HR & Payroll News Election Day Guidance Please review the Election Day guidance for information on schedule flexibility, serving as an Officer of Election, including pay and training, volunteering on Election Day, and respecting political views in the workplace.   Schedule Flexibility November 2, 2021, is a normal workday; the…

HR & Payroll News Mason Partners for Safety: Ride with Mason Police From our colleagues at Parking and Transportation: “Mason Police have teamed up with Parking and Transportation to put safety at the forefront. Join them on Thursday, October 28 from noon-2 p.m. for two opportunities! From noon-1:30 p.m., stop…

HR & Payroll News Reporting Accidents Reminder We want to make sure the Mason community stays safe! Please report all accidents, injuries, or conditions that may cause harm to an individual or the university. When dangerous or potentially dangerous conditions are reported, the university can take appropriate action to protect the community.   Please…

HR & Payroll News Managing Your Health Stats Lunch & Learn From our colleagues at Mason Recreation: “To celebrate Exercise is Medicine Month, join David Cohen, ACE Medical Fitness Specialist and Certified Personal Trainer, as he teaches you how to manage numbers like A1C (blood sugar), blood pressure, cholesterol, weight, and…

HR & Payroll News CommonHealth Weekly Wellnotes Looking for a way to get quick wellness tips without doing any extra work? Each week, we update the CommonHealth page on the HR & Payroll website with Weekly Wellnotes that provide quick wellness tips! These tips range from how to manage stress,…

HR & Payroll News TIAA Financial Seminars Looking to learn more about your finances? TIAA is hosting several financial well-being seminars. Check out the flyer to learn more!

HR & Payroll News Drug and Alcohol Policy The abuse of drugs and alcohol by employees is incompatible with the goals of George Mason University. The illicit use of drugs and alcohol could create a serious threat to the safety and welfare of the university community and undermine the productivity…

HR & Payroll News Socktober From our colleagues: “Participate in the sixth annual Socktober Collection to benefit the Katherine Hanley Family Shelter. The pandemic didn’t slow us down in 2020, and we donated more than 1,000 pairs of new socks. Let’s exceed that number in 2021. New socks can be…

HR & Payroll News Performance Evaluation Resources As performance evaluations are underway, be sure to use the performance evaluation hub for helpful resources including: An outline of the Core Competencies A general FAQ Several how-to guides Classified staff specific resources Faculty specific resources Performance feedback resources If you have questions,…

HR & Payroll News Additional Winter Wellness Flu Shot Clinics Additional Flu Shot Appointments Available Now Due to the high demand, we have added additional flu shot appointment slots to our three flu shot clinics. Register now using the links below to reserve your flu shot appointment at a Winter…

HR & Payroll News Winter Wellness Flu Shot Clinics Sign-ups are now open! Register now using the links below to reserve your flu shot appointment at a Winter Wellness Flu Shot Clinic (pdf): Fairfax Campus: Oct. 14, 10 a.m. to 3 p.m., in the Johnson Center, Dewberry Hall SciTech Campus:…

HR & Payroll News COVID-19 Pandemic and Vaccine Perceptions at George Mason University: A Formative Communication Study From our colleagues: “We’re looking for people like you to participate in an important survey about your experiences during the COVID-19 pandemic and your perceptions of the COVID-19 vaccine. This survey is for…

HR & Payroll News Rx Racial Healing Circles Mason students, faculty, and staff, join us for powerful well-being conversations on racial healing! Rx Racial Healing Circles (RHCs) are founded on the principles of jettisoning the hierarchy of human value and narrative change through storytelling. The uniqueness of RHCs come from…

HR & Payroll News Kindness Ambassadors Mason and Mason Chooses Kindness (MCK) are excited to introduce the Kindness Ambassadorship for the 2021-2022 academic year. The mission of MCK is to create and sustain a kindness revolution at Mason. Kindness Ambassadors will be selected from our university community based on the…

HR & Payroll News Onboarding Guidance Thank you for continuing to diligently follow the onboarding process when hiring new employees. A smooth onboarding process creates an environment where your new employees feel supported. Following each step in a timely manner gives your new employees a seamless transition and a successful…

HR & Payroll News Public Health Emergency Leave (PHEL) September 2021 Update The Commonwealth of Virginia reactivated Public Health Emergency Leave (PHEL) effective September 1, 2021. Eligible employees may use PHEL to: Self-isolate due to their positive test results for COVID-19 (if symptomatic); and/or Provide care to an immediate family…

HR & Payroll News Fall Cleaning on Patriot Web To keep the semester going on the right foot, let’s do some fall cleaning on Patriot Web! Please update your information on Patriot Web such as addresses, phone numbers, and emergency contacts.

HR & Payroll News Leave Balance Transfers Is your department or unit hiring an employee who is transferring within Mason or the state? Leave transfers are a complex matter when changing jobs within the state or within Mason. When hiring for a new position, please do not assume or agree…

HR & Payroll News Nine-Month Faculty Pay Checks To ensure there was no interruption to nine-month faculty health benefits from June-August, the Benefits team double deducted health insurance premiums from March-May However, this process did not account for any Open Enrollment changes (such as new plan selection, addition/removal of family…

HR & Payroll News Virtual Performance Conversations Playlist Access the Virtual Performance Conversations Playlist that has tools and resources for supervisors and employees to use as they prepare for upcoming performance conversations. The playlist can be accessed through MasonLEAPS and LinkedIn Learning.

HR & Payroll News Classified Staff Performance Review Trainings Preparing for performance evaluations? Join an upcoming virtual performance review session for classified staff on how to navigate the performance review tool! Register below. Friday, September 10; 10-11 a.m. – Register online Monday, September 13; 1-2 p.m. – Register online Tuesday, September 14;…

HR & Payroll News Mindful Mason Moments: Virtual and In-Person Sessions Mindful Mason Moments sessions, presented by the Center for the Advancement of Well-being, give you an opportunity to take midday breaks in ways that can deepen your mindful awareness and overall well-being. Starting in September, the sessions will continue…

HR & Payroll News Online Performance Management Process for Classified Staff   The online performance management process for classified staff will open in MasonLEAPS on September 1, 2021. For the last two years, select groups of classified staff members participated in a pilot of the online performance management system. The…

HR & Payroll News Online Performance Management Process for Select A/P Faculty Members   The online performance management process for select groups of administrative/professional (a/p) faculty will open in MasonLEAPS on Monday, July 26, 2021. Last year, select groups of a/p faculty members transitioned to this online procedure that electronically documents…

HR & Payroll News Mason’s Compliance Office Gets Interim Title IX Coordinator and New Name As seen in The George: “As George Mason University strives to be a national leader in anti-racism and inclusive excellence, a few changes in line with that goal have been implemented for the fall semester.…

HR & Payroll News COVID-19 Safety Training Available Online Mason faculty and staff are encouraged to complete the Fall 2021 COVID-19 Safety Training. Faculty and staff can access COVID-19 Safety Training through MasonLEAPS. This training shares valuable information about preventing the spread of COVID-19 within the campus community by raising…

HR & Payroll News HR & Payroll is Now Accepting I-9s In Person for All New Hires HR & Payroll is now accepting I-9s in person for all new hires. Please see the information below for additional guidance: As a reminder, I-9s will need to be completed within three (3)…

HR & Payroll News VRS Member Benefit Profile (MBP) If you are enrolled in a retirement plan with VRS (Plan 1, Plan 2, or Hybrid), your annual Member Benefit Profile (MBP) is available on your myVRS account. To view it, select the My History menu then select Annual Statements. The MBP…

HR & Payroll News HR Liaisons Continuing to Help Share Information We wanted to sincerely thank our stellar HR Liaisons for continuing to share the information that they receive from us with their departments/units and other relevant parties. We recognize that during this time of uncertainty, change, and transition, a…

HR & Payroll News DHRM Financial Wellness Events and Resources Browse the upcoming DHRM financial wellness resources below: VRS Financial Wellness Resources. Keep track of your income and expenses with the Budget tool from myVRS Financial Wellness. See how much you really spend and where you can add more to…

HR & Payroll News Amendment to the New Overtime Wage Act On June 30, 2021, we notified the community that the NEW Virginia Overtime Wage Act was effective beginning July 1, 2021.  Since then, an amendment (budget bill, HB 7001) was passed and signed by the governor on August 10,…

HR & Payroll News Full-Time Telework Exemption Agreement Employees who have an approved Full-Time In-State or Out-of-State Telework Agreement, who do not intend to come to campus, and who are requesting an exemption from the university’s COVID-19 vaccine requirement should complete The Employee Agreement Regarding Campus and University Activities Form.

HR & Payroll News Compressed Schedules and the Holidays If you use the compressed schedule work option, please be aware of the upcoming holiday. For the holiday, full-time employees with compressed schedules receive eight (8) hours of holiday pay and/or compensatory leave per day, depending on the situation, regardless of their…

HR & Payroll News Compensatory Leave Reminder Have you earned compensatory leave? Make sure you are aware of the compensatory leave limits and expirations: Employees are limited to 96 hours of accrued compensatory leave Per State Policy 3.10, accrued compensatory leave expires one year from the pay period in which the…

HR & Payroll News COVID-19 Vaccination Requirements for New Hires Mason recently updated its vaccination policy regarding COVID-19 vaccination requirements for new hires. Employees who start at Mason after August 15, 2021, are required to either: Have received at least one COVID-19 vaccination by their start date, be fully vaccinated within…

HR & Payroll News State Fraud, Waste, and Abuse Reporting The State Fraud, Waste, and Abuse Hotline provides the opportunity for citizens and state employees to anonymously report suspected incidents of fraud, waste, abuse, or corruption that may have occurred in state agencies and institutions. Every state employee has an obligation to…

HR & Payroll News Updated Guidance on Forms for Remote Work/Full-Time Telework We would like to share updated directions regarding which form to complete for Remote Work/Full-time Telework. This only applies to employees who plan to work exclusively from their home or another agreed-upon alternate campus/worksite located away from the…

HR & Payroll News Updates for Impact Awards and Departmental Monetary Awards HR & Payroll Reward and Recognition is updating our processes to follow Commonwealth of Virginia policy.  Individual impact awards and departmental monetary awards will no longer be grossed up to cover the payroll taxes normally deducted from an…

HR & Payroll News Quarterly Termination Process Will Be Reinstated as of Aug 7, 2021 As we prepare for the return to campus, the termination process which was turned off due to COVID-19 will be reinstated August 7, 2021. This Banner process is normally scheduled to run quarterly. The process…

HR & Payroll News WW Commonwealth of Virginia Employee Offer Have you wanted to join WW? All employees, spouses, and adult dependents get an exclusive discount of 50% off the retail price of WW and can join now for as low as $8.48 per month.

HR & Payroll News Resources for Safe Return to Campus   Dear Patriots, We hope this message finds you enjoying your summer and taking time for some fun and relaxation before we shift our attention to preparing for the return to campus and start of the academic year. As Dr.…

HR & Payroll News Updated Administrative/Professional Faculty Handbook The Administrative/Professional (A/P) Faculty Handbook has been updated. These revisions streamline the language and create more clarity. Below are some of the substantive revisions: Added new text that clarifies that the A/P Faculty Handbook applies only to the performance of A/P faculty duties, as…

HR & Payroll News Updated Hiring Guidance As Mason continues to navigate the COVID-19 pandemic, we want to provide updated hiring guidance. The process for posting positions will return to the standard, pre-hiring freeze, procedure, effective May 1, 2021. For more information, please review the steps below:   Submit a position maintenance form (PMF) and employee work profile/position…

HR & Payroll News New Resilience Toolkit Sometimes, we all feel overwhelmed and become unsure of how to deal with the stress in life. Building resilience can help us learn to handle the stress so we can bounce back and rediscover the energy needed to create positive solutions. Press pause…

HR & Payroll News 2021 Salary Increase   This marks the first step in Mason’s transition to a performance culture. Subsequently, Mason will be administering a 2% pool for increases based upon merit, market and other necessary adjustments required to retain talent at a later date. Faculty hired into benefitted…

HR & Payroll News Virginia’s New Hourly Minimum Wage Schedule Update Per new Virginia legislation approved by the General Assembly, the hourly minimum wage in Virginia will gradually increase according to the following schedule: $9.50 beginning May 1, 2021 $11.00 on Jan. 1, 2022 $12.00 on Jan. 1, 2023 The…

HR & Payroll News Preventing Workplace Violence George Mason University strives to provide faculty, staff, students, and visitors a safe place in which to work, study, and live. Mason takes a zero-tolerance approach to workplace violence. It can take many forms; some are obvious while others are subtler.   Reporting Procedures All faculty…

HR & Payroll News Acceptable Use of State Electronic Resources A friendly reminder that state electronic equipment (desktops, laptops, tablets, etc.) is for conducting professional business, despite the fact that they “travel everywhere” with us. All users have a responsibility to ensure they use these resources appropriately. Mason’s Policy 1301, Responsible Use of Computing…

HR & Payroll News Employee Assistance Program (EAP) Wellness Resources Mason’s faculty and staff have access to Kaiser Permanente’s EAP Wellness Resources, whether you’re a member of Kaiser or not. Visit their website to explore a range of self-care tools, tips, and activities to help you thrive in mind, body,…

HR & Payroll News Child Abuse and Neglect Reporting While everyone should be concerned about child abuse and neglect, the law requires certain individuals to report suspected instances. In 2012, the Virginia General Assembly (SB 239) added, “any person employed by a public or private institution of higher education” to…

HR & Payroll News Employee of the Month Nominations Do you work with an incredible Mason administrative/professional faculty member, classified staff member, or wage employee who goes the extra mile, collaborates with their colleagues, and supports the university? If you have questions, contact awards@gmu.edu.