November 2021 Newsletter, published 01/29/25

Monday, November 1	Time Card Approval Deadline, 12pm
Thursday, November 11	Veteran's Day (PSU Open)
Friday, November 12	Pay Day
Sunday, November 14	Pay Period Starts
Monday, November 15	Time Card Approval Deadline, 12pm
November 22-23	Fall Break
Thursday, November 25	Thanksgiving
Friday, November 26	Thanksgiving Holiday Pay Day
Sunday, November 28	Pay Period Starts
Monday, November 29	Time Card Approval Deadline, 12pm

View full HRS Calendar here.

You can view a list of the 2021 and 2022 Holiday Schedule on our website here.

First Name	Last Name	Title	Department	As of:
William	Dowty	Regional Recruiter	Admission	10/3/2021
Shannah	Farmer	Custodian	Physical Plant Services and Grounds	10/3/2021
Anna	Farrow	Regional Recruiter	Admission	10/3/2021
Gina	Henry Matter	Administrative Specialist Senior	Information Technology Services	10/3/2021
Matthew	Schmitt	Teaching Laboratory Assistant Senior	Chemistry	10/3/2021
Kimberly	Stewart	Administrative Assistant	Student Health Services	10/3/2021
Galindo	Alyssa	Campus Visit Coordinator	Admission	10/17/2021
Felipe	De Souza	Research Associate	Kansas Polymer Research Center	10/17/2021
Libby	Graham	Administrative Specialist	Biology	10/17/2021
Sarah	Rexwinkle	Customer Support Specialist	Cashiers and Student Accounts	10/17/2021
Megan	Whitney	Student Loan Program Coordinator	Cashiers and Student Accounts	10/17/2021
Rachel	Cameron	Controller	Business Office	10/31/2021
Jordan	Harding	Assistant Director - Payroll	Human Resource Services	10/31/2021
Amanda	Pride	Administrative Specialist	Teaching and Leadership	10/31/2021
Barbara	Winter	Director	Budget Office	10/31/2021

Veteran's Day:  Veteran's Day is Thursday, November 11, 2021. PSU will be open.

Thanksgiving:  PSU will be closed Thursday, November 25, 2021 and Friday, November 26, 2021 for the Thanksgiving Holiday. 

If you are in a position that earns vacation leave, make sure you know how to complete your time card for Veteran's day.  A link to the current job aids for hourly and salaried employees -

https://www.pittstate.edu/hr/policies/gus-cloud-job-aids.html

• Students and employees without benefits will report time worked on November 11 as "Regular"

---

  

*For USS Hourly employees, the system will auto-calculate your 1.5 time.

If you have not used your 2021 Discretionary Day, the last day to use it is Saturday, December 25, 2021. 

The 2022 Discretionary Day may be used starting December 26, 2021 through December 24, 2022.

Employee COVID-19 Reporting Form

Please remember to keep your beneficiaries up to date! 

For employees under KPERS you may view your retirement and life insurance beneficiaries on the KPERS website at KPERS Login.

For the KPERS Voluntary plan you may view your beneficiearies at KPERS 457 Voluntary Login

For employees under KBOR you may request to view your current beneficiaries by contacting the HRS office by phone at 620-235-4191 or by emailing payroll@pittstate.edu.

HSA beneficiary information can be viewed by logging into the HSA portal at https://stateofkansas.wealthcareportal.com/Page/Homekansascda.com

All Employees

• Update Home Address in GUS Cloud and MAP. This will ensure that your address is correct on your W-2 and that important information regarding your health insurance coverage is sent to the appropriate address
  • Job Aid – Manage Home and Mailing Address in GUS HR and MAP
• Update Email Address in the State of Kansas Employee Self Service (ESS) Portal. This will ensure that you receive notifications from the State of Kansas. Instructions on how to update your email address is located on the W-2 information page.
• W-2 Information. The 2021 W-2 will be available after the first of the year. Forms will be available electronically through the State of Kansas Employee Self Service (ESS) Portal. Employees that consented to receive the W-2 electronically last year will still have that consent. Employees that would like to add electronic consent must log in to the ESS Portal and consent to receive this information.
  • Job Aid – W-2 and Electing Electronic Access

Line Managers

• Review your direct reports and take appropriate steps to request termination of employees in a timely manner.
• Use the Employee Change Request Form (found in GUS HR > Other > My Dashboard) to terminate student and temporary, hourly-paid employees.

If you are a University Support Staff employee who signed up for a USS T-shirt in August, and you did not come get it on Tuesday, please stop by the HRS Office to pick it up!

Do you know someone interested in working at Pitt State?  The HR team, along with others from the Physical Plant and elsewhere on campus, will be hosting open interviews and informational sessions about our openings each Wednesday from 11:00 A.M. to 12:00 P.M. at the KANSASWORKS Pittsburg office.

 

As in past years, Pittsburg State University will be closed for the upcoming holidays (Christmas/New Year’s).  The President’s Council recommended and the President approved closing after the workday Thursday, December 23, 2021 with return to work on Monday, January 3, 2022.

The heat will be reduced in all buildings to conserve energy during this ten (10) day period.  Those employees who have supervisory approval to work during any of this closing should dress accordingly. 

Remember, all University Support Staff and Unclassified employees who earn vacation leave must report appropriate leave during this holiday closing period if they do not work.

The day designated as the Christmas holiday is Friday, December 24, 2021. The designated New Year’s holiday is Friday, December 31, 2022. 

University Support Staff employees who work on the Veterans Day holiday, Wednesday, November 11, 2021, will be eligible for compensatory time credits at the rate of one and one-half times the hours worked on the holiday.

Unclassified employees who accrue annual leave and who work on the Veterans Day holiday will be eligible for compensatory time off. 

HSA/HRA Rewards Dollars Deadline - November 19

The deadline to receive credits for HRA/HSA Reward Dollars is November 19th, 2021!

Log into your HealthQuest Account to check in on your progress and earn credits.

---

Biometric Screenings

2022 HealthQuest Biometric Screenings will be available for sign up in the HQ portal. These have been scheduled for the following dates in the Governors Room:  

• Monday, February 7
• Monday, February 28
• Tuesday, March 22
• Wednesday, April 20
• Tuesday, August 30
• Wednesday, August 31
• Thursday, October 20

---

HealthQuest Newsletter

• October HealthQuest Newsletter
• November HealthQuest Newsletter

HEALTHQUEST PORTAL

New HSA Administrator for 2022

The SEHP will have a new HSA administrator for 2022, MetLife. 

Current members with an HSA will receive an email with instructions on how to transfer their account and how to register for the webinars.

NueSynergy has also created an FAQ document that addresses many of the questions a member may have.

The account transfer process is completely digital through the member's NueSynergy Portal. If a member has not yet registered for an online account, they may do so using Employer ID: NUESOK.

KPERS Survey

At KPERS, our goal is to help you secure today and get ready for tomorrow. And we want to provide you with best-in-class service along the way.

This past year, we began a journey toward modernizing our website and our administration system. The completed project will give you the information you need to understand your benefits.

We have been dreaming, brainstorming and building. But we want to know more about what you need.

That's where you come in. Take this survey to help us do a better job. 

---

KPERS Financial Webinars

• 11/2 - Fundamentals of Investing
• 11/3 - Nearing Retirement
• 11/4 - How to Create a Budget
• 11/9 - Are You Saving Enough & Roth
• 11/10 - Benefits of Enrolling & Roth
• 11/17 - Achieving Financial Fitness
• 11/18 - Personalized KPERS 457 Online Experience

 Upcoming TIAA Webinars

• 11/9 - The Secure Act revealed
• 11/9 - Money at Work 2: Sharpening investment skills
• 11/10 - Financial housekeeping for now and later
• 11/10 - Lifetime Income: Market proof your retirement
• 11/11 - Attention to Detail: Financial finsihign touches for women
• 11/11 - Strategies for staying on track

 Employees can access these webinars at TIAA.org/webinars

---

 TIAA Newsletter

Click here for the TIAA 4th Quarter Newsletter

---

 

SmartShopper

SmartShopper, an exclusive program for State of Kansas employees, makes it easy to save money and earn cash rewards when shopping for certain medical care.

Costs can vary drastically between the same high-quality, in-network facilities. SmartShopper is included in your health plan and helps you compare costs so you can save money and earn up to a $500 cash reward as a share of the savings.

Shop online or by phone. Our highly trained Personal Assistant Team is available to help you find a location, compare out-of-pocket costs and confirm reward amounts.

Learn More

---

Kansas WISE

Kansas Women in State Employment (Kansas WISE) launched in January 2021 with the first State of Kansas Women’s Forum. With the focus on supporting women working for the State of Kansas, close to 500 men and women came together for a morning to uplift and empower one another. Almost a year later, Kansas WISE now boasts a newsletter of 600 subscribers and hosts small-scale events throughout the year.

Join the Kansas WISE Career and Professional Development Subcommittee on November 9, 2021 @ 10:30am for a discussion on the career and professional development needs of women in Kansas state employment. To register for the event, click here.

To stay informed on future Kansas WISE events, subscribe to the newsletter by emailing KansasWISE@ks.gov

 

The State Self Insurance Fund (SSIF), the state's workers compensation division, is working to further support employees by integrating some of the resources available through the HealthQuest employee wellness program to help prevent or mitigate common work-related injuries. 

After receiving your feedback, SSIF, in partnership with our HealthQuest wellness program, will be holding two separate webinars:

Muscle & Joint Health - Preventing Musculoskeletal Injuries

No matter if your daily work is sedentary or active, most of us have experienced some level of job-induced physical pain or injury. In this presentation, we will identify the most common injuries that occur in the workplace, and walk through a variety of mobility and strength exercises to help you prevent future injuries.

• November 16 at 11:00 am
• November 18 at 11:00 am

Workplace Safety – Ergonomics

In this presentation, participants will learn about the history of ergonomics, risk factors associated with workplace injuries, and exercises suited for different fields of work to help maintain physical health from day to day.

• December 7 at 11:00 am
• December 9 at 11:00 am

The webinars are open to all employees, both State and non State groups, by registering here. Members of the HealthQuest program will receive 1 HealthQuest credit for attendance.