The Human Resource Services (HRS) Year in Review is a summary of HRS activities across the Washington State University (WSU) system for 2018. Reporting information includes human resource data for WSU Everett, WSU Pullman, WSU Spokane, WSU Tri-Cities, and WSU Vancouver.

2018 Major Efforts

  • Conducted the biennial Employee Engagement Survey, including providing detailed survey analysis and comparison to prior survey results. Survey response rate increased from 28.7% to 44.7%. Implemented written action plan requirement for areas and colleges.
  • Hosted the Washington State Chapter College and University Professional Association for Human Resources (CUPA-HR) annual conference on the WSU Everett campus. Conference attendees and speakers totaled approximately 120, including speakers from the CUPA-HR National Office showcasing WSU to the Washington State higher education community.
  • Implemented Paid Sick Leave for hourly employees January 1, 2018 and presented 14 training sessions regarding the paid sick leave requirements in 2018, including developing and conducting numerous informational training sessions.
  • Prepared and implemented:
    • 1% mass salary increase for Faculty, Administrative Professionals, and Graduate Students on January 1, 2018.
    • 2% mass salary increase for Civil Service July 1, 2018.
  • Collaborated with Environmental Health and Safety to publish 46 safety courses in November and December 2018.
  • Completed the Pre-Planning Stage of the Workday project:
    • Conducted an assessment of the Workday Recruiting module to determine requirements and scope.
    • Conducted an assessment of benefits integrations, including eligibility requirements with both the Washington State Health Care Authority and the Department of Retirement Systems.
    • Completed early review and assessment of 13 priority business processes.
    • Collaborated with Information Technology on a tool to collect university organization information and leave balances which currently only exist on paper.
  • The Labor Relations unit successfully implemented two Collective Bargaining Agreements (Contracts) for the 2019-2021 biennium.

Benefits Services

The Benefits Services unit provides oversight over Benefits Administration, Retirement, Compliance, and Wellness.

Disability Services

The Disability Services unit provides oversight over Leave Programs, Workers’ Compensation, and Reasonable Accommodation.

Employment Services

The Employment Services unit provides oversight over Classification, Recruitment, Compensation, and Employee Relations.

Pie chart of position reviews by action type in 2018 showing 1,055 updates (47%), 874 allocation reviews (39%), and 328 salary reviews (14%)

Labor Relations

The Labor Relations unit provides oversight over Contract Administration, Negotiations, Compliance, and Union/Management Relations.

Records Processing & Administration

The Records Processing and Administration unit provides oversight over Records and Compliance, Employee Recognition, and Position Control.

Learning and Organizational Development

Modernization Initiative

Major Projects and Milestone Highlights:

  • Established regular Steering Committee meetings and project cadence.
  • Received approval of the WSU Investment Plan and met all conditions set by the Office of the State Chief Information Officer (OCIO).
  • Collaborated with Information Services Group (ISG) on a formal RFP for Implementation Services and Readiness Assessment.
  • Readiness Assessment conducted by ISG was submitted and approved by the OCIO.
  • Through the formal RFP process announced and successfully contracted with Deloitte for software services.
  • Contracted with Information Services Group (ISG) for project Quality Assurance.
  • Project team members completed Prosci Change Management training.
  • Functional and technical team members completed Workday Human Capital Management and Financial Fundamentals training.
  • Completed the Pre-Planning Stage of the Workday project:
    • Conducted an assessment of the Workday Recruiting module to determine requirements and scope.
    • Conducted an assessment of benefits integrations, including eligibility requirements with both the Washington State Health Care Authority and the Department of Retirement Systems.
    • Completed early review and assessment of 13 priority business processes.
    • Collaborated with Information Technology on a tool to collect university organization information and leave balances which current only exist on paper.
  • Provided regular updates to the Board of Regents, executives, stakeholder groups, and the University at large on the modernization initiative.