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Human Resources Services

News to Use – May 2023

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

Service Awards – McMaster University is fortunate to have long serving staff members who have contributed to making McMaster one of the top universities in the world. It is important that employees are acknowledged for their significant contributions, and McMaster’s Service Awards Celebration is a platform for showing appreciation for the great work employees contribute to.

Congratulations to all those who are celebrating a service milestone. To view all of those celebrating a milestone, visit our webpage.

President’s Awards Celebration – This year, McMaster honours 47 nominees and recipients of the President’s Awards for Outstanding Service in 2022.  These employees are being recognized by members of the McMaster community as having made an outstanding contribution to the mission of the University. A list of nominees and recipients, along with the nomination biographies, are now available on the President’s Awards website.

Join us! All members of the McMaster community are invited and encouraged to attend the in-person celebration to honour this year’s nominees and recipients. President David Farrar will present awards to the recipients:

June 1, 2023 
McMaster University Student Centre, CIBC Banquet Hall (3rd floor) 
1 – 4 p.m. 

The Working Mind Mental Health Training – Human Resource Services, in collaboration with McMaster’s Okanagan Committee, is pleased to be offering The Working Mind mental health training for faculty, staff and leaders.  This training directly supports our shared purpose of promoting and contributing to a healthy and safe community at McMaster University.

The Working Mind is an evidence-based training program designed to promote mental health and reduce stigma around mental illness in the workplace by initiating a shift in the way you think, act, and feel about mental health.  The training offers practical knowledge and skills to address mental health and mental illness in the workplace.  Three core modules offer the same foundational content to both employee and people leader participants and an additional module focuses on helping leaders support their teams’ mental health.

Currently, sessions are being offered for people leaders and additional sessions will be added for employees in the coming months.  To learn more about the program and register for an upcoming course, please vising https://hr.mcmaster.ca/twm.

Upcoming course dates:

June 19 and 21: 10 a.m. – 3:30 p.m.  

July 31 and Aug 1: 10 a.m. – 3:30 p.m. 

August 22 and 23: 10 a.m. – 3:30 p.m. 

Top 3 HR Questions

  1. How do I request HR Security Access?​

An HR Security Profile determines what HR Modules a user has access to. The HR Security matrix includes information about what access each of the profiles provides.  Please review this matrix to help you determine which HR Security Profile is required for the user to perform the function of their role. To submit a HR Security access request, please complete the HR Access Request JIRA ad select the kind of security that is required. ​

  1. When do my benefit entitlements reset for the year? ​

The benefit year runs from July 1st to June 30th. This means that each year between July 1st- June 30th you have access to your full benefit entitlements. For example, your annual massage entitlement will reset to the full entitlement amount on July 1st. You have until September 30, 2023 to submit any benefit claims for the entitlement year ending on June 30, 2023.  Please review the Sun Life Benefit Information if you have any questions surrounding the benefit claim procedure. ​

  1. Can I remove or edit an employee’s absence entry?​

When an absence has been submitted (or approved) changes can be made by simply adjusting the reported absence. On the employee’s timesheet please open the Absence tab . If you are cancelling the absence, select edit then check off the cancel box then submit. If you are modifying an existing entry, on the timesheet absence tab you will see an edit button that allows you to modify the start and end date of the absence then you will need to press submit. After resubmission, the modified absence will be routed to the appropriate approver. If you ever require support with reporting absences, please refer to the Guide on the Time Reporting & Payroll webpage. ​

Year End Performance Review for TMG:  Reminder of Important Dates and Resources – As the 2022/2023 TMG performance year draws to a close, it is time to complete year-end performance reviews and the annual salary review process.  Key dates and resources to support the TMG Achievement Program, are provided below:

  • Year-end performance reviews – by June 9th  
  • Employee completes self-evaluation in the ePerformance module in Mosaic
  • Supervisor meets with employee for performance review discussion (ideally 30 to 60 minutes)
  • Supervisor records assessment feedback in the ePerformance module in Mosaic
  • Merit recommendations input into Hyperion – June 12 to 23
  • Review and approval of merit recommendations – June 26 to July 7
  • Employee communications – by July 28
  • Merit increases are effective July 9 and will first appear in the July 28 pay deposit
  • Annual goals for 2023/2024 – June 1 to September 30

Key Resources to support you and your team include: 

If you have any questions or require additional support during this time, please contact your HR representative.

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