Q&A: David Harris
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iS2 enhances online HR resources
What is client services and total compensation working on as a part of the iS2 project?We have made enhancements to our benefits and pension area, with improved online resources for faculty and staff and a streamlined enrolment process. These changes have come out of work the Department of Human Resources has been doing as a part of the iS2 project, designed to improve the delivery of support services across campus and maximize efficiencies to help improve the financial sustainability of the university as a whole. We want our clients to experience improved, simplified and enhanced service and ease of processing as a result of the work being put into the iS2 project by our HR workstream and the entire Human Resources department. What are the highlights of the new and improved online resources?We identified the need for improved online resources for faculty and staff. The new resources we’ve designed include Benefits at a Glance summaries and a new Life Events section. Our Benefits at a Glance summaries provide a clear outline of the benefits available to each employee group in a comprehensive chart format. This is a valuable resource as each employee’s appointment status determines whether they are eligible for benefits and pension coverage and what benefits they are eligible for. The new Benefits at a Glance compiles all that information and makes it accessible for our faculty and staff to reference. We also have a new Life Events section with information and forms that address life events and how they influence the benefits and pension programs. Life events covered include marriage/domestic partnership, addition/deletion of dependents, retirement and more. Faculty and staff can view these new resources online at:
What is the new enrolment process for benefits and pension?We’ve streamlined our enrolment process so new faculty and staff are now able to access benefits and pension enrolment information and packages online at their own convenience. Once hired, faculty and staff can print, complete and return forms directly to the Benefits Team in HR. We’ve worked with our recruitment department on this initiative to ensure our new staff can follow the new processes for enrolling in benefits and pension. In-person enrolment sessions will still be available on an “as needed” basis. However, we will no longer be routinely offering group enrolment sessions. Enrolment sessions for groups of staff can still be arranged by request by contacting the Human Resources Client Services (Help Desk) to make an appointment with a benefits advisor. We’ll be rolling out this new enrolment process and improved resources through all-staff communications and one-on-one meetings in the month of November. Would you like to update the campus community on anything else?The work that was started under iS2 is not ending, but ongoing, as we follow through on our commitment to continuous improvement. My area of responsibility also encompasses our Client Services (Help Desk), where we’re working to improve the service we offer by investing in technology to support our staff, investing in more staff training and clarifying processes. Also, stand by for more improvements in other areas of HR including: new policies covering vacation and compensatory time off; upgraded timesheet processes; and systems enhancements that will make our processes even more straightforward and effective for faculty, MaPS and support staff. I’d like to acknowledge the hard work of our client services and benefits and pension staff over the past few months as well as all of our dedicated staff in HR.
To learn more about Human Resources at the U of C, visit the Human Resources website. For more information about Human Resources iS2 activities and the iS2 Project in general, visit the iS2 Project website.
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November 5, 2009
