Regional Onboarding for New Employees-Part 3

All eligible University of California employees will use the UCPath Online Employee Portal to enroll in benefits.

• It is important to know that eligible employees MUST TAKE POSITIVE ACTION to enroll/decline benefits during the initial 31-day period of eligibility (includes weekends/holidays). Failure to do so will prevent you from enrolling yourself and/or your eligible family members until the next Open Enrollment period and could result in penalties under the ACA regulations. 
• You don't need to complete enrollments all at once; you have 31 days from the start of employment to view your enrollment choices, however you can only submit your benefits once.
• For most plans, you are covered on your first day at work, but it can take 30-60 days after you enroll for the insurance companies to receive a record of your enrollment. If you need immediate services, check with the insurance carrier first to see if they have a record of your enrollment. Within 72 hours of your enrollment, it will be available to all UC insurance carriers via a secure website (UC Carrier Eligibility Website).
• Be sure to read information about Health Benefit Presentations shown below.

Have you transferred to Berkeley from another UC campus? If you do not have a break in service, you do not need to re-enroll in Benefits through Berkeley as all current enrollments should automatically transfer. To confirm this, you can review your Benefits in UCPath and if you have any issues, submit a UCPath Inquiry by clicking "ask UCPath" from your UCPath Online Dashboard.

Eligible employees (except Postdocs) can use the following link for more information regarding benefits: https://ucnet.universityofcalifornia.edu/compensation-and-benefits/index.html.

NOTE: You should also receive an email from the UCPath Center reminding you to take action (if you're eligible) for Benefits. If you fail to receive this notification or unable to access UCPath Online to enroll, follow these alternate instructions to enroll.

Health Benefits Presentations

These presentations are HIGHLY RECOMMENDED and provide a good overview of Benefits available. You can attend Benefits Orientation webinars and/or watch pre-recordings. Check out all the details here. Remember, your window of opportunity is during your FIRST 31 DAYS!

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NOT ELIGIBLE FOR UC BENEFITS?

Review this Notice: Health Insurance Marketplace Coverage Options and Your Health Coverage.

IF YOU ARE A POSTDOC/VISITING SCHOLARS:

• Go to the Visiting Scholars and Postdoc Affairs (VSPA) website to learn how Benefit enrollments work for you.
• The Postdoctoral Scholarship Benefits Plan (PSBP) is administered by Gallagher Benefits Services.
• Information about health insurance and welfare benefits can be found on: http://clients.garnett-powers.com/pd/uc/
• When you attend the Postdoc and Visiting Scholar Orientation, you will receive Benefit details and much more!

NOTE: You should also receive an email from the UCPath Center reminding you to take action (if you're eligible) for Benefits. If you fail to receive this notification or unable to access UCPath Online to enroll, follow these alternate instructions to enroll.

FOR ADDITIONAL INFORMATION AND ASSISTANCE

UCPath Online Employee Portal: http://ucpath.universityofcalifornia.edu/

UCPath Center - Monday-Friday 8AM-6PM (PT) - (855) 982-7284

University Health Services Faculty & Staff Health Programs

Wellness program for faculty and staff

Berkeley's Parking & Transportation Department provides a full range of services, serving a diverse community of more than 35,000 students and 15,000 faculty and staff in the City of Berkeley. If you are commuting by bike, car, or just walking to campus, there are many options available to you.

Visit the UC Berkeley Parking & Transportation website to review all your many options and plan your parking and transportation needs at: http://pt.berkeley.edu.

FOR ADDITIONAL INFORMATION AND ASSISTANCE

• Getting to the campus
• Employee Parking Permits (now paperless and stickerless)
• Buying a Daily or Monthly Permit using My P&T Online 
• Payroll deduction programs for eligible employees to purchase pre-tax parking/transit benefits
• Bike information from Parking & Transportation
• Bear Transit services between Residence Halls, BART, Central Campus etc.
• Ridesharing opportunities

There are other aspects of your job and your work environment that you need to know. Be sure to learn more about the following from your supervisor:

• Access to your specific work location/building.
• Review any/all required protocols for using the preventative tools practiced to slow the transmission of COVID-19 and other transmissible diseases, following UC's Policy on Vaccination Programs.
• Safety training that may be available and/or building safety & emergency information.
• Review your job description and discuss your probationary period, what's expected, and your performance evaluations during probation (and beyond).
• Discuss your department's training plan for you and the key people you should meet.
• Learn about work schedules, call-in procedures in case of tardiness or absence, and work rules in your department.
• Ensure you have (or will soon have) all the various systems access you need to do your job.
• If applicable, find out what Union Contract covers your position; obtain and read a copy of the contract. If your position is not covered by a Union, you can read the Personnel Policies for Staff Members (PPSM) online - they apply to non-represented employees. Ask your supervisor if you have questions.
  • Academic employees are covered by the Academic Personnel Manual which is posted on the Academic Personnel Office website.
• To learn more about the Berkeley campus, take a campus tour from Visitor Services (offered virtually during the campus closure).

All new employees are required to complete several mandatory training modules, referred to as "Foundational Skills Training" within the first six weeks to six months of hire.  

Employees will receive an email outlining these training course requirements and the courses will be automatically added to your UC Learning Dashboard of Required Training. This will occur both the first time and for recurring requirements, usually annually/bi-annually.  You will access this training in the UC Learning Center.

Below is a summary and employees should go to the Foundational Skills-Required Training web page to find more information. Use the blue tabs to see the list of required training based on specific job/appointment types and/or one time or recurring training.

Foundational Skills - Required Training Curriculum (Recurring):

ONE TIME training for employees - Note: employees may be asked to take these courses again if/when course materials are updated. 

Non-Mandatory Training - Because they are not considered mandatory, the two (2) courses below will not automatically appear on a new employees UC Learning Center Dashboard, nor will an email notification be received.

It is highly recommended that ALL new employees complete the following eCourses which are considered ESSENTIAL for those who will purchase goods and services on behalf of the University through the eProcurement system, BearBUY. Google Chrome & Microsoft Edge browsers are most compatible.

• BearBUY 1.0: Basics for Shoppers ("BEESS950-Online") - Include the quotation marks if you're searching by the course code.
• BearBUY 2.0: Intermediate for Shoppers ("BEESS960-Online") - Include the quotation marks if you're searching by the course code.

FOR ADDITIONAL ASSISTANCE

Berkeley's People and Culture's website displays all the details you need to know about all the Foundational Skills-Required Training Courses at: https://hr.berkeley.edu/grow/grow-your-skills/useful-learning-links/foundational-skills-required-training-0

WarnMe is Berkeley's emergency alert system and sends you messages when there is a threat to the safety of the campus community. Employees are automatically enrolled via their Berkeley email. To receive alerts via other methods, you must indicate how to contact you. (Text messages are the fastest method and should be your first alert priority (standard texting rates may apply.) There are two ways to enroll: 

• Via Berkeley's blu portal: Logon at: https://blu.is.berkeley.edu
• Via the WarnMe website at: https://warnme.berkeley.edu/

Add your phone number to the Text Message/SMS line and select "1" as your priority. Click "submit information". Note: you can update your alert phone number at any time.  

For information on overall campus emergency preparedness, go to the Office of Emergency Management website at: http://oem.berkeley.edu/. 

Check out these links for a plethora of information including: 

• Vacation policies and provisionings governing the accrual and use of vacation leave and how you manage it: https://hr.berkeley.edu/policies/policies-procedures/ppsm/berkeley-procedures/procedure-41
• Sick leave accrual chart(s): https://hr.berkeley.edu/policies/policies-procedures/ppsm/berkeley-procedures/credit-table
• Paycheck and pay dates: https://controller.berkeley.edu/payroll/paycheck-and-pay-dates

FOR ADDITIONAL ASSISTANCE

Berkeley's People & Culture website: https://hr.berkeley.edu

Berkeley's Controller's Office website for Central Payroll: https://controller.berkeley.edu/central-payroll

To get you started learning more about UC Berkeley (and Berkeley Regional Services), here are some websites that will help new employees acclimate: 

• http://www.berkeley.edu/  (UC Berkeley)
• https://regionalservices.berkeley.edu/ (Berkeley Regional Services (BRS)
• https://www.ucop.edu/  (University of CA - Office of the President)
• https://stafforg.berkeley.edu/home (Berkeley Staff Organizations)
• https://bsa.berkeley.edu/ (Berkeley Staff Assembly)
• https://recalibrate.berkeley.edu (Berkeley's Wellness resources)
• https://hr.berkeley.edu/policies/policies-procedures/university  (University Policies)
• Holidays and other dates (Berkeley People & Culture)
• Academic Calendar (important dates published in the Berkeley Academic Guide)
• http://www.uhs.berkeley.edu/facstaff/dms/workcomp.shtml (Workers Compensation)
• http://ucnet.universityofcalifornia.edu/forms/pdf/upay-585.pdf (Patent Policies-pg 2)
• https://studentaffairs.berkeley.edu/student-affairs-policies/university-of-california-policy-on-substance-abuse (Substance Abuse Policy)
• https://ophd.berkeley.edu/policies-and-procedures/policies-and-procedures-staff (Title IX Sexual Harassment Policy)
• http://staffombuds.berkeley.edu (Staff Ombuds Office)
• https://security.berkeley.edu/policy (Campus IT Policy and Privacy Information

Upon completing your GLACIER record/account, you may be required to complete a W-4/NR/DE4. 

The completion of this form is only required for non-resident alien employees working in return for pay/other compensation in the United States. The University of California Employee's Federal-State Withholding Allowance Certificate Form (W-4/NR/DE4 Tax Form) can be found at: www.ucop.edu/uc-controller/_files/taxation/w4nr.pdf

This form must be completed for tax purposes and can only be completed and processed with the Social Security Number of the person completing the form. Please email the completed form to: glacieradmin@berkeley.edu.  

FOR ADDITIONAL ASSISTANCE

Campus departments can contact Berkeley's Central Payroll Office if they have any questions about this form and/or the requirements. 

Central Payroll Office - 2195 Hearst Ave., Suite 120, Berkeley, CA 94720 - email: glacieradmin@berkeley.edu

Currently, unrepresented employees and members of the following unions (KB, LX, IX, DX, KM,K9, K5, K2, K8) are eligible to participate in the UC Retirement Plan (UCRP). If you are eligible to participate, you are required to choose between two plan options, either the Pension Choice or the Savings Choice. 

You will have an election period of 90 days that starts from your hire or benefit eligibility date. If you do not make an election, you will be automatically defaulted to the Pension Choice Plan, which is a permanent election. Tip: You will not start accruing service credits for retirement until your election choice is made; so best do so ASAP.

• Go to: https://myUCretirement.com/choose (you'll be asked to authenticate yourself)
• Choose a plan
• Name a beneficiary
• Change investments
• Optional: Enroll in Retirement Savings Program

FOR ADDITIONAL ASSISTANCE

For the complete Retirement Benefit Guide for Employees, go to: http://ucnet.universityofcalifornia.edu/forms/pdf/complete-retirement-benefits-guide-for-employees.pdf

Note: Some titles such as Postdocs and re-hire/recall retirees may not be eligible for the UC Retirement Plan (UCRP). See the Safe Harbor information below for other options.

Safe Harbor (J-1 Non-Resident Scholars, Postdoc Paid-Directs, or Postdoc Fellows are not eligible)

• Safe Harbor participants are part-time, seasonal, and temporary UC academic employees who who are not eligible to participate in UCRP, and who's wages are not subject to Social Security taxes.
• You will make mandatory contributions on a pre-tax basis of 7.5% of your wages. Your funds are automatically invested in the UC Savings Fund.
• For more information on the Safe Harbor Retirement Plan, go to: https://ucnet.universityofcalifornia.edu/forms/pdf/retirement-savings-program-information-for-safe-harbor-participants.pdf

Note: If you leave your UC employment, please contact Fidelity Retirement Services after 30 days about your options to manage your contributions.

FOR ADDITIONAL ASSISTANCE

Additional UC Retirement Savings Plan options are offered - go to: http://ucnet.universityofcalifornia.edu/compensation-and-benefits/retirement-benefits/ucrs/index.html

The Retirement Administration Service Center can also help - call them at (800) 888-8267 x 4, or (510) 987-0900.

Perks for UC Berkeley employees

Most campus events and museums offer discounts to faculty, staff, and students. Your Cal 1 Card photo ID will make it easier and quicker to get discounts on the events and services as outlined on the Perks page of Berkeley's People & Culture website.

Plus, UC Berkeley faculty and staff have access to special perks and preferred pricing on services and merchandise for organizational and personal use through our campus wide partners. Learn more on the University Business Partnerships & Services website (click on the image below).

Lastly, check out the UCOP online lists of discounts for all UC employees including wireless phone companies, theme parks and attractions.