Personnel Action Freeze
Guidelines for Handling All Personnel Actions during the
Budget Reduction
Effective Immediately January 18, 2008
Statement of Purpose
In
order to meet budgetary cutbacks required by statewide
revenue shortfalls, effective immediately (January 18,
2008) the University will begin implementation of a
university-wide budget reduction plan. As a result, all
personnel actions that have a cost associated with their
implementation will be suspended, delayed or frozen
until further notice.
Guidelines
Specifically, this initiative will apply to personnel in
ALL pay plans (faculty, staff, administration and
non-student OPS) with the exception of the following:
-
Those who are funded 100% from extramural contracts
and/or grants (C&G);
-
Student OPS;
-
FWS appointments.
Personnel actions that are suspended, delayed or frozen
include:
-
Posting and advertising of vacant positions
(including non-student OPS);
-
Appointments of new or current employees to vacant
positions (including non-student OPS);
-
Increases in FTE to existing employees;
-
Changing appointments of non-student OPS employees
to regular;
-
Extensions of non-regular appointments, including
emergency, temporary, visiting, acting, provisional
and non-student OPS;
-
Pay for performance, bonus, stipends, special pay
increases and/or meritorious service salary
increases;
-
Classification actions that do not result directly
from workforce reductions or consolidation of areas,
responsibilities and/or duties.
Any
exceptions must be submitted in writing to the
appropriate VP/CEO who will consider the request
assuming as much as a 20% budget reduction in the
affected college/division. If the action is approved by
the VP/CEO (only the VP/CEO can sign), it will be
submitted to the Budget Council for review and
approval. If approved, the Budget Council will forward
any recommended exceptions to the President for final
approval. Only those that have received official and
final approval will be processed.
Any
requests for exception must include the following:
-
Specific reason for the exception, including the
direct impact on core and essential business
operations;
-
Show how suspending, delaying or freezing requested
action would negatively impact on essential or
critical business operations;
-
Show that other methodologies and/or options have
been explored and exhausted.
All
other salary actions (promotions, additional/higher
level duties) for all personnel must be submitted in writing, apply the same
criteria set out in items 1 through 3 above, and be
approved by the respective Vice President/regional CEO.
All
personnel actions currently in process (defined as any
personnel action currently in the Human Resources Office
that is date stamped as received on or before January
18, 2008 and has not yet been entered or processed) will
be handled in the same fashion as exceptions (process
noted above).
This
process will be in place until further notice.
Issued by the Division of Human Resources, January 18,
2008
Personnel Action Freeze
Frequently Asked Questions
January 18, 2008
When will the hiring freeze be effective?
The
Budget Reduction guidelines indicate that a hiring
freeze is effective immediately.
Does that include searches that are currently underway?
All
current vacancies are affected. All searches which have
not yet resulted in an accepted offer will require
approval by the VP/CEO, Budget Council and President to
continue the search process. If an offer has been
accepted, that commitment should be honored.
What positions are affected?
All
faculty, staff, administration and non-student OPS
positions are affected. Positions funded completely or
partially from auxiliary funds are also affected by the
freeze, and will require an exemption in order to
recruit.
Does this apply to grants?
The
hiring freeze does not apply to positions that are 100%
funded by grants or contracts. If, however, a portion
of the position is funded by other funds (E&G,
auxiliary, RO), it MUST be approved through the
exception process.
Will any exceptions to the freeze on personnel actions
be considered?
Yes. Requests for exceptions should be submitted to the
area Vice President or regional CEO. Upon VP/CEO review
and approval (VP/CEO signature required), requested
actions will be forwarded to the Budget Council. If
approved by the Budget Council, they will be forwarded
to the President for final determination.
How will I know if my exception has been approved?
Your
area VP or regional CEO will notify you of the
disposition of your request.
What types of requests might warrant consideration for
exception?
Positions that would be deemed mission critical to our
overall operations will be considered.
How long will this budget reduction plan be in effect?
The
plan will be in effect indefinitely and until further
notice.
Will there be any layoffs as part of the plan?
It
is, quite frankly, too early to respond to this.
Unfortunately, the tough economic forecast will
undoubtedly warrant serious and significant measures
that will ultimately affect our organization (both
people and services). Current programs and services
will continue to be closely evaluated in the weeks to
come.
Who do I contact if I have questions?
Contact your VP/CEO or the Division of Human Resources.
Using the USF ePortal to Access GEMS
Self Service
eUSF
is a single, secure point of entry into the USF business
systems you use. These business systems might include,
for example, GEMS Self Service, GEMS Pro, FAST or Data
Marts.
If
you already use the eUSF Portal, you can stop reading
right now. You’re already enjoying the Portal’s
benefits. But if you don’t use the Portal, read on!
You’ll be glad you did.
You
may or may not use all of USF’s business systems.
However, you do need to use GEMS Self Service. All USF
employees have access to GEMS Self Service. You use
GEMS Self Service to print your paycheck, request leave,
review your benefits, update your address and other
personal information, etc.
eUSF
is the University’s Portal (i.e., port of entry) for
accessing GEMS Self Service (and other business systems)
quickly, easily and securely. All regular line
employees have access to the eUSF Portal.
eUSF
provides:
-
a secure sign-on to GEMS Self Service and other USF
business applications,
-
a single point of entry – you won’t have to log into
different systems with different IDs and passwords
all day long,
-
a customized view of your information – no screen
clutter, just the USF business applications you use
are displayed.
Without the Portal, you have to log into GEMS Self
Service separately, using a different ID and Password
from your regular computer or domain log in (the log in
you use each morning to get into your computer).
The
eUSF Portal makes life easier! You can log into all
your applications with one ID and password. It’s quick,
simple and, best of all, more secure than what you are
doing now.
You
can access the eUSF Portal on or off campus. You can
set it up so you automatically log into GEMS Self
Service (and any other business systems you use) just by
using your regular computer or domain ID and password.
No more having to remember separate passwords for
different applications.
Once
you’re set up, you might even want to consider making
the eUSF Portal your browser’s Home page. Using the
Portal will save you time and keep your personal
information safe and secure.
Over
the next few months, the University will gradually be
making the switch from the old, separate ID, way of
accessing GEMS Self Service to having everyone use the
eUSF Portal. But why wait? It’s so much easier than
what you are doing now.
Just
follow the simple instructions and get started with
using the eUSF Portal today!
How do I get started?
You may want to start by viewing a short, step by step
on-line training you’ll find here
http://usfweb2.usf.edu/ODT/gems_online_trng/GEMS_Self_Service/GEMS_Self_Service.htm.
It’s an easy way to jump into accessing the Portal and
using GEMS Self Service. The training only takes about
15 minutes, and gives you a chance to practice each
step. It even has audio instructions to guide you
along.
You can also check out the step-by-step instructions,
links, frequently asked questions and lots of help on
the ePortal homepage here
http://usfweb2.usf.edu/PortalHelp/.
Then log into the eUSF Portal at
https://eusf.admin.usf.edu. (HINT: You can also
find the link to the Portal at various spots on the USF
website. For example, click on the A-Z Index from any
USF web page. You’ll find the eUSF Portal link just
above the “Search” box.)
How do I log in?
Log
in using your domain name\regular computer ID and
regular computer password. Here’s the format you need
to use:
USERID: domainname\jsmith
PASSWORD: enter your regular computer password
I don't know my domain name.
Click here
http://usfweb2.usf.edu/portalhelp/domainref.htm for
a list of most USF domain names. Still can’t find it?
Email
helpdesk@admin.usf.edu.
How do I set up my Portal so I’m automatically in, just
by logging into my computer in the morning?
You’ll find a list of step-by-step instructions here
http://usfweb2.usf.edu/eusf/intsignonproc.htm.
Need more help? Email
helpdesk@admin.usf.edu.
Collecting Your Money from
Your Flexible Spending Account
If you contributed to a Flexible Spending Account for
Medical or Child Care coverage during 2007, you have
until April 15, 2008 to submit your reimbursement
request. Flexible Spending Account Claim Forms may be
found on the
People First website or on the
Forms page of the HR website. If you have any
questions, contact an HR Benefits Representative at
(813) 974-2970.
