The University of Tennessee is committed to facilitating a workplace culture that promotes responsible and ethical behavior. A new code of conduct, applicable to University of Tennessee employees, has been revised for two purposes:

• To better facilitate a UT workplace culture that promotes responsible and ethical behavior
• To better facilitate University compliance with standards established by federal guidelines

The code does not replace existing University policies but supplements and clarifies procedures and rules in areas such as respecting others, reporting violations and avoiding conflicts of interest.

To learn more about the code, please visit www.tennessee.edu/code

To view HRO 580 Code of Conduct, please visit University Policies

Your W-2 (Employee Wage and Tax Statement) form for tax year 2012 is now available online. You will also be receiving a paper W-2 form by the end of January. If you do not receive this paper form, or need to re-print it for any reason, you may now do so by visiting the site listed below. In addition to tax year 2012, you may view, print, and download W-2 forms for any year back to 2002.

In order to access your online W-2 forms, please visit https://utap1.tennessee.edu/irj/portal/W-2 and sign on using your university NetID and password. This is the same ID and password used to access the online pay statements.  The employee notice for the information on the back of the W-2 form is available from http://payroll.tennessee.edu/employeenotice.htm

For assistance with NetID’s and passwords, please visit http://payroll.tennessee.edu/paystatements/netid.htm . The technical requirements for the W-2 forms are the same as those for the online pay statements and are available from http://payroll.tennessee.edu/paystatements/Technical-QA.pdf

University policy requires that all regular University employees be provided with “the opportunity to discuss job performance with supervisors in order to enhance effectiveness as University employees and to facilitate both the establishment and the accomplishment of goals and objectives.”  When used effectively, the performance review can clarify expectations, identify opportunities for staff development, improve communication, enhance job satisfaction, and increase motivation. Regular University staff members who have completed their six-month probationary period should have a face-to-face meeting with their supervisor at least once annually to discuss their performance and identify opportunities for professional development and organizational improvement.

Procedure:

All non-faculty staff should receive a face-to-face review of their performance on an annual basis. Employees on approved leave of absence should be evaluated within one month of return from leave. Newly hired staff should receive an evaluation of their general performance and a review of prospective goals and development opportunities at the end of their six-month probationary period.

Members of the Chancellor’s Executive Team have established review periods and due dates for each division according to the schedule below:

Department Heads, Directors and other unit supervisors seeking an alternative review period or due date, should consult with division Vice Chancellor and communicate such revisions to the Office of Human Resources.

Department Heads and Unit administrators should insure that all regular staff (exempt and non-exempt) in their area of responsibility complete Part I of the SPDR form (Staff Self-Assessment and Development Proposal) and that each employee has a personal interview with his/her supervisor to review Part II (Performance Review Summary) and Part III (Overall Evaluation and Individual Development Plan). During this face-to-face meeting there should be a discussion of performance during review period, goals, and opportunities for development. The original of the completed SPDR form with appropriate signatures should be forwarded to the Office of Human Resources.

The Optional Performance Improvement Plan can be used by supervisors after completing Part II – The Performance Review Summary section of the SPDR to address areas needing attention with employees receiving overall ratings of Sometimes Achieves Expectations or Rarely Achieves Expectations on the summary form. It also provides an opportunity to discuss specific improvements needed for employees to Fully Achieve Expectations.

The Optional Administrator, Supervisor or Peer Review Form allows supervisors to collect feedback about an employee’s performance from those who work with the employee. This document can serve as a 360- degree review instrument. The form should be completed at the supervisor’s request and returned to the supervisor.

The optional forms and the current version of the SPDR form for 2013 are posted on the HR website at: http://www.utc.edu/Administration/HumanResources/Forms/

The government reduction in Social Security payroll taxes (“tax holiday”) ended Dec. 31, 2012. The employee tax rate for Social Security will return to 6.2% from 4.2%, resulting in 2 percent less in after-tax pay beginning in the first January 2013 paycheck. This tax break was not extended in the Act passed by Congress on Jan. 1, 2013.

 Estimated 2 percent increase for Social Security Payroll Taxes:

Additional Medicare Tax On Wages Over $200,000

The current Medicare tax rate of 1.45% will continue continue for 2013, but an additional Medicare tax of .09% will be withheld on wages paid  to an employee in excess of $200,000 during the calendar year.

Federal Withholding Tax Rates

The Act maintains the current income tax rates for individuals earning up to $400,000 and families earning less than $450,000. The maximum marginal rate for employees making more than these amounts will now be 39.6% up from 35%.

The 2012 Service Award recipients will be honored with a luncheon on Tuesday, November 27 at 11:30 AM in the Tennessee Room, University Center. View a list of the 2012 Service Award Honorees