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Human Resources Services

News to Use – April 2023

News to Use is a monthly summary of HR information for all employees of McMaster University.  

 

HR Strategy – Community Engagement Session – In fall 2022, Human Resources Services initiated a review of our existing operational strategy as we looked to align key areas of focus with the new McMaster strategic framework and arising priorities. Based on the combined feedback and themes gathered to date across our university community, a new HR Vision as well as a refreshed HR Mission and Strategic Priorities has been drafted which looks forward for the 2023-to-2027-time horizon. 

Human Resources is now sharing these drafts for feedback as we move toward creating our finalized strategy. In addition to targeted feedback sessions, we are providing the opportunity for community engagement sessions. 

Please join us at our upcoming community engagement session during which we will review this renewed content in further detail together and ask for your participation in facilitated small group discussions to gain your insights and perspectives on related content as we look to formalize details by June 2023.  

Click here to register for the session on Friday May 5, 2023 – 9:00-10:30 a.m. 

 2023 Group RRSP Annual General Meeting  – The Annual General Meeting (AGM) is intended for active employees enrolled in the Group RRSP.   

During the AGM, Desjardins will review:  

  •              Roles and Responsibilities 
  •              Understanding the McMaster Group RRSP  
  •              Review of Portfolio Performance 
  •              Managing Your Investments 
  •              Understanding the Desjardins website and Member Portal 
  •              What happens when you leave McMaster: Payment Options  

  Top 3 HR Questions  – We are pleased to share the Top 3 questions and responses received by HR during the month of April. 

  1. When should I approve and not approve absences?

The absence approving deadline mirrors the time approving deadline: Monday at 3pm of the payday week. On Stat Holiday weeks, the approval deadline is typically one business day early, for example it is Friday at 3pm (a week before the payday) instead of the Monday at 3pm. Avoid approving beyond the 3pm deadline of the payday week as any absences approved after this time will negatively impact an employee’s pay (i.e., the employee will be short paid). We should avoid approving any pending absences after 3pm on Monday to end of day Thursday of the payday week. Starting Friday morning of the pay deposit day is when we start approving absences again. 

 2. What is the entitlement for statutory holidays? (ESA vs Exception Hourly) 

ESA – Stat holiday pay entitlements are calculated in accordance with the Employment Standards Act (ESA) and its regulations. The amount of stat holiday pay an employee is entitled to varies between employees as it is dependent upon the regular wages the employee earned and any vacation pay that was payable in the 4 work weeks prior to the work week in which the public holiday fell, divided by 20. Please refer to the Ontario Employment Standards Act for further information on stat holiday pay. 

Exception Hourly – These employees would be paid at their regular rate and regularly scheduled hours for a Statutory Holiday. The system will automatically generate the Stat holiday entitlement for each group (according to any applicable Collective Bargaining Agreements). 

  1. What is the Pre-Hire Mac ID and who can access this tool?

The Pre-Hire Mac ID eForm will expedite provisioning of the Mac ID to new employees during the ‘pre-hire’ stage to enable departments to initiate system access in preparation for the employees start date. The eForm can be used for all employee groups, except for TAs and work-study/summer students, as these employees already have their Mac IDs provisioned via their student record in Mosaic Campus Solutions (resoures linked here).  

Managers, Administrators and HR teams have access to use the Pre-Hire Mac ID tool. This process can be completed 6 months in advance of a Faculty member’s start date, and 1 month in advance of a staff member’s start date.  

Questions? Call Human Resources at extension 222-HR or email us at hr.mcmaster@mcmaster.ca. You can also visit our website: https://hr.mcmaster.ca/    

 News To Use