University implementation schedule revised for FLSA

Based on employee concerns regarding the Nov. 1 FLSA implementation date, and observations that other University System of Georgia institutions have published plans with different implementation dates, we consulted our Employee Advisory Council for guidance on how to move forward. The EAC identified Oct. 23 as a date that would be less disruptive for our employees and an exception was requested to allow us to implement the changes on that date. Our colleagues at the USG have approved our request for this revised schedule, so we are moving quickly to communicate the change and implement the plan.

This communication is an update to previous communications concerning the FLSA implementation. We are pleased to announce an implementation schedule change for University employees only. The implementation schedules established for the Medical Center and Medical Associates are not affected by this change and will proceed as planned.

Revised University Implementation Schedule

As you know, we had announced an implementation schedule that included November 1 as the effective date for University employees changing from exempt to non-exempt. This date had been identified by the USG for its member institutions and we modified our prior schedule based on this new date.  The date raised concerns for employees, their managers and us as leaders because it would result in our affected employees’ first check under the new schedule including only 4 working days. Based on our collective concerns about this, and observations that other USG institutions have published plans with different implementation dates from the USG specified date, we consulted our University Employee Advisory Council for their input. The EAC identified October 23, 2016, as a date that would be less disruptive for our university employees affected by the change and an exception to the USG date was requested. We have received approval in writing from our colleagues at the USG for this revised schedule, so we are moving quickly to communicate the change and implement the plan.

University Positions Changing from Exempt to Non-Exempt

• Effective October 23, 2016, employees who are being reclassified from exempt to non-exempt will begin to use the TimeNet System to record time worked and will be paid bi-weekly according to the non-exempt payroll schedule.
• The paycheck they receive on October 31, 2016, will be their last monthly paycheck. This paycheck will for the period of October 1 through October 22.
• They will receive their first pay check as a non-exempt employee on November 10, 2016, and it will be for the period of October 23 through November 5.
• Thereafter, they will be paid every other Friday. (If Friday is a holiday, they will be paid the last working day of the week.)

University Positions Continuing as Exempt

• For employees receiving an increase to their pay to maintain the exempt designation,  the effective  date  of the increase remains December 1, 2016. The Budget Services Office will provide  information  closer  to this date regarding  any budgetary  changes that are  needed.

For both types of changes, Human Resources will make the necessary entries in the PeopleSoft System and no ePARs will be necessary.

Employee Notices  

Because of this change, we need to reissue employee notices and will do so by Tuesday, September 20. Your continued assistance and support are needed to distribute official notices to affected employees via departmental management.   We will follow the  same general  distribution  method  as before  and Human Resources  will  send to the primary  leader, which could be a vice president,  dean, or director, the list of the leader’s employees who     are affected and a personal letter for each employee in their area. Like before, please coordinate with the  employee’s immediate supervisor to have the supervisor deliver the letter to the affected employee not later than Thursday,  September 22, and let them know the news of the date change which is the result of employee    feedback.

Training

Training for employees and supervisors who have not previously used the TimeNet system (or for those who simply want a refresher) will be held in October and the schedule will be posted on Jagwire in the coming days.

Town Hall Meetings

We are scheduling a few additional Town Halls for both the Summerville and Health Sciences campuses. There will be different sessions for employees and managers. There will also be a specific sessions for managers of research operations.

Jagwire will continue to be our primary method of communication with FAQs updated regularly and training dates and other information posted as they become available.