Matthew Leet, the Chief Engineer for Building Services, asks Franklin Building staff to go easy on the garbage disposals to avoid clogging the drains. Use the compost bins and trash receptacles for all but minimal amounts of food waste. Here’s what he has to say:

Garbage disposals: A bit of a misnomer

All sinks in the Franklin Building kitchens are equipped with a garbage disposal for the convenience of a speedy clean up, but did you know that the term “garbage disposal” does not come with an explicit license to dump garbage wholesale down the sink? It’s true!

A slightly abnormal radish or shrimp tail might make its way down, but it’s a guarantee that if we attempt to dispose of all our food debris down the disposal we will eventually have to roll up our sleeves and get down and dirty. That’s because too much food debris down the disposal can clog the plumbing — and I’m sure you’ve guessed that by “we,” I mean “me” and by “me,” I mean “Olen and me.”

Each kitchen also is equipped with its own compost wastebasket, the white trash can, right next to the recycling bin and garbage can. Please use our compost wastebaskets for leftover food instead of trying to feed it down the garbage disposal. Then, feel free to rinse any remaining strands down the disposal.

Because old habits die hard and because I like to make lists, I offer you the following list of items that should never be put down the disposal:

• Coffee grounds
• Paper products
• String or rope
• Plants or other nonedible vegetation
• Foil or other metal
• Glass or plastic
• Overdue books or DVDs
• Unwanted toys
• Laundry
• Chemicals or solvents
• A whole container of week-old noodles
• A head of romaine lettuce
• Your keys or security badge

In summary, don’t be fooled by the term “garbage disposal.” Like many things in life, it turns out that YOU are the garbage disposal, and that thing underneath the sink is just a fallible appliance connected to an iron pipe that eventually gets clogged and really nasty.

If you have any questions about the garbage disposal, or any of the above, don’t hesitate to contact me, Matthew Leet in Building Services, at 7-6102.

Faculty, staff and UC will contribute more to the UC Retirement Plan (UCRP) beginning July 1.

Rates for most faculty and staff will rise to 3.5 percent of pay, up from roughly 2 percent for most employees. The university will pay 7 percent of pay, up from 4 percent. The amount will increase again in July 2012, with employees paying 5 percent and UC paying 10 percent.

Faculty and staff will see the increased contributions reflected in their regular paychecks for July earnings, which are available between July 20 and August 6, depending on whether employees are paid biweekly, monthly or another cycle. All employee contributions are pre-tax.

The new contribution levels affect only active members of the UCRP and are subject to collective bargaining for represented employees.

The Regents approved the increases last fall as part of a plan to address UCRP’s unfunded liability.

For almost 20 years, until the spring of 2010, UC and its faculty and staff did not pay into the retirement plan because the plan maintained a surplus. But a combination of factors – steep market losses, the lack of contributions and changing demographics  – led to a deficit.

Until UC and its employees together begin contributing enough to cover the annual increase in cost for active members (in excess of 17 percent of pay), the pension program’s  current $14 billion unfunded liability will grow, adding to the pressures on UC’s operating budget.

In the past year, the Regents have taken a number of actions to address the pension shortfall.  Those actions include establishing a new tier of benefits for employees hired beginning July 1, 2013, and approving internal borrowing options to better  fund the pension plan.

Learn more about UCRP and Regents actions to reduce the plan’s unfunded liability at the Future of UC Retirement Plan website.

The 2011 performance appraisal season is here.

Written evaluations documenting and rating the year’s performance for all UCOP employees — covering the period July 1, 2010, through June 30, 2011 — will be due Friday, September 16, 2011. But now is the time to start planning.

UCOP Local Human Resources has assembled a range of resources for managers, supervisors and employees to make the annual review process as straightforward, consistent and rewarding as possible.

HR staff will host a brown bag lunch on June 20, 12 to 1 p.m., in Franklin Lobby One Conference Room to discuss the role of those both giving and receiving performance reviews. The event will also be broadcast on Ustream TV.

“Performance reviews are an essential part of the work experience,” says John Fox, executive director of UCOP Local HR. “[They] give all of us a role in our own job satisfaction and career development as well as an opportunity to make UCOP a better place to work.”

The review, Fox says, should give each employee a clear picture of where he or she stands as well as guidance for future success in the job. Supervisors must be objective and respectful; where performance gaps do exist, the focus should be on giving advice for improvement.

Employees receiving reviews can make the most of the process by regarding it as an opportunity to clarify achievements they are proud of, areas they consider critical to their jobs and hurdles they have faced in achieving expectations as well as creating a collaborative relationship with their supervisor.

The review process is also the time for everyone to identify and discuss their goals for professional development and career growth.

Tools and resources for employees and managers
The best place to start is the UCOP Performance Appraisal website. There you will find links to evaluation forms, online courses, in-person class sessions, guidelines and policies.

Supervisors can take advantage of an online class, Leading the Annual Performance Review, as well as an online toolkit. New sessions of the four-hour class, Conducting Performance Appraisals, will be scheduled soon; look for announcements in Link and on bulletin boards for this and other upcoming classes.

HR staff also conduct learning sessions tailored to individual departments, giving managers and supervisors the benefit of consistent procedures and tools for conducting their reviews department-wide. If you would like to schedule a session for your department, contact Linda Klink at linda.klink@ucop.edu.

For employees, HR offers two online classes as well as class sessions in The Employee Role in Performance Appraisals, which will be offered throughout July and August at both the Franklin and Kaiser buildings. Check the Link calendar and bulletin boards for specific dates and locations.

The class emphasizes playing an active role in the evaluation process to ensure that it goes beyond an assessment to include a meaningful plan for professional development. It also provides tools employees can use year-round to manage the annual review process, including self-assessments, checklists and performance logs for documenting meetings, accomplishments and articulating goals and priorities.

Required elements and ratings
This year’s forms have been streamlined in response to feedback from managers and employees. Core competencies to be rated have been consolidated to make ratings more meaningful. However, departments with established procedures of their own may continue to use alternate forms for the annual reviews if they prefer.

Regardless of format, each employee’s review should cover the following elements:

1. What was accomplished, including performance goals and objectives with supporting data;
2. How accomplishments were achieved, including examples of projects and behaviors that demonstrate competency; and
3. An overall rating for each individual’s performance using the following five-point scale:

• Exceptional (5): Performance consistently exceeds expectations.
• Above expectations (4): Performance often exceeds expectations.
• Meets expectations (3): Performance consistently fulfills expectations.
• Improvement needed (2): Performance is inconsistent, with expectations only partially achieved; deficiencies should be explicitly addressed in the performance review.
• Unsatisfactory (1): Performance fails to achieve most expectations; deficiencies should be explicitly addressed in the performance review.

If you have questions, consult the website, attend the June 20 brown bag or contact your HR Business Partner.

Meet your candidates for the OP Staff Assembly Steering Committee, five staffers who are eager to join the volunteer organization dedicated to promoting the interests of all UCOP employees.

To vote, go to http://danr.ucop.edu/opstaffassembly/ and select your top four candidates. (Ballots with more than four candidates selected will be discarded.) The website includes the ballot and a statement and photo for each candidate.

Support the OP Staff Assembly by exercising your right to vote today! Voting is easy and conducted entirely online. All career staff are eligible to participate and can vote any time from now until 5 p.m., Friday, June 10.

Following are descriptions for each candidate and a brief statement (see the ballot for complete statements):

• Angela Cheng, capital asset accountant in Corporate Accounting, works to ensure proper accounting for various debt instruments at the university and the campuses: “I have not served in a staff governance capacity but am interested in serving as a steering committee member to break barriers to communication and to effect change. There is a lot to be learned about the organization and I believe that, in participating and if selected, I will not only serve the staff but become a better representative of the university.”

• Shelby Chin, coordinator for the Compensation Programs and Strategy team, just transferred to OP from UC Berkeley’s Haas Business School: “As a proud Berkeley alumna, I am extremely committed to the university system and its stakeholders. I would like to serve on the steering committee [to address] issues surrounding staff morale, recruiting and retention and professional development opportunities. If elected . . . I will leverage my event planning experience . . . and communication skills . . . to represent OP staff.”

• Gina Mortenson, executive assistant to the vice provost in Education Partnerships, has 25 years of experience in human resources: “I feel I can offer needed assistance in working to provide activities and forums that promote the interest and welfare of all staff employees at UCOP. Issues around professional development and activities that provide opportunities for staff to stay informed as well as to feel engaged are some of the issues I’d most like to help out with.”

• Jeanie Urban, personnel analyst in Labor/Employee Relations, has worked in labor relations, compensation and other HR-related areas: “I am aware of many challenges that the UC system faces, such as budget and employee morale, and I would like to be part of the solution for the local UCOP campus. If elected to the [OPSA steering committee], I will give 110 percent. . . . I would encourage employee participation and creativity in our approach to making this a better place to work in support of UCOP and the UC system.”

• Alex Zabelin, event planner in the BRC Event Services Group, has previously worked with research programs in breast cancer and HIV/AIDS: “I believe in life one needs to be a participant, not an observer. To the table I would bring my ambassadorship qualities, my organizational abilities and my commitment to roll up my sleeves and work. . . . [A]ctivities that promote social interaction, education and awareness would be beneficial to [OP’s] overarching culture, especially in light of the current budget situation.”

The four new members will begin their two-year term in July, with outgoing 2010–11 chair Andrea Gerstenberger being succeeded by Kenneth Feer. (See story in last week’s issue of Link.)

In addition to Gerstenberger, outgoing members include Trish Hare, Charleen Mininfield and Nancy Scott-Noennig. The Staff Assembly and the entire OP community thank them for their service and the important leadership role they have played on various committees and initiatives.

The OP Staff Assembly holds monthly meetings to which all career staff are invited. It is part of the Council of UC Staff Assemblies (CUCSA), the systemwide group consisting of staff from all UC campuses and Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory as well as OP. Ravinder Singh of UCOP is this year’s incoming systemwide CUCSA chair.

The first meeting of the OP Staff Assembly’s 2011–12 term will be held in 10325 Franklin Wednesday, July 13, 12 to 1 p.m. All staff are encourage to attend.

For more, go to the OP Staff Assembly website.