UPPS 04.04.15 - New Employee Welcome - Staff

POLICY STATEMENT

Texas State University is committed to providing an onboarding process that allows staff an overview of their benefits and opportunities and the structure and culture of the university.

1. BACKGROUND INFORMATION

   1. The purpose of this policy is to establish an onboarding process that will provide new employees with a welcoming experience, a general basic understanding of Texas State University, and information about benefits and opportunities associated with their employment.

   2. This policy establishes the university’s procedures for the orientation of new regular staff employees.

2. DEFINITIONS

   1. “In-Cycle” Hire – an employee who begins employment on the first workday of the week. First workday of the week means Monday. If the university is closed on a Monday, the first workday of the week is the next workday that the university is open.

   2. “Out-of-Cycle” Hire – after Human Resources gives special permission, an employee who begins employment on a day other than the first workday of the week.

   3. New Employee Welcome (N.E.W.) Part I – an online orientation program paired with a virtual question and answer session for new hires.

   4. New Employee Welcome (N.E.W.) Part II – a program held monthly. All new employees are encouraged to attend.

   5. Regular Staff Employees – employed to work at least 20 hours per week for a period of at least four and one-half months, excluding students employed in positions that require student status as a condition of employment.

3. PROCEDURES

   1. Standardized Start Dates

      1. Regular staff employees should begin employment on the first workday of the week.

      2. During years when September 1 is not the first workday of the week, September 1 will be an acceptable start date. Human Resources will hold an additional N.E.W. Part I accordingly.

      3. Special approval from Human Resources is required for an employee to begin work on a day other than the first workday of the week. Requests may be sent to hrbenefits@txstate.edu and will be granted as needed.

   2. New Employee Onboarding Checklists and Welcome Contact

      1. The N.E.W. Employee Onboarding: Manager’s Steps and N.E.W. Onboarding: Administrative Steps contain instructions for the hiring manager and administrative staff assigned to process the new employee. The checklists are available on the Human Resources website.

      2. Once a position has been accepted and a start date has been agreed upon, the hiring department must register the new employee for N.E.W. Part I by completing the N.E.W. Administrative Registration form found on the Human Resources website.

      3. The hiring department is responsible for contacting the new employee to ensure that they are prepared for their first day of work and inform the new employee of the following:

         1. when and where they are to report;

         2. how to get to campus;

         3. how and where to park; and

         4. what documents to bring with them.

      The NEW Welcome Email Template can be found in the New Hire Support section on the Human Resources Forms website. This template should be sent to all benefits-eligible new staff hires.

   3. Additional Procedures for Out-of-Cycle Hires

      If Human Resources has given permission for out-of-cycle hiring, the hiring department must manage the following details in addition to the steps included in Section 03.02:

      1. complete an electronic Form I-9 no later than the employee’s first day of work; and

      2. instruct the employee to attend N.E.W. Part I the following week.

   4. N.E.W. Part I

      N.E.W. Part I is conducted online via a Texas State online instructional tool. New employees can utilize this tool to do the following:

      1. complete required new hire forms, including benefits enrollment;

      2. learn about Texas State’s history, mission, and culture;

      3. review employee benefits, timekeeping, leaves and absences, payroll distribution options, and training and development opportunities, including compliance training responsibilities; and

      4. automatically register for N.E.W. Part II.

   5. New Employee Welcome (N.E.W.) Part II

      NEW Part II is scheduled for the second Friday of each month. The agenda will include:

      1. a chance to meet incoming cohort of new employees;

      2. presentations by several department representatives to inform new employees about various campus resources; and

      3. a tour of the main campus, including Meadows Center and Bobcat Stadium.

4. SUMMARY OF RESPONSIBILITIES

   1. Summary of Responsibilities

      Action	Responsible Party
      Register new employee for N.E.W. Part I using the N.E.W. Administrative Registration form	Hiring Manager
      Provide new employee with welcome letter with details for N.E.W	Hiring Manager
      Complete remaining steps outlined in the N.E.W. Employee Onboarding: Manager’s Steps and N.E.W. Employee Onboarding: Administrative Steps	Hiring Manager
      Coordinate the N.E.W. Part I weekly program and automatically register employee for N.E.W. Part II	Human Resources
      Coordinate the N.E.W. Part II monthly program	Human Resources

5. REVIEWERS OF THIS UPPS

   1. Reviewers of this UPPS include the following:

      Position	Date
      Assistant Vice President for Human Resources	November 1 E5Y
      Chair, Staff Council	November 1 E5Y

6. CERTIFICATION STATEMENT

   This UPPS has been approved by the following individuals in their official capacities and represents Texas State policy and procedure from the date of this document until superseded.

   Assistant Vice President for Human Resources; senior reviewer of this UPPS

   Vice President for Finance and Support Services

   President