The FY 2020 Holiday Schedule has been posted by the Office of Talent & Innovation (formerly Human Resources). The FY 2020 schedule includes 15 holidays (a floating holiday is not included this year).
The UT System Employee Service Awards program was held June 4, 2019, to honor employees working at System Administration who achieved a service milestone in 2018. Together, the 85 award recipients have provided nearly 1,000 years of dedicated service.
Susan Dawson, president & executive director of E3 Alliance, will present Education: The Key to Equity & Economic Prosperity (and by the way, we’re not where we need to be…) on May 9 as part of the Block 82 Speaker Series. The E3 Alliance is a regional collaborative focused on increasing economic outcomes by aligning education systems. Susan is an entrepreneur and business and civic leader whose experience includes leading multiple technology firms and serving as chair of the Greater Austin Chamber of Commerce.
The UT System Staff Council is coordinating food and coat drives to help Central Texans in need during the holidays.
New and gently used coats may be donated to Coats for Kids from Nov. 12 through Dec. 5. Designated bins are set up in the lobby on the first floor. More information and additional ways to help can be found through the Junior League of Austin.
The WorkLife Walk-in Clinic operated by UT Health Austin provides convenient medical care for minor conditions when needed. For a $10 copay, the WorkLife Clinic offers same-day medical care for System Administration staff and other State of Texas employees. Located close to work, the clinic provides treatments for a wide range of illnesses and injuries--from cold and flu to cuts and broken bones--and administers vaccinations and flu shots.
Doreen Lorenzo, assistant dean of the School of Design and Creative Technologies and director of the Center for Integrated Design at UT Austin, will present Designing Our Future: Enabling Higher Education Administration with Design Thinking on Nov. 12 as part of the Block 82 Speaker Series. A recognized thought leader on business and design issues, she has advised Fortune 100 companies and speaks publicly about her signature leadership style and the power of empathy to drive business results.
The Office of Risk Management has scheduled the following classes to help UT System Administration employees keep themselves and others safe. All classes will be held in UTSB 2.206B.
Adult CPR/AED Classes
- Tuesday, December 11, 2018: 1pm-4pm
If you checked your leave balances for the new fiscal year, you may have seen eight hours credited for a "floating holiday." Unfortunately, that was a mistake--a system configuration error resulted in the floating holiday hours inadvertently being awarded to System Administration employees on September 1. The FY 2019 calendar does not include a floating holiday so those balances currently are inaccurate.
The UT System Office of Academic Affairs and Office of Innovation and Strategic Investment resume their Block 82 speaker series on Tuesday, September 25, with a presentation by Tom Williams, Ph.D., lead scientist for human factors and behavioral performance at NASA’s Johnson Space Center. Mission to Mars: The Challenge of Exploration Missions and Innovative Approaches for Mitigating Behavioral Health Risks will focus on the critical and creative approaches NASA uses to assess and mitigate risk factors.
A System Administration Blood Drive benefiting We Are Blood is scheduled for Thursday, Sept. 6, from 8:30 a.m. to 11 a.m. at the Bloodmobile on Colorado Street. Eligible donors should be in good health, at least 17 years old, and weigh at least 115 pounds (for whole blood donations) or 110 pounds (for platelet donations). Be sure to eat and drink plenty of water before arriving, and take a photo ID.
The UT System Building band, "Skeleton Crew," is next scheduled to perform for System Administration staff on Friday, September 14, from 12:30 to 1:30 p.m. in the Commons on the 19th floor.
Vocalists and all types of instruments are welcome to join this group of System Administration singers and musicians. Members currently are practicing every Friday from noon to 1 p.m. on the 14th floor. Email pbuechley@utsystem.edu for more information or to sign up.
Staff Council invites all System Administration employees to participate in and attend the first UTSB Art Exhibit, scheduled for August 1, from 2 to 4 p.m. on the second floor of the UT System Building. All staff are welcome to showcase their artwork and any visual art form, including paintings, drawings, photography, sculpture, ceramics and crafts, can be exhibited. Just send a photograph of what you want to show to Paige Buechley (pbuechley@utsystem.edu) so the appropriate display space and supplies can be provided.
In honor of Women Veterans Day on June 12, UT System’s Leadership Development & Veterans’ Affairs team created a video to honor and thank women veterans. Texas has more female veterans than any other state—about 177,500. However, studies indicate as many as 70 percent of women veterans do not self-identify as veterans, which can cause them to miss out on benefits and support systems established in honor of their unique sacrifices.
The FY 2019 Holiday Schedule has been posted by the UT System Office of Human Resources. The number of holidays for all state agencies and institutions of higher education is set by the Texas Legislature, although higher education institutions have flexibility in determining the actual days within that number. This year's schedule provides 13 holidays but does not include a floating holiday.
Phillip Ragain, partner and director of training and human performance at The RAD Group, is the presenter for the next installment of the Block 82 speaker series. He will discuss Hardwired Inhibitions: Hidden Forces that Keep Us Silent in Critical Moments, including biases that commonly inhibit safety intervention and strategies for making "stop work" part of the organization's culture. The presentation is scheduled for Tuesday, May 22, beginning at noon in the 2nd floor multipurpose room.
Feeling a little under the weather? Don’t forget you can see a healthcare provider any weekday morning just by taking a short elevator ride up to the 19th floor. Beginning May 1, the clinic will be open from 10 a.m. to noon, Monday through Friday. The pilot launched by the Office of Employee Benefits with The University of Texas Medical Branch (UTMB) and The University of Texas at Austin School of Nursing allows System Administration staff to consult with UTMB healthcare providers remotely with the on-site assistance of UT Austin nursing staff.
IRS Form 1095-C will be printed and mailed to current and former UT System employees, retirees and other covered individuals on March 2. The form is not required when filing personal income tax returns, but does provide information that may be needed regarding the number of months enrolled individuals and family members had qualifying health coverage from UT System during 2017. By law, all Americans are required to maintain minimum essential health coverage or pay a penalty when filing their tax returns.
In May of last year, HR launched a pilot program that eliminated the need for exempt employees to submit weekly timesheets unless state compensatory time was earned or leave (comp time, vacation, sick, etc.) was taken. Approximately 118 (18%) of System Administration staff opted to participate in the pilot by completing an exception-based time reporting agreement developed by OGC. HR tracked reported leave from May 2014 to November 2017 and determined there were no significant variances in leave reporting during that time, including since the beginning of this pilot.
Thanks to all of you who have already made a commitment to the State Employee Charitable Campaign (SECC). Since just last week, we have pledged $54,650, an increase of $29,706!
