October 2013 - Announce - mailman3.cels.anl.gov

Fwd: Labcast: Message from the Laboratory Director: Voluntary Separation Program
by Marc Snir 30 Oct '13

30 Oct '13

The Lab has just announced a VSP that will be running for the next 15 days. You should expect to receive soon from HR more details about the program. I would like to emphasize a few points: 1. The goal of this VSP program is to position the lab for "continued success and strategic growth". It is capped at 120 people, a small fraction of our total population of 3,500 employees. 2. The financial health of MCS is very good at this point in time, with enough funding to carry us for a while. New ASCR funding may shrink next year 5%-10% if the recision stays in place, forcing across-the-board reductions. It may stay the same or even grow, if the recision is replaced by a budget that provides more flexibility to prioritize cuts. As usual, our own funding will depend on our ability to compete on new grants. 3. High-performance computing and computational sciences are strategic priority areas for the Lab, and for DOE. 4. Applications for voluntary separation are not automatically accepted; they may be denied, based on MCS needs. We will not provide incentives for leaving the lab to strong contributors and people essential to our strategic growth. Marc Begin forwarded message: > From: Argonne Newsroom <ArgonneNewsroom(a)anl.gov> > Subject: Labcast: Message from the Laboratory Director: Voluntary Separation Program > Date: October 30, 2013 at 1:33:58 PM CDT > To: Marc <snir(a)mcs.anl.gov> > Reply-To: Argonne Newsroom <ArgonneNewsroom(a)anl.gov> > > > Message from the Laboratory Director: Voluntary Separation Program > October 30, 2013 > > These are uncertain times, for our nation and for Argonne. Between the slow economic recovery and the ongoing disputes over federal spending, we are forecasting reduced budgets for the laboratory for at least the next two years. Despite our ongoing efforts to contain costs and limit spending, our budget constraints make it necessary for us to reduce our workforce. > > This was a difficult decision. However, we firmly believe that this measure is necessary to position the laboratory for continued success and future strategic growth. The laboratory will offer a lab-wide voluntary separation program (VSP), with a target of reducing our headcount by 120 positions. > > The VSP will be offered from October 31, 2013 to November 15, 2013. Eligibility for the program will be limited. The laboratory reserves the right to refuse participation to any volunteers whose knowledge, skills, or specialties are considered essential to our ability to maintain existing or future programs. Human Resources will provide more detailed information about the program in a memo to all employees later this afternoon. > > Please know that we are working hard to keep our costs low and cut spending wherever possible. We hope this voluntary separation program will enable Argonne to meet our reduced budgets over the near term while protecting our ability to deliver groundbreaking science. > > I know that the current uncertain situation is stressful for everyone. As we deal with these difficult financial realities, please remember that we all have a responsibility to remain focused and work safely. > > As always, I am honored to be your colleague, and I deeply appreciate your commitment to our vital mission of discovery and innovation. > > Sincerely, > > Eric D. Isaacs > Laboratory Director > > > > > > > > > Our mailing address is: > Argonne National Laboratory > 9700 South Cass Avenue > Argonne Newsroom, Bldg. 201 > Lemont, IL 60439 > > > Copyright © 2013 Argonne National Laboratory. All rights reserved. > This unsubscribe link is provided for non-employees at partner universities and laboratories. > >

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Additional Health Screening Appointments Available
by Sri Hari Krishna Narayanan 18 Oct '13

18 Oct '13

Please see below. Krishna Begin forwarded message: > From: "Kiwior, Roslyn F." <rkiwior(a)anl.gov> > Date: October 18, 2013 8:17:06 AM CDT > To: undisclosed-recipients:; > Subject: Health Risk Assessment > > WAG Team, > > Kindly pass on the following information to your employees: > > Health and Employee Wellness (HEW) will offer additional Health Screenings for employees to gather validated health numbers for this year’s Health Risk Assessment. > > Screenings will be offered Wednesday, October 23, from 1-4 p.m. and Thursday, October 24, from 1-4 p.m. in the HEW Medical Clinic. Participants can make an appointment using the Xink Form. > > Participants can have an early breakfast which will minimally affect the triglyceride level. If an employee chooses to fast for the screening then it must be for 8-10 hours. Water and medications can be taken. > > Any questions should be directed to wellness(a)anl.gov. > > Thank you for your help, > > Roslyn Kiwior > Administrative Assistant > Health and Employee Wellness Division > Argonne National Laboratory > Phone: (630) 252-2803 > E-mail: rkiwior(a)anl.gov > > > >

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Statement of Achievements
by Marc Snir 13 Oct '13

13 Oct '13

There are only five days left to submit your statement. Please do not wait to the last moment! Marc Snir

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Information on possible furlough
by Marc Snir 13 Oct '13

13 Oct '13

The Q&A document has been updated Friday. You can reach it from the "inside Argonne" main web page, or at https://docs.anl.gov/main/idcplg?IdcService=DISPLAY_URL&dDocName=344813 In particular, it answers questions about payment for work done before the furlough starts and procedure for canceling trips. I suspect that this document will continue to be updated -- please check frequently. Also, I still expect none of this will happen. Marc Snir

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Possible Furlough
by Marc Snir 08 Oct '13

08 Oct '13

I appended below answers to some of the questions you may have about the potential furloughs. Please let me know if there are more unanswered questions. As you can see from the Q&A, the lab has only started planning, so many questions are still unanswered. I would like to point out that, at this point, this is a planning exercise. The expectation is that the current budget impasse will be resolved before we get to the point of closing the lab. You should also expect to get ample warning time before the lab closes. However, expectation is not certainty and the lab has to be ready in case a lab closure becomes necessary. Marc Questions and Answers for Furlough Due to Federal Government Shutdown Argonne National Laboratory General 1. What is a furlough? A furlough is defined as a temporary unpaid leave of absence from employment. It is when an organization places an employee in a temporary non-work, non-pay status due to a lack of funds, lack of work, or other business-related non-disciplinary reasons. 2. What is a shutdown furlough, and why is a shutdown furlough necessary? In the event that sponsor funds are not available through a Congressional appropriation or continuing resolution, a “shutdown” furlough occurs. A shutdown furlough is necessary when a program no longer has the necessary funds to operate and must shut down those activities as directed by the sponsor. Who will be affected by a furlough? 3. Will all employees be furloughed? All employees are eligible to be furloughed, unless they are designated essential personnel. Essential employees generally include employees who are performing critical work involving the safety of human life or the protection of property or functions deemed necessary to maintain critical work. 4. Are all employees who qualify as “emergency employees” for the purpose of weather emergencies considered to be “essential employees” for the purpose of a shutdown furlough? Not necessarily. “Emergency employees” are those employees who must report for work in emergency situations—e.g., severe weather conditions. Emergency employees are not automatically deemed essential employees for purposes of shutdown furloughs. 5. How will employees be notified whether they have been designated to be handling “essential” functions or not? The laboratory will notify you through your supervisor if you have been designated as an essential employee. 6. If the laboratory places employees on furlough, how will furloughed employees be informed when it is over? Employees will be informed to return to work by checking the Argonne home page at www.anl.gov or by calling the INFO-line at 630-252-4636. 7. Are employees who hold a non-immigrant visa (H-1B) part of the furlough? More guidance will be forthcoming on how H-1B visa issues will be addressed. 8. Does the policy apply to bargaining unit employees? Bargaining unit employees shall be included in a furlough, subject to the operational needs of the Laboratory. 9. Are off-site employees, including those stationed out of the country, subject to furlough? Yes, all Argonne employees are subject to the furlough regardless of their work site. 10. What happens to joint appointments a shutdown furlough? The laboratory has many different kinds of joint appointments. We are currently working through the details and expect to provide guidance in the next day or two. 11. How are personnel working for federal agencies under mobility agreements pursuant to the Intergovernmental Personnel Act (IPA) treated in a shutdown furlough? The specific authority for furloughing personnel who are working under mobility agreements pursuant to the IPA will depend upon the nature of individual agreements, the status of the appointments, and/or the funding arrangements for the assignments. As a general rule, personnel from Argonne on IPA assignments to federal government agencies are subject to the shutdown furlough in the same manner as other employees. Time Off and Financial Concerns 12. If Congress approves back pay for federal employees who are furloughed, will I get back pay too? We won't know the answer to that question until Congress acts. The answer will depend on the details of the legislation. 13. How long will the furlough last? The furlough will last until Congress appropriates funds for the government to continue full operations. 14. May I use vacation in place of furlough? We are investigating the option of allowing employees to take accrued paid vacation. Further guidance will be forthcoming. 15. How do you determine the amount of pay lost for the furlough time off? A non-exempt employee will use their hourly rate times the number of furlough hours (hourly rate of $15.25 x 8 hours equals a daily furlough amount of $122). An exempt employee will use their annual salary divided by 260 work days (monthly salary of $2643.33 x 12 = $31,720 annual salary, divided by 260 equals a daily furlough amount of $122). 16. How will furlough affect my pay check and W-2? Your gross wages will be reduced by the number of days you are on furlough. This includes reductions in deductions that are based on a percentage of gross wages, including withholding taxes. 17. How are my benefits impacted Benefit plan impacts are based on current policy and are as follows: · Health care insurance coverage will continue during the furlough. We will provide further details on the logistics in days to come; · Retirement contributions (mandatory 2 ½ %, voluntary, and Argonne’s 9% match) will be made for paid time; · Furlough status does not meet the hardship loan requirements, however loans from your supplemental contributions may be available by contacting Fidelity directly; · An employee may not use paid leave on designated furlough days; use of vacation and holidays during furloughs is under review; · If an employee becomes ill during the furlough, the employee will not be eligible for paid sick leave unless hospitalized overnight; · An employee may elect to change their flexible spending accounts (FSA). Specific details will be forthcoming; · Basic life insurance will continue; and · Supplemental and dependent life insurance will continue and deductions can be paid retroactively upon returning from furlough. 18. What happens if the furlough takes place during our scheduled Open Enrollment period? To the extent possible, the open enrollment period will be adjusted to accommodate any benefit changes needed for the January 1, 2014 benefit plan year. 19. What do I do if I have a life event such as a birth of a child, marriage or divorce? Please contact a member of the benefits team to report the change. 20. Will employees be able to use tuition reimbursement that has already been approved while on furlough? Yes. Employees approved for tuition reimbursement prior to the beginning of the furlough will be eligible to use this benefit. 21. Will I be able to collect unemployment for my furlough? The decision on unemployment benefit eligibility rests with the state where you are employed. It is our understanding that Illinois unemployment is only available for full unpaid weeks with a one week waiting period. You may call your local office or view the website for more information: http://www.ides.state.il.us/. 22. Where can employees get help with financial or other problems? For financial counseling or other personal advice, employees can call Perspectives, our Employee Assistance Program provider. You can reach Perspectives, 24/7, at 1-800-456-6327 and tell them you’re from Argonne. You may also login in to www.perspectivesltd.com with your user name ARG500 and password perspectives to get started, learn more, or instant message a WorkLife specialist. 23. How will I document my time to reflect the furlough days taken? You will be provided a furlough time code for use in the Kronos system. Working During Furlough 24. Can I work from home during furlough? No. Employees are prohibited from performing work during furlough time. 25. Can I check my email while on furlough? No. Employees are prohibited from performing work or accessing work areas or work email accounts during furlough time. 26. While on furlough, should I disable office email on my smart phone? Leave an out of office notice on your email. CEPA will provide language. Do not use your phone for any Argonne work during the furlough time. 27. If I can't check office email, how will the laboratory notify me when the Lab reopens? While on furlough, please check the Argonne home page (www.anl.gov) and the INFO-line (630-252-4636) regularly. When the lab reopens, we will post notice there. 28. May I come on-site during furlough? No. Only essential personnel will be allowed access to the site. 29. May I volunteer to do my job for no pay during furlough? No. Employees may not perform any kind of work during furlough, including checking work related voicemail or email. 30. Please explain why as an exempt employee I can’t work during furlough when I work on weekends and while I’m on vacation. As an exempt employee, under normal circumstances, you are being paid a predetermined salary to perform a job, whether it requires more than or less than 40 hours per week. And, if you are on vacation, the laboratory discourages you from working; but if you work, you are still being paid that predetermined amount. When you are on furlough, your predetermined salary will be reduced; therefore, it’s not equivalent to situations when you are in full-pay status working on a weekend or vacation. 31. May I continue working at my other job (e.g., teaching at university) while on furlough? While on furlough, an individual remains an employee of Argonne. Therefore, laboratory standards of ethical conduct and rules regarding outside employment continue to apply when an individual is furloughed. You may continue working your outside job, provided you have the approved required conflict of interest statement on file with the Laboratory beforehand.

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Argonne Spam Quarantine Notification
by Argonne Anti Spam Quarantine 05 Oct '13

05 Oct '13

++ Note: This message has been sent by a notification only system. Please do not reply ++ IronPort Spam Quarantine Notification If a spam message was missed, or if a message was incorrectly flagged as spam, you can add the sender to a personal safelist or blocklist via the quarantine. Senders on the safelist will not be flagged as spam, and senders on the blocklist will be automatically quarantined. For more information, visit: https://wiki.inside.anl.gov/inside/Ironport_Anti-Spam_Appliances/Documentat… The message(s) below have been quarantined by the Argonne National Laboratory spam filtering system. There are 1 new messages in your Email Quarantine since you received your last Spam Quarantine Notification. If the messages below are spam, you do not need to take any action. Messages will be automatically deleted from the quarantine after 28 day(s). If any of the messages below are not spam, click the 'Release' link to have them sent to your Inbox. Messages that have been correctly flagged as spam do not need to be reported. ----------- New Quarantine Messages --------------- Message 1 From: "Chinese cultural gifts" <jadepixiu(a)ymail.com> Subject: *****SPAM***** 吉慶堂玉器 Date: 04 Oct 2013 Release: http://mailgateway.anl.gov:8080/Message?action=Release&mid=28265315&h=92454… --------------------------------------------------- To manage your quarantine please visit the URL below: http://mailgateway.anl.gov:8080/Search?h=9f4250100c3c4e5c30307b8bedbe1d79&e… If you have any questions regarding the Laboratory spam filtering product, please contact the CIS helpdesk at help(a)anl.gov or x-9999 option 2.

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It's the (PA) season
by Marc Snir 30 Sep '13

30 Sep '13

Dear All: I remind you that you can enter online your Statement of Accomplishments starting form tomorrow, Oct 1st; you must be done by Friday Oct 18th. The 2013 performance appraisal period covers October 1, 2012, through September 30, 2013. Performance appraisals must be completed for all nonunion, regular full- and part-time employees who were active by July 1, 2013. You can find information on the Performance Appraisal system at http://inside.anl.gov/services/performance-appraisals Please make your statement short (I encourage 3 pages or less), concise, and focused on your main accomplishments for your DOE and other professional activities. Project proposals, publications, software, talks, technical committees, white papers, collaborations, service activities, tutorials, courses taught, students, interns and post-docs mentored, and recruiting activities are all indications of achievement so please provide a complete (but short) outline of what you did during this past year and any evidence of the impact of this work. Regular scientific staff members are required to submit information about proposals prepared and submitted and their status and a complete publication list for the evaluation period. New scientific ideas, new evidence of impact of previous work, computational experiments, or software designed or completed are all suitable for inclusion. I am also asking that all scientific researchers update the CV they sent to Janet last year. Please use the CV in order to indicate what you consider to be your major career accomplishments and feel free to convey in it any information that you feel is important and relevant to appraisals but does not fit in the Statement of Accomplishment. Thank you for a fruitful year, Marc

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Town Hall meeting with Pat S. Hamalis, Lead, Wellness Program
by Marc Snir 30 Sep '13

30 Sep '13

You are raising good questions. May I suggest it would be good to raise them in one of the forthcoming Town Hall meetings? If you think afterwards that a follow up could be useful, then we should discuss it without cluttering the mailbox of each MCS person. Thanks, Marc > > > Get your questions answered about the Know Your Numbers campaign in preparation for the Health Risk Assessment in November. Find out about the opportunity to participate and receive the lower premium rate for 2014 if you choose. Learn about the new Physical Therapy (PT) space and services available. > > Upcoming Town Hall meetings: > > > > Tuesday, 10/1/13: > 2:00-3:00 pm: Bldg. 362 Auditorium. > > Wed, 10/2/13: > 11:30 am-12:30 pm: Building 203; Room D120 > > Monday, 10/7/13: > 9:00 am-10:00 am: APS Auditorium > >

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