Updates on HR services and operations
As UBC navigates though COVID-19, Human Resources will make every effort to continue to provide support to faculty and staff. Our teams are transitioning to remote work, including changes to:
- Compensation operations
- Benefits operations
- Workplace Wellbeing
- Workplace Health Services
- Pension Office operations
- Investigations Office operations
Changes to Compensation operations
The Compensation team transitioned to working remotely, however there will be no change to the work and the level of customer service. The team is making adjustments to accommodate this temporary work arrangement with no disruptions to the clients.
Changes to Benefits operations
The Benefits team continues normal services during this time and will be responding to all benefits inquiries in a timely manner. Please send all the internal inquiries from UBC staff to appropriate email addresses.
- All external and general inquiries should be directed to the appropriate benefits team members or the Benefits email.
- The benefits team is available for calls and emails Monday – Friday, 8:30am – 4:30pm.
- For all urgent inquiries please contact Linda Casey or Janet McHugh.
Changes to Workplace Wellbeing
The Workplace Wellbeing team is now taking all inquiries through email, and exploring opportunities to offer online and webinar health and wellbeing workshops. Stay tuned!
Changes to Workplace Health Services
At this time, Occupational & Preventive Health (OPH) will be conducting only telephone appointments, with the exception of urgent and critical vaccinations. The Ergonomics team will be doing phone and video chat assessments when possible, while in-person assessments will be done only for high-priority groups.
Changes to Pension Office operations
The UBC Pension Administration Office is operating through email and phone only. Staff are available by email and are checking their voicemails regularly. In-person visits are temporarily suspended. Please refer to the following notices for information on how to contact the Pension office during this time:
- For staff: https://staff.pensions.ubc.ca/2020/03/18/changes-to-pension-office-operations-effective-immediately/
- For faculty: https://faculty.pensions.ubc.ca/2020/03/changes-to-pension-office-operations-effective-immediately/
Changes to Investigations Office operations
The Investigations Office continues to serve staff, faculty and students on both campuses, as usual. Operationally, the office has made adjustments to conduct investigation processes using conferencing and online platforms, and continues to respond to all inquiries via email and phone as usual.
The impartial and neutral investigations provided in response to complaints of sexual misconduct (UBC Policy SC17) and discrimination (UBC Policy SC7) have not changed.
For any questions, please contact Shelley Ball, Director of Investigations.
Understanding Your Travel Benefits Information Session: Dec. 11
With the winter months and the holidays fast approaching, many faculty and staff are preparing for vacations both at home and abroad. Sometimes, medical emergencies while travelling can happen – and it can end up being a frightening and costly experience.
Staff and faculty who are enrolled in the UBC extended health benefits plan are invited to attend an information session to understand their travel benefits.
Date: Dec. 11, 2019
Time: 12:00 – 1:00 p.m.
Location: Centre for Brain Health, Room 101 (lower level), 2215 Wesbrook Mall
RSVP: Register now
Understanding Your Travel Benefits Information Session: May 7, 12-1pm
UBC staff and faculty who are enrolled in the UBC extended health benefits plan are invited to attend this free, upcoming information session to understand your travel benefits. This session is an great opportunity to hear about such topics as:
- Should I purchase additional travel insurance?
- What is my UBC coverage while travelling?
- What is the maximum amount I can claim?
- Am I covered by other plans?
- What if I am pregnant or have a pre-existing medical condition?
- What are the exclusions and limitations?
Date: May 7, 2019
Time: 12:00 – 1:00 p.m.
Vancouver: Centre for Brain Health, Room 101 (lower level), 2215 Wesbrook Mall. Register now.
Okanagan: Reichwald Health Sciences Centre (RHS), Room 257, 1088 Discovery Ave (via videoconference). Register now.
Resources supporting transgender and gender-diverse faculty and staff
At UBC, diversity is welcomed and respected, and considered foundational to excellence in research, education and engagement. UBC recognizes that respect and support for transgender and gender-diverse faculty and staff are central to their success and wellbeing. It is our interactions at work that can help us to feel a valued member of society. The recognition of gender diversity, specifically for people who identify as transgender, two-spirit or non-binary, affirms and acknowledges that gender is highly personal and fluid, and is worthy of respect at UBC.
All human resources practitioners and managers/supervisors have the responsibility to provide a welcoming, inclusive and respectful work environment. By working proactively with an employee who wishes to transition and/or utilize gender-affirming procedures, you can help create a positive experience for the individual and all employees in your unit.
The information in the following resource documents can to help you to building a positive work environment and in modelling behaviour that shows respect for diversity and inclusion that you expect your staff to demonstrate in their relationships with each other and the people they work with across the campus.
Please familiarize yourself with these resources so you can best support transgender and gender-diverse staff, faculty and student employees in your department.
For managers/supervisors/HR practitioners: Supporting Transgender and Gender-Diverse Faculty and Staff at UBC
Information includes:
- Human rights and employer responsibilities
- Definitions to assist you in understanding gender diversity
- Transitioning in the workplace: planning a collaborative, supportive approach
- Guidelines for the manager/supervisor and support team
- UBC and other external resources
- Transition checklist (for working with the employee)
For employees: Transgender and Gender-Diverse Faculty and Staff at UBC
Information includes:
- Transitioning in the workplace: planning a collaborative, supportive approach
- Guidelines for the transitioning employee
- Transition checklist
- Information on health and benefits
- Information on counselling and support/social groups
If you have any questions, please contact your HR Advisor. For more information on campus-wide initiatives on gender diversity, please visit the Equity & Inclusion website.
Maternity/Parental/Adoptive Leave EI Benefit Changes – Information for Administrators
In the February issue of Benefits FYI, we highlighted the federal government changes to EI benefits for maternity, parental and adoptive leaves that came into effect on Dec. 3, 2017. We also detailed how these benefits work with UBC’s SEB top-up and provided four scenarios to help illustrate the information.
Summary of Key Points
- In addition to the two parental EI benefits options (standard and extended), note that employees may be off for a longer period of time if they select the extended parental EI benefits.
- Any additional leave taken beyond what is stipulated in the BC Employment Standards Act will be considered general unpaid leave and the employee is responsible for the full cost of the benefits and pension they wish to continue.
- There are no changes to how top-up is calculated for maternity leave for birth mothers.
- With the exception of BCGEU Okanagan, birth parents with staff appointments (mothers and fathers) are not eligible for top-up during parental leave. As such, during the parental leave they will receive standard or extended parental EI benefits only.
- BCGEU Okanagan birth parents (mothers and fathers) are eligible for top-up during parental leave; however, the top-up calculation is under development with the introduction of the extended EI parental benefit. More information will be available soon.
- Birth parents with faculty appointments (mothers and fathers) are eligible for top-up during parental leave, and if the extended EI parental benefits is chosen, the top-up will be calculated based on the standard option. This includes Academic Executives and Postdoctoral Fellows (employees).
For HR Administrators
If you have staff who will be taking maternity, parental or adoptive leave, we encourage you to consider how you will fill your department’s staffing requirements during the employee’s leave. If you have any questions on how to fill leave replacement positions over the new extended parental leave periods, please contact your HR Advisor.
When using ePAF (for a staff leave) or paper form (for a faculty leave) to notify Payroll of a leave, make sure you correctly code the leave for Payroll purposes. For example, if you have an employee who fits key point #2 above, please code the additional leave beyond 52 weeks for birth mothers, and 37 weeks for birth fathers and adopting parents as general unpaid (personal) leave.
More information
Family Caregiver EI Benefits – Information for Administrators
In the February issue of Benefits FYI, we detailed the federal government’s new EI family caregiver benefits, which help families care for a critically ill/injured family member or person that considers you a family member. The new benefits were introduced on Dec. 3, 2017, and are offered in addition to EI compassionate care benefits.
Summary of Key Points
- The EI family caregiver benefit for children and adults are offered in addition to compassionate care EI benefits. An employee may apply for family caregiver benefits to care for a critically ill/injured family member or person who considers them a family member, whereas compassionate care benefits apply if the employee is caring for a terminally ill family member or person who considers them a family member (must be significant risk of death within 26 weeks).
- If the family member in question is an adult, EI benefits will cover up to 15 weeks.
- If the family member in question is a child, EI benefits will cover up to 35 weeks.
- The BC Employment Standards Act currently provides eight weeks of job-protected leave for compassionate care, but does not include family caregiver leave. If an employee applies for family caregiving EI benefits, they will need to apply for a general unpaid leave and they will be responsible for paying the full cost of the benefits and pension they choose to maintain.
For HR Administrators
If you have an employee where the above scenarios or situations apply, please ensure that you correctly code the leave for Payroll purposes.
For example, if you have an employee applying for family caregiving EI benefits, please use the code Leave of Absence, Family Caregiver Leave (LOA/FAM) if you are using ePAF (for a staff leave) or paper form (for a faculty leave). A new code was created to ensure a Record of Employment would be generated and sent to Service Canada.
If the employee is applying for a compassionate care leave, please continue to use Leave of Absence, Compassionate Leave (LOA/COM) for the first eight weeks of leave and general unpaid (personal) leave for any additional leave.
If you have any questions or concerns about backfilling staff positions, please speak with your HR Associate or Advisor.
More Information
- Benefits FYI Article: Help for Family Caregivers (February 2018)
- Vacations & Leaves
Change to the EI Waiting Period for Maternity/Parental Benefits & Compassionate Care
Effective Jan. 1, 2017, the waiting period (unpaid) for Employment Insurance (EI) benefits has been reduced from two weeks to one week. The reduction in the waiting period applies to regular (unemployment) benefits, and special benefits for maternity, parental, adoption and compassionate care leaves.
The following explains the impact to maternity, parental and adoption EI benefits and the University’s Supplemental Employment Benefits (SEB) Program:
Maternity, Parental and Adoption Leave and EI benefits
There will be no change to the number of weeks of unpaid leave or length of time EI benefits are payable.
The number of weeks of unpaid leave remains at:
- 52 weeks for birth mothers (17 weeks maternity plus 35 weeks parental)
- 37 weeks for birth fathers/adopting parents
The length of time EI benefits are payable, after serving the one-week waiting period, continues to be:
- 50 weeks for birth mothers (15 weeks maternity plus 35 weeks parental)
- 35 weeks for birth fathers/adopting parents (no waiting period is required if birth mother or one adopting parent has already served it)
Supplemental Employment Benefits (SEB) Program
The reduction in the waiting period to one week will impact the Supplemental Employment Insurance (SEB) Top-Up benefit programs at UBC. The changes are outline below and will apply to employees with leaves staring on or after Jan. 1, 2017.
Reducing the EI waiting period to one week will change:
1) How SEB benefits are calculated in Week Two:
- Employee will receive 95% of salary from UBC. This will be in addition to their EI weekly benefit.
2) Reduce the total number of weeks payable under SEB by one week. Using a birth mother who is in the CUPE 2950 employment group as an example:
- Prior to Jan. 1, 2017: CUPE 2950 birth mother received 17 weeks under SEB: 95% of salary for two-week waiting period plus topping up EI benefit for 15 weeks
- Jan. 1, 2017 onwards: CUPE 2950 employee will receive 16 weeks under SEB: 95% of salary for one-week waiting period, 95% of salary plus EI for second week, and topping up EI to 95% of salary for 14 weeks.
- Prior to Jan. 1, UBC accounted for the second week of the unpaid waiting period; now that the second week is eliminated the SEB is reduced by one week.
There will be no change to how paid leave benefits are calculated for Postdoctoral Fellow Award Recipients.
This arrangement will be in place from Jan. 1, 2017, to Jan. 2, 2021. During this four-year period, the University will work with the Unions/Associations to make any necessary collective agreement changes to the SEB program to align with changes to the Federal EI program.
The Human Resources’ Maternity, Parental and Adoption Leave page includes a table that outlines by employment group the EI benefits and SEB benefits that are payable during each week of the leave.
For further details
- Government of Canada website on EI Waiting Period
- Human Resources website: Maternity, Parental and Adoption Leave page
If you have any questions, contact Stephanie Mah, HR Benefits Specialist, at stephanie.mah@ubc.ca or (604) 8922-6823.