We want to thank colleges, campuses, and units who are ensuring that new labor-represented employees are attending New Employee Orientation (NEO). Not only are you helping new employees transition smoothly into their roles, you are also helping the University comply with PELRA. Unfortunately, we continue to receive concerns from AFSCME, Teamsters, and GLU-UE that some colleges, campuses, and units are not complying with the NEO requirements. Here is what we have been told: 

• HR is not informing the union of when NEO will take place
• HR and/or supervisors are telling employees that NEO is optional
• Supervisors are not sending employees to union NEO
• HR points of contact for NEO are not responding to union outreach in select campus, college, or units

As a reminder, the University must comply with NEO requirements under PELRA. New labor-represented employees are expected to attend NEO, it is not optional since it is a part of their orientation. The Minn. Stat. Sec. 179A.07, Subd. 9 law allows unions to have in-person access to new employees in the bargaining unit for 30 minutes of paid time within 30 days of starting employment. If new employee orientations are being held, the applicable union(s) should be notified by local HR at least 10 days in advance. HR shall work with the union(s) to ensure compliance with this requirement which apply to all unions at the University, including LELS, 1-M, 1-B, IBEW, Trades Council(s), Teamsters, AFSCME, UEA-D, UEA-C, and GLU-UE. Local HR is also responsible for ensuring all supervisors understand the NEO requirements and their role in making sure new employees attend NEO with their unions. Thank you for your attention to this matter.

Additionally, please remember that the following resources are available to the HR community to help ensure compliance with the new law. 

• Link to List of Union Representatives
• Reporting Tools and New Employee Orientation Meetings
• Guide to New Employee Orientation
• Minn. Stat. Sec. 179A.07, Subd. 9
• Campus, College, Unit NEO contacts  (Unions utilize this list to know who to contact.)

Please email ELR@umn.edu when updates need to be made. 

Beginning Monday, May 13, all benefits-eligible employees can adjust their benefits in MyU within 30 days of a qualifying life event—like marriage, divorce, birth or adoption of a child, a change in eligibility, or another life event. This means benefits-eligible employees can make important benefit changes when it’s convenient for them. MyU also provides better data security and quicker service times, so employees will see their changes sooner. OHR has prepared a communications toolkit to help you share this update with your teams.

The transition to the modernized Performance Appraisal Tool (PAT) is less than two months away. If you have not already done so, please review the PAT Toolkit for HR Leads and the suggested timeline for when to share communications with supervisors. The toolkit includes email templates HR Leads can use to provide information to people impacted by the transition. Additional information is coming soon. Contact Shannon Luloff (smacdon1@umn.edu) with any questions.

Next week an email will be sent to all UMN retirees reminding them to ensure their benefit contact email information is updated to a non-University email address. This is due to the changes to U of M email and Google Workspace offerings for employees who retire from the University. We bring this to your attention as you may be contacted by retirees unsure of how they will be affected or by retired faculty who are unsure if they hold emeriti status. Google Workspace offerings for  emeriti faculty are not affected by the changes.

University employees and spouses who participate in the University’s Wellbeing Program may begin to see new vendor name, but the program is staying the same.

Virgin Pulse recently acquired HealthComp, a health benefits administrator. Moving forward, Virgin Pulse will rebrand the two companies as Personify Health. This change will take effect for the University’s Wellbeing Program on September 1, 2024, with a hybrid look that includes Virgin Pulse and Personify Health elements. The full change will take effect on January 1, 2025.

While Personify Health will offer expanded services such as health plan administration, University users’ experience with the Wellbeing Program platform will remain largely the same.

The OHR Total Rewards team will remind employees of the change closer to the rebranding and provide more information as it becomes available.

FAQs

How will my experience on the portal or app change? 

You may begin to see a Personify Health logo if you log out of the portal or app after using it. The URL to the portal will also be re-routed to a Personify Health link, so the Total Rewards team will communicate if and when you need to update bookmarks. Finally, the copyright will change from Virgin Pulse to Personify Health.

Wellbeing Program programming and user experience will not change due to the rebranding, though Virgin Pulse may make minor changes to its interface like any app or website. Also, the company is planning changes to its homepage in early 2025.

Will this affect the data that is shared with the vendor? Will Personify Health have access to my health information?  

No additional data will be shared with the vendor as a result of this change by the vendor.

As before, if you earn Wellbeing Program points through University health plan vendors Omada, Medication Therapy Management (MTM), Ovia, or Specialty Drug Therapy Management, only whether you participated will be tracked. None of your personal medical data will be sent to the Wellbeing Program vendor. Learn more about how vendors protect your privacy on the Employee Health Benefits and Data Privacy page. 

Get to know your health numbers (such as blood pressure, glucose, LDL, HDL, and triglycerides) to ensure you're not at risk for developing cardiovascular disease or other serious health complications through biometric screenings.

Here’s how Rochester employees enrolled in the University medical plan can get a biometric screening:

• Have your primary care doctor submit your information from your annual physical using the "Biometric Screening- Primary Care Physician Form." You can search for the form under the “Programs” tab of the Virgin Pulse portal. Then print and take a paper form to your doctor or send it electronically for your doctor to fill out. 
• Order a screening kit via the portal. Look for “Biometric Screenings- Home Test Kit (LabCorp/Pixel)" under the “Programs” tab. Please note: The Wellbeing Program year ends on August 31, so please plan to request your kit no later than July 15 to ensure you complete and mail back the blood sample on time.
   

You’ll earn 1,000 Wellbeing Points however you submit your screening! 
 

As part of the University of Minnesota’s commitment to help you meet your retirement savings goals, Fidelity has added a Roth In-Plan Conversion feature to the University of Minnesota 457 Deferred Compensation Plan, a 457(b) plan. This is effective April 9, 2024. 

What Is a Roth In-Plan Conversion? 

An opportunity to convert non-Roth assets such as those currently in your plan or rolled over from a former employer's plan into a designated Roth portion of the 457 Plan, which allows you to withdraw tax-free dollars from your account when you are eligible.

How Do I Use an In-Plan Conversion?

Call Fidelity directly at 800-343-0860. Fidelity associates are available Monday through Friday between 7:00 a.m. and 11:00 p.m. CT. 

Learn More

To learn more about Roth contributions and how a Roth In-Plan Conversion may affect your savings, you can sign up for a free consultation with a Fidelity consultant.   

The decision to add Roth within your plan depends on several factors that you should weigh carefully. We encourage you to consult your tax advisor before making a decision if this is right for you. 

Join other Twin Cities colleges and units in the first Diversity Career Fair organized by the OHR'S Talent Acquisition team. The fair will be held on Thursday, May 30, 10 a.m. to 3 p.m, at the McNamara Alumni Center. Twin Cities colleges, units, and departments are invited to host tables at the fair, which will be advertised widely throughout the Twin Cities metro area.

This fair will be an opportunity for job seekers to learn more about the broad array of full- and part-time jobs available at the University, from researchers to finance professionals to maintenance workers. This fair is a great venue to promote your college or unit work environment to diverse job seekers, even if you do not have many jobs open on May 30.

If you would like to participate, please reach out to your HR Lead to learn more. Signing up is free and commits you to at least one table at the event. You can also request multiple tables for multiple departments. A total of 50 tables will be available–claim your free table(s) now while space is available! Reservations are due April 30.

To emphasize the importance of Earth Month, the Wellbeing Program has two webinars worth checking out and sharing with employees. 

• Composting: Green, Easy and Good for the Planet - April 9 at noon - Learn how to easily integrate composting into your daily routine. Discover composting's environmental benefits, such as reducing food waste and enhancing soil health, that enrich your personal green space. 
• What’s Good for You is Good for the Planet - April 24 at noon - Join a panel of sustainability experts as they discuss how climate/health impacts U of Sustainability public health climate resilience strategies, how to reduce transportation emissions, the link human health, climate change, and planetary health, and how to build resilience in the face of climate change.

Each webinar earns 200 Wellbeing Points.

Did you know spending time outdoors can help reduce stress and boost your mood? Not only is it great for your physical health but it can also spark creativity! Appreciate the earth and kickoff a season the warmer days by not only taking the time ourselves as managers but also by encouraging employees to: 

• Move fitness outdoors - Being in nature has been shown to reduce blood pressure, reduce chronic disease and enhance overall physical fitness. 
• Take a mental health break by simply getting a breath of fresh air - Nature provides the best setting to take a moment to decompress & find peace during a busy day.