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Human Resources Communications Newsletter

November, 2009

Table of Contents

From the Associate Vice President

    

Preferred Name Option

As a result of improvements in our systems, we can now accommodate the use of a Preferred Name in the HR database. Examples of a preferred name are using the familiar versus the formal version of a first name, or a preferred surname versus a surname based on marriage.

The Preferred Name will be used in the Human Resources system and in other applications (e.g., People Finder, organizational charts, etc.) after these systems are adapted in the near future. The legal name will continue to be used by the University when required, and the University reserves the right to remove any Preferred Names that it deems inappropriate.

All primary names have been copied over to Preferred Name. If you would like to change your Preferred Name, go to the myNorthridge portal. Under the Human Resources/Employee pagelet, click on Update My Personal Information. Click Change Name, Edit Name, make your changes and click OK and then click Save. In the future, if you update your Primary Name, Preferred Name will be updated automatically. Names should be entered in traditional form using upper and lower case.

For additional information, go to http://www-admn.csun.edu/ohrs/resources/preferred_name.html

Training Available through Human Resources

Many Employee Assistance programs, Benefits Administration programs, and Professional Development workshops for staff, supervisors, and managers for the 2009-2010 academic year are all posted on the Professional Development website, http://www-admn.csun.edu/ohrs/development. Additional Professional Development sessions for staff and supervisors for the spring of 2010 will be posted in mid-December. Additional Employee Assistance Programs (EAP) and Benefits sessions are posted on their respective websites, http://www-admn.csun.edu/ohrs/benefits/ and http://www-admn.csun.edu/ohrs/eap/ . Be sure to visit all three websites in order to save the dates of sessions you would like to attend, and watch all three sites for future programming. Workshop announcements and registration links are e-mailed to the campus community prior to each event. We hope to see you at many Employee Assistance, Benefits Administration, and Professional Development sessions.

This is a reminder that CSUN’s new University Training Page is now available to the campus community. The site contains information about training that is being offered by several university departments and programs. The page may be viewed at http://www.csun.edu/training/.  Be sure to visit the University Training Page to stay up-to-date on the latest CSUN training opportunities.

 

Academic Personnel


2009-2010 Academic Calendar Revision

In response to the State Budget Closure Program, there has been a change to the 2009-2010 Academic Calendar.  This change was made to move the last day of the Spring 2010 semester to a non-furlough day (from Friday, May 21st to Monday, May 24th).

For more information, please visit http://www.csun.edu/anr/soc/calendar.html.

Benefits Administration


CalPERS Annual Membership Statement

You will receive your 2009 annual Member Statement in the mail during the month of November. You can also view your statement online by logging on to myCalPERS. If you don’t already have a myCalPERS Username and Password, click here to register now. It’s easy!

Health Care Reimbursement Account (HCRA) and Dependent Care Reimbursement Account (DCRA)

The end of the year is upon us. Have you accounted for and saved your documentation for your 2009 eligible expenses? Make sure to review your accounts and monitor your pre-tax savings you have set aside for 2009.  Expenses for 2009 must be filed by June 30, 2010 to receive reimbursement.

Blue Shield Plan Name Changes

CalPERS has announced new Blue Shield plan name changes. Eligibility for the 4 plans is based on zip codes specified by CalPERS. During the month of November, each affected CalPERS member will receive a letter explaining the changes. Benefits and doctors remain the same; only the name of the plan is changing.

Social Security Online

Did you know you can estimate your future Social Security benefits online? Just go to http://www.socialsecurity.gov/. The Retirement Estimator produces estimates based on your actual Social Security earnings record. You can also apply for Social Security benefits, check the status of your online application, and complete many other transactions by visiting this website.

Retirement Consultations

Note: You do not need to have a current account with any of the providers below in order to meet with them.
TIAA-CREF:
Thursday, November 12, 2009
Thursday, December 17, 2009
Human Resources Conference Room – UN 165
To schedule an appointment, please visit the TIAA-CREF website at http://www.tiaa-cref.org/moc.
Search under California, then look under Workplace-based Events for CSUN.
You may also call Lisa Ratliff at (866) 842-2905, ext. 456335, with questions.

VALIC and ING:
Monday, December 7, 2009
HR Training Room, Oviatt Library, Garden Level

To schedule an appointment with VALIC, contact Ellen Gross at 818-618-5448 or email at ellen.gross@valic.com

To schedule an appointment with ING, contact Kam Nassiri at 818-774-0719 or email at kam.nassiri@ingfa.com

METLIFE:
Monday, December 7, 2009
Human Resources Conference Room – UN 166
To schedule an appointment, contact Chris Maltese at (805) 371-4217 or (818) 648-0907.

Payroll Administration

 

Payroll Calendar and Pay Day Calendar

The updated 2009 – 2010 University Payroll Calendar and Pay Day Calendar (including the university-designated furlough days) have been posted on the HR website.  Please refer to the Payroll Calendar for important dates, including campus reporting deadlines and other pay related information. The Payroll Calendar may be accessed directly at: http://www-admn.csun.edu/ohrs/payroll/paycal/0910_payroll_calendar.doc or http://www-admn.csun.edu//ohrs/payroll/paycal/0910_payroll_calendar.pdf; the Pay Day Calendar is online at http://www-admn.csun.edu/ohrs/payroll/paycal/0910_payday_calendar.pdf .

2009 California State Withholding Rate Changes

Changes in California State Tax Withholding rates are effective beginning with wages paid after October 31, 2009. Tax withholding increases will be reflected in payments issued beginning November 1, 2009. The rate changes are for both the percentage method of withholding and the supplemental/flat method of withholding. Most employees will see a reduction in net (take-home) pay due to the new withholding requirements. The Paycheck Calculator has been updated for these changes; click here to access the Paycheck Calculator.

The California Employment Department (EDD) has released revised withholding tables to reflect changes to the withholding percentages. The rate changes affect the percentage method of withholding by an additional 10%, effective with wages paid after October 31, 2009.  If state withholding tax was $100 prior to October 31, 2009, the new amount of withholding will be $110.00.  Supplemental payments (i.e., shift differential, overtime, stipends, etc.) are subject to a flat rate of withholding taxes; this rate will increase from 6.0% to 6.6%, also effective with payments issued November 1, 2009. For example, a supplemental payment in the gross amount of $200 is currently taxed at 6.0%, for tax withholding of $12.00.  Starting November 1st, a supplemental payment in the gross amount of $200 will be taxed at 6.6%, for tax withholding of $13.20.

As always, if you have questions regarding your tax situation, consult your tax advisor.

If you would like to make changes to your tax withholding status for federal and state taxes, please complete the Employee Action Request form: http://www.documents.dgs.ca.gov/osp/pdf/std686.pdf

Mailing Address and W-2 Forms

W-2s will be issued in January by the State Controller's Office and mailed to the address on record in SOLAR HR as of November 13, 2009. If your mailing address has changed, please go online today and update your records through the myNorthridge portal. In the Human Resources/Employee pagelet, use the link labeled Update My Personal Information to change your address. You may also fill out a change of address form in person in the Office of Human Resources, University Hall, Room 165, by November 13, 2009.

December 31 Pay Day

Due to the holiday closure, employees not on Direct Deposit may pick up their pay warrants at University Cash Services from 8:00 a.m. – 12:00 noon at the front counter lobby area of Bayramian Hall.

Maximum Vacation Balance Cap

Reminder: Please ensure that your vacation balance as of January 1, 2010 is at or below your maximum carryover, per your applicable bargaining agreement. You may view your leave balances online through the portal at www.csun.edu. Once in the portal, find the Human Resources/Employee pagelet; click on View My Absence Balances. If you are not able to view your balances, please see your Timekeeper.

Also remember to consider your vacation accruals for November and December when calculating the number of hours you must use before January 1st. For details concerning the calculation of your “Maximum Carryover Hours,” please refer to http://www-admn.csun.edu/ohrs/benefits/documents/max_vacation_allowances.doc.

Special note for Faculty: After one (1) full year of employment, a California Faculty Association (R03) employee who accrues vacation (12-month appointments) shall take at least forty (40) hours of vacation each calendar year. Any part of the forty (40) hours not taken during the calendar year shall be forfeited by January of the subsequent year (Article 34.7).

Automated Work Schedule Change

We are pleased to announce that we have automated the work schedule change procedure to assist with the management of the furlough program. We have added functionality to transfer full-time employees who are not on 5/8 work schedules to the Standard Monday-Friday (40-hour) schedule during the employees' furlough week. This automation will also take care of transferring employees back to their original alternative/compressed schedule after their furlough week. This means that it will no longer be necessary for you to submit work schedule change requests on a monthly basis.

Accurate schedule updates are dependent on the timely entry and approval of furlough days consistent with current procedure, i.e. completed prior to the beginning of each payroll month. Additionally, this process will only address changes from an alternate/compressed schedule to the standard Monday-Friday schedule and then back to the original alternate schedule. Schedule changes that fall outside of this will continue to require submission of the Action Request Form or Work Schedule Form.

We would like to take this opportunity to thank those of who have been proactive in managing your employees’ work schedule and have submitted the necessary documents to us for the entire furlough period. Those employees will not be impacted by the new process.

Please feel free to contact your Payroll Technician if you have any questions. Thank you.

 

Recruitment Services

 


 Emergency Hires

 

The emergency hire process is intended to allow departments to hire individuals to cover short-term leaves of absence, vacations, or a vacancy, without conducting a formal recruitment process. The emergency hire process does have limitations on the length of appointment; please refer to http://www-admn.csun.edu/ohrs/employment/emergency_hire.htm. Therefore, if the need is expected to continue beyond the allowable emergency hire parameters, we encourage departments to initiate the recruitment process soon thereafter in order to quickly fill the vacancy.

 

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Questions or comments about HR Communications? Contact Marianne Hudz at x 5246 or by email, marianne.hudz@csun.edu.