UW Medicine provides outstanding care to patients from around the globe, educates the next generation of physicians and scientists, and supports one of the world’s largest and most comprehensive medical research programs. UW Medicine’s four hospitals – Harborview Medical Center, UW Medical Center -Northwest, UW Medical Center - Montlake and Valley Medical Center – admit more than 63,000 patients each year. UW Medicine provides outpatient care for more than 1.3 million patients each year at its 12 UW Neighborhood Clinics and its many other primary and specialty care clinics.
The Human Resources department's mission is to support UW faculty and staff in successfully meeting the goals of UW Medicine by providing high quality and responsive human resources support. The department's vision is to create a premier Human Resources organization whose staff members are dedicated to the goal of working together to provide the highest possible quality of services in carrying out its mission.
UW Medicine Human Resources has an outstanding full time opportunity for a HR Leave Specialist based at UW Medicine Montlake or UW Medicine Harborview Medical Center.
This position independently advises departments based on in-depth knowledge of federal, state, and University rules and regulations governing leave administration on a range of human resources policies and procedures and administer all functions of FMLA, Family Care Act (FCA) leave, military leave, disability leave, disability accommodation, alternative job search process, return-to-work program, medical separation, and shared leave for assigned departments at UW Medical Center and/or Harborview Medical Center and/or other UW locations where medical center staff are located.
RESPONSIBILITIES:
Leave Administration
Assess, determine eligibility, and approve/decline applications for FMLA, FCA, military and disability leave, and shared leave eligibility, for assigned client groups, adhering to University, State and federal requirements.
Communicate disposition of leave requests by phone, email and US mail.
Maintain and follow up on missing or incomplete paperwork required to determine leave disposition, including contacting health care providers for clarification of their orders as necessary.
Load leave information into database to track leave type, status, and disposition, employee eligibility, intermittent schedule (if applicable), and leave-related correspondence.
Authorize non-pay leave types and hours in Payroll timekeeping module.
Consult with HR Consultants (HRCs) of assigned departments regarding leave situations that potentially involve attendance and/or attendance issues and intermittent leaves that exceed the approved frequency and duration.
Coordinate with Payroll and timekeepers to facilitate the spotting of accrued leave hours to ensure benefits continuation as needed.
Create and analyze reports from database as requested.
Advise and counsel staff, managers, directors and administrators regarding types of leave, and leave-related regulatory compliance, UW policies, and contractual requirements.
Respond to inquiries from staff, management and staff family members regarding routine and complex leave issues/topics.
Act as an expert resource on leave administration; participate in presentations and training to assigned departments.
Disability Accommodation/Return to Work Program
Review requests for disability accommodation, including light duty assignments; communicate with assigned departments to outline accommodations needed and ascertain their ability to provide them. Confer with Leave Manager on complex requests or for second level review in cases in which the department indicates they are unable to provide the accommodation.
[Future role: Review available opportunities in the light duty job bank for potential assignments for employees whose departments are unable to provide the requested accommodation.] Seek light duty assignments by using listserves where available. Consult with employee's HRC regarding possible light duty assignments; jointly determine assignments. Create light duty job assignment letters for L&I cases; follow up for signature and coordinate assignment with Risk Management and hosting department as applicable.
Partner with Risk Management on Worker's Compensation cases: follow up with managers to obtain information needed by Risk Management as needed, including whether employee's restrictions can be accommodated; advise Risk Management of new cases if the information comes to HR first.
When accommodation cannot be provided, approve FMLA or disability leave for the employee, as applicable, following the Leave Administration process.
Alternative Job Search Process/Disability Separation
Monitor medical leaves approaching specified time frames to ensure appropriate notification is sent to employees regarding the alternative job search/medical separation process. Confer with appropriate HR Consultant and Disability Services as the 6 and 9 months of leave marks approach to confirm notification should be sent and for any special information to be included in the letter.
Track deadlines specified in letters; send reminders to employees if requested information is not received on time. Advise HRCs of employees not cooperating with our requests; jointly determine next steps. Provide further communication to employees as requested by HRC.
Review employees' final medical documentation, discuss with HRC and Leave Manager to determine next steps. As appropriate, draft medical separation recommendation letter and appendix for HRC's review and approval. Obtain approval by Disability Services, the AG's office and other offices as needed. Advise the employee's manager of the steps in the medical separation process. Draft the predetermination meeting notice, as applicable, on HRC's behalf.
Shared Leave
As needed on a back-up basis, calculate and process shared leave donations for eligible leaves. Process returned shared leaves. Resolve discrepancies between Payroll and the employee's department.
REQUIREMENTS:
Bachelor's degree in human resources or related.
At least 3 years of increasingly responsible experience in a human resources setting or equivalent combination of education and experience.
Knowledge of federal and State rules and regulations governing leave administration such as FMLA, Americans with Disabilities Act
Excellent written and oral communication skills.
Excellent organizational skills.
Ability to analyze, interpret and apply complex policies and practices, including labor contract leave provisions and State and University programs/policies, in problem solving and in consultation with clients and other staff regarding leave administration.
Independent judgment in providing information and assistance to clients and assigned departments in urgent situations.
Ability to use tact and discretion in dealing with sensitive issues.
Ability to use and train others to use time and leave systems.
Ability to work effectively as part of a team, establishing effective working relationships with a diverse population.
Knowledge of Microsoft Office (Word, Excel) and Outlook.
Ability to regularly participate in meetings held at various UW and Medical Centers sites within the greater Seattle area.
Equivalent education/experience will substitute for all minimum qualifications except when there are legal requirements, such as a license/certification/registration.
DESIRED:
Knowledge of University rules and regulations governing leave administration.
Knowledge of the Washington State Family Care Act.
Knowledge of HEPPS, Opus, TBA and Kronos.
Experience working in human resources in a higher education institution.
Experience working in human resources in a unionized environment.
CONDITIONS OF EMPLOYMENT:
Application Process: The application process for UW positions may include completion of a variety of online assessments to obtain additional information that will be used in the evaluation process. These assessments may include Work Authorization, Cover Letter and/or others. Any assessments that you need to complete will appear on your screen as soon as you select “Apply to this position”. Once you begin an assessment, it must be completed at that time; if you do not complete the assessment you will be prompted to do so the next time you access your “My Jobs” page. If you select to take it later, it will appear on your "My Jobs" page to take when you are ready. Please note that your application will not be reviewed, and you will not be considered for this position until all required assessments have been completed.
Founded in 1861, the University of Washington is one of the oldest public institutions in the west coast and one of the preeminent research universities in the world. The University of Washington is a multi-campus university comprised of three different campuses: Seattle, Tacoma, and Bothell. The Seattle campus is made up of sixteen schools and colleges that serve students ranging from an undergraduate level to a doctoral level. The university is home to world-class libraries, arts, music, drama, and sports, as well as the highest quality medical care in Washington State and a world-class academic medical center. The teaching and research of the University’s many professional schools provide undergraduate and graduate students the education necessary toward achieving an excellence that will serve the state, the region, and the nation. As part of a large and diverse community, the University of Washington serves more students than any other institution in the Northwest.
