Business Matters August 2016
Quarterly Business Forum
Thank you for attending the Business Forum on Tuesday, August 2. The August 2016 Business Forum Presentation Slides are available on the Business Forum web page.
The next Business Forum is scheduled for Tuesday, November 8, 2016 from 2:00 pm – 4:00 pm in Baker University Center 240. The meeting will be broadcast via Adobe Connect and can be accessed here: November Business Forum Broadcast. Please mark your calendars.
Questions? Contact VPFA Communication & Training at finhr@ohio.edu.
New STRS Member Form Available
Collecting new hire information for incoming faculty has gotten easier. STRS combined the New Hire Information and Reemployed Retiree Information forms into one easy to use form. The new STRS Member Information form is available for download from the payroll website in the Downloadable Forms section. Please start using the new form as soon as possible.
New faculty are still required to submit a signed Statement Concerning Your Employment in a Job Not Covered by Social Security (SS-1945) form.
Questions? Contact the Employee Service Center at uhr@ohio.edu or 740-593-1636.
Qualifying Life Event in MPI
Enhancements are underway for the Self Service Benefits option of My Personal Information (MPI) that was used to conduct the annual Benefits Open Enrollment in April. This enhancement will enable employees to make midyear changes to their benefits in the event of a qualifying family status change and will support online benefits enrollment for new employees. The release for these enhancements is planned for September. Instructions for utilizing MPI to change and elect benefits will be announced closer to the launch date.
Outside of the annual open enrollment period, employees can only make changes to their benefits if a qualifying event occurs.
Questions? Contact Benefits at benefits@ohio.edu or 740-593-1636.
HR Offers Student Onboarding Sessions
In a continued effort to improve the student employee onboarding process, Human Resources will host a series of open sessions for the completion of new student hire paperwork. These sessions will provide centralized support during the student hiring rush at the beginning of Fall Semester. No appointment is necessary for these sessions and they will operate on a first come, first served basis. Students may be directed to complete their paperwork at their convenience at a time that works best for their schedule.
Hiring managers should refer to the student hiring web page for guidance regarding what information should be given to students to prepare them to complete their paperwork at these sessions. The website includes sample offer letters that hiring managers may provide to student employees at the time of hire. These sample letters contain useful information for the student employee about the documents needed to complete the onboarding process and important information about decisions they will need to make regarding tax forms and participation in OPERS.
| Date | Time | Location |
|---|---|---|
| Monday, August 29 | 9:00 am - 4:00 pm | Baker University Center 237 |
| Tuesday, August 30 | 9:00 am - 4:00 pm | Baker University Center 237 |
| Wednesday, August 31 | 9:00 am - 4:00 pm | Baker University Center 237 |
| Thursday, September 1 | 9:00 am - 4:00 pm | Baker University Center 237 |
| Friday, September 2 | 9:00 am - 4:00 pm | Baker University Center 237 |
| Tuesday, September 6 | 9:00 am - 4:00 pm | Baker University Center 226 |
| Wednesday, September 7 | 9:00 am - 4:00 pm | Baker University Center 237 |
| Thursday, September 8 | 9:00 am - 4:00 pm | Baker University Center 237 |
| Friday, September 9 | 9:00 am - 4:00 pm | Baker University Center 333 |
| Monday, September 12 | 9:00 am - 4:00 pm | Baker University Center 237 |
| Tuesday, September 13 | 9:00 am - 4:00 pm | Baker University Center 237 |
| Wednesday, September 14 | 9:00 am - 4:00 pm | Baker University Center 237 |
Questions? Contact UHR at uhr@ohio.edu or 740-593-1636.
STRS Employee Contribution Rates Increase
As communicated previously to impacted faculty and staff via e-mail, in the June and July issues of Business Matters, and the Faculty Contributions article in Compass, the State Teachers Retirement System of Ohio (STRS) announced a one percent increase to employee retirement contributions for work performed on or after July 1, 2016. This is the final year of the three-year phase-in period which increases the member contribution rate to 14%.
All changes to retirement contributions enacted by STRS apply to both STRS plans and the Alternative Retirement Plan (ARP).
Changes will be reflected in Faculty pay for any work performed on or after July 1, as follows:
| Employment Type | 14% Rate Change Effective Pay Period | Deferred Pay |
|---|---|---|
| Faculty paid over 9 months | Beginning with first pay for the fall semester, which will be on August 31, 2016 | N/A |
| Faculty with deferred pay over 12 months (9 over 12) | Beginning with first pay of the fall semester, which will be on August 31, 2016 | Deferred pay for academic year 2015-2016 will continue at the old rate through the August 15, 2016 pay |
| Faculty paid 9 over 12 months with summer appointment | Second summer session pay beginning with the July 15, 2016 pay | Deferred pay for academic year 2015-2016 will continue at the old rate through the August 15, 2016 pay |
Questions? Please contact the Benefits Office in Human Resources at benefits@ohio.edu or 740-593-1636.
Holiday and Winter Break Closures
As indicated in Ohio University’s Policy #41.125, Human Resources annually issues an official list of holiday observance dates. Please note that Winter Break Closure (WBC) is not considered holiday leave. Refer to policy #41.001, Vacation and Winter Closure Time for Administrative and Classified Employees for details.
Following is the schedule for the holidays and Winter Break Closure dates during the years 2016 through 2018.
| Holiday | 2016 | 2017 | 2018 |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1: Depending on your years of service and employment type, you may be required to use one day of vacation time during the WBC. Please refer to Policy #41.001, and to the Guidelines for Vacation and Winter Closure Time. | |||
| New Year’s Day | Friday, January 1 | Monday, January 2 | Monday, January 1 |
| Martin Luther King Day (third Mon. in Jan.) | Monday, January 18 | Monday, January 16 | Monday, January 15 |
| Memorial Day (last Mon. in May) | Monday, May 30 | Monday, May 29 | Monday, May 28 |
| Independence Day | Monday, July 4 | Tuesday, July 4 | Wednesday, July 4/td> |
| Labor Day (first Mon. in Sept.) | Monday, September 5 | Monday, September 4 | Monday, September 3 |
| Veterans Day | Friday, November 11< | Friday, November 10 | Monday, November 12 |
| Thanksgiving Day (fourth Thurs. Nov.) | Thursday, November 24 | Thursday, November 23 | Thursday, November 22 |
| Floating Holiday (Columbus Day) | Friday, November 25 | Friday, November 24 | Friday, November 23 |
| Christmas Day | Monday, December 26 | Monday, December 25 | Tuesday, December 25 |
| Floating Holiday (Presidents’ Day) | Tuesday, December 27 | Tuesday, December 26 | Wednesday, December 26 |
| WBC 1 | Wednesday, December 28 | Wednesday, December 27 | Thursday, December 27 |
| WBC 1 | Thursday, December 29 | Thursday, December 28 | Friday, December 28 |
| WBC 1 | Friday, December 30 | Friday, December 29 | Monday, December 31 |
Questions? Contact UHR at uhr@ohio.edu or 740-593-1636.
Save the Date – P2P Supplier Fair
Procure to Pay Services will host their first annual Supplier Fair Wednesday, September 7, from 10 am - 3 pm in the Baker University Center Ballroom. Come meet many of Ohio University’s preferred suppliers. The “County Fair” themed event will feature refreshments, give-a-ways and drawings.
Questions? Contact Finance Customer Care at financecustomercare@ohio.edu or 740-597-6446.
Supply Catalog Changes
In October, the Office Max catalog will convert to the Office Depot platform. The punch-out from BobcatBUY will have a new look and feel, with better search capabilities and features. Stay tuned for more information and training webinars.
Classic Solutions catalog will convert from a hosted catalog to a punch-out catalog with electronic invoicing later this month. Classic Solutions offers a wide variety of janitorial and paper supplies. The punch-out catalog will have more items, pictures of items and enhanced search capability.
Questions? Contact Finance Customer Care at financecustomercare@ohio.edu or 740-597-6446.
Employee Reimbursement Guidelines
All Employee Reimbursement reports and PCard Reconciliation reports are to be submitted through Concur. Below are a few reminders of the guidelines and processes for submitting these reports.
Employee Non Travel Reimbursements (RE Report)
The report name in Concur should be entered as RE (Reimbursement), followed by first four letters of the employee’s last name and the date of the expense.
Example: RESMIT080114.
If combining multiple non-travel receipts on one report (recommended), please use the date of the oldest expense.
Employee Travel Related Expenses and Reimbursements (TR Report)
The report name in Concur should be entered as TR (Travel), followed by first four letters of the employee’s last name and the first date of travel.
Example: TRSMIT080114.
If additional expenses are incurred for the same travel event that necessitate additional reports at a later date, the naming convention will continue to include the addition of the letter “A”, “B”, “C”, etc. to the original report name.
Example: TRSMIT080114A, TRSMIT080114B
Employee PCard Expenses for Non Travel Expenses (PC Report)
The report name in Concur should be entered as PC (PCard), followed by first four letters of the employee’s last name and the date of the expense.
Example: PCSMIT080114
If combining multiple PCard receipts on one report (recommended), please use the date of the oldest expense.
Additional Guidelines
- For all requests for payment or reimbursement, it is important to note the “who, what, when, where and why” on the request in addition to uploading copies of itemized and detailed receipts. Please include thorough details regarding the business purpose of purchases.
- PCard transactions should not be combined with RE Reports (Use RE Report process defined above).
- Payments for Professional Services cannot be submitted in Concur
- The process begins with collection of a W9 & W8-BEN (If applicable), appropriate contract (if applicable) as indicated by the nature of service on the Contract and Insurance Matrix, and then completion of a New Supplier add/update form in BobcatBUY attaching this documentation.
- Gift Certificate purchases can be submitted in Concur via RE Reports.
- Employee recognition must be reported to Payroll for all gift card purchases. Include the name of the gift certificate recipient(s).
- Payments to individuals cannot be submitted in Concur.
- Follow Research Advance Process for research participants.
- Shipment of purchases must be to a university address, not an individual’s home address.
- All purchasing policies still apply.
For more information see Employee Reimbursement Travel and Non Travel. Questions? Contact Finance Customer Care at financecustomercare@ohio.edu or 740-597-6446.
Independent Contractor Requisitions Form Changes in BobcatBUY
Several fields have been removed from the Independent Contractor (IC) forms to save time. The form contained duplicate information that is available on the completed IC agreements. We did have to maintain some fields to gather metrics; however, the fields removed should save a considerable amount of time when completing these IC requisitions.
Questions? Contact financecustomercare@ohio.edu or 740-597-6446.
SciQuest 16.2 Enhancements to BobcatBUY
A SciQuest 16.3 upgrade was implemented on August 1. This upgrade will have minimal impact on the overall user experience. The appearance of supplier search within all forms, has changed slightly, however no changes have been made to the search functionality.
Questions? Contact financecustomercare@ohio.edu or 740-597-6446.
Utilize US Dollars for International Contracts
All contracts should utilize US dollars as the currency, whenever possible. Most international suppliers will accept USD which will hasten payment and reduce the challenges inherent to international wire processes.
Questions? Contact Finance Customer Care at financecustomercare@ohio.edu or 740-597-6446.
OPERS Reporting for Independent Contractors Updated
A new field has been added to the requisition titled OPERS Reportable. This field, OPERS Reportable, will be changed to YES for Independent Contractors (IC) as defined in Ohio Revised Code (ORC) 145.036-145.038 effective June 30, 2013. The ORC requires a clause regarding Ohio Public Employees Retirements System (OPERS) be present in all contracts and that Independent Contractors employing four or fewer employees be provided with the OPERS PDACKN Form (Independent Contractor/Worker Acknowledgment), which will allow them to affirm or disaffirm directly with OPERS their status as an Independent Contractor. This form is to be completed if the IC is an individual who begins providing personal services to a public employer on or after Jan. 7, 2013 but is not considered by the public employer to be a public employee and will not have contributions made to OPERS. This form must be completed no later than 30 days after the IC begins providing personal services to the public employer, Ohio University.
There is no action needed by campus users. This information is being provided for informational purposes only.
ORC 145.036 - 145.038 requires that OHIO identify and mail the PDACKN Form to each IC who provides services for OHIO. Procure to Pay Services will identify each covered Independent Contractor within the requisition moving forward and the required OPERS document will be sent to each supplier along with the approved purchase order.
Questions? Contact Finance Customer Care at financecustomercare@ohio.edu or 740-597-6446.
Customer Service Training Planned for September
As a result of the joint effort between HR Organizational & Talent Development and Communication & Training to identify campus training needs, the Creating a Customer Service Culture training series will begin in September. A customer service culture represents shared values across the entire organization and the design of this series includes successes in customer service across a variety of OHIO departments. Creating a Customer Service Culture will cover customer service basics that are cultural standards and how OHIO successfully supports a customer service culture. The training series will be broken into two sessions:
Part 1: Defining customer service and customer culture
Participants will identify customers and their individual needs and practice active listening to improve communication. Empathy and the use of positive language will be discussed.
| Date | Time | Location |
|---|---|---|
| September 12 | 1:00 - 3:00 pm | Alden Library 319 (Friends of the Library Room) |
| September 13 | 8:30 - 10:30 am | HRTC 141/145 |
| September 20 | 3:00 - 5:00 pm | Baker University Center 240 |
| September 27 | 1:00 - 3:00 pm | Alden Library 319 (Friends of the Library Room) |
| September 28 | 10:00 am - 12:00 pm | HRTC 141/145 |
Part 2: The importance of communicating a consistent message to staff
Participants will practice techniques to diffuse the angry or difficult customer. Service measures and metrics will be highlighted and participants will develop creative ways to show appreciation.
| Date | Time | Location |
|---|---|---|
| September 14 | 1:00 - 3:00 pm | Alden Library 319 (Friends of the Library Room) |
| September 15 | 8:30 - 10:30 am | HRTC 141/145 |
| September 21 | 3:00 - 5:00 pm | Baker University Center 240 |
| September 29 | 1:00 - 3:00 pm | Alden Library 319 (Friends of the Library Room) |
| September 30 | 10:00 am - 12:00 pm | HRTC 141/145 |
Please register for any of the above sessions at the Customer Service Training Registration Page. When registering please select sessions for both Part 1 and Part 2 since they are designed to be taken consecutively, with knowledge from the first session leveraged in the second.
Questions? Contact Communication and Training at finhr@ohio.edu.
Budget Updates
FY16 Fund Balance Upcoming Dates
- August 9: Final templates will be provided following third close
- August 22: Templates due
FY17 Budget
The Budget Office plans to upload FY17 budgets by August 5.
FY18 Budget Planning
The fall forecasting cycle for FY18 planning begins in September. Communication regarding the timeline will be sent in August and will be presented at the August Budget Partner Group meeting. An FY18 Budget Planning kickoff/training meeting(s) will be scheduled for the fall.
Questions? Connect with your Budget Planning & Analysis contact or e-mail budgetplanning@ohio.edu.
Chart of Accounts & Financial Systems Enhancements
The Chart of Accounts project is the first building block, one of several initiatives, to improve Financial Systems across the University. These initiatives will now be referred to as “Financial System Enhancements” (FSE) and will encompass the Chart of Accounts Redesign (COA), Financial Approvers and the new Oracle Grants Accounting module. Each of these building blocks will be supported with thorough training and detailed reporting capabilities.
Financial System Enhancements Project Updates
Mapping activities have been occurring with Planning Unit representatives since June 2015. Currently, the focus is on the General Ledger (GL) Account Strings and the identification of the combinations that Planning Units would like to use in the Oracle Grants Accounting module. It is expected that the GL chart mapping will be completed in late August.
Accounts identified during the summer that planning units want to track in the Oracle Grants Accounting module will be mapped according to the following schedule:
| Mapping | Mapping Period | Updates | Participants |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sponsored Projects | Fall 2016 | Refresh through go-live | Grants Team |
| Capital Projects | Fall 2016 | Refresh through go-live | Capital Projects Team |
| General Ledger combinations to map to Grants Account Module | Winter 2016 | Planning Units & Internal Awards Tea |
The new Oracle Grants Accounting module will allow for the tracking and viewing of Internal Awards, Sponsored Projects (Grants), and Capital Projects. Demonstrations of the functionality of the Oracle Grants Accounting module are occurring with the RC Strategy Group, RC Technical Group, Post Awards Partner Group and the Office of Research and Sponsored Programs Office in late July and early August. Consistent with the Chart of Accounts project approach, collaboration with campus representatives will validate the design and implementation of the new Grants Accounting module within Oracle.
The Object code values (currently natural account) and the Function values will be distributed to Planning Units for review in mid to late August.
Enhanced reporting capabilities will be a major focus in the coming months and will go live with the new Chart of Accounts and the new Oracle Grants Accounting module. These reports will be available via dashboards within OBI (Oracle Business Intelligence). Each dashboard will have multiple tabs for various inquires and reports and will replace the current FMS Reports. Currently, the Campus Partner Groups are reviewing the proposed dashboards and providing recommendations and feedback to ensure that they meet the reporting needs of the various users across campus.
Campus Support Activities
The Financial System Enhancements (FSE) Awareness Sessions are scheduled to occur through August 18. Please register to attend using the FSE Awareness Session Registration page. These sessions will increase user understanding of the FSE project timeline and goals, the Chart of Accounts (COA) segment structure, the new Oracle Grants Accounting module, and provide an overview of the communication and training support that users can expect. Training courses and job aids will be available for all users between January and March 2017, leading up to the planned go-live scheduled for spring.
In addition to the Awareness Sessions, a User Impact Analysis is being conducted with each Planning Unit to understand the granular and unique impacts with each Planning Unit and then map individual users to the appropriate training. The goal of this exercise will be to ensure that users receive the appropriate training and communication.
For additional project-related updates and information on the COA Redesign Project, refer to the Chart of Accounts Redesign website for the newly added FAQs and the List of Change Networks Members in each Planning Unit.
Questions or feedback? Contact the Chart of Accounts Project Team at coa@ohio.edu.