Possible increase in benefits for employees, staff, grad students

Nov 4 2009 - 1:11am | Lora Collins

Faculty, staff and graduate student employees may see an increase in the benefits of the work-life program.

The current program, headed by Human Resources, offers advantages such as new employee orientation, group insurance, retirement programs, leave administration, employee records and fringe benefits calculations. The Presidential Work Life Advisory Council is comprised of members from a multitude of departments from communication studies to human resources to modern languages. Members dedicated time to form the Work Life program headed by Rose Trevino, coordinator from human resources.

Roseann Mandziuk, council chair, said the university has an opportunity to expand its program to include an employee assistance program. Mandziuk said the council presented the University of Texas advantage employee assistance program to the Faculty Senate, Staff Council and President’s Council for Women and High Education one year ago. She said each one endorsed the program.

“We sent the initial recommendation for this program to (Provost Perry) Moore in December,” Mandziuk said. “In February myself, Rose Trevino, John McBride and Michelle Moritz made a presentation to the president’s cabinet.”

Mandziuk said the council is waiting on approval of the program proposal from the President’s Cabinet. The employee assistance program previously would have cost $1.91 per employee. She said the UT advantage program came back with a cheaper proposal. The package now costs $1.56 per eligible employee, totaling $69,994.08 annual costs to Texas State.

“The other thing that is really attractive about this new package is (it) also includes graduate student employees,” Mandziuk said.

The assistance program covers 3,379 benefit eligible employees. To be eligible, an employee must be at least half time, which would include graduate teaching assistants and research assistants. Mandziuk said the Counseling Center does not provide services to faculty. Annie Kidd, Counseling Center administrative assistant, said they get six calls a week from faculty requesting services.

“The work life piece of it is important as well because it not only connects potential employees to resources in the area but worldwide,” Mandziuk said.

The advantage program originated at the UT Health Science Center in Houston with vice president, Sherry Wilson. Wilson moved the UT Health Science Center to San Antonio where she continued to add to the program. Wilson was not available for comment.

John McBride, director of Human Resources, said Wilson is trying to make the program more universal.

“Now they are trying to do a similar program in Central Texas,” McBride said.

He said the program will be personalized under the Texas State system if it is brought to campus.

“If Texas State were able to secure this program you wouldn’t see that, we would have our own Web site, our own identification,” McBride said.

Trevino said she has a developed Web site for the current Texas State work-life program.

“We have built a Web site of campus resources and community resources and centralized them,” Trevino said. “Ours is a work life program, and what we are trying to purchase is employee assistance program which we don’t have.”

The new work life and employee assistance program would be provided through the UT advantage provider. The package would include five sessions of mental health counseling for employees and or members of their household. Masters level therapists provide the consultation call at no charge to the employee.

“If they had a teenager who was having trouble, the five sessions could be used by the teenager,” Mandziuk said.

The package includes unlimited free calls to a 24/7 toll-free call line. Free legal and financial consultations will be available by phone for 30 minutes each session. Users can also access up to 8,000 articles and tip sheets with searchable databases for childcare, eldercare, legal, financial and others. Mandziuk said this will help recruit new faculty and staff who are worried to leave elderly parents or grandparents in another state. Mandziuk said the therapist will call the faculty member back within six to 12 hours with referrals.

The Presidential Work Life Advisory Council is waiting on the President’s Cabinet to make a decision regarding the extension of the work-life program. Mandziuk said the team is hopeful. McBride said the program would take between 60 to 90 days to kick off once approved.

“We would have to use that period to publicize what it is, how to use it and let our people know it is there,” McBride said.
McBride said the main benefit of the program would include attracting more faculties.

“One of the benefits would be in the recruiting and retention of faculty as well as staff, and that is why the work-life task force actually recommended it,” he said.

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