News and Announcements

Coding of Coronavirus Expenses in Concur, Husky Buy and KFS

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Coding of Coronavirus Expenses in Concur, Husky Buy and KFS

Over the next several weeks UConn will be incurring unusual expenses attributable to Coronavirus. It is important that departments add additional identifiers to Travel, e-docs, Requisitions, and Purchase Orders for these expenses directly associated with the prevention of COVID-19. Some of the types of expenses that we would consider to be unusual:

  1. Non-refundable Travel Costs because of Coronavirus
  2. Purchasing of equipment to work remotely (Computers, cables, iPads, etc.)
  3. Purchase of office and research supplies as a result of Coronavirus
  4. Purchase of additional cleaning materials to clean offices, bathrooms, doors, etc.
  5. Additional services needed from UConn vendors for facility services and housekeeping

This list is not all inclusive and ask yourself if the expense you are incurring is a normal expense or because of the current situation with Coronavirus.

Please follow these instructions when coding your expenses:

CONCUR:

In Concur, add the following identifier COVID19 to this field:

Husky Buy:

In Husky Buy, add the following identifier COVID19 to this field:

Kuali Financial Systems:

In KFS, add the following identifier COVID19 to this field:

For items purchased and already posted to KFS:

If you have already purchased an item or service related to COVID-19 and it has posted to KFS, please complete an IAA (Intra-Account Adjustment) edoc to update the Project field.

Need additional help? We are here to help you:

Kuali Financial Systems – KFS
Lori-Anne Hansen – Associate Controller
Lori-anne.hansen@uconn.edu

Husky Buy
Nancy Patrylak – Procurement Manager
Nancy.patrylak@uconn.edu

Concur – Travel
Dan Warren – Director
Daniel.warren@uconn.edu

Source Link: https://uconn.edu/public-notification/coronavirus/covid-19-human-resources/#HR-2020-03-14-a

HUSKYBUY BROADCAST – Laptop Purchases and Rentals (From Procurement)

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Laptop Purchases and Rentals

Procurement is in contact with our laptop suppliers and indicate they have limited stock. We ask that you contact them before you order to confirm availability and place the order as a punch-out from the following vendors:

  • Connection
  • Dell
  • Apple
  • CDW-G
  • SHI (non-catalog)

Rentals can be made using a non-catalog requisition from:

ITS is currently working on a website with links to all telecommuting tools. It will be accessible from the ITS website as well as the tech support web site.

For rentals, you will need to contact the vendor to obtain availability and price. Clearly state on the requisition it is a “rental” and number of months expected.

We will continue to add other vendors when needed. You are also welcome to contact other vendors on your own and advise them you will be purchasing on a purchase order. Procard policy regarding laptops has not changed.  The Procard cannot be used for the purchase or rental of laptops.

Note: Laptops used from home do not require the UConn image.

Please contact me via email if you experience any issues.

John Clifford, PhD
University Director of Procurement Services
John.clifford@uconn.edu

Procurement Solutions Center, UBS
860-486-2BUY
huskybuysupport@uconn.edu

 

From: Procurement Solutions Center <huskybuysupport@vendor.uconn.edu>
Sent: Thursday, March 12, 2020 12:01 PM
Subject: HUSKYBUY BROADCAST – Laptop Purchases and Rentals

COVID-19 Academic Event and Faculty Travel Approval (From Provost Office)

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A message from the Office of the Provost

 

Dear Council of Deans and Assistants:

In an effort to streamline our process of communicating approvals or policy updates in relation to academic events and faculty travel, we have created a new online form. This should provide us with all the information we need to track events and travel and to communicate with staff and faculty in a timely manner about any events or travel plans that they submit for approval.

The link can be accessed here: https://uconn.co1.qualtrics.com/jfe/form/SV_1AeHfUVB1CHVvet

If you have individual faculty traveling who would like an exemption from the Provost’s Office to give them permission to travel, they should fill out this form. However, we do strongly encourage them to consider remote options and/or postponement if at all possible.

As this situation has evolved, we have been working to create a better process to gather the information we need so that we can provide up-to-date information as and when guidelines are updated. Thank you for working with us to help make sure we have all the details we need to communicate effectively in relation to academic events and travel.

 

Best regards,

Jeffrey Shoulson

_________________________________________

Jeffrey Shoulson, Ph.D.

Vice Provost for Academic Operations

Professor of Literatures, Cultures, and Languages

Professor of English

University of Connecticut

352 Mansfield Road, Unit 1086

Storrs, CT 06268-1086

[UCONN_OFFICIAL_ANNOUNCEMENTS-L] UConn Coronavirus Daily Update for 3-10-20

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To the University Community:

Given the quickly changing nature of the COVID-19 outbreak and the need to communicate with multiple audiences, the university is going to begin sending a daily update with all new coronavirus-related messages to the UConn community. This will centralize communications in one place and reduce the number of overlapping, stand-alone messages that the UConn community will receive.

CURRENT STATUS: All students, faculty and staff need to register all international travel, if you have not already. Out-of-state travel on university business is suspended. As of today, planned events and gatherings that include more than 100 people can continue as planned. This includes on-campus conferences, meetings, performances, athletic events and other gatherings. Should this guidance change, the university will communicate that change to the campus community.

Please click the READ MORE links to see the full messages, below.

CRITICAL MESSAGE FOR ALL FACULTY: While a decision to suspend on-campus operations has not been made at this time, in light of the COVID-19 virus, all faculty must begin preparing now in the event UConn chooses to transition to remote teaching online after Spring Break. Faculty should have plans in place, based on guidance below, to make that transition as soon as March 23. This is to ensure a smooth and seamless transition for all courses, should the university make this choice in the near future in the best interests of public health. Faculty should also get in the habit of taking their laptops home every night to prepare for the possibility of a short-notice decision to restrict access to campus. READ MORE.

CRITICAL MESSAGE FOR ALL STUDENTS: The COVID-19 pandemic will come to the state of Connecticut and it will likely directly impact UConn. In that case, we are prepared for the possibility of moving classes to an online-only format and having students return home when possible. This has already occurred at some universities in the country. It is strongly recommended that students bring along all necessary academic materials (textbooks, laptop, notes, etc.) during the Spring Break period in case the decision is made to not return to in-class instruction.  Should the university determine that instruction will be offered online, students may not have the ability to return to the residence halls. READ MORE.

[UCONN_EMPLOYEES-L] Updated Travel Guidance; University-Sponsored Travel Outside of Connecticut is Suspended

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To the UConn Community:

Earlier today, Governor Lamont sent executive branch agency heads a directive designed to help prevent and delay COVID-19 in Connecticut, including freezing employee travel on state business.

University-Sponsored Travel Outside of Connecticut is Suspended: Though not an executive branch agency, UConn wishes to act in keeping with the governor’s goals. Effective immediately, all domestic and international, university-sponsored travel outside of the state by faculty and staff is suspended until further notice.  Any exception needs to be approved by university leadership.

Requests for Travel Exceptions: If you believe an exception should be made for your planned travel, please make a request in writing to the appropriate operational leadership office to whom you report, meaning the President (for units that report directly to the President’s office), Provost, Executive Vice President for Administration/CFO, or the CEO of UConn Health. Each request will be evaluated and a response will be provided.

Travel Updates:  In consultation with the Governor’s office, the university may determine what is or is not essential employee travel and will provide you with any updates.

Campus Events: Organizers of events on any of our campuses being attended by out-of-state travelers must continue to consult with the Provost’s office (if the event as academic in nature, including the regional campuses and the schools in Farmington) or the EVP for Administration’s office (if the event is non-academic in nature) to determine if any modifications are needed. This requirement applies to all events sponsored by the University, including schools, colleges, departments as well as employee-sponsored or student-sponsored events.

On-campus activities such as athletic events and fine arts performances can continue as scheduled. If anything changes or if modifications are needed, new guidance will be shared immediately.

Please also continue to consult UConn’s coronavirus information page for resources and guidance on these issues and related topics.

 

From: University Communications <communications@uconn.edu>
Date: March 9, 2020 at 6:50:36 PM EDT
To: “UCONN_EMPLOYEES-L@LISTSERV.UCONN.EDU” <UCONN_EMPLOYEES-L@LISTSERV.UCONN.EDU>
Subject: [UCONN_EMPLOYEES-L] Updated Travel Guidance; University-Sponsored Travel Outside of Connecticut is Suspended
Reply-To: Do-Not-Reply@LISTSERV.UCONN.EDU

Coronavirus Monitoring Update: Travel Registration and New Travel Restrictions (Official Announcement)

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To the UConn Community:

It is critical that all students and employees read the message below related to travel registration and new travel restrictions as there may be actions you need to take in response.

As the university continues to monitor the spread of COVID-19, or coronavirus, across the globe, we are taking steps to help improve our informational awareness and reduce the risk to our community.

 

Travel Registration

The university is asking all faculty, staff, students and affiliates to inform UConn of your recent or planned international travel.

The nations that are categorized by the CDC as being safe or unsafe to travel to due to coronavirus can change quickly. Because of this, the university needs to keep track of all planned international travel by members of the UConn community.

If you have returned from foreign travel in the last 14 days or you plan to travel outside of the U.S. in the next 90 days, please fill out this form. This includes both your UConn-sponsored travel as well as your own personal travel. The information you provide will be sent to UConn’s Office of Global Affairs. After submitting the form, you may be contacted directly by UConn staff if there are specific actions you need to take or if there is information you need to be aware of related to your travel.

Note that you need your Net ID and password to complete the form. There may be employees at UConn Health who do not use their Net ID regularly and may not know what it is. If that is the case, please click here and follow the instructions.

New Travel Restrictions & Guidance 

Due to the continued spread of coronavirus globally and domestically, effective immediately, UConn is implementing new travel restrictions and providing additional guidance for all travel for faculty, staff and students:

  • All university-sponsored travel by employees and students to Level 3 and Level 2 nations as determined by the CDC is suspended. Previously, UConn had barred official travel to Level 3 nations only. The university is now extending this ban to Level 2 nations as well. Any student or employee who travels to a Level 2 or Level 3 nation must self-quarantine upon their return to the U.S. As of this moment, that means China, South Korea, Iran, Italy, and Japan.
  • All planned international university-related student group travel is postponed including during Spring Break. Students traveling individually during Spring Break should take seriously the risks associated with international travel at the present time; a nation that is not now classified as a Level 2 or Level 3 country could be designated as such without notice and a 14-day self-quarantine period may be required upon your return to the U.S. The university urges students to exercise great caution when making any travel choices.
  • All faculty, staff and students are strongly encouraged to cancel or postpone all non-essential foreign and domestic travel at this time, including both professional and personal.
  • Faculty or staff planning on-campus academic events such as conferences, symposia, etc., that require groups of participants to travel to Connecticut from elsewhere in the U.S. or internationally should consult with the Provost’s Office on whether or not your event should proceed as planned.
  • Staff who are planning non-academic events that require groups of participants to travel to Connecticut from elsewhere in the U.S. or internationally should consult with the office of the Executive Vice President for Administration on whether or not your event should proceed as planned.

Any faculty or staff member planning such an event should immediately review any contracts or agreements in place to determine whether there are associated cancellation fees.  Most agreements contain provisions permitting termination without charge if sufficient advance notice is provided.  Please contact the Purchasing Department if you have questions.

The coronavirus situation continues to rapidly evolve; because of this, travel restrictions and guidance may also continue to change very quickly.

If you have questions related to university-related foreign or domestic travel, please contact Global Affairs:

abroad@uconn.edu

Phone:  (860) 486-5022

Later today, UConn Human Resources will send a message to all employees that will address various issues and questions that UConn’s coronavirus-related travel guidance and policies will generate.

As a reminder, here is UConn’s main coronavirus page; here is UConn Health’s page.

March Reminders and Tips from AR (From Daily Digest)

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Do you/your department invoice for goods and/or services?  If so, The Accounts Receivable (AR) in the Bursar’s Office is offering assistance and trainings!

Trainings are currently available for:

  • Invoicing (including UConn Health)
  • Credit memos
  • Creating customers
  • Collecting on past-due accounts

Quick tip: Did you know that invoices are not automatically sent to customers?  Each department is responsible for sending their customers their own invoices.  One upside to departmental billing is that it allows departments to build contact lists and keep close relationships with their customer.  Customers with a direct UConn relationship more frequently pay on time, too!

For more information, email accountsreceivable@uconn.edu or call 860-486-5995 (6-5995 on campus).

For more information, contact: Accounts Receivable at accountsreceivable@uconn.edu

 

Source Link: http://dailydigest.uconn.edu/publicEmailSingleStoryView.php?id=151652&cid=24&iid=4482

Career Paths and PageUp (From Daily Digest)

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We write to share some updates on the integration of Career Paths into PageUp.

New Searches

Effective March 2nd, Human Resources will use Career Paths Job Titles, and the associated Salary Bands, for new searches in PageUp. To identify a correct Job Template in Career Paths, we encourage Hiring Departments to consider the essential duties, responsibilities, and components of a job. From there, Hiring Departments should select the appropriate Occupational Group, Job Family, Job Path, and Job Template. This process ensures that Hiring Departments select the correct Job Template based on the work requirements and expectations. Workforce Solutions is available to assist Hiring Departments in the selection of Job Templates. In addition, Hiring Departments should contact their Workforce Solutions specialist to discuss the inclusion of education and experience equivalencies, if needed. As always, equivalencies must be included explicitly in the Job Advertisement in order to assess candidates against them.

Searches in Progress

Over the next two weeks, Human Resources will convert searches in progress from the Legacy UCPEA Classification System to Career Paths, assessing and mapping the job and applying the Career Paths Salary Bands. HR will notify hiring departments when the conversion for their job is complete.

Recently Hired

Human Resources will inform recently hired employees of their mapping in Career Paths on an on-going basis. Employees mapped into Career Paths with their salary below the minimum will be brought up the minimum, effective the date of hire.

For more information, contact: Human Resources at workforce@uconn.edu

 

Source Link: http://dailydigest.uconn.edu/publicEmailSingleStoryView.php?id=152226&cid=24&iid=4482

Update: Special Payroll and PageUp (From Special Payroll Listserv)

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Dear Colleagues,

We write with updates and reminders on Special Payroll and PageUp.

MAY INTERSESSION & SUMMER PAYROLL PROCESSING IN PAGEUP

Regular Payroll Faculty Members

Summer appointments (5/23-8/22) for regular payroll faculty members, eligible under the Extra Compensation policy, are now processed through a SmartHR transaction, which HR will post-audit. These appointments will not be processed through PageUp. Departments should submit the SmartHR transaction with the appropriate documentation for regular payroll faculty members:

  • Conducting research: The Faculty Research Certification is now available on the HR website.
  • Teaching a credit course: The offer letter template is now available on the HR website.
  • Performing all other work on special payroll: The offer letter template is now available on the HR website.

Graduate Students

Departments should use the PageUp special payroll graduate search that HR has set up for summer (5/22-8/22) appointments. Departments will need to send out the link to the graduate student(s) to apply.  Once the graduate student has applied, the department can submit the hire request with the appropriate documentation for graduate students:

  • Conducting research: The offer letter to use in this situation is “Grad Student Technician,” as found in the PageUp merge feature.
  • Teaching a credit course: The offer letter to use in this situation is “Grad Special Pay Lecturer,” as found in the PageUp merge feature.
  • Providing course support: Currently, departments submit requests for GA Instructional Specialists at the maximum stipend amount; however, the final stipend amount depends on student enrollment in the course, and the stipend amount cannot be updated if the GA has already accepted the offer and a SmartHR has been processed. To address this issue for summer 2020, HR recommends the following process: Departments continue to submit hire requests at the maximum stipend  (and the offer letter, “Grad Instructional Specialist,” should contain the stipend formula, not the actual stipend) and continue to offer the position to the GA. Departments should refrain from submitting the SmartHR transaction until after the final stipend amount is known; HR will update the hire request and re-export the data to Smart HR for processing by departments. HR will contact departments at the end of the add/drop periods to collect final stipend amounts.

 

Add/Drop Schedule for Final Course Support Stipend
Session Add/Drop End Date
May Term (5/11-5/29) May 13
Summer Session 1 (6/1-7/2) June 5
Alternative Session 1 (6/1-7/10) June 5
Summer Session 2 (7/13-8/14) July 17
Alternative Session 2 (7/13-8/21) July 17
Summer Session 3 (6/1-8/28) June 5

OTHER REMINDERS

UCPEA and Special Payroll

A Flexible Work Schedule Agreement Form is needed when an employee in a position covered by UCPEA is on a special payroll appointment and needs to adjust their regular payroll schedule to accommodate the special payroll activity. Completed forms should be sent directly to BOTH laborrelations@uconn.edu and SPAR@uconn.edu for approval. Once approved by Labor Relations, HR will be able to continue processing the special payroll request.

Late Course Cancellations for Adjunct Faculty Members

Article 26.3 of the AAUP contract requires notice to adjunct faculty when their scheduled course is cancelled. Notification timeframes vary by length of service:

  • 30 days’ notice for adjuncts who have worked less than 6 consecutive semesters.
  • 45 days’ notice for adjuncts who have worked 6 or more consecutive semesters.

If the adjunct faculty member does not receive the necessary notification, they are eligible for a partial lump-sum payment of their original appointment. The following formula is used to calculate the lump-sum payment:

  1. Number of Days’ Notice Required by Contract – Actual Number of Days’ Notice Prior to the Start of the Course = Days’ Owed
  2. (Intended Stipend Payment / Number of Days in the Semester) * Days’ Owed = One-Time Lump-Sum Payment

The lump-sum payment should be processed through SmartHR.

Please forward any questions to spar@uconn.edu.

 

From: Special Payroll Information <SPECIAL_PAYROLL-L@LISTSERV.UCONN.EDU> On Behalf Of Murray, Brandon
Sent: Thursday, February 27, 2020 9:27 AM
To: SPECIAL_PAYROLL-L@LISTSERV.UCONN.EDU
Subject: Update: Special Payroll and PageUp

Concur Update (From UConn Staff Listserv)

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Colleagues,

We are writing to provide an update regarding the University SAP Concur implementation.

The SAP Concur project is a collaborative UConn initiative to implement a best-in-class, cloud-based Travel and Expense management service for the university.  There are currently over 2,600 employees participating in the pilot phase of this project.  There has been strong feedback during this phase that complexity in the environment has, at times, made it difficult to make best use of the service.

Based on this feedback, the first phase of the project will not go-live on its previously scheduled date of March 10, 2020.  The project will, instead, assess the environment to streamline elements of the workflow and to simplify customer interaction.  In the coming weeks you will hear more details about the project, including updated timelines and rollouts.

We would like to extend our thanks to the pilot participants and to other engaged members of our community for your efforts and thoughtful contributions.  Your partnership has been invaluable.  We are committed to providing a high-performing system that represents the best practical balance between effective university controls and a robust, enjoyable customer experience.  Please do not hesitate to contact us or the project if you have comments, questions, or concerns.

Regards,

Trish Casey, CPA                                                                                                       
Associate Vice President, Financial Operations and Controller

John Clifford, Ph. D
University Director of Procurement Services

Gregory Daniels, J.D.
Interim Associate Vice President of UBS and Chief Procurement Officer

Michael Mundrane, Ph. D
Vice President for Information Technology and Chief Information Officer

 

From: Official Announcements – All UConn Staff <UCONN_STAFF-L@LISTSERV.UCONN.EDU> On Behalf Of Mundrane, Michael
Sent: Friday, February 14, 2020 4:39 PM
To: UCONN_STAFF-L@LISTSERV.UCONN.EDU
Subject: [UCONN_STAFF-L] Concur Update