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HR Update; February 22, 2008

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Changes to the Jobs for Veterans Act of 2002

The U.S. Department of Labor’s Office of Federal Contract Compliance Programs published final regulations on August 8, 2007 that will require changes to the nondiscrimination and affirmative action obligations of federal contractors and subcontractors, including the University, with respect to protected veterans. The new regulations became effective on September 7, 2007.

The regulations, which implement the Jobs for Veterans Act of 2002 (JVA), expanded the categories of veterans protected by the affirmative action provisions of the law and changed the manner in which federal contractors must list employment openings. Details of these changes and their impact on University policies and procedures are available on the web here.

The EDB has been modified to meet the provisions in the Jobs for Veterans Act of 2002 (JVA) that reference several categories of “qualified covered veterans”.

We are assessing the impact of the new regulations on the University’s Nondiscrimination Policy and Data Transmittal Form, as well as changes to the personnel payroll system that will be needed to support the expanded categories of veterans and will share draft documents with you later this month.

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UC Files Unfair Labor Practice Charge against Patient Care Employees’ Union

University of California officials announced on February 20, 2008 that UC has filed an unfair labor practice charge with the Public Employment Relations Board against the American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees, the union that represents approximately 11,000 UC patient care technical employees. UC’s charge was made in response to the union’s failure to bargain about reasonable parameters for the union’s distribution of leaflets to patients and visitors outside UC medical centers. UC has longstanding policies about leafleting for any purpose near its medical facilities. These policies balance free speech rights with the need to provide safe access to the facilities and protect the privacy and safety rights of patients and their families.

The union violated its agreement with UC to follow these reasonable access policies and instead went to court to prevent UC from enforcing these longstanding policies and practices. The union bypassed the Public Employment Relations Board, which has the authority and responsibility to regulate access issues and bargaining conduct. UC believes the union’s actions demonstrate a failure to bargain in good faith, a refusal to participate in impasse procedures in good faith, and a disregard for patients and their families visiting the medical centers.

In the past few months, AFSCME has attempted to raise concerns regarding the quality of care provided by the University of California’s five medical centers. In actuality, all UC medical centers have repeatedly been recognized for providing outstanding patient care:

Throughout the past six months of bargaining with the union, UC has proven its interest in reaching an agreement for our patient care technical employees. As part of the university’s ongoing commitment to recognizing the contributions of its employees, UC medical facilities have a proven record of offering some of the most competitive compensation and benefits packages available in today’s health care market.

UC and AFSCME are currently in mediation with a state-appointed mediator, which UC hopes will help achieve an agreement.

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Important Reminders for Employees Enrolled in UC’s Flexible Spending Accounts

Deadlines

Employees enrolled in HCRA and/or DCRA in the plan year 2007, only have until March 15, 2008 to spend unused funds from their 2007 account. Employees have until June 15, 2008 to file claims for expenses paid with 2007 funds.

Save All Receipts

Employees must always retain receipts for all HCRA spending account card purchases. This requirement is highlighted in the Summary Plan Description for the Health Care Reimbursement Account and is also highlighted in written materials sent to employees along with their spending account card. SHPS may ask for a copy of the receipt if needed to validate the purchase as an eligible expense. 

The IRS requires that every single transaction paid by the spending account card be validated as a qualifying health care expense.

Review the Status of Your Account

SHPS maintains a website where employees can access their flexible spending account information at any time (https://spendingaccount.shps.com) and it is SHPS’ standard process to rely on members to check the statements posted on the website for the status of their claims.

For employees who have provided an email address, SHPS sends emails with a link to the member portal whenever new statements are posted. After log-on, employees can see an overview of their spending account information, but the more important detailed information on the status of claims is included in the “Statements” section to the right. This section will identify expenses which must be validated and include information on how to submit the validation, including required forms. If SHPS does not have an email address on file, employees will receive a quarterly paper statement.

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UC Retirement Readiness Education Programs

Are you ready for retirement?  Are your ducks all in a row? Start to plan now-it’s never too early.

Please pass this on to your colleagues, circulate invitations, post the actual schedules, or otherwise re-broadcast these weekly reminders about our valuable (FREE) education programs for faculty and staff.  Bring your lunch; your questions; your spouse/partner. . .

Usually there can be at least one (or more) workshop(s) per week scheduled at various UCSF locations around town. For more details and listings for upcoming scheduled presentations, please refer to our Workshops and Presentations Schedules menus found at our local UCSF HR/Benefits website.

Last Chance: Submit this survey and assist UC in developing new topics for Retirement Readiness.

Pssst!  Finance Day is coming April 23, 2008-Mark your calendars.

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How We Change, Stages of Change

The one constant in life is change, and those changes come in a variety of ways.  Often we focus on changes that happen to us and how we are going to adapt or cope with something new.  Other times, we initiate a change ourselves. 

Often, starting a change can be an anxious undertaking.  We are afraid what the consequences might be if we do change, and also wary of how things will be if we don’t.  Some changes are small and don’t require much thought or effort, like buying a new pair of pants or going to a new restaurant for dinner.  These don’t inspire much anxiety in most people.  Other changes however, the scarier ones, are ‘Life Changes’ that will have a more profound effect upon us and maybe those around us.  We make these changes anyway, because we feel that they are for the better, whether it is quitting smoking, getting more exercise, applying for a new job, moving, or any goal that we think and feel will benefit us. 

Maybe you are thinking about making a change, or want to encourage someone else with their efforts.  It is helpful to have a model of how people begin to change and how they see it through to the conclusion.  There is a very useful model of the stages of change that can be applied to almost any context, developed by Prochaska (1992):

Precontemplation: The initial stage, where there is no thought about changing.  In this beginning stage, people are likely to resist the idea of changing as they aren’t motivated to do so. 

Contemplation:  In this stage, people begin to think about changing, and are weighing pros and cons, considering if the long term benefits will surely outweigh the short term costs.  Usually in this stage people will state their intention to change within six months. 

Preparation:  In this stage, people actually begin to look into what steps they could take to make the change.  They gather information about what resources are available.  Usually when someone is in the preparation stage they are intending to make an effort within the next 30 days.

Action:  This is the stage where we actually do something for the sake of change.  This can take many forms, but probably will be using one or several of the available resources discovered in the preparation phase.  This stage can also represent significant one-time changes but more likely reflects a series of actions and behaviors toward a long-term goal.

Maintenance:  In this stage, people try to consolidate and maintain gains from the actions taken in the previous stage.  It can be viewed as trying to preserve the momentum of any changes.

It is important to note that while these stages are presented and discussed in a linear fashion; one does not necessarily have to proceed through them in order.  It is entirely possible and natural to jump around and shuffle back and forth.  People certainly start at ‘Precontemplation’ and move to ‘Contemplation’ to ‘Preparation’ back to ‘Contemplation’ to jump up to ‘Action.’ Especially if the first attempts at change fail, people move back into ‘Preparation’ and ‘Contemplation,’ hopefully to try again with a better plan. 

Knowing these stages can help us with our peers, especially when trying to encourage a change in someone else, because then we can tailor our interactions.  If someone is in the Precontemplation stage we know that they are likely to resist a change, so we’ll not spend hours trying to convince them.  If in the ‘Contemplative,’ we can join them with thinking about all the aspects of a possible change ahead.  During ‘Preparation’ we can help add information and point out resources.  We can be supportive during the ‘Action’ phase, and help someone execute their change.  And lastly, during the ‘Maintenance’ stage, we can help someone stay on their chosen path by continuing to be supportive, reminding them of everything they are accomplishing. 

At some point after ‘Maintenance’, the changed behaviors become the norm and the person is through the stages of change.  Sometimes there is a relapse, where old ways of behaving resurface.  An example could be an addict who after a long period of abstinence relapses, or someone who has worked hard at overcoming depression having severe negative feelings again .  This is a natural part of life, and is not so much as starting over as it is continuing a process.  Sometimes changes happen to us and we have to adapt in order to incorporate something new into our lives.  Other times, we are the instruments of our change, going beyond reaction to action in order to better ourselves and our environment.  One of the great things about being who we are is that we can always simply choose to change but those changes don’t happen all at once – they unfold in stages, which we can learn to work our way through. 

The Faculty and Staff Assistance Program (FSAP) at UCSF provides confidential assessment, counseling, referrals, and consultation services that support the well being of both the individual and the organization. Please contact us at (415) 476-8279 or visit the HR web site at: FSAP - /assist

References:
Prochaska, J. O., DiClemente, C. C., & Norcross, J. (1992). In search of how people change. American Psychologist, 47, 1102-1114.

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