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HR Announcements

State Auditor's Office - email Notification

The State Auditor’s Office recently finished sending notifications via email to more than 1.3 million Washingtonians — including many state employees — whose personal information was exposed in a recent data breach. Those affected by the breach include individuals who received unemployment benefits from the Employment Security Department in the 2017 to 2020 time period. 

The Auditor’s Office is offering one year of free credit monitoring and identity protection services through Experian to anyone affected by the data breach.

Learn more about what to do if you were impacted, or if you did not receive an email message and believe you should have.

Let us know you've been vaccinated

Letting us know you’ve been fully vaccinated for COVID-19 is voluntary but will be incredibly helpful in evaluating Western’s “community immunity” and planning future onsite operations. You can let us know by completing the Vaccination Submission form.

Thank you for your continued dedication and efforts to keep Western safe.  And even after vaccination, don’t forget the three W’s:  Wear a mask.  Wash your hands.  Watch your distance.

Data Breach Message from HR

Unfortunately, Western was notified on 2/1/21 of a data breach that MAY impact Western employees. If you would like to learn more, please see the full message, which was sent by HR to all staff on 2/1/2021.

Open Enrollment Information for 2021

Open Enrollment ran from November 1-30, 2020, for plan changes effective January 1, 2021. The next Open Enrollment will be November 2021. 

In an effort to keep employee's health and safety a number one priority during the COVID-19 pandemic, and follow state guidelines for large gatherings, the Health Care Authority will not offer an in-person benefits fair in November. However, they have created a Virtual Benefits Fair, where you will find webinars, plan details, 2021 changes and more!

Learn more about open enrollment (November 1-30, 2020). Changes that have been made will go into effect January 1, 2021.

Human Resources has a new website

All of the information you are used to finding on the HR website is here, but organized slightly differently. To help you navigate, here are some highlights:

• You will find everything organized by topic under HR Services. Within this page, we have organized content by service line: Payroll, Benefits and Leaves, Labor Relations, Data and Analytics, Hiring, and Organizational and Talent Development.
• Supervisor resources can be found within the HR services pages by topic, or in the Employee Resources menu for Supervisors.
• For quick access to an item, check the A-Z index and locate it alphabetically.

Our hope is the new site will be easy to use and will enable everyone to readily locate the information they need. As this is a big change, we are very open to feedback and ready to assist anyone who would like help navigating the new site. Please feel free to reach out to Cara Bryant with your thoughts and questions.

Anti-racism Message and Resources

What can we do?  A question I have been asking myself following the recent tragic murders of George Floyd, Breonna Taylor, Ahmaud Arbery, and others in the Black Community.  First, let me express my personal outrage and that I stand in solidarity against injustice, racism, and discrimination.  While I can never put myself in the shoes of the Black community, nor truly understand your anguish, I acknowledge the pain, anxiety, and stress you are feeling, and I stand and support you. Read more of Chyerl Wolfe-Lee's message.

Fraudulent Unemployment Claims: UPDATE 5/15/20

Western continues to receive notification of fraudulent unemployment claims being submitted using Western employees’ personal information. After speaking with Employment Security this morning, due to the high volume of calls and emails they are receiving, they have made changes to their process and updates to their website. Read more about fraudulent unemployment claims.

Support for Remote Work

The Remote Work Guide for Employees and Supervisors provides information about Managing and Leading Remotely, Teamwork and Communication, Productivity Strategies, Self-care and Wellness, Tools and Technologies, and Learning and Professional Development.

Coronavirus Information

Campus resources, FAQ’s, and announcements regarding COVID-19 can be found at https://www.wwu.edu/coronavirus.

I-9 Completion by Appointment

In an effort to practice social distancing, our HR Front Desk will be working remotely and will complete I-9s for new hires by appointment only. To make an appointment, please contact hr@wwu.edu or call 360-650-3774.