, Dan Hudson, Lynda Maus, Colleen McShane, Natalie Mogren, Pat O’Brien
This was the first meeting of the 2007-2008 academic year. Joining the committee this year as a new member is Tory Borovsky, Academic Administrative Assistant in Biology.
Roger Loftus updated the committee on three recent changes to the proposed Short Term Disability (STD) benefit and Paid Time Off (PTO) program. The first change designates all PTO hours as hours worked for calculation of overtime. The 2 nd change increases the maximum accrual for PTO to 288 hours in year 1, 264 hours in year 2, and 240 hours year 3 and beyond. The maximum payout of PTO at the time of termination or retirement will be 240 hours. The 3 rd change allows employees to use their sick leave reserve balances in lieu of PTO on the 2 nd consecutive day of sick in year 1, on the 4 th consecutive day of sick in year 2 and on the 6 th day of sick year 3 and beyond. These last two changes helps in the transition from our current vacation/sick time benefit to the PTO program. STD/PTO will be taken for review to President Anderson and Cabinet in the next several weeks. The Board will have an opportunity to review this new benefit at the October board meeting. If approved, the program will most likely be implemented on January 1, 2008.
This committee has historically recommended the College holiday schedule to the President. The committee will review the 2009 calendar against the college-designated holidays and forward their recommendations by year-end.
The committee also agreed to take on a review of how departments charge gifts or memorials for employees and/or family of employees for such things as retirement, resignation, births, adoptions, illness, death, etc. Concerns have been raised regarding inconsistencies across the campus community and lack of controls. The committee will continue to discuss this.
Pat O’Brien has asked the committee to review the list of staff development sessions for 2007-2008 to brainstorm on what can be done to increase employee attendance.
Present: Cathy Browne, Colleen McShane, Pat O’Brien
Absent: Dan Hudson, Lynda Maus, Natalie Mogren
This was the final meeting of the 06-07 academic year. Cathy Browne and Dan Hudson have completed their two-year term on the Committee. Members were asked to review committee representation by division and submit names of potential candidates to carry forward for nomination.
No new business brought forward. There was a brief discussion on the status of the annual pay program and benefit changes for the upcoming year. Nothing to report on either topic. General sense that most employees are unaware of who serves on the benefit committee and what issues they are discussing. Suggestion that a survey of employees on what is important to them regarding benefit offerings may be of value.
Present: Cathy Browne, Dan Hudson, Lynda Maus, Colleen McShane, Pat O’Brien
Absent: Natalie Mogren
Pat O’Brien informed the committee that Cabinet is in the process of reviewing grade ranges and options for distribution of the 2007 annual wage pool. At this point information has been presented but no decisions have been made.
Two presentations of a proposed Short Term Disability/Paid Time Off program have been presented by Roger Loftus to the Facilities and AAA group. The committee recommends holding a general session for other non-exempt employees as well.
Talk regarding a 2 nd wind turbine for Carleton College has been heard which raises the question as to whether St. Olaf College is planning more wind turbines in the future as well.
Summer hours was briefly discussed. The committee feels this is a nice benefit provided to employees and much appreciated.
Next month will be the last meeting of the committee for the academic year. Members serve two consecutive years. Cathy Browne and Dan Hudson are in their second year. The committee will discuss next month the possibility of adding to the size of the committee so all divisions are represented. We will also be looking at new committee members to replace the second term members.
The next meeting of the Service and Support Advisory Committee will be Wednesday, May 2, 2007 from 9:00 am – 10:00 am, Buntrock Commons 220.
Present: Cathy Browne, Dan Hudson, Colleen McShane, Natalie Mogren, Pat O’Brien
Absent: Lynda Maus
Two presentations of a proposed Short Term Disability/Paid Time Off program have been presented by Roger Loftus to the Facilities and AAA group. The committee recommends holding a general session for other non-exempt employees as well.
The performance evaluation process was discussed. Pat O’Brien reported that 2 training sessions were conducted, one geared toward supervisors and one geared toward employees. Committee members commented on the 3 ratings used and expressed some concern on how consistently ratings are being applied across departments and supervisors. It was noted that some departments perception of an ME rating is not positive and reflects just adequate effort.
Questions were raised regarding the outcome of a consultants review of external market pay practices for positions in departments reporting to the Treasurers Office. Will the results be shared and will the process of reviewing different departments continue?
A question regarding withdrawal of funds from an employees VEBA account prior to age 55 was discussed. If you cease to be employed prior to attaining age 55 and the aggregate balance of your Employee After-Tax Contribution Account and Employer-Contribution Account (determined after application of the forfeiture rules) does not exceed $5,000, you will be immediately eligible for reimbursement of Qualified Medical Expenses payable from your Health Accounts. More detailed information can be found on the Emeriti website: http://www.emeritihealth.org/emeritihealth/participant.htm
The question of vacation versus time off without pay in light of the recent snowfall was raised. Employees are always encouraged to use their own judgment during inclement weather regarding their travel to the college. Employees who choose to stay home are required to use an appropriate leave benefit such as vacation or personal leave day. The is addressed in the Employee Handbook under the Leaves Sections; “Generally, employees will be required to use any accrued sick, vacation, holiday or other paid leave benefits that is appropriate during a leave of absence.” The Employee Handbook also has a section under Policies and Procedures that addresses Winter Storm Closings. The Handbook can be found on-line on the HR web page.
The next meeting of the Service and Support Advisory Committee will be Wednesday, April 4, 2007 from 9:00 am – 10:00 am, Buntrock Commons 220.
Present: Dan Hudson, Lynda Maus, Natalie Mogren, Pat O’Brien
Absent: Cathy Browne, Colleen McShane
Committee members were invited to attend a presentation of STD/PTO given by Roger Loftus to the Facilities group on Wednesday, Feb. 14th at 11:00 in Viking Theatre.
No new comments or concerns were brought forward this month.
Pat O’Brien presented a number of slides on employee demographics including average age, average years of service in total and by employee group as well as information on turnover statistics. The turnover rate has continued to increase over the past four years. The committee had a brief discussion on what departments or employees can do to help transition new employees into their responsibilities and what can be done to help remaining employees handled the extra work brought on from a department vacancy.
The next meeting of the Service and Support Advisory Committee will be Wednesday, March 7, 2007 from 9:00 am – 10:00 am, Buntrock Commons 220.
Present: Dan Hudson, Lynda Maus, Pat O’Brien
Absent: Cathy Browne, Colleen McShane, Natalie Mogren
Guest: Roger Loftus
The committee members provided final feedback to Roger Loftus on the short-term disabiity insurance program and paid time off (PTO) program. Overall the committee indicated favorable reaction to both programs and provided Roger with additional questions regarding specific elements of the program that the benefits committee will need to address such as; How will PTO be recognized in overtime calculations?.
The performance evaluation process was discussed. Comments from committee members included support for additional training sessions for supervisors and employees, more instruction to employees on the using the employee comment section, conducting evaluation reviews in a
neutral
area away from the normal work space or supervisors office.
The next meeting of the Service and Support Advisory Committee will be Wednesday, February 7, 2007 from 9:00 am – 10:00 am, Buntrock Commons 220.
Present: Cathy Browne, Dan Hudson, Lynda Maus, Colleen McShane, Natalie Mogren, Pat O’Brien
Absent: Dan Hudson
Guest: Roger Loftus
A draft paper on a short-term disability insurance program along with a paid time off (PTO) program was discussed in greater detail by Roger Loftus, Director of Human Resources. The charge of the committee is to provide comments back to Roger Loftus during the January meeting that will be carried forward to the Benefits Committee. The Benefits Committee will provide their recommendation to Cabinet. If adopted by Cabinet, the Board will need to approve a policy change. Most likely timeframe if adopted will be January 2008.
The performance evaluation process will also be discussed in January’s meeting. Pat O’Brien has asked the committee members for comments and feedback to consider prior to the kick-off of the 2007 evaluation process in February.
The next meeting of the Service and Support Advisory Committee will be Wednesday, January 3, 2007 from 9:00 am – 10:00 am, Buntrock Commons 220
Present: Cathy Browne, Dan Hudson, Lynda Maus, Colleen McShane, Pat O’Brien
Absent: Natalie Mogren
This was the first monthly Service and Support Advisory Committee meeting for the 2006-2007 academic year. Members introduced themselves and gave a brief description of their job and length at St. Olaf College. New members this year are Lynda Maus, Colleen McShane, Natalie Mogen and Pat O’Brien.
The committee discussed a schedule for monthly meetings. A decision was made to meet the first Wednesday of each month from 9:00 am to 10:00 am. The dates for future meetings are: December 6 th, January 3 rd, February 7 th, March 7 th, April 4 th and May 2 nd. All meeting will be held in Buntrock Commons, Room 220.
Pat O’Brien handed out the revised 2007 and 2008 college holiday schedule as approved by President Anderson and Cabinet. It was noted that the revised schedule aligns with the approved college holidays. The revisions include returning Good Friday to a full day holiday and returning a day to New Year’s Eve. Pat also stated no additional days will be awarded during the 2006 Christmas week. Colleen McShane encouraged employees to use their bonus days and personal holidays prior to the end of December to ease in the manual processing of account balances at year-end. There was some discussion to the value of an e-mail to service and support personnel or a possible change stating that these days must be used by a certain date, perhaps December 1 st or 15 th.
Pat asked the committee to comment on any general comments heard from the service and support employees since last year. Parking is more of an issue than last year with the construction however fewer cars seem to be ticketing, which helps employees. More of a problem for visitors, elderly or during campus events. There also seems to be a real excitement around the wind turbine; it is a source of pride for St. Olaf.
A draft paper on a short-term disability insurance program along with a paid time off (PTO) program was given to committee members. A brief overview of the draft was presented. The committee members were asked to review it in more detail and before a more detailed discussion next month.
The next meeting of the Service and Support Advisory Committee will be Wednesday, December 6 th, 2006 from 9:00 am – 10:00 am, Buntrock Commons 220.
Present: Becky Ambrasas, Bonnie Benson, Mark David, Susan (Meinke) Kulsrud,
Roger Loftus, Becky Novotny, Paula Schanilec
The first discussion for the Service and Support Staff meeting was a reminder from Roger for those who are serving their last year on the committee. Members Becky Ambrasas, Bonnie Benson, Susan (Meinke) Kulsrud, and Becky Novotny will be leaving the committee after the last meeting in May. Members leaving the committee need to submit recommendations to Roger Loftus for replacement committee members by May 17.
Human Resources is working diligently on hourly and salaried employee handbooks. The handbooks must be reviewed policy by policy and the wording checked for each policy. Then they must go to the cabinet for review.
The recent break-ins on campus were discussed. The break-ins have caused some concern as well as review of current policies for securing money and financial information in all offices across campus. Roger asked if people generally thought of St. Olaf as a safe campus. Most agreed that people felt safe, but needed to be aware in unusual situations. For example, maintenance workers coming on duty very early in the morning when it is still dark and being the first people to enter a room are expected to be aware and cautious.
Admissions is gearing up for May 1 deadline. This is the deadline for new students to let Admissions know whether or not they will attend St. Olaf. Other deadlines for Admissions include Early Decision for which the deadline is November 1st, Early Action deadline December 1st and regular admission February 1. This year a binder will be sent to new incoming students that will consolidate in one convenient binder most of the information that new students usually receive in different mailings throughout the summer. This has been a joint effort by Admissions, Student Accounting, Financial Aid, and the Dean of Students Offices.
Feedback was discussed regarding the possibility of disability insurance for employees of the college. Some employees feel that people who have been employed at the college for a number of years and have many hours of sick time built up would not benefit if the college switched to a disability plan. Some feel that the optional bonus days earned from an accumulation of enough sick time, is a good incentive not to use sick time and that the college would end up paying more out in sick time without this incentive.
Two meetings have taken place with the college’s health care provider, Blue Cross Blue Shield. If there are no changes made to the present health plan, we are expecting an overall increase in the cost of the plan of 13% for next year. It is still to be determined how this cost will be covered. Some of the cost will be passed on to employees, the college will pick up some of the cost of the increase, or there may be some change in the plan and benefits to help defer the cost. One committee member asked whether there is a cost to the college for the BCBS Health Line System. This is the system that is available for calls 24 hours a day to a nurse for medical questions that might arise for employees on the health plan. The second part to the Health Line System is for help with disease management for ongoing medical conditions such as asthma, diabetes, cardiovascular problems, etc. There is a cost for this service and Roger agreed that it would be interesting to ask for feedback from members on the health plan to see if the program is being widely used and if employees feel it is helpful.
Human Resources is planning to present some sessions on the medical and dependent care flex benefit plans. The sessions will most likely be held during spring and summer to give employees a better understanding of how the program works and what the savings/benefits are to using the plans.
Performance evaluations are due to be completed by the end of April. A committee member asked if it would be possible to structure the evaluations so that they are not quite so in-depth every year; to perhaps have an evaluation which is very detailed one year and maybe less involved for the next couple of years. Roger felt that this was not likely to happen, and that just by virtue of going through the process for the first time last year, the subsequent evaluation processes should be less cumbersome. Last year there was 95% completion of performance evaluations. Part of the performance evaluation appraisals relate to the development of programs presented to the college through Community Life and Diversity. And they allow the opportunity for feedback and communication between supervisors and employees.
One of the committee members asked if it would ever be a possibility to have an evaluation of supervisors by employees. Several years ago, this process did take place in some of the departments. Also, at one point in time, a mediation committee had been established to help with disputes between employees, their peers, and supervisors, etc.
The last Service And Support Staff meeting for this year is scheduled for Tuesday, May 17, at 11:00 a.m. in Room 220 Buntrock Commons
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Present: Becky Ambrasas, Bonnie Benson, Susan (Meinke) Kulsrud, Roger Loftus,
Paula Schanilec
Absent: Mark David, Becky Novotny
The committee’s first topic of discussion was a recommendation that we ask the Benefits Committee to consider changing the leave policy concerning optional bonus days. Full time bi-weekly employees who accrue 192 hours of sick time are granted an optional bonus day of leave time. And full time employees who accrue 384 hours of sick time are granted two optional bonus days. Currently, if an employee uses an optional bonus day as time off, it is not counted as hours worked in the overtime calculation. An employee who submitted more than 40 hours that included an optional bonus day would not receive overtime until the actual hours worked exceed 40. The committee has asked Roger to ask the Benefits Committee if they would consider recommending a change in this policy to Cabinet so that an optional bonus day can be counted as time worked for purposes of determining overtime.
Hours of sick time that need to be accrued for employees who are less than full time would be the FTE times 192 (i.e., an employee at .75 FTE would need to accrue 144 hours to earn an optional bonus day.)
The current policy for hours that count towards 40 for determining overtime is as follows:
Hours That Count Towards 40 For Determining Overtime:
Time Worked
Holiday
Personal Sick Leave
Sick Leave Taken For Dependent Children
Jury Duty
Funeral Leave
Personal Leave Days
Hours That Do Not Count Towards 40 For Determining Overtime:
Family Sick Leave
Optional Bonus Days
Summer Hours
Vacation (This may vary for the maintenance department when they are required to work
overtime.)
A question was asked regarding the medical reimbursement program at St. Olaf College. It was unclear to some employees as to whether expenses submitted for reimbursement through the college medical reimbursement program could also be reported as a deduction on individual income taxes. Roger stated that employee can not do both. If medical or dependent care expenses are submitted for reimbursement through enrollment in the college reimbursement program, then they are not considered eligible expenses for determining itemized medical deductions on individual income taxes. The advantages to using the medical reimbursement program through the college are as follows:
- In order to use a medical expense as a deduction on your income tax, you must first file an itemized return and medical expenses must be over 7 and ½ % of combined gross income. It is unusual for most individuals to reach this percentage in uncovered medical expenses. Therefore, this is not usually a deduction that an individual would be able to take when filing an itemized return.
- There is no predetermined amount that an employee must spend in order to use the medical reimbursement benefit at the college.
- Medical expenses that you have allocated to the medical reimbursement program at the college are deducted from your paycheck before taxes, which reduces your taxable wage and saves an employee federal, state, Social Security and Medicare taxes you would have paid on the reimbursement amount.
- A medical expense that an employee incurs will be reimbursed for the full amount as soon as the employee submits a bill or invoice for the expense during the monthly disbursement period for the program. The amount deducted from the employee’s wages for the medical program is evenly divided over the benefit year regardless of when the expense is paid out.
- One drawback is that the employee must incur expenses within the benefit year and submit medical reimbursement forms with the proper receipts for all money deducted in order to receive total reimbursement. If enough expenses are not incurred to use up the medical deductions, the employee will not be refunded the remaining balance.
- If an employee leaves his job before the benefit year is complete, the college is not able to recoup the money not yet deducted from the employee’s paycheck for medical expenses paid out.
There was some discussion on the Customer Service Survey results that have been returned to departments. All departments being evaluated have received the results. And those departments have already or will be discussing those results and any improvements that might need to be implemented.
The Benefits Committee will be meeting in early April with the college’s health benefit provider, Blue Cross Blue Shield. At that time, Blue Cross will let us know about any increases in the cost of our health plan.
The next meeting for the Service and Support Staff Advisory Committee will be Tuesday, April 19, 2005 in Room 146, Buntrock Commons
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Present: Becky Ambrasas, Bonnie Benson, Mark David, Roger Loftus, Becky
Novotny, Paula Schanilec
Absent: Susan Meinke
Roger Loftus had just come from a supervisory training meeting to our Service and Support Staff meeting and mentioned some of the things that are discussed at these training sessions. The training sessions cover decisions supervisors can and cannot make. Also issues such as employees not being allowed to accumulate comp time, overtime worked without permission must be paid but employees can be disciplined for putting in unauthorized overtime. Supervisors do have a right to say yes or no to a particular time period for vacation for employees, and they do have a right to change employees’ times for hours worked. Also discussed are the differences in regulations for salaried and hourly employees.
Roger also mentioned that Human Resources is working diligently on the new employee handbooks. They have been meeting weekly and sometimes twice a week to work on the handbooks and hope to have a draft ready for the attorneys to look over by the end of the academic year. The Board is involved in some of the decisions regarding the drafting of the handbooks. One area specifically has been the same sex domestic partner benefits. At this time same sex domestic partners are allowed to participate in the college’s health plan, but the policy is unclear in such situations as tuition benefit and Tostrud privileges, etc.
The committee talked about Community Day and Roger asked if all departments felt free to attend the sessions they wished to. In some departments, because coverage was needed, employees had to pick and choose between the sessions. Roger also asked if all departments felt that they were free to attend chapel if they wished. The answer was essentially the same. In departments that do not close during chapel, the freedom to attend chapel depends on enough coverage for that department at that particular time. Attending chapel does not have to be part of break. Employees are allowed to attend chapel and also entitled to a break.
It was mentioned that shortened summer hours are now part of the regular benefit policy. In the past, shortened summer hours had to be approved each year.
The Health Benefits Committee is still considering the possibility of short-term disability insurance for hourly employees. Some of the determinations that the committee needs to consider are what will happen to hours of sick time that are already accrued for employees, especially those who have a large bank of sick time hours. Also, the college will need to consider the cost of the insurance. Insurance companies prefer that the employer pay the cost of short-term disability so that they get a good mix of people enrolled. If employees pay the cost and have the choice of whether or not to enroll, often those employees who need it most are the ones who feel they cannot afford to participate.
March is the month when the benefits committee enters into discussions with our health insurance carrier to determine the insurance premiums for the upcoming year. The committee’s goal is to have this information before the faculty leave for the summer. It is anticipated that by July 1 approximately 170 employees will move from our Blue Cross plan to the Emeriti plan. It is unknown whether this will affect Blue Cross premiums in the future either up or down. A question was raised about the college being self-insured and what exactly this means. Roger explained that the first $100,000 in insurance claims per individual comes from college funds, and then Blue Cross kicks in. This helps to keep insurance premiums to Blue Cross down. If a company is fully insured on the other hand, the insurance company bases premiums on what they estimate a group will have in claims for a particular year. If claims go higher than the insurance company estimates, the insurance company will not receive more money. Since the insurance company assumes more risk, insurance premiums for a fully insured plan are much higher. Considerations, such as purchasing generic drugs whenever possible, helps to keep our insurance costs down.
Roger mentioned that performance reviews/appraisals will be coming up. Evaluations should be completed by the end of April. Last year the college had 96% compliance as far as completion of performance reviews.
The next meeting for the Service and Support Staff Advisory Committee will be 11:00, Tuesday, March 15.
__________________________________________________
Present: Bonnie Benson, Becky Novotny, Roger Loftus, Paula Schanilec, Becky
Ambrasas, Susan Meinke
Absent: Mark David
The first topics of discussion for this meeting were some of the items posted on the HR website newsletter; W-2’s will be mailed this week. There is now a $15 replacement fee for requesting a duplicate W-2. Blue Cross Blue Shield has begun a new program of fitness discounts. This is a $20 credit toward membership fees at a fitness center where the member has worked out at least 8 days per month. This program is available to fully insured Blue Cross health plans. St. Olaf is a self-insured plan with Blue Cross; therefore, this program must be purchased as a separate benefit by the college. At this point it looks as if this would be a fairly expensive program for the college to participate in.
Roger mentioned that although employees have an election of benefits form that must be filled out once a year, retirement contribution elections may be changed four times a year; the first time at election of benefits time, once after December 1, once after March 1, and once after June 1, one change allowed in a three-month period. Laws have changed for allowable contributions. Anyone earning at least $14,000 per year is allowed to contribute up to $14,000 per year not including the college’s contribution. Retirement contributions can be changed through the HR office. Employees may stop retirement contributions at any time. They may start, increase or decrease contributions one time per quarter.
The Emeriti retirement program is moving forward. St. Olaf’s self-insured Blue Cross health program currently has 736 members of which 189 are retirees. The college hopes to have retirees enrolled and moved to the Emeriti program as of July 1. The Emeriti program offers affordable supplemental health insurance to retirees through PacifiCare. The Emeriti program is also set up for contributions from the college, employees and retirees that will be invested and held in an account for the employee to be used for out-of-pocket health care expenses upon retirement. The beginning date for employee contribution to this plan is tentatively being set for September 1. Contributions to this plan would be a requirement for employees, although there is a possibility of a one-time opt-out of the program. The contribution would be withheld before taxes and the benefit would be paid out to cover health expenses not covered by insurance and would also be tax-free.
Roger also mentioned that Human Resources is been working on the employee handbook updates. HR has been meeting as a group, and some proposals for changes in the language have been sent to Cabinet for consideration. One of the proposals being that the college adopts a college-wide policy requiring the use of available paid time off before taking time off as unpaid leave. Another request has been that the tuition benefit that is available to employees also be available for same-sex domestic partners. Also, there has been some discussion of widening the classification for “immediate family” in the case of funeral leave. The final handbook draft will go to the college attorneys and then to the College Board for approval before it is posted and put into effect.
There was discussion on the possibility of eliminating the inconsistencies in the policy of overtime pay when an employee uses an optional bonus day. In some departments, if an employee uses an optional bonus day, they are not paid overtime for any hours beyond forty that are recorded for that week. In other departments, they are paid overtime. It was requested that however the policy was decided that it would be consistent through all departments of the college.
The group also discussed the e-mail sent by Michael Kyle regarding the tuition waiver benefit available to employees at ELCA colleges. There was some concern that the tuition waiver benefit was moving towards elimination. Roger stated that he did not think that the program was going to be eliminated, but that employees need to be aware that the tuition benefit policy is changing in some of the other ELCA colleges, such as Pacific Lutheran, Augsburg and Gustavus. He felt that the e-mail was meant to be more of a “heads-up” on deadlines and changes to the benefit in other ELCA colleges.
The committee also talked a little about the Health Benefits Committee. This committee meets very frequently from February through May. The short-term disability situation is still a possible topic of discussion and investigation for this committee.
The next meeting for the Service and Support Staff Advisory Committee will be at 11:00 on Tuesday, February 15.
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Present: Bonnie Benson, Becky Novotny, Roger Loftus, Paula Schanilec
Absent: Becky Ambrasas, Mark David, Susan Meinke
Some of the members present at the meeting were not able to attend the first Service and Support Staff meeting in November, so all members present introduced themselves and gave a brief job description. While describing his position in Human Resources, Roger mentioned that part of his job is to be available to all employees for discussions on job related problems, and that all conversations of this nature are strictly confidential. However, in the case of complaints of harassment or discrimination, HR is required by law to report these situations and consequently they would not be confidential.
Roger explained the purpose of the Service and Support Staff Committee. The committee is made up of the Bi-weekly/hourly employees. Depending on the discussions and recommendations that the committee has, suggestions/recommendations are shared with either the benefits committee or the President and cabinet. Roger mentioned that the President is currently looking at all committees on campus to see if they are still functioning and valid committees. The Service and Support Staff Committee is definitely still a functioning and active committee.
There was a question regarding the Bookstore and whether they would be open at all during our Christmas holiday break. The Bookstore will be closed for the entire break, reopening on Sunday, January 2. Becky mentioned that the Bookstore has received a lot of positive feedback on the improvements they have been implementing, in particular the remodeling/rearranging of the store.
A question was raised regarding the possible outsourcing of the medical/dependent care reimbursement process, as this was given as part of the reason for the elimination of a position in Human Resources last year. Roger stated that at this time, they are no longer considering outsourcing this process, as it would not be economically feasible. He also stated that any company taking this process over would probably be housed in Minneapolis, which would result in a lot of inconvenience for employees and a loss of control over the process.
Roger stated that Human Resources is in the process of rewriting/updating employee handbooks. The handbooks will be available on line and hard copies available for those who request them. There was also some discussion on whether there would be two separate handbooks, one for exempt and one for non-exempt, or whether to combine them into one. The opinion of most of the committee was that it would be less confusing if the handbooks were separate.
Roger reminded everyone that the Human Resources newsletter is available on line and is a good way to keep up with updates and changes concerning benefits, etc. The next HR newsletter will explain cases when there will be exceptions to the times employees can change election of benefits either for medical/dependent care reimbursement or benefit elections for the year for health and retirement, etc. For most family status changes, there is a 30-day window in which to change your health benefits, which must be strictly adhered to. Also, since the college is self insured, open enrollment for our health plan is generally not available.
A question was raised as to why it seems to take so long for jobs to be posted once someone has left a position and also why, in some cases, a position is filled without being posted. When a position opens up, the supervisor from this area must requisition for the position to be filled and the requisition has to go to the cabinet for approval. If a position can be filled by someone within a department, it does not necessarily have to be posted.
The question was asked as to how staff are elected to be members of the Service and Support Staff Committee. The appointment to the committee by an employee is for a two-year term. Often times an employee who is due to leave the committee because their term is up, may be asked for a recommendation of someone within their department. Typically, there has been a representative from the AAA’s, the Treasurer’s Office, Bookstore, Admissions, Facilities, and sometimes from the Library.
The next meeting for the Service and Support Staff Committee is tentatively scheduled for 11:00 on January 18.
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Present: Becky Ambrasas, Bonnie Benson, Mark David, Roger Loftus
Absent: Susan Meinke, Becky Novotny, Paula Schanilec
Roger Loftus and the three committee members present introduced themselves and gave a brief description of duties and length of service at St. Olaf. Roger reviewed the purpose of the Service and Support Staff Advisory Committee and explained that the committee is basically a communication link between Bi-weekly/non-exempt employees and the President and administration. The committee does not make policy but may make recommendations about concerns and suggestions from Bi-weekly employees. The President may, from time to time, also present items for discussion and recommendation.
The committee briefly talked about some of the issues that were discussed and dealt with last year, including the new holiday schedule encompassing the next four years. Roger explained that the extra two days that were given as holidays for this Christmas is not a new policy, rather a special bonus this year which happened because of the way the holiday time off fell this year. Roger asked about the community response to the extra days, and all agreed that it was elation and a definite morale booster. All agreed that a special thanks is due the President and board for approving the extra time. Some discussion was held on how employees would be compensated for the time worked if they were required to work on the holiday. Roger stated that those employees would be paid time and a half in addition to holiday pay with some departments offering the possibility taking the holiday at a later date. A discussion ensued regarding comp time and the bill before congress to legalize the use of comp time in place of overtime pay. Comp time for the holiday would be a different scenario than comp time for overtime worked during a regular work week which is not legally allowed.
The sale of WCAL was discussed and feedback was given on the general reaction out in the St. Olaf community regarding the sale. Part of reaction from the community was regret at losing the people who had been part of St. Olaf. It was also felt that there was some disappointment from Alumni and parents of students, etc.
Roger updated the committee on the status of the Health and Benefits Committee’s proposal to look at acquiring short-term disability insurance for the college. A discussion was then held on the difference short-term disability insurance would make for Bi-weekly employees. Non-exempt employees at this point would have to use sick time and vacation time available and then would be unpaid until six months of disability had passed. A discussion was also held on what some feel is an inequity in benefits between exempt and non-exempt employees.
A question was raised regarding the cost of health insurance premiums for the family plan at St. Olaf College. The question was whether the college ever gets proposals or bids from other insurance companies. The answer was that the college does usually put out for bids every two to three years. The reason the college generally ends up staying with our current plan is that employees are allowed to go virtually anywhere on the current plan, whereas other major plans such as Health Partners and Medica require that members stay within their plan provider list. This generally excludes going to the Mayo system for health care, which is important to a lot of employees on our current plan.
Revised employee handbooks are expected to be posted on the web sometime in January of this year. The Emeriti insurance program that the college will be enrolling has now been postponed until July 2005 as the college works through some legal questions regarding the setup of the plan. This would remove retirees from our current health plan and brings up the question of how this would affect our current plan since we are self-insured.
The meeting was adjourned at noon. And it was agreed that the committee would meet the third Tuesday of every month from 11 until 12.