Announcements from the Senior Vice President

Dear Rutgers Colleagues:

I am pleased to announce that President Holloway has approved a salary improvement program for regularly appointed non-aligned employees. All eligible non-aligned employees will receive a 2.5% across-the-board salary increase effective March 1, 2022. The increase will be reflected in the paycheck dated March 4, 2022 for all eligible employees.

Eligibility Criteria

Regularly appointed non-aligned employees who are in an eligible non-aligned title as of February 28, 2022 and remain in an eligible title through the date of payment are eligible for an increase.

If you have any questions, please contact OneSource Rutgers Faculty and Staff Service Center at 732-745-SERV (7378) or OneSource@rutgers.edu.

Dear Rutgers Colleagues:

We are pleased to announce the implementation schedule for the salary increases for aligned employee as detailed below. All increases indicated below are effective March 1, 2022 and will be reflected in the March 4, 2022 paycheck.

Members of the Rutgers Community:

As the Future of Work Task Force works to develop its recommendations, we invite members of the university community to participate in a series of virtual listening tours. The purpose of these sessions is to listen to and learn from our faculty, staff, and students. Your diverse experiences, views, and recommendations regarding the future of work at Rutgers University will help us better understand the evolving needs of our employees and the communities we serve. We will use what we learn to make recommendations that support our goals of becoming a more resilient, competitive, and inclusive organization.

There will be three, 1½ hour online listening sessions:

Dear Colleagues,

Effective immediately, OptumRx members are eligible for coverage of over-the-counter (OTC) at-home COVID-19 diagnostic tests purchased on or after January 15, 2022. Coverage includes OTC at-home COVID-19 test kits authorized by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA). The most common tests are BinaxNOW™, Flowflex™, InteliSwab™, On/Go™ and QuickVue®. Coverage is limited to 8 individual tests per covered member, every month (i.e., a family of 4 covered members would be eligible for 32 tests a month).

There are three options available to OptumRx members to take advantage of this new benefit:

We have extended the period to complete the Mid-Year Review process from January 31 to March 15. All Mid-Year Goal Plans and Reviews for non-aligned employees must be submitted and approved in the Performance Management tool on or before March 15.

The Mid-Year Review process is critical to our continued focus on employee development. It allows managers and employees to discuss and recalibrate existing performance and development goals.

While we have extended the deadline for Mid-Year Reviews, we still encourage you and your manager to formally discuss the progress you’ve made on your performance and development goals. Employees may add, remove, or edit goals currently listed on their Goal Plan through March 15.

Dear Colleagues,

Due to the recent surge in COVID-19 cases, and in order to support the health, safety, and wellbeing of our university community, the temporary expansion of permissible use of accrued paid sick time for COVID-19 related self-quarantine, school closure, place of child-care closure, or lack of availability of child-care that expired on December 31, 2021, has been extended through January 31, 2022.  

Background

After the expiration of COVID-19 related federal leave entitlements, the university temporarily expanded the reasons for which employees who earn paid sick time may use such time, subject to the criteria below in order to provide greater flexibility and support to our employees in navigating the challenges presented by this pandemic.

Dear Rutgers Colleagues,

We are pleased to extend an offer of State Health Benefits Program (SHBP) enrollment to you and your eligible dependents. Under the federal Affordable Care Act (ACA), employees who work an average of 30 hours or more per week are entitled to medical and prescription drug benefits. Please note that the ACA does not include dental benefits coverage. Our records indicate that you meet or exceed the 30-hour threshold and are now eligible to participate.

Dear Rutgers Shared Work Furlough Participants:

(If you have no unresolved unemployment claims, please disregard this communication.)

The New Jersey Department of Labor (NJDOL) has been overwhelmed with the filing of unemployment claims. As you can imagine, this has been happening in many states across the nation.

We have been working closely with the NJDOL, to resolve all remaining claims. Please know that as soon as we receive your unresolved claims information, we forward it to NJDOL. We have also compiled each reported unresolved claim into a consolidated working list.

Dear Rutgers Shared Work Furlough Participants:

(If you have no unresolved unemployment claims, please disregard this communication.)

The New Jersey Department of Labor (NJDOL) has been overwhelmed with the filing of unemployment claims. As you can imagine, this has been happening in many states across the nation.

We have been working closely with the NJDOL, to resolve all remaining claims. Please know that as soon as we receive your unresolved claims information, we forward it to NJDOL. We have also compiled each reported unresolved claim into a consolidated working list.

Dear Rutgers Colleagues:

As part of our ongoing Rutgers Employees First initiative, we are pleased to announce the next series of webinars focused on financial wellness. The Rutgers Employees First Financial Webinars are intended to provide employees with the tools and education necessary to manage finances and help make the best financial decisions for themselves, their families, and their futures. Webinars are available to all Rutgers employees and are free of charge.

Below is a list of the Rutgers Employees First Financial Webinars and links to register.

Thank you for taking an active part in the initial goal-setting phase of our performance management process. As a reminder, all goal plans for non-aligned employees must be submitted and approved in the performance management system on or before September 30^th.

To help you navigate the FY’22 Goal Setting process, the performance management site has online resources including a goal bank of sample SMART goals, tutorials, and FAQs.

Performance Management System and Learning Resources

Dear Rutgers Colleagues:

As part of our ongoing Rutgers Employees First initiative, we are pleased to announce the next series of webinars which focuses on mental wellness as it relates to caring for loved ones who have a disability or special needs. These webinars are available to all Rutgers employees regardless of whether you are a Voya Financial client and are free of charge.

To All Rutgers Faculty and Staff:

It is wonderful to see our faculty and staff on campus. I would like to offer a heartfelt thanks for all you have done to keep the university up and operating throughout the pandemic. I know that it has been stressful during these challenging times and I want you to know that your efforts, your commitment, and your flexibility are appreciated and valued.

As you know, we have mandated that all students enrolling for classes for the fall semester must be vaccinated against the COVID-19 virus. Getting back into classrooms and enjoying a vibrant campus life depends on vaccinations and student response has been overwhelmingly positive.

Dear Rutgers Colleagues:

We are pleased to announce the launch of the My Wellness app, now available within the Rutgers University mobile app and within the myRutgers portal. As part of the Rutgers Employees First initiative, the My Wellness app was developed in collaboration with University Human Resources, IP&O Strategic Services, OIT Application Services, and the Emergency Operations Center's Behavioral Health and Wellness workgroup. The purpose of the app is to support the physical, emotional, and social well-being of Rutgers employees by providing quick and easy access to wellness content from your mobile device. Discover a variety of resources at your fingertips by downloading the app today.

Dear Rutgers Colleagues,

As part of our continued efforts to support the health and safety of our university community, and as an important tool in fully repopulating our campuses in the coming months, the telecommuting policy relaxation has been extended through December 31, 2021. This extension will allow for a Return to Rutgers planning process that provides unit heads sufficient flexibility to meet the business needs of their departments while supporting the safety of our campus community.

Please note that the President will be communicating with you within the next week regarding the process of returning fully to campus. That message will contain additional information about how telecommuting might fit into return to campus plans.

Dear Colleagues,

The temporary expansion of permissible use of accrued paid sick time for COVID-19 related self-quarantine, school closure, place of child care closure, or lack of availability of child care set to expire on May 31, 2021 has been extended through December 31, 2021.

Dear Colleagues:

We are requesting your assistance in updating our employee demographic information. Having the ability to benchmark success in our hiring practices aids us in many ways. It helps us to better understand the composition of our workforce, informs our planning processes, and allows us to comply with federal compliance requirements.

We encourage you to take a moment to update your Race/Ethnicity demographic information. Although this two-item questionnaire is voluntary, we hope that you choose to complete it. The data from this survey helps us to build a modern and diverse workforce.

Dear Colleagues,

The temporary expansion of permissible use of accrued paid sick time for COVID-19 related self-quarantine, school closure, place of child care closure, or lack of availability of child care set to expire on March 31, 2021 has been extended through May 31, 2021.

As part of our continued efforts to support the health and safety of our university community, the telecommuting policy relaxation has been extended through May 31, 2021. We continue to monitor all pertinent health information associated with COVID-19, including transmission and positivity rates, vaccine availability, CDC guidance, and public health guidance and directives issued by the State of New Jersey and will evaluate the extension of telecommuting policy relaxation on a monthly basis.

Additional information regarding telecommuting:

Updated as of 3/10/21

Dear Colleagues:

We have recently implemented a number of measures to protect our campus community while maintaining continuity of academic and research programs, clinical care, and mission critical administrative and operational functions. However, we are not immune to the enormous financial impact that has resulted from COVID-19. As a result, President Barchi has directed the implementation of a hiring freeze and the suspension of certain personnel transactions.

Effective 4/2/2020 and until further notice, the following position cost controls will be in place; general exceptions are listed below this table: