Benefits

COVID Childcare - We Want Your Feedback

Anonymous — Tue, 20 Oct 2020 21:42:37 +0000

COVID Childcare - We Want Your Feedback Anonymous (not verified) Tue, 10/20/2020 - 15:42

Staff Council is seeking to gather data in confronting child and elder care related issues that have become more prominent due to the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Help Staff Council communicate these challenges to administration by taking this brief survey by Thursday, November 5.

Your input is essential in helping administration understand the challenges staff are facing as they make decisions about pandemic response. We intend to issue a more comprehensive analysis of family care needs not related to pandemic-response sometime this spring.

Staff Council is seeking to gather data in confronting child and elder care related issues that have become more prominent due to the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic. Help Staff Council communicate these challenges to administration by taking this brief survey by Thursday, November 5.

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New HR Website Resource: Career Development Video Series

Anonymous — Tue, 20 Oct 2020 03:42:39 +0000

New HR Website Resource: Career Development Video Series Anonymous (not verified) Mon, 10/19/2020 - 21:42

CU HR is proud to announce a new resources page to benefit all CU Boulder Staff employees.

It contains both videos and informational documents on career exploration topics, including:

Assessing Accomplishments to Move Ahead
Networking More Naturally
Remarkable Resumes
Interviewing Basics

You’ll also find information about how to schedule a one-on-one virtual career counseling session with Dahlia Smith, LCWS, Staff Career Development Advisor and Program Manager.

For questions or more information, please email Dahlia.Smith@colorado.edu.

CU HR is proud to announce a new resources page to benefit all CU Boulder Staff employees.

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Voices from Paid Parental Leave Recipients

Anonymous — Thu, 15 Nov 2018 20:53:04 +0000

Voices from Paid Parental Leave Recipients Anonymous (not verified) Thu, 11/15/2018 - 13:53

CU Boulder instituted a paid parental leave benefit for university staff employees this past July. Just recently, the benefit was expanded to include classified staff. All university and classified staff who’ve become parents on or after January 1, 2018 now qualify for this important benefit. We thought we’d take the opportunity to hear from some of those who were able to take advantage of this benefit.

Stress and Finances

Mike Gilbert, a project manager in Design and Construction, had this to say. “When we had our first kid I didn’t work at CU, and the company I worked for did not provide paid parental leave. Because of this I only took two weeks off when my daughter was born. When we recently had our second child, the work and stress from the second baby seemed to be a lot more, since we also had a four year old to take care of. The paid leave CU offered allowed me to be home to help cook meals and take care of the house and our daughter, while my wife focused on the baby. This was extremely helpful and reduced the stress at home quite a bit.”

Financial stress is another important factor to consider. Jessica Kret, who offers faculty support for the Leeds School of Business, put it this way. “I didn’t have to worry about how our finances would be impacted with the loss of my paycheck, like I did with my previous pregnancy. Having paid leave really allowed me to focus 100% on my well-being after birth and allowed me to give all of my attention to my newborn and 2 1/2 year old.” She adds, “In my previous maternity leave I needed every minute of the 12 weeks to fully heal physically and emotionally, and to create the bond with my newborn. When the paid parental leave was implemented in July, I remember breathing a huge sigh of relief.”

Physical Healing

In many cases, birth mothers often need time to physically heal while adapting to the changes a new baby brings. Birth experiences vary widely, and most mothers will tell you that the prescribed six weeks to heal from a “standard” birth isn’t enough time, even if everything goes according to plan. Most parents, when they find out they’re pregnant, save their sick and vacation time for after the baby’s birth. But pregnancy itself requires frequent doctor visits. If complications arise, mothers can find themselves using all the time they’ve saved, leaving them short when they need it most. Having this new paid benefit helps with that.

Lelei Finau-Starkey, from the University Exploration and Advising Center, is a good example. “During this second pregnancy I had complications that necessitated frequent monitoring in a doctor’s office, using up most of my available sick and vacation leave in the process. After my daughter was born, she developed some health issues that have necessitated more doctor’s visits and hospital stays. Unfortunately, my husband’s employer doesn’t offer the paid leave benefits CU Boulder does. Without the welcome addition of paid parental leave, I would be in the position of choosing between taking unpaid leave that my family can’t afford and actually taking care of my family… Knowing that I had parental leave was a huge relief, like knowing I had a secret treasure chest full of support I could open up and use if I needed - which I totally did!”

Baby Health and Future Impacts

Paid parental leave benefits parents and older children, and it gives the baby a better start to life. “My baby had a rough start and needed extra care when he first came home,” said Jenn, first-time mother and university employee (who preferred not to use her last name). “He was very attached to me as a result. Because I had time, I was able to slowly transition him to daycare, starting at just a few hours a day and working up. By the time I returned to work he was at daycare for the whole day and seemed fine. Having the extended leave made us both feel more confident, safe, and happy about daycare.”

Chris Sachs believes that this benefit will impact not just his own family, but society in general. “It means time to grow a strong connection with my new baby girl, Sienna, and let her know this new world loves her. As I watch current world affairs, and senseless violence headlines fill my news feed, I wonder how we can grow better, more meaningful relationships that foster love and care for each other. Yes, I see paid leave helping to support the foundational development of connections like this. If my daughter, my wife, and I use this time to create and strengthen our relationships, just think of the positive ripple effect this will have on society for years to come.”

Job Performance

The 2017 Faculty and Staff engagement survey defined engagement as "a pronounced state of enthusiasm characterized by effort, pride, and passion which fosters a mutually committed relationship between employees and organizations resulting in the enduring pursuit of organizational and personal goals." It appears paid parental leave is having a direct effect on staff engagement and job performance.

“I am lucky to work for an employer that is forward thinking in how it engages parental leave,” stated one employee. Mike Gilbert added, “I am very proud to work at a place that makes parental leave a paid benefit, and it is one of the many great benefits that make this such a great place to work.” And Lelei Finau-Starkey noted, “Paid leave means that CU Boulder believes in supporting me on campus and off. With parental leave I was able to take a longer maternity leave and come back to work excited and ready to jump in. By being able to be more present for my baby I could come back and be more present for my job. “

Thank You CU!

Staff Council is grateful to staff at all levels who worked so hard on the details, and to university leadership who made the paid parental leave benefit a priority. Staff Council is also grateful to be given the opportunity to listen to multiple staff voices and make sure those voices were both heard and amplified. All these efforts show a real commitment to staff well-being. Thank you all.

Are you feeling heard?

We invite you to share your story with us. We are here and we are listening and we want to help. Please contact us so we can continue to support you at work and at home. If it is important to you, you’re not alone. If you don’t feel your perspective is being heard, we are trying to find you. Let’s hear from YOU!

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Enroll in the CU Wellness Benefit - Earn $25 a month

Anonymous — Sun, 09 Sep 2018 20:55:45 +0000

Enroll in the CU Wellness Benefit - Earn $25 a month Anonymous (not verified) Sun, 09/09/2018 - 14:55

If you’re not leveraging your membership in one of the CU health programs offered to staff, you’re missing out on some cold, hard cash (not to mention the health benefits offered by tracking your daily fitness routine!) Now is the time to start earning $25.00 a month by tracking twelve of any of a wide variety of fitness events per month on your smartphone or other activity tracking device. For more details, check out the Be Colorado - Move button on the Be Colorado page.

Note that you must be enrolled in a CU Health Plan to qualify for the benefit.

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Academic Futures Update

Anonymous — Thu, 06 Sep 2018 14:32:45 +0000

Academic Futures Update Anonymous (not verified) Thu, 09/06/2018 - 08:32

Generated from a year-long effort involving more than 150 community and unit-based meetings, 158 submitted white papers and hundreds of hours of conversations among committee members and by individuals and groups across campus, the draft Academic Futures report offers a new academic vision for the CU Boulder campus to consider.

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Work-life Win: Perks for searching and coordinating Caregivers

Anonymous — Mon, 30 Jul 2018 16:03:02 +0000

Work-life Win: Perks for searching and coordinating Caregivers Anonymous (not verified) Mon, 07/30/2018 - 10:03

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CU Boulder enhances parental leave policy, offering 6 weeks with pay

Anonymous — Wed, 27 Jun 2018 14:40:59 +0000

CU Boulder enhances parental leave policy, offering 6 weeks with pay Anonymous (not verified) Wed, 06/27/2018 - 08:40

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Staff Council Hosts PERA Town Hall

Anonymous — Tue, 05 Jun 2018 06:00:00 +0000

Staff Council Hosts PERA Town Hall Anonymous (not verified) Tue, 06/05/2018 - 00:00

Alan Slinkard

On Tuesday, May 29 Boulder Staff Council’s PBRL (Payroll, Benefits, Retirement & Legislative) committee hosted a PERA Town Hall, featuring CU System’s Vice President & Chief Financial Officer Todd Saliman and PERA’s Interim Director Ron Baker.

The event focus was on the legislative process which brought Senate Republicans, House Democrats, and Educational leaders together to provide a future template for PERA’s financial stability. The evening began with a presentation by Interim Director Baker, who provided an overview to the process and timeline by which all parties worked together to achieve a plan to ensure the PERA pension fund could continue to provide a stable financial nest egg for members of the state classified system.

Interspersed was a dialogue between Director Baker and System’s VP Saliman that allowed for concrete insights into the behind-the-scenes work that went into the final bill awaiting the Governor’s signature.

The changes for staff in the way of cost and process can be accessed via the PERA website by clicking on the following link: https://www.copera.org/news/legislation.

After presentations by both Director Baker and Systems VP Saliman, a Q & A interchange emerged; with questions that covered the gambit - from cost to staff and employers, to the changes affecting COLA (Cost of Living Allowances), retirement age, and future funding for the plan.

Staff Council provided a live stream of the event and an estimated audience of 125+ attended. A recording of the event will soon be available on the Boulder Staff Council website, www.colorado.edu/staffcouncil.

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A Message from the Co-Chairs

Anonymous — Tue, 05 Jun 2018 06:00:00 +0000

A Message from the Co-Chairs Anonymous (not verified) Tue, 06/05/2018 - 00:00

Mirinda K Scott , John D Kelly

One of this year’s goals was to ensure that every staff member had a voice on Staff Council and through this inclusion and commitment to diverse representation we would change the conversation on campus. Too often when campus-wide conversations take place, individuals and groups feel they have been marginalized and left out of the conversation. Staff Council has been committed to changing this narrative and ensuring that every staff has the opportunity to add their voice to the conversation and meaningfully impact the decision making process.

This year we listened to your concerns and substantially advocated for an adoption of a 6-week paid-parental leave policy for all staff after research tied the lack of a paid policy to the gender pay-gap on campus. We also outlined barriers that have long prevented staff from using their Employee Tuition Benefit and requested specific improvements in the registration process, as well as allowing staff to enroll at the same time as students, and for staff to use their benefit at peer-institutions and community colleges. We worked with our colleagues in the Boulder Faculty Assembly and Student Government to stand united and request additional protections for our DACA students and those at-risk of deportation. All of these achievements represent the power that comes from listening to staff and working together meaningfully to improve the campus that we come to work at every day.

As a Council, we participated in some incredible record-breaking events, such as the 45th Anniversary Blood Drive with Bonfils Blood Center, beating CSU in the Rocky Mountain Showdown Blood Drive, becoming the Bonfils Partner of the Year; hosting the Annual Staff Appreciation Breakfast, Ice Cream Social, and the upcoming Field Day; as well as hosting the Annual Years of Service Recognition event. We view these opportunities to both serve and celebrate CU Boulder Staff as part of our commitment to serving campus and are grateful to be a part of these events!

As we step down as Co-Chairs for Staff Council and welcome the newly elected officers, we are reminded how much Staff Council has done to support and serve as the voice for campus through these many years, since its inception in the early 1970’s. This year, we formed strong alliances with Administration, the Boulder Faculty Assembly (BFA), the CU Boulder Student Government (CUSG), the United Government for Graduate Students (UGGS), and many of you. We appreciate these partnerships and hope they continue to thrive far into the future.

We remind you that Staff Council is here to represent and advocate on behalf of staff on these important issues and to ensure no voice is left out of the conversation: From providing affordable childcare on campus, to advocating for discrimination and harassment policies that allow victims the freedom and the security to come forward, to affordable housing for staff, to more open access to professional development, to specific protections for our LGBTQ+ community.

Please take this short survey to tell us what issues Boulder Staff Council should be focusing on for the 2018-19 year.

Be engaged.

As with any organization, we are stronger together and we want to encourage every Staff member to get involved:

Staff Council is here to represent you, to advocate for you, and to provide you a platform to help change the conversation on campus.

Visit http://www.colorado.edu/StaffCouncil and join the conversation!

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Staff Council Hosting PERA Town Hall - Tuesday, May 29th

Anonymous — Mon, 28 May 2018 21:45:28 +0000

Staff Council Hosting PERA Town Hall - Tuesday, May 29th Anonymous (not verified) Mon, 05/28/2018 - 15:45

Boulder Campus Staff Council will be hosting an informational Town Hall focused on our staff PERA Benefit, Tuesday – May 29th from 4:00 to 5:30 pm in VAC, Room 1B20.

The goal of this session is provide insight from VP and Chief Financial Officer – Todd Saliman as well as an overview of PERA by its Interim Director Ron Baker.

Our goal is to provide staff an overview from several differing vantage points concerning their PERA benefit and how the State, University and PERA worked together to provide a sound foundation for PERA’s future and for our staff.

We will provide a question and answer session during the second half of the Town Hall, using questions provided by those in attendance. Council's hope is that the session provides a greater awareness of how PERA works and what our part in the bigger picture might look like.

To livestream the event, please go to: https://cu-classcapture.colorado.edu/Mediasite/Catalog/Full/a3e2f9904018488d888105d5d1af378521
You will be asked to put in your identikey and password to join.

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