No. 38
August 2006

University Human Resource Services
www.indiana.edu/~uhrs

Inside this Issue:

Benefits Self Service

CSI Project – Professional Staff Jobs

The Truth About "Light" Cigarettes

Revisions to Military Leave Related Policies

IU Fee Courtesy Plan

Remaining 2006 Retirement
Counseling Sessions

Remaining 2006 Holidays

TIAA-CREF Record-keeping System Update

New Indiana Laws Affecting
Information Security

HIPAA Privacy Practices

Web Wise: Payroll Services

Use of Social Security Numbers in Benefit Plans

Clery Act Notice

Investment Fund Performance

The Informed Employee is published 2-3 times a year by University Human Resource Services for approximately 16,700 full-time appointed staff and academic employees across the eight Indiana University campuses.

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Benefits Self Service

Benefits Self Service (also known as eBenefits) is now available to all benefits-eligible employees across the university. This is the first of four planned releases of the Benefits Self Service application.

The initial phase was released on June 12, 2006. With this release, employees can review their benefit elections and initiate certain changes to plans in which they are currently enrolled. These changes include:

• Review a one-page summary of all benefit elections as of a given date and review individual plan pages

• Review and/or change dependent and beneficiary personal and address information

• Manage beneficiaries (add new or change allocations) for Basic Life, Supplemental Life, Personal Accident Insurance, and retirement and savings plans (including adding contingent beneficiaries)

• Change percent contribution levels for the IU Tax Deferred Annuity Plan and IU Retirement Savings Plan

• Change fund allocations for all retirement and savings plans and change investment companies

To access Benefits Self Service

1. Log in to OneStart.
2. Using the Staff or Faculty Tools tab, find the Benefits Self Service option listed in the Employee Self Service channel under the Benefits header.
3. Click on Benefits Self Service and this will launch the application.

When working in OneStart, especially on a public computer, always remember to log out.

CSI Project – Professional Staff Jobs

Implementation is delayed until early 2007.

Objective: to install a fair and rational compensation system for Professional Staff jobs across Indiana University, with objective criteria for management decisions regarding employee pay.

The last review of IU’s salary administration program for Professional Staff positions was almost 20 years ago. There are now over 5,500 Professional Staff positions, many with unique sets of responsibilities, and it is important that the CSI project deliver quality results that meet the university’s needs.

While significant work has been completed, the CSI project team needs additional input from schools and other units to obtain a better understanding of the responsibilities and roles of certain positions. As a result, implementation is delayed so that the project team can work with new advisory groups and hold additional meetings with RCs and departments. The insights and input from these meetings are expected to provide the project team with a firm understanding of responsibilities assigned to positions.

This project was delayed for almost a year in 2004/2005, while the university completed an analysis of FLSA overtime-eligible status for approximately 2,000 Professional Staff positions. (Approximately 900 positions became overtime-eligible as a result of the new FLSA regulations.) Delaying implementation to early 2007 is important to ensuring that project deliverables meet the needs of management across the university.

Deliverables:

1. Clearly articulate the university’s salary philosophy
2. Determine distinguishable jobs across the university
3. Establish a discernible job evaluation methodology
4. Establish salary structures
5. Allocate positions to discernible jobs
6. Update salary administration policies
7. Provide transparency of salary administration elements

The Web site at www.indiana.edu/~uhrs/csi/index.html includes details about the CSI project, including a project update for the remainder of 2006. Additional information and any adjusted project steps will be posted at this site in the future.

Tobacco Use and Health
The Truth About “Light” Cigarettes

The Federal Government’s National Cancer Institute (NCI) has concluded that light cigarettes provide no benefit to smokers’ health. Many smokers choose “low-tar,” “mild,” “light,” or “ultra-light” cigarettes because they think that these cigarettes may be less harmful to their health than “regular” or “full-flavor” cigarettes. According to the NCI monograph, Risks Associated with Smoking Cigarettes with Low Machine-Measured Yields of Tar and Nicotine, people who switch to light cigarettes from regular cigarettes are likely to inhale the same amount of hazardous chemicals, and they remain at high risk for developing smoking-related cancers and other diseases. The only way to reduce a smoker’s risk, and the risk to others, is to stop smoking completely.

National Cancer Institute Fact Sheet, 2004

Next: Revisions to Military Leave Related Policies