In our ongoing efforts to provide employees with early communication, please consider these Year-End Preparations as we near the end of 2023.

Important Dates:

• December 18, 2023 at Noon: Final Payroll Deadline for Calendar Year 2023 (check with your project for internal deadline)
• December 26, 2023: Deadline for Electronic W-2 Consent and Mailing/Email Address Changes

Checklist Items	Details	Path or Resources
W-2 Electronic Consent	Please reference the Memorandum from Kira Higa, RCUH Director of Human Resources (RE: IRS From W-2 – Go Electronic: Safer and Faster Access to W-2s).	Employee Self-Service> Payroll and Compensation > W-2/W-2c Consent
Review Form W-4	Make any change if necessary (review personal withholding situation).	You may use the IRS Tax Withholding Estimator for assistance with completing your Form W-4
Review Mailing/Email Addresses	Updates to your personal information can only be submitted via ESS during non-blackout dates (please refer to the 2023 Personnel Action and Payroll Calendar for blackout dates).	Employee Self-Service> Personal Information > Home and Mailing Address
Add Security Questions in RCUH Employee Self-Service	This feature will enable system security features such as password resets. Users will have the ability to create individualized responses to the questions.  Those who do not complete the security question(s) will need to call RCUH Human Resources for assistance with password verification	Employee Self-Service> Personal Information > Personal Information Summary > Security Questions   [email protected] (808) 956-8900

Every employer covered by the nondiscrimination and Equal Employment Opportunity laws is required to post on its premises the poster, “Know Your Rights.” The notice must be posted prominently, where it can be readily seen by employees and applicants for employment. The notice provides information concerning the laws and procedures for filing complaints of violations of the laws with the Office of Federal Contract Compliance Programs.

You can find the required employer postings here:

https://www.rcuh.com/document-library/3-000/eeo/eeo-is-the-law-poster/

The Pregnant Workers Fairness Act (PWFA), which is administered and enforced by the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC), requires covered employers to provide reasonable accommodations to a worker’s known limitations related to pregnancy, childbirth, or related medical conditions, unless the accommodation will cause the employer an undue hardship.

For more information:

https://www.eeoc.gov/wysk/what-you-should-know-about-pregnant-workers-fairness-act

If you have any questions about reasonable accommodations, please contact Michelle Maeda or Tana Staub at RCUH Employee Benefits section at [email protected] or (808) 956-2326.

RCUH Policy No. 3.232 RCUH Funding of Positions requires all RCUH employees’ payroll and fringe benefits to be charged to a valid (i.e., active/funded) project number(s). Projects are responsible for all charges incurred on an expired account which may result in a questioned cost. Principal Investigators and Fiscal Administrators are also responsible for ensuring that their employees are on accounts with sufficient funding.

Options for employees that are on an expired or expiring account are:

1. Submit an ePAF to transfer the employee to a valid project number by the RCUH ePAF deadline
2. If you have received your sponsor’s approval for additional funding or for a No-Cost Extension (NCE), provide documentation via eUpload in the HR Portal
3. Terminate employee consistent with Policy 3.285 RCUH Termination of Employment

Effective immediately, RCUH Human Resources will no longer be sending notifications to  the projects every pay period to inform them of employees charged to an expiring project account. In the event we identify employees who have been consistently charged to an expired project account, RCUH HR will reach out to the project for corrective action as appropriate.

If you have any questions, please contact RCUH HR Information Systems at [email protected].

ATTENTION:  Principal Investigators (PIs) & Regular-Status employees at 50-100% FTE

TIAA still has Individual/Employee Retirement (GRA/SRA) Plan Advisory Sessions available for the month of October and November! Schedule now for a virtual appointment with our new TIAA consultant based locally – Cody Ferrell.

Regardless of your current status – whether you are a long-time employee, just hired, or somewhere in between – it is never too early or too late to consider retirement planning. During these personalized sessions, you will be able to discuss your personal financial/retirement goals with a TIAA Financial Consultant on a free and confidential basis.

Because these sessions are being held during normal business hours, all employees must notify their PIs and supervisors if they would like to attend. We encourage PIs to allow their employees to attend the TIAA Advisory Sessions, if requested. 

For employees unfamiliar with the SRA (Supplemental Retirement Annuity) plan, please note that unlike the GRA (Group Retirement Annuity) plan, there is no 12-month waiting period and you may enroll or make changes to your election at any time during the year. The SRA plan with TIAA is considered a 403(b) tax-deferred annuity (TDA) plan which allows an employee to make contributions via payroll deduction from their pre-tax earnings over and above the amount being accumulated under the RCUH basic retirement plan (GRA). 

For more information about the GRA and SRA plans, please review Policy 3.560 RCUH Retirement Plans and visit our Benefits Spotlight: Retirement Accounts.

To schedule a virtual appointment with our new TIAA consultant based locally, Cody Ferrell:

• Employees can visit www.tiaa.org/schedulenow
• Click on the Schedule button under Discuss your financial situation with a TIAA consultant.

• Employees will be prompted to login using their TIAA credentials, or create a guest login if they are not currently a participant.
• Please select or enter “RESEARCH CORP OF THE UNIV OF HI”as the Employer which will then direct them to the open virtual meetings that are available for employees.

• From there, select a date/time and confirm the meeting.

If you have questions or are unable to schedule an appointment online, please call TIAA’s Service and Scheduling Group at (800) 732-8353 Mon-Fri 6am – 1pm Hawai’i Standard Time (HST).

Please contact the RCUH Employee Benefits Section with any questions or concerns at: [email protected].

Relevant Links:

RCUH Policy 3.560 RCUH Retirement Plans

TIAA SRA Plan Agreement for Salary Reduction Form B-6

Meetings are accessible for individuals with disabilities.  Individuals who require special needs accommodations may request assistance in writing to rcuh prior to the scheduled meeting.

To: Employees and Dependents enrolled in RCUH Group Medical Plans

Please see the attached notice about the prescription drug coverage provided to you under the Research Corporation of the University of Hawai‘i group health insurance coverage. This also applies to any dependents who are 65 and older.

Why am I receiving this notice?

The Medicare Prescription Drug, Improvement, and Modernization Act (also called the Medicare Modernization Act or MMA) is a federal law enacted in 2003. The MMA requires entities whose health policies include prescription drug coverage to notify Medicare eligible policyholders whether their prescription drug coverage is creditable coverage. The MMA defines credible coverage as coverage that is expected to pay on average as much as the standard Medicare prescription drug coverage. 

Please contact us at [email protected] if you have any questions.

All RCUH Human Resources online systems will be down on Thursday, 10/05/23 at 8:00 PM (HST) to 11:00 PM (HST) for system maintenance.

The maintenance will include:

• Human Resources Portal
• Employee Self Service (ESS)
• Careers/Recruiting
• New Hire Documents (EHS)

We apologize for any inconveniences this may cause. This schedule is subject to change and a current announcement will be posted when the downtime is scheduled.

If you have any questions, please contact RCUH HR Information Systems at (808) 956-8900 or [email protected].

TO:                 Principal Investigators and Project Staff who assist new hires in completing Form I-9, Employment Eligibility Verification

This is an update from the last announcement regarding Form I-9, Employment Eligibility Verification.

RCUH Human Resources has been utilizing the new form with new hires since August 2023. We are pleased to share that the new form is more simplified and does reduce the overall time to complete the I-9 process. Effective November 1, 2023, all employers must use the new Form I-9.  We highly encourage PIs and Project Staff to begin using the new version of Form I-9 (Form I-9 Edition 08/01/23). Please note these changes:

• Form no longer an electronic smart form, prior enhancements removed (still form-fillable via free Adobe Reader)
• Section 1 and Section 2 condensed to one page
• Change and/or elimination of fields from prior version (e.g., writing employee’s name and corresponding citizenship/immigration status in Section 2)
• Writing of “N/A” no longer required for fields that don’t apply (e.g., Other last names used, Apt #, Middle Initial, Expiration Date for identity and authorization documents without expiration such as social security cards, birth certificates)
• More flexibility with Section 2: Reference common abbreviations from USCIS: Common Abbreviations for Document Entry in Section 2

We have researched the alternative remote examination procedure. This procedure will still require original (wet) signatures on the form and does not appear to be a streamlined process to implement at this time.

In general, we will complete Form I-9 with new hires based on Oahu. We will continue to work with projects located outside of Oahu to provide guidance and solutions for completing the Form I-9. If you would like to receive training regarding the Form I-9 or have any questions, please contact RCUH Employment:

• Email: [email protected]
• Phone: (808) 956-7106

TO: RCUH Principal Investigators, Supervisors, and Project Staff

Join the RCUH Human Resources Recruitment and Employee Benefits Sections for a 45-minute webinar on October 12, 2023 at 9:00am (HST): What Pay Transparency Law Means for your Total Rewards Strategy. Attendees will be provided with a handy reference one pager showcasing a potential total rewards package for employees.

• Recruitment Section: Pay Transparency Law – truths and myth busters!
  Start planning ahead to stay compliant and ahead of the curve on upcoming recruitments.
• Employee Benefits Section: New Employee Benefits Webpage launch and navigation! Gain better understanding of RCUH employee benefits and where to access resources (in a central location). Guide current employees, new hires, and potential new hire candidates to relevant employee benefits information and where to schedule appointments.

How does Pay Transparency affect you?

Hawai’i Governor Josh Green signed into law the pay transparency bill SB 1057. The objective of the law is to reduce pay inequalities and promote ongoing transparency. In case you missed it, please click here for the pay transparency announcement.

Effective January 1, 2024, RCUH will be required to disclose an hourly or salary rate in job listings that reasonably reflects the actual expected compensation for that role. In 2022, 91% of U.S. jobseekers that were surveyed said seeing a salary range on a job post impacted their decision to apply. How do your project’s salaries measure up? Don’t wait, start preparing now.

Employee Compensation Package: It’s more than just salary!

A “total rewards” package is the combination of compensation and benefits offered by an employer. This allows employees to consider salary in relation to the other benefits offered by RCUH.

A Gallup poll recently asked 13,085 U.S. employees what was most important to them when deciding whether to accept a new job offered by a new employer. Results showed the top factors that employees consider most important:

1. A significant increase in income or benefits (64% said “very important”)
2. Greater work-life balance and better personal wellbeing (61%)
3. The ability to do what they do best (58%)
4. Greater stability and job security (53%)
   

WEBINAR REGISTRATION NOW OPEN! Please click this link to register. Registration will close at 8 AM (HST) on Tuesday, October 10, 2023. If you have any questions or need assistance registering, please contact RCUH Human Resources at [email protected].

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TO: Principal Investigators, Project Administrators, and Fiscal Administrators

This announcement is applicable for Principal Investigators/projects that follow the Federal fiscal year or for PIs who have missed the first round (July) of the annual performance evaluation period and have submitted performance evaluations by the deadline for their eligible employees.

The online Pay Award/Personnel Action Form (PA/PAF) is now available via the Human Resources Portal.  This is the second step in the October annual performance evaluation period process to elect to provide eligible employees with the pay adjustment (increase to base salary) and/or award (one-time payment) effective October 1, 2023. There will be an option to provide eligible employees with a retroactive lumpsum payment covering July 1, 2023 to September 30, 2023.

Principal Investigators must complete and submit the PA/PAF no later than 4:30 P.M. on Tuesday, October 10^th. Employees will see the pay award or pay adjustment reflected on their pay statement on October 20 (pay day for the pay period October 1-15, 2023).

To access the online PA/PAF:

1. Log in to the Human Resources Portal
2. Click on “Manage Employees” Tab
3. Click on “Annual Pay Awards (PA/PAF)”
4. A copy of the October 2023 RCUH Pay Guidelines will be available for reference. You will only be able to initiate the PA/PAF for employees who meet the eligibility requirements.

If you have any questions or have difficulty accessing the PA/PAF, please contact one of the RCUH Human Resources staff via phone (808-956-3100) or email:

• Jennifer Lin: [email protected]
• Sharon Vong: [email protected]  

All vacation hours exceeding the maximum carry-over of an eligible employee’s applicable vacation plan will be automatically forfeited on December 31, 2023.

Visit our Benefits Spotlight – Vacation Leave (Use it or Lose it!) for more information – including a Vacation Forfeiture Calculator!

Maximum Carry-Over Hours Depends on the Employee’s Vacation Plan:

• Vacation Plan A: Up to a total maximum carry-over of 10 workdays (*80 hours based on 100% FTE)
• Vacation Plan B: Each plan year you may carry-over not more 15 workdays (*120 hours based on 100% FTE), but may carry-over a total maximum accumulated total or 45 workdays (*360 hours based on 100% FTE)
  (*Hours are prorated if less than 100% FTE.)

How to find your Vacation Plan and Accrued Vacation Balance:

Option 1: Log into Human Resources Portal & Employee Self-Service > Employee Self-Service tab > Under Payroll and Compensation click on View Pay Statement > View Pay Statement > View VAC HOURS LEAVE PLAN and End Balance towards the bottom of your pay statement

Option 2: Log into Human Resources Portal & Employee Self-Service > Employee Self-Service tab > Under Benefits click on Benefits Summary

We have other Benefits Spotlight features including: Understanding Your Pay Statement, Retirement Accounts, and more!

Interested in other Employee Benefits? Please browse our newly refreshed RCUH Employee Benefits page featuring new tiles for Active Employees, New Hires, and Injury and Workers’ Compensation.

Applicable Policy:

3.620 RCUH Vacation Leave

If you have any questions regarding your vacation leave, please contact RCUH Employee Benefits:
Email: [email protected]
Phone: (808) 956-2326 or (808) 956-6979

If you need assistance logging into your Employee Self-Service, please contact the HR Help Desk:
Email: [email protected]
Phone: (808) 956-8900