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Human Resources & Payroll Newsletter - June 2024
Summer is Here!
by Dr. Anthony Casas, AVP & Human Resources Officer
Last weekend marked the unofficial start of Summer and with it, at least as I type these words, some really terrific weather in Humboldt County! This is generally a season when many of us focus more on relaxing, recharging and having fun before Fall, when everything starts over again.
While you are here, please be sure to check out some of the great things we are doing to assist you, particularly the upcoming Empathia Summer Wellness Sessions in June, which were well received by last year’s attendees.
Your support has been very much appreciated during an especially challenging time, and we wish you and your significant others a very enjoyable and restful summer – CHEERS TO YOU!
Anthony
Payroll Updates
By Alexis Collins, Director Payroll Services
Self Service Update
We are happy to report the successful completion of our first year of self-service time reporting for all hourly staff on campus! We would like to thank the campus community for your engagement, support and honest feedback. We could not have made this possible without your hard work.
2024/2025 Green & Gold Calendar
It’s finally here! As a quick reminder, please reference this calendar when entering and approving absences and approving hourly time entries.
Report of Separation
In an effort to produce timely final paychecks, it is imperative that departments are filing the notice of separation for all staff and administrators. These notices should be filed as soon as an employee submits their resignation and or within two weeks of the end of a temporary appointment. This will allow HR, Payroll and IT to accurately complete the off boarding process. For more information on this process please visit the following link on HR’s website.
HR News Section
by Anthony Baker Ortiz, Director of Recruitment, Training and HR Compliance
Human Resources is driven by process, policies, regulations, and campus community inputs. There are hundreds of touch points driving the need for change and improvement. We work to ensure that we communicate changes proactively and promptly, with the best information as to why the change is important to campus, including support mechanisms to help mitigate the impact of the change. We have identified the need for a better method to communicate changes as they develop.
Going forward, we will leverage HR News to communicate important information and process changes. Utilizing this tool in conjunction with updated guides, resources, and training pages, we hope to meet campus partners where they are while providing the support needed to be successful with change.
Keep an eye for the HR News section in the home page.
Emergency Hire Changes
by Michael Figlioli, HR Representative - Recruitment Specialist
The HR department, as a result of our audit last year, has been making changes to better align our policies and practices to CSU, State and Federal requirements and guidelines.
The process has extended to emergency hires, and these changes have expanded the process to make sure all the proper documentation is recorded and the required checks are being made.
The result is a lengthier process, but one that insures compliance and a smoother onboarding process for the employee.
Emergency hires take approximately 4 weeks to complete.
Making sure to have a completed position description will expedite the process.
Required Committee Training Courses - Avoiding Unconscious Bias
by Shakeh Giragossian, Sr. HR Business Partner - Recruitment Specialist
Fernando Paz, from ODEI, is going to present a course for people who need to take the AUB class on June 12, 2024 at 10:00 AM. If your last class, which is good for two (2) years, has expired, you can register for the class here:
New Committee Forms - Pilot
The Recruitment Team has a number of forms for use by search committees. At this time, there are three forms ready for testing and input, including:
- Employment and Reference Verification For
- Candidate Justification Form
- Committee Disclosure - Applicant Relationship
The team would value your participation and feedback as we improve processes. If you are serving on a committee and would like to pilot the use of these forms, please email your HR Partner/Representative or: careers@humboldt.edu.
Coping with Traumatic Stress
by Joe Witherspoon, HR Systems Analyst
In times of traumatic world and local events its important to take healthy steps to cope, and also to be mindul and helpful to those around us. Each of us should try to bring about stability and consistency in our daily activities; take walks, get exercise, set short term realistic goals, take quiet breaks, and minimize exposere to news. For people close to us, it is important that we be considerate of what they are going through; be supportive, patient, use our listening skills, and acknowledge there struggles with care. There are many good articles on the subject. The following link is a good place to start:
https://helpcenter.stanford.edu/resources/work-related-resources/coping…
New Required Course for Staff and Faculty
by Alfredo S. Corral, Senior Learning & Technology Consultant
This month, every staff and faculty member will be assigned an annual Workplace Violence Prevention course. An email notification will be sent out with a link to the course in the coming weeks. This training will consist of two online modules assigned via the CSU Learn LMS. The first module will be an overview of Workplace Violence Prevention and the second module will focus on CSU specific hazards and potential mitigation efforts.
Featured Courses on CSU Learn
Writing With a Professional Mindset
Writing professionally, clearly, lucidly, and concisely will help you align your written communication with the goals of your organization and demonstrate your competence and commitment to clear and effective communication. In this course, you'll learn the essential aspects of effective professional communication and strategies to craft effective and professional written communication.
Writing Effective E-mails and Instant Messages
In this course, you'll learn some tried and tested guidelines for writing emails. You'll explore the fundamental elements of written communication that every email should contain, and the importance of keeping emails concise. The course also covers the etiquette associated with using instant messaging programs as an extension of email.
Employment Verifications
by Kristin Buck-Tierney, Administrative Coordinator
Are you in need of an employment verification? Skip the general HR email and come straight to the source. Send all lenders, future employers, and local agencies to kmb300@humboldt.edu. It is my pleasure to assist with these specific employee requests.
Position Descriptions
by Michelle Caisse, Director Campus Human Resources & Trysta Hays, Class/Comp & ELR Analyst
The Compensation/Classification team is reviewing position descriptions for accuracy and to confirm duties and classification.
Position descriptions should be reviewed annually and updated regularly as duties change, or at a minimum, at the time of annual performance reviews.
If a position description has not been updated within the past three years, the appropriate administrator will be asked to send an updated position description to Human Resources (HR) for review and approval.
Position Description Submission Process
Updated positions description should be submitted on the current position description template. Any revisions to a position description should be submitted by the Appropriate Administrator for HR review and approval. Once approved, HR will route the final position description for signatures.
Coming Soon….
Compensation and classification requests will soon be submitted and processed through the Maxient case management system. Maxient can be found on your myhumboldt page under the Faculty/Staff Resources dropdown.
Worker's Compensation
by Torie Mather, HR Generalist & Laura McKasson, HR Generalist
Worker’s Compensation Claims must be reported to HR within 5 calendar days.
It is imperative that this deadline is followed so that Cal Poly Humboldt remains in compliance with CSU requirements. If an employee has suffered a work injury and there is any question if a claim should be filed, please reach out to the Benefits team. You can find the Supervisor’s Report of Injury and DWC-1 forms linked, if you have any further questions please reach out.
We hope everyone has a restful summer break!
Remember to Update Your Emergency Contacts:
Please be sure to check and update your contact if necessary. To do this follow the steps below.
- Open the myHumboldt Portal.
- Find the Emergency Contact(s) block and click the arrow to open it
- Click the Update Emergency Text Message Number
- You'll be prompted to enter your username and password.
- Select the appropriate tab. For example, phone numbers or emergency contact.
- Fill out the information as needed
- Click the Save button