What You Need to Know About the Holiday Schedule
All Kent State University campuses will operate on a holiday schedule from Monday, Dec. 24, 2012, through Tuesday,Jan. 1, 2013. Please read the information below and share it with your staff.
How It Works
During the holiday schedule all nonessential operations will be closed at all Kent State campuses. Normal business operations will resume with the first shift on Wednesday, Jan. 2, 2013.
Classified and unclassified employees who accrue vacation will receive paid leave for four days, Dec. 26, 27, 28 and 31. This is in addition to the paid holidays of Dec. 24, 25 and Jan. 1. This also applies to 12-month faculty who accrue vacation.
Information for managers and department heads on employee eligibility, recording time and pay guidelines for members of your staff is available at www.kent.edu/hr/records/holiday-schedule.cfm. On that website you will also find the list of departments that will be open during the holiday schedule. The list will be available on or before Dec. 10 and will also be published in the Dec. 10 issue of e-Inside.
Managers should confirm with employees the status of their unit’s plans to suspend operations or remain open with partial or regular coverage. If the status of your department has changed from the published schedule, please notifyCarla Wyckoff at cwyckof1@kent.edu.
Early Time Card Approval
Due to the shortened payroll processing period, the Payroll Office is asking managers to approve timecards early for the week ending Saturday, Dec. 15. Managers may approve timecards as early as Friday, Dec. 14, after the employees have clocked out at the end of their shift.
The only exception to the early approval is for employees who work on the last day of the pay period (Dec. 15). In those instances, the timecards cannot be approved until after the Saturday shift has ended. All timecards for the week ending Dec. 15 must be approved by end of the day Monday, Dec. 17.
December Paychecks
Faculty and unclassified employees with direct deposit who are scheduled to receive their second pay of the month onDec. 31 will be paid on Dec. 21, as has been done in past years. This only applies to unclassified staff with direct deposit. Classified employees will be paid on Dec. 28 as scheduled; all other employees not on direct deposit, including student workers, will also be paid on Dec. 28.
Any employee who does not have direct deposit will have their paycheck mailed to their permanent address on Dec. 28. Employees can review and/or update their permanent address in FlashLine. Look for the Employment Details tab in My HR, and then select the Personal Information link.
End of Year Postal Reminders
With the holiday schedule, Mail Services will be making limited mail deliveries on campus after Dec. 21. Because of this, Mail Services will need to know of any mailings that departments are planning between now and the end of 2012. Please email Brett Edwards at bedward3@kent.edu or Steve Finley at sfinley7@kent.edu if you have any large mailings scheduled.
Don’t forget that first class and most other postage will increase on Jan. 27, 2013. First class stamps after that date will cost 46 cents and other classes of mail, such as Nonprofit, Priority and Express Mail will increase an average of 2.5 to 3 percent.
Mail Services also reminds departments to place your orders now for the generic Business Reply envelopes with the updated barcode. You can do this online at www.kent.edu/mailservices. The cost for the envelopes is $18 for 500 or $36 for 1,000.
Winter Is Coming
Despite the mild fall we have had so far, winter will eventually come to Northeast Ohio. When it does, make sure you and your staff are familiar with the university’s process for cancellations and closings. The Nov. 26 e-Inside has a detailed a message to the university community on this topic from the senior vice president for finance and administration. As you read the article, please note in the event of a campus closing or delayed start, essential employees are expected to report to work as scheduled.
Managers should also be aware of how to report time for classified, unclassified and student employees if there is a university delay or closing. The guidelines were outlined in last month’s Management Update and can also be found online at www.kent.edu/hr/records/upload/emergencyclosing-2.pdf.
Emergency Calling Trees
This is a good time to update your departmental calling lists or phone trees for emergency communications. Don’t forget to request home and wireless numbers so all members of your department can be reached in case of a weather-related or other emergency situation. Once the calling tree is updated, make sure each employee keeps a copy at work and at home.
Sign Up Now to Receive Electronic W2
Kent State will again make it possible for all employees, including student workers, to elect to only receive the W-2 Wage and Tax Statement electronically. Choosing the electronic option allows employees to access the W-2 information earlier, eliminates the risk of sensitive personal information being sent through the mail and also represents a cost savings to the university by not printing and mailing the forms.
Please remind faculty and staff in your department that this option is available. Employees who wish to take advantage of this opportunity are required by federal regulations to give their consent. This can be done online any time between now and Jan. 9, 2013 in the My HR tab of FlashLine.
Just look for the Tax Forms link in the Employment Details box. From the link, select Electronic W-2 Consent, check the box indicating consent and then click Submit. If there is already a check mark in the box, that means you have previously given consent and do not need to do so again.
Anyone who does not elect to receive an electronic version will receive a printed W-2. These will be delivered via U.S. or campus mail no later than Jan. 31. Questions should be directed to the Payroll Department at 330-672-8640 orpayroll@kent.edu.
Academic Affairs Seeking Your Opinion
Kent State, in partnership with the Civic Commons, a nonpartisan, nonprofit that uses Internet technology to foster civic discourse in a civil manner, is hosting online discussions to learn opinions of faculty, staff, students and administrators on issues related to improving the university. Feedback from the online conversations combined with comments from multiple campus round-table discussions will guide the provost’s new three- to five-year strategic plan for the Division of Academic Affairs.
Through Dec. 14, participants can answer questions in six conversations — one for each of the six university strategic goals. To get involved in the online forum, please visit www.theciviccommons.com/kentstate today. Simple registration is required.
Institute for Excellence Still Taking Applications
The Institute for Excellence (IE) is taking applications for its third class, and the deadline has been extended to Dec. 7. The university leadership program gives eligible faculty and staff a unique opportunity to develop their leadership skills.
The institute will begin its monthly sessions in January. You can find all the details of the program, including criteria, program dates and the online application, at www.kent.edu/hr/training/institute/index.cfm. You can also contact Bob Hallat 330-672-0894 or rhall4@kent.edu.
Visiting Scholars Workshop
The Office of Global Education will host an informational workshop on visiting scholars Thursday, Dec. 6, from 9-11 a.m. in 113 Van Campen Hall. The workshop will explain the process involved to extend an invitation to a visiting scholar for teaching or research purposes. Learn about completing the scholar request form, the different categories of scholars and the visa process.
If this topic is relevant to faculty or staff in your area, please email Jordan Anderson at jande108@kent.edu by Dec. 5with the names of those who wish to attend.
Dates to Remember:
Dec. 1 World AIDS Day
Dec. 3 International Day of Persons with Disabilities
Dec. 3-14 Fall Finals (first- and second-year podiatric medicine students)
Dec. 7 National Pearl Harbor Remembrance Day
Dec. 8 Hanukkah (eight-day Jewish observance begins at sundown)
Dec. 9 Fall Semester Classes End
Dec. 14 Kent State University at Ashtabula December Commencement
Kent State University at Stark December Commencement
Dec. 15 Kent Campus December Commencement, Memorial Athletic and Convocation Center.
Baccalaureate Degrees, 9:30 a.m.; Advanced Degrees, 1:30 p.m. For more information,
visit www.kent.edu/commencement.
Dec. 25 Christmas*
Dec. 26 Kwanzaa
Boxing Day: United Kingdom
Jan. 1 New Year’s Day*
Jan. 2 Spring Classes Begin (first- and second-year podiatric medicine students)
Jan. 14 Spring Semester 2013 Classes Begin
Jan. 21 Martin Luther King Jr. Day (university closed)
Jan. 24 11th Annual Martin Luther King Jr. Celebration, 2 p.m., Ballroom, Kent Student Center
*Please Note: All Kent State campuses will operate on a holiday schedule from Dec. 24, 2012, through Jan. 1, 2013. During that time all nonessential operations will be closed. Normal operations will resume with the first shift on Jan. 2, 2013.
Tell Us What You Think
This e-newsletter is designed to keep you, the managers and supervisors, informed. Please take a few minutes to let us know what you think of it, along with any comments or suggestions. You may contact us atmanagersfeedback@kent.edu. We look forward to hearing from you.
For information about events and programs for university employees, please check out the Faculty and Staff calendar and share the information with your staff.