Williams HR Newsletter
Published by the Office of Human Resources
June 2007
From the Director
Perhaps it’s the end of another academic year that causes me to reflect on the community that is Willams and what that means to us. It’s so easy to think of ourselves as working for Admission, Mearsworld, OIT, Dining Services, Facilities, Hopkins, etc. The affiliation is with a group of people we work with every day in a specific physical place. It is a challenge sometimes to think of Williams as a whole.
Williams employs more than eleven hundred faculty and staff. It’s very easy to get caught up in the day-to-day details of our work and personal lives and lose sight of what an impressive organization we are.
This time of year we’re particularly aware of individual and collective contributions to the Williams community. Preparing for graduation, myriad end-of-year wrap-ups, and welcoming returning alumni to campus all create opportunities for greater awareness of who we are, what we do here and whom we support. We do celebrate our sense of community in many ways. For example, each spring we come together to enjoy each others company at the all-campus party hosted by Morty and Mimi. On the first Tuesday in May we recognize service milestones on Appreciation Day. These are just two of the tangible ways in which we recognize the importance of our colleagues’ contributions to the experience and success of the students, faculty and staff that comprise Williams. The challenge is to remember the importance of these contributions more often and to acknowledge them as they occur whenever possible.
We at Human Resources have been thinking about how to make that happen on a more frequent and meaningful basis. To that end, our department has been hosting monthly staff lunches as one way to bring people together from across campus to meet one another and share insights about life at Williams. The new brown bag lunches hosted by Steve Klass (see below) are another way to foster outreach. We want to build on these activities and welcome your suggestions for furthering meaningful cross-campus communication and community cultivation.
New employment manager joins the HR staff
Human Resources recently welcomed Lisa Corbitt as the College’s new Employment Manager. Prior to coming to Williams, Lisa worked for Lexis Nexis Matthew Bender in Albany as a human resource manager for ten years. She has a solid background in many facets of human resources management, including employee relations, recruitment, compensation, organization and staff development.
The employment manager position has been reconfigured to devote greater resources to strengthening the College’s recruiting practices, enriching the quality of applicant pools through greater outreach, and working with departments on ways to better integrate new employees to Williams. Many of you have already had the pleasure of meeting Lisa. We are excited Lisa has joined us and look forward to working with her.
Brown Bag lunches with the VP for Ops
Since the all-staff meeting in February, Steve Klass has been thinking about creative ways to bring together members of the College community for conversation and the sharing of ideas. With that in mind, he and Martha Tetrault have begun hosting informal hour-long “brown bag lunches” as an opportunity for staff members to spend some informal time together, learning from one another and exchanging perspectives about life at Williams.
These lunches will generally have an open forum format, and occasionally, guest speakers from the senior administration will be invited to speak on specific topics. Dates and details will be announced on Daily Messages. Bring your lunch and we’ll supply beverages and dessert.
Paychecks/direct deposit advices, TIAA-CREF quarterly reports, bank statements, credit card statements
What do these have in common? They are all important financial documents which should be scrutinized carefully to ensure their accuracy. We receive so much “junk” mail at home and in the office that it is easy to overlook, skim, or ignore the important ones. Does your pay advice accurately reflect the deductions and taxes you designated and is it current? Does your TIAA quarterly report indicate the investment options you selected; is the personal information correct, i.e., social security number, name, address, beneficiary designations; and are the amounts distributed correctly? All of these questions apply to all of the personal financial documents we receive. Incorrect information can have long-term consequences, so it’s important to verify periodically that the information reported is correct.
Massachusetts Health Care Reform
On July 1, 2007 Massachusetts will take a major step toward ensuring that every resident in the Commonwealth has health insurance. The Health Care Reform Law passed in April is designed to make health insurance accessible and more affordable for residents who have struggled to pay for health care or have gone uninsured. Based on annual income, some Williams’ employees may qualify for one of the following programs:
- Commonwealth Care, a government subsidized program for low income residents or
- Commonwealth Choice, available for uninsured residents not eligible for Commonwealth Care or through an employer sponsored plan.
More information will be coming out, but for more information on specific Care plans, contact EcuHealth Care at 663-8711 in northern Berkshire County or Access at 447-2658 in central and southern Berkshire County. For information on Choice plans you may review plan options and enroll at the Connector website, http://www.mahealthconnector.org.
Employee Assistance Program – The Wellness Corporation
From time to time we all need or want help in coping with difficult personal or professional situations such as loss, grief, frustration, change, parenting, health, and stress. We may turn to friends, colleagues, and family members for support and guidance. Sometimes we need more help and counsel than those nearest to us are able to provide or we may need a separate, objective, confidential place to go to get the help we need. The Wellness Corporation, the College’s employee assistance program is one such resource. It offers free, confidential assessment and referral services as well as short-term counseling for you and members of your household 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. In addition there are a variety of resources available via their website. The phone number is 1-800-828-6025, their website is https://wellnesscorp.personaladvantage.com.
Williams recognizes employees on Appreciation Day
Every year the College recognizes employees with 5, 10, 15 and 20 years of service at a luncheon at the Williams Inn. Those with 25 and 30 or more years of service, along with retirees, are celebrated with a dinner at the Mill on the Floss restaurant. This year, 123 employees celebrated service milestones at the luncheon. At this year’s special celebration at the Mill, fifteen people were recognized for 25 years of service, and eighteen retirees were honored.
New Staff Council
The Personnel Advisory Board and the Administrative Council are pleased to announce that they have joined forces and are now one group known as the Staff Council. This new 16-person committee that works with the Director of Human Resources on work-life issues at Williams will continue to be made up of both support and administrative staff. The combined committee allows for increased communication within the group and a greater awareness of cross-campus issues. The synergy between the groups has been exciting and we look forward to continued new energy as we invite nominations for new members to join the council. Please look for and respond to the solicitation for nominations coming soon. Those stepping off the council are: Mike Briggs, Facilities; Lorraine Robinson, Computer Science; Linda Reynolds, Art; Art Lafave, Facilities; and Paula Moore Tabor, Alumni Relations. We want to thank those who are stepping down for their hard work and thoughtful service. Continuing members are Colleen Bethoney, Development; Gail Burda, Dean of the Faculty’s Office; Lisa Briggs, Dining Services; Lynn Taft, Libraries; Madeleine DeMarsico, OIT; Clare Morrison, Athletics; Erwin Bernhart, Dining Services; Cyndi Haley, Dean’s Office; Terri-Lynn Hurley, OIT; Fran Lapidus, Admission; and Kristan Renish, Provost’s Office.
Questions and issues are welcome and can be brought to any member of the council.
Did you know?
- Blue Cross/Blue Shield of Massachusetts offers the Blue Care Line Service. Wondering what to do when a family member is not feeling well or comes down with something unusual? You can call a specially trained registered nurse with health questions 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. Call 1-888-247-BLUE (2583) for help. The Line is a quick way to determine if you need to see a doctor or visit an emergency room, or can administer home treatment. You get quick assistance and the registered nurse will call back soon to see how the patient is responding to any prescribed self-care.
- How much does the College contribute towards the cost of employees' benefits? The answer is on your paycheck advice. It shows the bi-weekly and year-to-date amounts that the employee and the College have contributed toward health and dental insurance and retirement. It also highlights the level of College contributions toward your benefits as part of your total compensation package.
- There is a new Williams-specific resource provided by TIAA-CREF. The new Williams microsite can be accessed by going to http://www.tiaacref.org/williams. You can schedule counseling sessions with the TIAA-CREF account representative when s/he is on campus each month, review your investment portfolio, and make changes to your investment choices, change personal and beneficiary information, and create your own long-term portfolio strategy.
In addition ...
- New address; new emergency contact person? Staff: call 597-2682; Faculty: call 597-4138.
- Change in dependent status? Staff and Faculty: call 597-4355.
