University at Buffalo - The State University of New York

UB finalist as great place to work

For the second consecutive year, UB’s ongoing efforts to improve the worklife of its employees has been recognized by Buffalo Business First with a designation as a finalist in the newspaper’s annual “Great Places to Work in Western New York” ranking.

UB was one of four finalists in the “jumbo” category—companies employing 1,000 or more. Kaleida Health was named the winner of the category.

“We are excited to be recognized as a best place to work in Western New York for a second year in a row,” says Jennifer D. Bowen, assistant vice president for human resources. “We are pleased that we are making progress with our campus-wide effort to build a work culture based on trust, pride and camaraderie, but continue to work to build a culture of excellence. The valuable employee feedback we receive as part of this assessment will help guide further positive changes across the campus.”

The rankings were based on the results of Web-based employee surveys that included questions related to nine themes: team effectiveness, retention risk, alignment with goals, trust with co-workers, individual contribution, manager effectiveness, trust in senior leaders, feeling valued and work engagement.

Business First singled out UB 2020 as an example of a best practice: “UB has a defined vision for future growth through its UB 2020 strategic plan. Employees have numerous opportunities to provide input into this exciting process.”

Bullies win weight-lost contest

The UB Bullies—Karen Bauer, personnel associate, University Human Resources, and David Milliken, stores clerk, Department of Clinical Dentistry—have won the third round of “Move It To Lose It,” UB’s version of the popular reality television show “The Biggest Loser.”

The Bullies lost a total of 111.6 pounds, or 22.49 percent of their body weight, during the 10-week competition.

Taking second place are the McDees—Thad McMurray, intellectual property manager, and Timothy Dee, commercialization manager, both of the Office of Science, Technology Transfer and Economic Outreach (STOR)—who lost a total of 91.4 pounds, or 20.83 percent of their body weight.

The 15 teams that competed in this round lost a total of 535 pounds, just 65 pounds less than the initial group of Move It competitors that lost 600 pounds last spring.

“But they did it in two less weeks—10 weeks as opposed to 12,” noted Kathie Frier, director of the Wellness & Work/Life Balance unit within University Human Resources. “This was the most motivated group ever!”

“Move It To Lose It” pits two-person teams against each other in order to get fit, lose weight and win prizes. It is coordinated by Wellness & Work/Life Balance in collaboration with the School of Public Health and Health Professions and Recreational and Intramural Services in the Division of Athletics.

Project to verify dependents

UB employees enrolled in the New York State Health Insurance Program (NYSHIP) who carry family coverage will be asked to verify their dependents as part of a comprehensive audit conducted by the New York State Department of Civil Service.

The purpose of the Dependent Eligibility Verification Project, which is being administered by BUDCO Health Service Solutions, is to ensure that every participant who receives benefits is entitled to those benefits. During the course of the project, NYSHIP enrollees with family coverage will be asked to document the eligibility of all enrolled dependents. UB employees are advised to open, read and respond as appropriate to all correspondence from BUDCO within the specified timeframes. Failure to do so will result in the removal of dependents from NYSHIP coverage.

The Dependent Eligibility Verification Project will be rolled out in phases, which will include a special amnesty period during which ineligible dependents can be removed without penalty.

A letter from Civil Service Commissioner Nancy G. Groenwegen outlining the project recently was sent to all NYSHIP enrollees. To view the letter, click here.