Tag: Workplace

  • Retirement Plan Changes and Workplace Protections for Pregnant Workers Included in Fiscal Year 2023 Omnibus Bill – CUPA-HR

    Retirement Plan Changes and Workplace Protections for Pregnant Workers Included in Fiscal Year 2023 Omnibus Bill – CUPA-HR

    by CUPA-HR | January 10, 2023

    On December 29, 2022, President Biden signed the $1.7 trillion Consolidated Appropriations Act of 2023 (omnibus bill) to fund the federal government through fiscal year 2023 (FY 2023). Given the “must-pass” nature of the bill, the omnibus bill also served as a vehicle for policy unrelated to government funding that was unlikely to pass as a standalone bill in Congress. Below outlines some of the highlights that will impact higher education generally and human resources specifically.

    SECURE 2.0

    Notably, the new law includes changes to the access and use of individual retirement funds. Provisions from a package of retirement-related bills, referred to as SECURE 2.0, were ultimately included in the final omnibus package. Specifically, the new law included the following provisions, in addition to others not listed here:

    • Automatic 401(k) and 403(b) plan enrollment: The new law requires employers to automatically enroll employees into newly created 401(k) and 403(b) retirement plans at a rate between 3 to 10 percent of eligible wages. Employees will then have the option to opt out of the enrollment. Employers with 10 or fewer employees and companies in business for less than three years are excluded from this requirement.
    • Expanded eligibility for part-time employees: The law requires employers to provide the option to participate in employer retirement plans for part-time employees who work between 500 and 999 hours for at least two consecutive years (lowered from three consecutive years previously required).
    • Emergency expenses and savings accounts: Employees would be allowed to withdraw up to $1,000 from retirement accounts for qualified emergency expenses without facing early withdrawal penalties if the worker is under 59.5 years old. Additionally, the law allows employers to offer employees an emergency savings account through payroll deductions for amounts up to $2,500.
    • Matching employer contributions for student loan payments: Employers will be allowed to make contributions to their company retirement plan on behalf of employees who are paying student loans and are not contributing to a retirement account as a result.
    • Roth treatment of employer contributions: The new law grants employers the option to amend their retirement plans and allow employees to choose their employer’s matching and non-elective contributions to be made as Roth contributions.
    • Multiple Employer and Pooled Employer Plans for 403(b) plans: The new law allows employers to participate in Multiple Employer Plans (MEPs) and Pooled Employer Plans (PEPs) for 403(b) plans.

    The final law also included several changes to individual activity with respect to their retirement plans, including an increase to the “catch-up” contribution limits of up to $10,000 for older retirement savers and an increase to the age an individual is required to begin taking minimum distributions from their retirement accounts, which is now effective at age 73 and effective at age 75 effective in 2033.

    Workplace Protections for Pregnant Workers

    Additionally, Congress was able to agree on the inclusion of the Pregnant Workers Fairness Act (PWFA) and the Providing Urgent Maternal Protections (PUMP) for Nursing Mothers in the omnibus bill.

    Pregnant Workers Fairness Act

    Passed by the House in May 2021, the PWFA specifically declares that it is an unlawful employment practice for employers with 15 or more employees to do any of the following:

    • fail to make reasonable accommodations to known limitations of such employees unless the accommodation would impose an undue hardship on an entity’s business operation;
    • require a qualified employee affected by such condition to accept an accommodation other than any reasonable accommodation arrived at through an interactive process;
    • deny employment opportunities based on the need of the entity to make such reasonable accommodations to a qualified employee;
    • require such employees to take paid or unpaid leave if another reasonable accommodation can be provided; or
    • take adverse action in terms, conditions or privileges of employment against a qualified employee requesting or using such reasonable accommodations.

    Though the bill enjoyed bipartisan support in both the House and Senate, Republicans opposed bringing the bill to a Senate vote without the inclusion of a religious exemption for employers. Such exemptions were provided in the omnibus bill’s version of the PWFA, ultimately helping lead to its passage.

    PUMP for Nursing Mothers Act

    The PUMP for Nursing Mothers Act passed the House of Representatives in October 2021 with bipartisan support. The bill aims to amend the Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA) to expand access to breastfeeding accommodations in the workplace for lactating employees and builds upon existing protections in the 2010 Breaktime for Nursing Mothers Act by broadening breastfeeding accommodations and workplace protections. In the new law, the PUMP for Nursing Mothers Act is expanded to include salaried employees exempt from overtime pay requirements under the FLSA as well as other categories of employees currently exempt from such protections, such as teachers, nurses and farmworkers. It also clarifies that break time provided under this bill is considered compensable hours worked so long as the worker is not completely relieved of duty during such breaks, and it ensures remedies for nursing mothers for employer violations of the bill.

    Similar to the PWFA, the PUMP for Nursing Mothers Act did not reach a Senate floor vote, leaving the omnibus bills as one of the last options for passage before the 117th Congress’s term expired.

    Immigration Provisions

    Due to the situation at the southern border, the new law excluded any major immigration overhauls, such as the Equal Access to Green cards for Legal Employment (EAGLE) Act, which would have addressed the immigration visa backlog and made changes to the H-1B visa program. Additionally, protections for the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) program and Dreamers that have been threatened by recent court decisions were not included in the final bill enacted into law.

    Despite the exclusion of important reforms, the new law reauthorized several expiring immigration programs that are already utilized by institutions of higher education, including additional funds for the E-Verify program.

    Higher Education Funding

    Several provisions were included in the omnibus package that will increase funding for a variety of higher education programs. Notably, the bill includes a $500 increase to the maximum Pell Grant a recipient can receive, raising the total to $7,395 for the 2023-24 award year. Additionally, the bill included funding increases for Federal Work-Study grants, Title III and V programs, Postsecondary Student Success Grants, and the TRIO and GEAR UP programs.

    CUPA-HR will continue to analyze the provisions included in the FY 2023 funding bill and will keep members apprised of any additional noteworthy provisions included in the law.



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  • Build Psychological Safety and Fun Into the Workplace to Reduce Overwork and Burnout – CUPA-HR

    Build Psychological Safety and Fun Into the Workplace to Reduce Overwork and Burnout – CUPA-HR

    by CUPA-HR | September 28, 2022

    In the wake of the Great Resignation and talent recruitment challenges, heavy workloads have led to stress and burnout for some employees. One way higher ed HR pros can help identify sources of stress and mitigate burnout is by considering employees’ work environments. Are invisible pressures placed on employees, causing team members to downplay or hide their concerns about heavy workloads, or can employees be honest about their concerns and feel comfortable bringing their whole selves to work each day? How would employees describe the atmosphere where they work? Are levity and humor weaved into the workday, or is the lack of levity contributing to feelings of being overwhelmed?

    In the recent CUPA-HR virtual workshop, How to Manage Unmanageable Workloads, presenter Jennifer Moss explained how building psychological safety and bringing the fun back to work can reduce the impact of overwork and burnout. So what is psychological safety, and how can HR integrate it and the elements of fun and play into the workplace?

    Increase Psychological Safety

    “Psychological safety is the ability to reveal one’s true self and opinions without fear that doing so will lead to negative repercussions in terms of reputation, career, status or relationships with others,” explains Why Psychological Safety Matters Now More Than Ever, an article in the Spring 2021 issue of Higher Ed HR Magazine. Teams with high psychological safety see more open conversations between team members and managers about their work. They feel comfortable sharing honestly because they know they won’t be punished simply for doing so.

    Read the article to learn how HR pros can elevate psychological safety in the workplace by attending to systems and structures, supporting employees to forge connections, and fostering a learning orientation.

    Bring Back the Fun

    Although HR has much serious work to do, leaders can look for opportunities to incorporate fun, where appropriate. The application of fun and play has been shown to reduce stress and feelings of burnout while also improving creativity and productivity in working environments. Having fun at work has shown to have a positive impact on employee morale, engagement and camaraderie, all of which collectively have an influence on an organization’s culture. Here are some ideas to bring back the fun and stimulate play in the workplace.

    Encourage Humor

    Similar to incorporating more fun into the workplace, there are also plenty of benefits to weaving humor into the workplace. This element of work is sometimes considered non-essential but has many emotional and physical benefits that make us happier and healthier at work. Humor builds trust in relationships; a culture where it’s okay to admit failure; and happier, healthier employees. Learn how to conduct a humor audit to analyze where your workplace humor went right and ways to use it more effectively.

    Related resources:

    Health and Well-Being Toolkit (CUPA-HR members-only toolkit)

    How to Bring the Fun at Work (Higher Ed Workplace Blog)



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  • Uncovering Workplace Barriers by Auditing the DEI Experience – CUPA-HR

    Uncovering Workplace Barriers by Auditing the DEI Experience – CUPA-HR

    by CUPA-HR | April 20, 2022

    Detecting bias can be a challenge, particularly when it comes to long-standing practices that are firmly rooted in our campus culture and systems. Left unchecked, these routine practices may create unintended barriers to inclusion and belonging.

    In the recent CUPA-HR virtual workshop, “Detecting Systemic Bias in Talent Practices,” Dr. Aarti Shyamsunder, DEI solutions consultant at YSC Consulting, and Pooja Shahani, founder and CEO of Kintsugi Consulting, discussed methods higher ed HR practitioners can use to pinpoint these barriers to inclusion. One method is to audit the DEI experience at your institution by reflecting on the following questions to determine who is present, who is participating and who holds the power.

    • Who runs things? Who are the individuals that make decisions? Who are the leaders? Who sits on the board? Do they all look the same? Is there a pattern in who gets to run things?
    • Who does the office “housework?” Who organizes team outings and takes meeting notes? Are these individuals recognized for their work? Women in the workforce often take on these additional duties.
    • Who gets credit? Are team members receiving praise and recognition for their contributions to a job well done? In academia, this could include whose name gets listed first on research or other academic work.
    • Who knows whom? Is there a pattern of individuals who know each other who receive more information and therefore have more opportunities to progress?
    • Who is speaking? Who gets to take space in a room? Is there an obvious difference in how often men in the room speak versus women?
    • Who gets development opportunities? Who are the individuals who get access to high-visibility roles that end up becoming senior-level positions? Who is being invested in?
    • Whose experience matters? “Covering” is a term that means downplaying our identities. What kind of covering demands (often unspoken) do we make of people so they feel compelled to change themselves in order to belong?
    • Who gets invalidated? Whose presence and voice are missing from meetings?

    Exploring long-standing practices through the lenses of various campus stakeholders is essential to creating a higher ed workplace that is both inclusive and welcoming. Look for ways you and your team can audit employee experiences and uncover barriers at your institution.

    Related resources:

    Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Toolkit (CUPA-HR members-only resource)

    DEI Maturity Index

    Diversity Resources

    Diversity and Inclusion Start With the Hiring Process: Two Institutions Getting It Right (The Higher Ed Workplace Blog)



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  • Tools to Build a Harassment-Free Higher Ed Workplace – CUPA-HR

    Tools to Build a Harassment-Free Higher Ed Workplace – CUPA-HR

    by CUPA-HR | March 30, 2022

    Sexual violence is a multi-faceted and difficult topic. Higher ed institutions either enter the conversation before an event of sexual violence has occurred or after it has occurred, leaving the institution scrambling for answers to the campus community as to why it happened in the first place.

    As part of upcoming Sexual Assault Awareness Month (April), we’re highlighting some CUPA-HR resources that share first-hand experiences from some higher ed institutions and the strategies and trainings they’ve used to respond to and approach the topic of sexual violence on campus.

    Strategies to Create a Harassment-Free Workplace

    In an article in the spring 2020 issue of Higher Ed HR Magazine, UMass Lowell detailed how they addressed concerns about a sexual harassment complaint the university received several years prior that spurred anger among students, faculty and staff. Questions were raised as to how decisions were made following the violation, whether the sanctions were sufficiently severe and what steps were taken to mitigate risk of recurrence.

    In response, the chancellor convened a task force to review the university’s Title IX policies and procedures, educational efforts, culture and climate, and communications on these issues, and to make a set of recommendations to the executive cabinet for future improvements. Read the full article to learn about how the task force practiced transparency, built trust among the community and key themes that emerged in the recommendations from the task force: A Matter of Trust: Strategies for Creating a Harassment-Free Workplace

    Impactful, Engaging In-Person Sexual Harassment Training

    While training alone isn’t the answer to creating a harassment-free environment, it certainly should be part of an institution’s broader strategy. However, in order to make an impact, the training must be engaging, insightful, interactive and relatable — and sitting at a desk clicking through an online training module or watching a video about workplace harassment is anything but engaging. With an in-person training approach, participants can ask questions, engage one another in dialogue, and connect to the content, making the messaging more likely to stick.

    Explore the benefits of and barriers to in-person sexual harassment training, as well as examples of interactive in-person training activities in the article A Thoughtful Approach: How to Conduct Impactful, Engaging In-Person Sexual Harassment Training.

    Additional Sexual Harassment Resources

    CUPA-HR’s Title IX and Sexual Harassment Toolkit is a great place to check out what other institutions are doing to mitigate sexual harassment and misconduct. The toolkit highlights sexual harassment and reporting policies, trainings and other tools for HR pros.

    By tapping into these resources, higher ed institutions can positions themselves as those that prioritize prevention over reaction when it comes to sexual violence on campus.

    Related resources:

    How Institutions Are Leveraging Partnerships and Education to Address Sexual Harassment and As

    4 Ways to Mitigate Risk Related to Sexual Misconduct and Harassment on Campus

    Sexual Harassment Resources



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  • Workplace Eye Wellness Month: How HR Can Help Employees With Low Vision or Vision Loss – CUPA-HR

    Workplace Eye Wellness Month: How HR Can Help Employees With Low Vision or Vision Loss – CUPA-HR

    by Jill Thompson | March 22, 2022

    Whether it was logging overtime behind laptops before work-from-home boundaries were put in place or turning to mobile phones and tablets for entertainment during lockdowns, many of us recognized the uptick in screen time during the height of the pandemic. Our eyes likely noticed the uptick too by feeling increasingly strained.

    March is Workplace Eye Wellness month, so we’re highlighting some tips from Prevent Blindness to help keep screen time in check and lessen eye strain at work and at home.

    • Screen time: Try to decrease the amount of time spent in front of screens and/or take frequent breaks to give your eyes a rest.
    • Use the 20-20-20 rule: Every 20 minutes, take a 20-second break and look at something 20 feet away.
    • Filters: Screen filters are available for smart phones, tablets and computer screens. They decrease the amount of blue light given off from these devices that could reach the retina in the eyes.
    • Anti-reflective lenses: Anti-reflective lenses reduce glare and increase contrast and also block blue light from the sun and digital devices.
    • Intraocular lens (IOL): After cataract surgery, the cloudy lens will be replaced with an intraocular lens (IOL). The lens naturally protects the eye from almost all ultraviolet light and some blue light. There are types of IOLs that can protect the eye and retina from blue light.

    Visit Prevent Blindness for more information and resources on eye and vision health.

    HR Perspective

    From the human resources perspective, HR practitioners can help employees who are experiencing vision loss or low vision. Employees experiencing a decrease in vision may have difficulty completing paperwork, reading standard-size print, discerning regular or colored font on computer screens, or locating the cursor, all of which impact productivity at work.

    In the Disability in the Workplace toolkit in CUPA-HR’s Knowledge Center, Mississippi State University’s HR guide offers plenty of creative low-tech and high-tech accommodations for employees with low vision:

    Low-tech accommodations:

    • Place tactile dots on controls on equipment, such as the telephone, a copier, the microwave in the breakroom, etc. so that an individual who is blind or visually impaired can determine which buttons perform different functions.
    • Place a braille sticker on an employee’s mail slot to identify it.
    • Increase or decrease lighting in an office or cubicle to increase visibility or reduce glare.
    • Cover a window to reduce glare.
    • Provide extra floor space in a cubicle to accommodate a guide dog.

    High-tech accommodations:

    • Implement screen reading or screen magnification software to allow an employee who is blind or has low vision to complete computer tasks.
    • Provide a larger monitor or dual monitors to allow an individual with low vision greater access to visual information.
    • Implement a braille display paired with the computer or an iPad or used independently to allow vision-impaired employees to take notes and recall information.
    • Provide a video magnifier to increase the size of print and enhance the contrast of printed materials.
    • Provide optical character recognition hardware or software to capture print information and translate it to audio output.

    To read the full guide and explore other disability inclusion examples from higher ed, visit the Disability in the Workplace toolkit (CUPA-HR members only resource).



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  • House Passes Bill to Increase Workplace Protections for Nursing Mothers – CUPA-HR

    House Passes Bill to Increase Workplace Protections for Nursing Mothers – CUPA-HR

    by CUPA-HR | October 26, 2021

    On October 22, 2021, the House of Representatives passed H.R.3110, the Providing Urgent Maternal Protections (PUMP) for Nursing Mothers Act. The bill passed by a bipartisan vote of 276-149 and was supported by business groups such as the U.S. Chamber of Commerce and advocacy organizations, including the American Civil Liberties Union.

    As originally written, the PUMP for Nursing Mothers Act amends the Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA) to expand access to breastfeeding accommodations in the workplace for lactating employees. The bill builds upon existing protections in the 2010 Breaktime for Nursing Mothers Act by broadening breastfeeding accommodations and workplace protections to include salaried employees exempt from overtime pay requirements under the FLSA as well as other categories of employees currently exempt from such protections, such as teachers, nurses and farmworkers. It also clarifies that break time provided under this bill is considered compensable hours worked so long as the worker is not completely relieved of duty during such breaks, and it ensures remedies for nursing mothers for employer violations of the bill.

    Before the final vote on the bill, the House also adopted two additional amendments to the PUMP for Nursing Mothers Act that would:

    • Direct the Government Accountability Office (GAO) to conduct a study on compliance among covered employers, including employee awareness of their rights and proposals to improve compliance; and
    • Direct the Comptroller General of GAO to conduct a study on what is known about the racial disparities that exist with respect to access to pumping breastmilk in the workplace and submit to Congress a report on the results of such study containing such recommendations as the Comptroller General determines appropriate to address those disparities.

    The House-passed bill now moves to the Senate where it is unknown whether or not the bill will garner enough support from Republicans to bypass the sixty-vote filibuster threshold needed to pass.

    CUPA-HR will keep members apprised of any actions or votes taken by the Senate on this bill.



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