Human Resources

Civil Service Handbook - B

Benefits

The Benefits Division of Human Resources located in Sherman Hall 105 administers group life, health, vision, and dental insurance; flexible spending accounts; supplemental insurances; tax-deferred supplemental retirement plans; and the State Universities Retirement System. For information access the WIU Human Resources web page or schedule an appointment by calling 298-1971.

The information in this handbook is subject to change and to the legal documents pertaining to each benefit plan. Those documents are the final source of the amount and availability of the various benefits.

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Bereavement Leave

(BOT II,C.7.f.)

  1. Employees will be granted, upon request, leave of up to three scheduled work days to attend the funeral or memorial service and/or for travel and bereavement time, upon the death of a member of the employee's immediate family, household, in-laws, grandchildren, and/or grandparents; and up to one day to attend the funeral or memorial service of a relative other than the above who is not a member of the employee's household. The amount of leave provided is not intended to be guaranteed and is available only when there is a need. Bereavement leave shall be taken in not less than one-half day increments and may not be accumulated. Employees covered by a collective bargaining agreement with different bereavement leave benefits will receive those benefits according to their agreement.
  2. Upon the death of a member of the employee’s immediate family, the employee will be granted seven additional work days of unpaid leave to attend the funeral or alternative to a funeral for the immediate family member, make arrangements necessitated by the death of the immediate family member, or grieve the death of the immediate family member.
  3. Immediate family is defined as: father, mother, sister, brother, spouse, domestic partner, and children. Biological, adopted, foster, legal wards, a child of a person standing in loco parentis, or step family members are considered immediate family under this policy. In-laws are defined as: mother-in-law, father-in-law, brother-in-law, sister-in-law, son-in-law, and daughter-in-law.
  4. Other relative is defined as: aunt, uncle, niece, nephew, or first cousin of the employee. Such relatives are regarded as members of the immediate family only if in residence in the employee's household at the time of death.
  5. Bereavement leave benefits are not granted in the event of the death of a member of the employee's spouse's or domestic partner's family unless specifically stated. For example, grandparent refers to the grandparent of the employee. For purposes of application of bereavement leave, relationships existing due to marriage or domestic partnership will terminate upon the divorce or termination of domestic partnership of the relative through whom the marriage or domestic partnership relationship exists. Current marital status will be defined in accord with Illinois State Law.
  6. The employee's supervisor may grant additional leave to an employee who cannot, because of special circumstances, return to work at the completion of the allowable bereavement leave days. An employee may choose to take such leave without pay or may use accrued vacation or sick leave time.

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Bonds

The purchase of Series EE Bonds is available to all University employees through payroll deduction. For detailed information concerning this payroll deduction, contact the Payroll Office, Sherman Hall 221 (298-1867).

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Book Awards for Civil Service Employees

The Employee Education Award was established in 1982 and five recipients are chosen at random from Civil Service employees actively enrolled at WIU each semester. These awards are subsidized by the Civil Service Award Fund, a WIU foundation fund initiated and supported by employee contributions.

  1. Fifteen $100 book awards will be given to Civil Service employees each year. Each award is made payable directly to the employee.
  2. Each award goes to a Civil Service employee who is currently enrolled in a course(s) at WIU in Fall Semester, Spring Semester, or Summer Session (five $100 awards are offered each term).
  3. To be eligible for this award, the recipient must be a Civil Service employee at WIU who holds a status appointment.
  4. An employee may receive this award only once.
  5. Recipients of the book awards are selected by a random drawing from all "Request to Enroll in University Classes" forms by the Civil Service Awards Selection Committee. Selection and Fund Committee members are not eligible.
  6. Selection decisions are final and binding.

Contact Human Resources for more information (298-1971).

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Breaks

Department heads and supervisors may authorize reasonable rest periods during the workday. A reasonable rest period is defined as a 15-minute "break" during each half-day of work.

Breaks should be taken at a time and in a manner which does not interfere with the operational needs of the work unit. Normally, at no time would all employees leave the work area at the same time.

A break is intended to be a recess, preceded and followed by an extended work period. It may not be used to cover a late arrival or early departure, nor may it be regarded as cumulative if not taken.

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Civil Service Handbook

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