News from Talent Development
and Human Resources

Voluntary Reduction in Work Schedule

As one of our Effectiveness, Efficiency, and Productivity Initiatives, the University will be reviewing requests for alternative employment options for our current staff and contract professionals.   For example, there are some positions that lend themselves to less than 40-hour work weeks or 9-month positions and there are some employees who would prefer to spend summers with their families or work less than 40 hours each week during the full year for personal reasons.  For those individuals, we will work with supervisors to provide opportunities for flexible and reduced work schedules.  We will incentivize these reduced work hours, and still attain significant savings, by maintaining for these employees all privileges and benefits available to eligible full-time employees.

If you are interested in exploring these options, please review the VRWS Policy webpage and notify your supervisor in writing with a copy to Bill Viau, Associate VP for Talent Development & Human Resources – viau@uakron.edu.

Seminars

Financial Wellness

The state of our personal finances affects our sense of well-being.  Striving to maintain or achieve "financial wellness" in today's economy can be challenging and stressful to everyone.  To increase your financial well-being, we invite you to attend one or more of the following helpful seminars presented by PNC Bank.

            Check out the schedule of  Financial Wellness Seminars

                                                  To Register for Seminars 

Providing Support for our Veterans

This training will enable University faculty and staff to provide more culturally appropriate services to veterans, service members and their family members.  Because many returning veterans have adjustment issues and must seek care in the civilian community, this seminar will discuss behavioral health issues and the importance of knowing about military culture.   Click HERE for more information.

Please visit the Seminars Training page to register: Reserve a seat

UA posts petition from SERB

Classified employees: The State Employment Relations Board (SERB) has notified the University that a Petition for Representation Election was filed at SERB on October 2, 2012.

We are providing this notice from SERB so that employees can be apprised of the petition. See the notice.

State passes pension reform; what it means to you

On Sept. 12, 2012, both the Ohio House of Representatives and Ohio Senate approved the pension reform recommendations put forth by the State Teachers Retirement System (STRS), School Employees Retirement System (SERS), and Ohio Public Employees Retirement System (OPERS) with only slight modifications. The bills will now be sent to the Governor for his signature. These reforms are expected to go into effect beginning Jan. 7, 2013.

It is important to understand how pension reforms impacts you. STRS, SERS, and OPERS are committed to educating membership about pension reform. For information regarding STRS changes, please visit https://www.strsoh.org/legislation/legislation.html for SERS, visit https://www.ohsers.org/ohio-pension-reform and for OPERs, visit https://www.opers.org/.

The University will have both STRS and SERS representatives on campus Oct. 16 for presentations about the changes to each respective pension plan. More information and registration will be coming soon.

If you are considering retiring in the near future, we encourage you to talk with your personal financial advisor, and schedule a discussion with STRS, SERS or OPERS soon, so you have time to review your options. Contact STRS at 1-888-227-7877 or www.strsoh.org/resources/2b.html; SERS at 1-866-280-7377 or https://www.ohsers.org/service-retirement; or OPERS at 1-800-222-7377 or https://www.opers.org/Members/retire/index.shtml