Human Resources Bulletin April 20, 2020

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New Employee Portal

HR has launched a new employee-only portal on the website, www.urmc.org. You must register for access to the employee only area where you will find links for benefit vendors, important documents, and HR news. A registration link was sent out last Friday but if you still need help, please let Laura Stokes know. This is a work in progress and we want this to be the information that YOU want so please share your suggestions of what you’d like to have out here. We want you to have access to the information you need, 24/7.

Negative PTO Use

Employees are currently being allowed to use up to 80 hours of PTO in the negative. This helps to ensure receipt of regular pay and payment of benefit premiums.

Partial Unemployment Claims

The first set of partial unemployment claims have been submitted to the Georgia Department of Labor (GDOL) on behalf of some employees who experienced either a partial or full reduction in hours. We learned that employees whose gross wages were higher than $1,000 per week were not eligible for submission. Also, employees who have not earned at least $7,300 in their employment with us were not eligible for submission. According to the GDOL, employers should hear something back within 48 business hours of filing the claims. For the payroll week ending on April 11, claims were submitted on Thursday, April 16th and Friday April 17th.

This process is brand new to all of us and as we learn more about eligibility, we will share the information. Generally, employees who have experienced a reduction in hours that was not compensated by other forms of pay such as PTO, Major Dis, Emergency Sick Leave, etc., may be eligible for partial unemployment. Human Resources cannot make a determination on who is eligible at this time. As we learn more about eligibility, we may be better able to gauge who is likely to be approved but the Georgia Department of Labor will be the official determining body for any partial unemployment claims. If you feel that you are eligible but have not received any information from the GDOL or URMC HR, please contact Tammy Elliott in Human Resources at tammy.elliott@urmc.org or 706-647-8111 ext. 1564.

Benefit Eligibility While on Furlough

From a benefits perspective, employees who are on furlough are still technically employed and therefore are allowed to maintain benefits coverage as long as they are paying their employee premiums either through deductions from their partial checks or benefit payments to Human Resources. Each pay period, Michelle Freeman in Benefits will be reviewing the payroll records to identify employees who did not have enough earnings to cover the cost of their benefits. She will be reaching out to the affected employees with their options for payment of the premiums. Employees will be notified prior to any disruption in benefit coverage.

Social Media Reminders

While we recognize that social media is an important way to connect with others during the shelter in place, employees must still be mindful of the URMC Social Networking Policy. Employees should review the policy on Policy Tech to ensure their compliance. Remember, employees must remain respectful of Upson Regional Medical Center, its patients, employees, vendors, suppliers, business partners, customers, and competitors when posting online.

REACH Employee Assistance Program Adds a New App

Reach Employee Assistance program has added a new app for employees and their families to access free and confidential help for any kind of problem that affects your life or your work. You can access the app by going to www.mylifeexpert.com and using the code urmcenter to access. Services include more than just counseling! Employees and their families can use this service for life coaching, medical advocacy, work/life info and referral, and personal assistant. This great tool is provided to all employees free of charge.

PTO Cash Out

Employees wishing to cash out up to 40 hours of PTO still have time to do so. The deadline for getting the PTO cash out forms in has been extended to Thursday, April 23. Forms should be sent via email to Payroll or HR OR dropped off in the HR drop box. The PTO cash out will be on the May 1 check.

Together Despite the Distance – HR is Still Here for You

HR office access may be limited right now but we are still available to assist you. The HR drop box is located on the door beside the glass at the HR office. This is one of the best ways to turn in paperwork or other information to Human Resources. The box is checked regularly throughout the day. Another way to send information is by scanning it and emailing it to the desired HR support person.

As a reminder, here is the contact information for HR staff:
Michelle Freeman (Benefits, FMLA, Tuition & Student Loan Info) 770-584-5029 Email: michelle.freeman@urmc.org
Cheri McDaniel (Onboarding, Transfers, Terminations, Status Changes) 706-975-5505 Email: cheri.mcdaniel@urmc.org
Tammy Elliott (Partial Unemployment Claims, Workers' Comp, Employee Files, Recruitment) 706-975-5858 Email: tammy.elliott@urmc.org
Laura Stokes (Any HR related issue) 706-647-8111 ext. 1432 or 706-975-3142 Email: laura.stokes@urmc.org

Events Update

We had several events planned for this spring – the DNV celebration, the Annual Service Awards banquet, and Hospital week, to name a few. We are still planning to move forward with these events once it is safe to do so. Stay tuned as circumstances change for more information!


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Employees