November 2008
The holidays are quickly approaching as difficult as it is to believe! HR has had a busy fall launching the new policy manual (if you haven't signed for your flash drive copy, please make arrangements with HR to do so as soon as possible,) working to complete the Sibson administrative compensation project, addressing numerous compliance issues, and handling benefits renewals. Peppered with some fun events, the semester has been a whirlwind of energizing activity.
Sibson Consulting has been working with HR and the Salary & Review Task Force (comprised of HR and the vice presidents,) to fine-tune our compensation policy and to redefine our salary benchmarking to include a broader range of institutions and industry as appropriate. HR has met individually with the vice presidents and many of their direct reports to gather specific input about positions and incumbents in order to finalize band assignments and incumbent placement within bands. Our new system will be market-driven representing a significant departure from our current point-factor job classification program.
The goal of any such project is to attract and retain the best administrators to support the teaching and learning at the College. A Town Hall meeting will be scheduled to explain the new compensation policy. It will be followed by a Supervisors Forum to begin the process of developing and identifying competencies to enhance our performance evaluation system.
There is much news on the benefits front – fortunately most of this is good news! Our Open Enrollment month was punctuated by a Halloween Benefits Fair. Individuals and departments outdid themselves yet again with wonderfully creative costumes. It was a most enjoyable event attended by several of our benefits providers. Photos are posted on the HR website.
By now you should have received a packet of information illustrating the new medical premium rates. The Benefits Committee was able to negotiate a reduction of 4.13% after two consecutive years of zero renewals! This is in addition to a reduction in the pharmacy deductible from $100 to $75. With industry trends approaching double digit increases, Caldwell can be very pleased with this result. Our overall rates compare very favorably to other AICUNJ schools, a fact that confirms that our favorable renewals are not a "correction" over previous years of possible overcharging.
Our dental renewal is also zero percent, locked in for two more years. For your information, renewal date has been moved from July 1 to December 1st to coincide with medical and other renewals.
Please be advised that the retiree life insurance benefit has been increased from $15,000 to $20,000 (without an increase in rates) for those who are age 55 or older with 15 or more years of service.
The flexible spending account plan (FSA) renews January 1 coincident with the new tax year. If you have not participated in the past, you are eligible to begin on that date. The limit has been raised to $5200 this year applicable to healthcare expenses not covered by insurance. In these challenging financial times, it is prudent to do everything possible to save money, so why not save on pre-tax payments for goods and services we know we will need? Questions? Call Terri Demarest for more information.
Speaking of the rough economy, you may find it useful to visit the TIAA CREF website or to schedule an appointment for individual counseling at one of their locations in Hackensack, Princeton, or Roseland. Call HR for more information and visit the HR website for important links.
As of January 1st, we will no longer contract with CONCERN as our EAP carrier. If you currently use the EAP services, you may wish to begin transition discussions with your counselor. Since our LTD plan with The Standard comes with a free three session EAP model, the College has decided, on the recommendation of the Benefits Committee, to increase the number of visits to ten, mirroring the CONCERN plan. The new plan is with Horizon Health Services, not to be confused with Horizon Blue Cross Blue Shield. There is no affiliation between the two. Meetings will be held to inform employees about the new plan and information will be distributed through campus mail. The main difference in the two plans is that the Horizon EAP has a network of independent counselors with many more choices of locations. We hope that you will find the services to be beneficial.
Once again, HR sponsored flu shots administered by our own Health Services. Many thanks to our nurses for their great effort in ensuring the health of College staff.
Kudos to Financial Aid and the Finance group for presenting "A Day in the Life of" their respective departments at the Brown Bag Lunches in October and November. Both teams did an exceptional job demonstrating to their colleagues the important work that they do. We look forward to hearing from the Office of the Registrar in early December.
The campus gathered for a delicious hot Thanksgiving breakfast prepared by our own Sodexo Food Services. This was the second HR Welcome Breakfast of the academic year attended by some one hundred or more employees.
Please check your paystubs for any necessary corrections before the end of the calendar / tax year. It will be much easier to change things now rather than after W2s have been generated. Please note that there will be an additional deduction from your paychecks in 2009 to comply with the new NJ Paid Family Leave legislation. More information will be provided as it becomes available.
Retention efforts are more important than ever and recognizing those who Keep the Promise to our students is certainly a good way of reinforcing those positive behaviors. Following are some recent emails sent to KeepthePromise@Caldwell.edu:
"I'm so grateful for your presence on campus. No problem is too big or too little for your attention and you're always quick to respond. Thanks for bearing with my many requests and showing me the way."
"Thank you for talking to my class today. I am sure it was a great refresher for them. I appreciate how often you help students of mine and it is great knowing that I can send them to you and they will receive the kind of help they need. Thank you!"
"I could focus on getting better knowing that everything at the office was in capable hands. Thank you for all you did while I was out."