Human Resources Updates and Announcements: June 2024

Publish Date

2024-06-05

THANK YOU, UIS FACULTY AND STAFF!

The 2024 End of Academic Year Party themed “The Decades” was a success! With music from the decades, faculty and staff made friendship bracelets, collected party favors, decorated vinyl records, competed in generation trivia, and even sat for caricature portraits. Food Service provided the themed lunch while a costume contest took place. A big thanks to the Student Union staff and crew for accommodating the venue change at the last minute. We had a great time celebrating with all of you!

HR Update

Human Resources Staffing Change

With Melissa Mlynski’s departure in May, UIS Human Resources (HR) has a temporary change in administration. University of Illinois System Human Resources Services from the System Office will oversee the department until new leadership is appointed. Jami Painter, Sr. Associate Vice President and Chief HR Officer, and Angela Foster, Sr. Director of HR, will assist UIS HR until further notice. Please join us in welcoming them to campus and wishing Melissa well on her new venture as Chief Ethics and Compliance Officer!

Please continue to communicate with UIS HR staff contacts as normal.

Congratulations

May Employee of the Month

Congratulations to our very own, Carlene Hindert, on receiving the UIS May Employee of the Month Award! “She is a conscientious and tireless employee, often working long hours and weekends to ensure that the campus receives timely and accurate service,” her nominator said. “She is also a great supporter of UIS and can often be seen wearing her UIS gear around campus.”

Hindert is also known for her mentorship and collaboration with her colleagues. “I would call Carlene the ultimate team player,” her supervisor said. “She is eager to help and assist everyone, and she is a go-to for the other staff in any time of need.”

Thank you, Carlene, for your exemplary service to UIS!

Rising Stars program participants touring the Hoogland Center of the Arts in downtown Springfield

Congratulations

Rising Stars Graduate

Congratulations to the 2023-2024 Rising Stars Program Graduates! Participants are UIS new hires that have been meeting the first Thursday of each month since September to orient themselves to campus and the many acronyms, places, and faces of UIS. They visited many areas on campus as well as downtown Springfield to learn how our university integrates with the surrounding community.

Participants graduated from the program on May 2nd and celebrated at the UIS Field Station with a small ceremony and refreshments. We encourage all new hire employees to register ASAP when registration opens each August to get one of the limited spots in this program offering!

June Session: Employee Development Series

Please join us for the next installment of the monthly Employee Development Series: Autism on Campus - Recognizing the Signs, Supporting & Accommodating the Person. The focus of this event is to draw the audience’s attention to the field of autism as it relates to UIS campus-based support and accommodations. With a supposed “autism tsunami” in the years to come in which UIS will likely see a significant increase of employees and students on the spectrum, UIS needs to prepare for it, at all levels. Participants will learn about the research Dr. Pierce conducted at Aspiritech, a company in the Chicago area that hires and supports employees with high-functioning autism.

The presentation will be participative in nature and will culminate in a live demonstration on stage of some common workplace accommodations and supports for individuals with autism, followed by an open dialogue with questions and comments from the audience.

This session will be held on Wednesday, June 26, 2024, from 9:00-11:00 a.m. in Brookens Auditorium. Register here today to join us!

Policy & Rules

Deferral of Vacation and/or Compensable Sick Leave at Separation

The University of Illinois System permits employees to defer a portion of their vacation and compensable sick leave payouts after separation from the University to a University 403(b) or State 457 plan. Compensable sick leave is unused accumulated sick leave that was earned between January 1, 1984 and December 31, 1997. To make a deferral, you must contact University Payroll & Benefits (UPB) on or before 60 days prior to your last day of employment. (Springfield Office: 217-206-7144)

U of I Travel Policy Update

The University of Illinois System has updated Policy 15-Travel to address headquarters and travel for employees working fully remote. The updates were effective May 1, 2024, and allow units the discretion to pay for travel to the university office for employees who work fully remote. This process is allowable if the employee is fully remote and their headquarters have been designated as their home address. Units are encouraged to develop internal policies for how travel in these situations will be handled, treating similarly situated employees consistently. For any questions on the new policy and how it may impact employees in your unit, please contact uishr@uis.edu.

Reminder: Employment of Relatives

As a reminder, the employment of relatives is permissible at UIS, subject to U of I policies and procedures. No individual can initiate or participate in decisions regarding a member of his or her immediate family. For more information on this subject, please reference the below policies: