UA leadership is considering various proposals related to the FY12 staff increase, including a proposal from Staff Alliance.

The Board of Regents will discuss the issue at the November 9 meeting in Anchorage, along with the FY12 budget request.

This year, the UA System will have winter break between December 23-31.� Employees are expected to take annual leave or leave without pay December 27-29th. The other weekdays during this period are UA holidays. The UAF campus has identified two additional timeframes during which UAF departments may reduce business hours or have a “soft closure”:� December 20 – 22, 2010 and January 3 – 7, 2011.
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Unless a departmental supervisor notifies employees that their services are essential and leave cannot be taken, President Gamble has decided that Statewide employees will be permitted to use annual leave or leave without pay to extend their time off during December 20 – 22 and/or January 3 – 7.�� No employee is required to utilize annual leave or leave without pay beyond the official days of winter break.
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While some employees prefer to take leave without pay rather than using annual leave, PERS retirement is affected by the use of leave without pay for time periods in excess of 10 days per year.� Employees may want to consult with Mike Humphrey or Erika Van Flein in HR Benefits for more information on the retirement impact.

The Statewide Administration Assembly (SAA) hosted a Q&A Forum on unionization during the lunch hour on September 3, 2010.� At the end of the hour, many questions from Statewide employees remained unanswered. Those questions were sent to UA Human Resources (HR) and to the Alaska State Employees Association (ASEA), who had both indicated a willingness to answer additional questions in writing. �

After ASEA withdrew its petition, many employees indicated that they would still like those questions answered.� To date, only UA HR answered the questions. They are available at the link below.� This information may be useful for your consideration during any future unionization effort.

SAA will continue to provide opportunities for Statewide employees to affect their work environment.� The SAA mission states:� The primary purposes of the SAA are to provide an effective opportunity for Statewide Administration employees to play an active role in issues affecting their welfare; to promote a positive workplace; to represent employees' viewpoints on Regents' Policy, university regulations, and other matters affecting the intents of the university; and to act as a liaison between statewide employees, the University of Alaska, and their respective communities.

SW HR answers to unionization questions HERE.

Registration is open for the Individualized Health Planning sessions (IHPs), which begin October 4. Sign up and participate in a series of six face-to-face health planning sessions with an experienced wellness consultant, who will customize a plan to help you achieve your personal health and wellness goals.
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IHPs are a benefit of your UA Health In Action program, provided at no out-of-pocket cost to you. Program participation is limited, and sessions are filling-up fast.� Register today by visiting www.uahealthinaction.com

Fall is a great time to get fit, so your Health In Action Team has put together a variety of fitness activities to help you stay active during this transitional time of year. Some classes require registration, as class size is limited. To register, click on the link in your area below, or visit www.uahealthinaction.com.
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YOGA
Anchorage <http://www.winforalaska.com/UAHealthInAction/HIA/FallAnch.html#1>
Juneau� <http://www.winforalaska.com/UAHealthInAction/HIA/FallJun.html#1>

TAI CHI
Anchorage <http://www.winforalaska.com/UAHealthInAction/HIA/FallAnch.html#2>
Fairbanks <http://www.winforalaska.com/UAHealthInAction/HIA/FallFbks.html#2>

PILATES
Anchorage <http://www.winforalaska.com/UAHealthInAction/HIA/FallAnch.html#3>
Fairbanks <http://www.winforalaska.com/UAHealthInAction/HIA/FallFbks.html#1>
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Presented by WIN for Alaska, Inc.
Your UA Health In Action Wellness Program provider.
www.uahealthinaction.com

The Statewide Office of Human Resources, Training and Development calendar is posted at www.alaska.edu/hrtraining and identifies additional details about the following items:�

Wednesday Webinars by ComPsych Corporation
The training calendar is posted at www.alaska.edu/hrtraining and has been updated to include webinars through March, 2011.� The following webinars are scheduled for November and December, 2010:

• November 3 @ 11:00 am - How to Receive Criticism and Make it Work for You
• November 17@ 12:00 pm – 10 Strategies for Improving Your Finances
• December 1 @ 11:00am – Handling Conflict and Managing Anger
• December 15 @ 12:00 pm – The Successful Single Parent

The webinars are generally 45 minutes in length and are open to University of Alaska employees system-wide. There are no fees to attend a ComPsych webinar, although supervisory approval is needed if the webinar takes place during the employee’s work hours. Employees may join these webinars from any computer and telephone. A toll-free number is provided to join the audio portion of the webinar.�

To register for a webinar, select the desired training event on the training calendar and enter your name, email address, telephone number and click “submit.” Registered participants receive a reminder email and the webinar handouts 24-48 hours prior to the webinar.�

SkillSoft Update – UA Employee e-learning
When an employee has a question about using SkillSoft resources, an answer is usually sent to the employee who submitted the question. Occasionally a tip or additional information will be posted onto the e-learning page to benefit other end users.� An example of a recent question is described below.

Q.� Is there is a way to get notified when SkillSoft resources are added or updated?
A.� You can update your account to receive an email when book titles are added to the Books24x7 Collection.� After you log into your SkillSoft / UA account:

1. Select Books24x7 (located either at the top of the webpage or under “Shortcuts”� at the left margin of your screen)
2. This will take you to another screen (into the Books24x7 resources)
3. Select the tab, “Account Info” (located near the top of the screen)�
4. On the left margin under “Settings” click on “Email Options”
5. Under the dropdown menu, select “All new titles”
6. Click “Update”

Screenshots on the above steps have been added to the e-learning webpage.

Online courses added or updated by SkillSoft are not available via email.� However, a catalog and list of courses will be updated periodically on the UA Employee e-learning webpage.�

If you have any questions about the above events or information, please contact Anne Sakumoto at (907) 786-1432� anne.sakumoto@alaska.edu or Nick Whitmore at (907) 786-1411 syaslr@email.alaska.edu�
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Keep up-to-date on current wellness benefits and be inspired by healthy lifestyle tips through the UA Health Link. This online newsletter provides monthly updates on IHP programs, wellness breaks, current incentive programs and more. If you missed this month's issue, read it HERE.