Dialog, UA Faculty and Staff News

HRD Training
HR Development lists current announcements, training resources and schedules on its Web site at http://bama.ua.edu/~hr/st-dev/index.htm.

Building Community
Communication
Continuous Quality Improvement
Computer Workshops
Personal Safety
Policy and Procedures
Job Openings
Miscellaneous

BENEFITS REVIEW
HOUSE NAMED BENEFITS SPECIALIST

Building Community

Building Community -- Human Relations for the 21st Century.

Human Relations for the 21st Century is designed to develop human relations skills, heighten awareness of others and foster a sense of community throughout the UA campus. Workshops that bear the Building Community logo are available to UA employees.

Effective Affirmative Action Recruiting Strategies -- Shirley Darr/Auxiliary and Support Services, scheduled by request
The Value of Personality Differences -- HRD Team, Date TBA
The Diversity Experience -- HRD Team, Date TBA

Communication

Advanced Connections -- Moving Quality Service Beyond the Basics -- HRD Team, scheduled by request

Continuous Quality Improvement

CQI Leadership Seminar Series. CQI workshops are part of the Leadership Seminar Series designed for people in academic and administrative organizations, such as deans, department chairs, directors, managers, assistant and associate directors and faculty who lead projects, or plan on moving into leadership roles. All workshops will be facilitated by John Dew, director for Continuous Quality Improvement. Contact the CQI Office at 348-9831 to schedule workshops, which are designed for 2-4 hours.

Workshops include Leading Participative Meetings, Leading the Strategic Planning Process, Consensus-Based Decision Making, Planning Skills, Building and Sustaining Teamwork, CQI Leadership for Administrative Staff, Leading Continuous Improvement and Creative Thinking.

Computer Workshops

E-Course -- HRD Team, April 30-May 1, 8:30 a.m.-4:30 p.m. and May 15-17, 9 a.m.-noon
Windows for E-Course -- HRD Team, April 30-May 1, 8:30 a.m.-4:30 p.m. and May 15-17, 9 a.m.-noon
Web Page Production I -- Jaclyn Whitehorn, Date TBA, A-342 Seebeck Computer Center
Advanced Web Topics -- Jaclyn Whitehorn, Date TBA, A-342 Seebeck Computer Center

Personal Safety

Right to Know -- Janie Fowler, Health and Safety, May 7, 1-1:30 p.m. and May 23, 8:15-8:45 a.m.

Policy and Procedures

Financial Accounting and Reporting Procedures -- Tina Dorroh, Accounts Payable, and Julie Shelton, Accounting and Reporting, date TBA
:
Level One Courses are recommended for employees just beginning to use the Accounting/Reporting/Payable System.

Level Two Courses are recommended for employees responsible for maintaining departmental accounts.

Job Openings

The University of Alabama is an affirmative action/equal opportunity employer. For the latest job update, call the UA job line, 348-7780. For a full line listing of available positions, visit the Employment Office web site. Remember that office, technical, clerical, maintenance and service positions stay on the Job Line only five days. Faculty positions are listed under the appropriate college or school.

Miscellaneous

New Employee Orientation introduces all new UA employees to campus life and provides them and employees with a status change (regular, part-time or temporary) an opportunity for benefits advisement and enrollment. New employees and employees with status change must pre-register and attend a New Employee Orientation session within the first 30 days of employment to be eligible for health insurance. Sessions are offered every Monday.

Three ways to register and to check out training manual:

Call 348-7125
Fax to 348-2072
Email mkarrh@fan.ua.edu

Human Resources Development training sessions will be conducted at G54 Rose Administration building unless otherwise stated. Persons with special needs should contact Margie Karrh.

The Training Resource Center (TRC) offers videos for a staff development "lunch and learn" program. The TRC accommodates six to eight people.

Benefits Review

By Sandra Abrams, Manager of Benefits

The Benefits Office is pleased to announce a special new benefit. Vision coverage will be offered beginning June 1. This plan will be administered by Spectera, a nationwide eye care company. The vision plan is an optional benefit provided to eligible UA employees through a nationwide network of optometrists and other eye care providers. Employees who wish to receive this benefit will pay the monthly cost through pretax payroll deductions. Dependent coverage is also available.

Our low cost premiums are:

$5.15/month (single coverage)
$9.50/month (employee + one dependent)
$16.60/month (family coverage)

Some of the benefits of the plan include:

Exam (once every 12 months)
Lenses (once every 12 months)
Frame (once every 24 months)
Contacts (once every 12 months) in lieu of lenses and frames. Limit 4 boxes of disposable per person per year

Informational brochures will be mailed to each employee. Representatives from Spectera will visit our campus to provide additional details. Call the Benefits Office (348-7117) and watch Dialog and Dialog Extra for the schedule of employee meetings and additional information.

House Named Benefits Specialist

Linda House

Sandra Abrams, UA’s manager of benefits, recently announced the appointment of Linda House as the new benefits specialist in the Office of Benefits. House replaces longtime and familiar benefits employee Polly Bailey, who recently retired.

A graduate of Louisiana State University in Baton Rouge, House has been in the field of human resources information systems and employee benefits administration for over a decade. House will work on automating many functions of the benefits office, administer UA’s health and welfare benefits, and counsel employees on disabilities and retirement.

House’s husband, Byron, is an attorney and UA School of Law graduate. They have a daughter who will enter UA as a freshman in the fall. For information on UA benefits, contact House at 348-7117.