Frequently Asked Questions: Web-based Time Entry, Biweekly Pay and Transition Assistance Program Web-based Time Entry 1. Why are we moving to web-based time entry? Pacific has been working to update and modernize many of its systems and processes to adopt operational best practices utilized by most other universities. These initiatives will ultimately make our processes easier and more efficient for our students, staff and faculty. Two important changes will begin in June: transitioning from manual timesheets to web-based time entry and transitioning from paying employees twice per month to issuing a paycheck every other Friday. Both of these changes will make timekeeping and payroll easier and more convenient for employees. 2. Who is affected by this change? All employee groups will be phased in to web-based time entry from June through September: students, temp casuals, hourly non-exempt, exempt, and graduate assistants. Faculty will be phased in at a later date because of the complexities of the different appointments. 3. When will the transition take place? • Students and temp casual employees will transition June 16, 2017 • Non-exempt employees will transition July 16, 2017 • Exempt employees will transition to electronic routine leave reporting (entering their vacation, sick time, jury duty, etc.) August 1, 2017 • Graduate Assistants will transition August 21, 2017 • Faculty will transition at a later date because of the complexities of the different appointments 4. Will there be training on web-based time entry? Yes, online training for all employees will be available beginning June 6, 2017. Human Resources will also offer drop-in sessions to answer questions about web-time entry. Watch for the dates. 5. Where do I go for questions or to get more information? A website is available here with resources and more information. You can also: Call Human Resources at (209) 946-2124 or email Linda Jeffers for information on: • Web-based time entry training • Web-based time entry technical matters • Benefits relating to the change to biweekly payroll • Transition Assistance Program: one-time interest-free loan or one-time vacation cash out Call Payroll at (209) 946-2158 or email [email protected] for information on: • Assistance in calculating approximate paycheck net pay changes 1

from University’s FAQ about Shift to Biweekly Pay

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Changing to biweekly payroll for all employees: students, temp casuals, nonexempt, exempt, faculty and graduate assistants. Time tracking, time reporting or time authorization

• What will supervisors’ responsibilities be? Supervisors will be required to approve time entries on the Monday after each payroll cycle for non-exempt staff, and once a month for exempt staff for routine leaves (vacation, sick time, jury duty, etc.). In addition, supervisors are required to ensure all employees have submitted time electronically, recorded their hours accurately, and approved the timesheet electronically. By approving an employee’s timesheet, supervisors are electronically signing and certifying a legal document and are held accountable for its accuracy. What if an employee does not have access to a computer on the date web-time entry is due? Contact Payroll prior to the cutoff date and they will provide access for the supervisor so the supervisor can add the hours on the employee’s behalf. What if my employee did not submit any hours? Contact Payroll prior to the cutoff date and they will provide access for the supervisor so the supervisor can add the hours on the employee’s behalf. May I delegate approval of time sheets to my administrative assistant or another staff member? Supervisors will be required to have a proxy to approve timesheets in their absence and will be responsible for proxy approvals. Please note that having a proxy approve a timesheet means you are asking them to authorize and certify the accuracy of the hours worked or leave taken in a legal and binding document. Can I approve time from a remote location? Yes, time can be approved remotely on a computer or laptop through Inside Pacific, but it is not yet available on a mobile device.

Payroll System 1. Why are we moving to biweekly pay? Pacific is switching from paying employees in advance to paying in arrears to pay for actual time worked rather than paying on an average number of annual hours. Paying in arrears is more efficient and effective for time reporting, reduces manual adjustments, provides current balances for vacation and sick leave, and provides more timely overtime pay. It is an operational best practice adopted by most universities and helps the university continue to comply with state and federal regulations. 2

2. What is biweekly pay? Biweekly pay means an employee receives a paycheck every two weeks on Friday. A biweekly pay cycle consists of 10 working days (two weeks), Monday through the following Sunday. Employees will receive 26 paychecks in a year instead of 24. 3. Which employees will move to biweekly pay? When will it begin? All employees will move to biweekly pay. The schedule for transition to biweekly pay is: Phase I: Students and Temp Casual employees will transition on June 16, 2017 Paycheck Date June 26, 2017 June 30, 2017 July 14, 2017

Paycheck Last semi-monthly paycheck Transition paycheck First regular biweekly paycheck

Pay Period June 1-15, 2017 (11 work days) June 16 -25, 2017 (6 work days) June 26-July 9, 2017 (10 work days)

Phase II: Non-Exempt Staff will transition on July 16, 2017 Paycheck Date July 10, 2017 July 28, 2017 August 11, 2017



Paycheck Last semi-monthly paycheck Transition paycheck First regular biweekly paycheck

Pay Period July 1-15, 2017 (10 work days) July 16-23, 2017 (5 work days) July 24-August 6, 2017 (10 work days)

Phase III: Exempt Staff will transition on August 1, 2017 Paycheck Date Paycheck Pay Period July 26, 2017 Last semi-monthly paycheck July 16-31, 2017 (11 work days) August 11, 2017 Transition paycheck August 1-6, 2017 (4 work days) August 25, 2017 First regular biweekly August 7-August 20, 2017 (10 work paycheck days) Phase IV: Graduate Assistants will transition on August 21, 2017 Paycheck Date Paycheck Pay Period September 8, First regular biweekly August 21-September 3, 2017 (10 2017 paycheck work days) Faculty will transition at a later date because of the complexities of the different appointments. 4. Will I be paid the same time every month? Yes, paychecks will be issued every two weeks, every other Friday. 5. How will the pay schedule change affect my paycheck? In the transition to biweekly pay, you will have one check that is a partial payment: • Students/Temp Casual employees: pay date of June 30, 2017 for six days • Non-exempt employees: pay date of July 28, 2017 for five days 3



• Exempt employees: pay date of August 11, 2017 for four days • Graduate Assistants: no partial pay check You may drop by, call or email Payroll at [email protected] to find out what your individual paycheck calculations will be when we transition to biweekly payroll. You will be paid for all working days. The transition pay period may create a temporary financial hardship for some employees and we want to offer resources for assistance. A Transition Assistance Program will be available for all employees. See the section below on Transition Assistance Program. 6. How will the pay schedule change affect my: a. Deductions from pay? For the remainder of 2017, percent-based deductions, such as taxes, the 5 percent retirement contribution and others will be deducted from every paycheck. Flat-dollar benefit deductions such as the employee’s share of medical premiums and supplemental retirement contributions* will be withheld from remaining paychecks except for the final paycheck, December 29, 2017. This is called a benefit holiday–flat dollar deductions will not be withheld from the final paycheck because they will all have been collected for the year by the December 15, 2017 paycheck. Union dues deductions are under discussion. Beginning January 1, 2018 deductions will be split across all 26 paychecks. *Employees can and should adjust supplemental retirement for the biweekly payroll moving forward. It is up to the discretion of employees to shut off the supplemental retirement for the transition paycheck (the one that for fewer work days). b. Vacation and sick leave accruals? Vacation and sick leave accrual amounts will be smaller per each paycheck under biweekly payroll because the total annual amounts will be divided by 26 paychecks per year instead of the current 24 paychecks per year. 7. I am a non-exempt staff member and receive the same gross amount each check. Will that change? Yes. You will now receive payment based on your hours worked for the two-week biweekly pay period instead of receiving payment in advance semi-monthly. Any overtime, vacation, sick, or holiday time will also be reflected in the pay period worked. 8. I am a non-exempt staff member. Will my bi-weekly gross pay be the same? No. You will now receive payment based on your hours worked for the two-week bi-weekly pay period instead of receiving payment in advance semi-monthly. Any overtime, vacation, sick, or holiday time will also be reflected in the pay period worked. 4

from University’s FAQ about Shift to Biweekly Pay 9. Are there any changes to the overtime laws based on the move to biweekly pay? No. There are no changes to the overtime laws with the move to biweekly pay. Transition Assistance Program 1. How do I prepare for the transition? Review your personal budget and determine your income needs based upon the biweekly pay cycle (see the biweekly payroll calendar). Review and make any changes to automatic payments or deductions you have scheduled to align with your new pay dates. Budgeting and financial assistance is available by calling the Employee Assistance Program tollfree at 1-877-595-5281 (ask for financial planning/budgeting assistance and tell them you are from the University of the Pacific), or visiting www.guidanceresources.com (REGISTER using EAPBusiness as the Organization Web ID, and UNIVE as the Company name). 2. What if, after my review I find that I may not be able to meet my financial obligations during the transition? Two options are available for transition assistance: an interest-free loan and a one-time vacation cash out. You can participate in one or both. We encourage you to contact Payroll to determine the best option. 3. Who is eligible for the transition assistance program? Any benefit eligible staff member converting to the biweekly pay cycle who has an active status or any appointment of 50 percent or more. 4. What are the loan terms and when is the loan available? How do I apply? The loan is interest free. The loan application is available here. The first deadline to submit the loan request is July 3, 2017 and you can choose a loan disbursement on either July 21, 2017 or August 29, 2017. The second deadline to submit the loan request is August 3, 2017 and loan disbursements will occur on August 29, 2017. The loan is a short-term (one-year) $1,700 personal loan from the university that is repaid in 26 equal installments through regular paychecks via payroll deduction. The first repayment deduction begins with the September 8, 2017 paycheck. Loans can be paid back earlier with no penalties. If an employee separates from the University, the employee is responsible for continuing repayment through a personal check. 5. Is the loan interest free? Yes, the loan is interest free. 6. What is vacation cash out and how do I apply?

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Employees can cash out up to 48 hours of accrued vacation in whole hour increments as long as they maintain a minimum balance of 20 hours of accrued vacation. The vacation cash out is considered taxable income and is only available for the transition to biweekly pay. The vacation cash out application is available here. The first deadline to submit the application is July 3, 2017, and you can choose a disbursement on July 20, 2017 or August 28, 2017. The second deadline is August 3, 2017 and the disbursement will occur on August 28, 2017. We encourage you to contact Payroll to determine the best option. 7. Can I do both the loan and the vacation payout or some combination of both? Yes. You can do either or both. We encourage you to contact Payroll to determine the best option. Additional Questions and Answers 1. Will we see the 12/29 check early as we do with seasonal checks now? No, Payroll will be in during the seasonal break to process Payroll. Employees should submit their time before leaving for break. 2. During the transition, the first biweekly pay period for students and temp casuals (and eventually for the whole university) crosses fiscal years. How is that being handled? Will this affect the budget? No, Banner is complex and quite robust, the system will capture the fiscal crossing and distribute appropriately. 3. Will employees set up on grants be affected when we cross fiscal years? No, Banner is complex and quite robust, the system will capture the fiscal crossing and distribute appropriately. It is important to note, however, that the labor distribution should be setup in Banner (via EPAF) prior to that particular pay period to take effect.

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