HR Update - FY 23 Issue 05

Issue Date: May 17,2023

In This Issue

• Update to Classification Priority 4 Definition
• 2020 Updates to W-4 Form
• Address and Emergency Contact Form Available in IRIS ESS
• Update to User Information available for New Hires
• Learning & Development Report: Bethel
• Start Your Career in HR Today
• DOPLR Comings and Goings

Update to Classification Priority 4 Definition

Classification Services uses client service standard metrics for processing position descriptions in the Online Position Description (OPD) system. These client service standards are calculated starting from the day the PD submission is received by the Division of Personnel and Labor Relations through OPD. We’ve reviewed and re-evaluated the current definitions for the standards and have determined that the definition for “Priority 4” needs to be updated to reflect the State’s current and long-term business needs. The existing client service standards are located on our website at Resources, Classification, Division of Personnel and Labor Relations, Department of Administration (alaska.gov)

Previously, a Priority 4 submission was defined as: “VACANT POSITIONS - NOT AWAITING RECRUITMENT / ESTABLISH FLEXIBLE STAFFING - The position is not expected to have an active recruitment within 60-days -or- vacant positions requesting to be flexibly staffed." It is exceedingly rare that a vacant position will not be awaiting recruitment, and typically when positions requesting flexible staffing come in, they are assigned to a Priority 2 as they are vacant. Hence, the Priority 4 has outgrown its original intent when created. Based upon the actions we’ve processed and their average time span, the new definition for the Priority 4 is being changed to the following: “Special Actions – actions not already covered under other priority levels. Examples are supervisory differential, requested desk audit, as directed, etc... The target client service date is within 60-days.”

This definition covers a broad area of actions that also allows for long-term actions to be addressed since it is not specific. This was effective May 1, 2023.

2020 Updates to W-4 Form

In 2020, the IRS completely changed their W-4 tax withholding form. To have the correct amount of taxes deducted, an employee must carefully follow the instructions provided by the IRS. Here is information from the IRS 2020 Form W-4 FAQs that explains this change.

Why redesign Form W-4?

The new design reduces the form's complexity and increases the transparency and accuracy of the withholding system. While it uses the same underlying information as the old design, it replaces complicated worksheets with more straightforward questions that make accurate withholding easier for employees.

What happened to withholding allowances?

Allowances are no longer used for the redesigned Form W-4. This change is meant to increase transparency, simplicity, and accuracy of the form. In the past, the value of a withholding allowance was tied to the amount of the personal exemption. Due to changes in law, currently you cannot claim personal exemptions or dependency exemptions.

Are all employees required to furnish a new Form W-4?

No. Employees who have furnished Form W-4 in any year before 2020 are not required to furnish a new form merely because of the redesign. Employers will continue to compute withholding based on the information from the employee's most recently furnished Form W-4.

Since 2020, some employees have expressed frustration with getting the correct amount of taxes deducted from the paycheck, and it may be that they are completing the form with the incorrect assumption that zero (0) can be reported to have the most taxes deducted, but this is not the case. Another reason may be that Step 2, which asks about multiple jobs, is being overlooked. Here is information from the IRS 2020 Form W-4 FAQs that addresses this change.

Why do I need to account for multiple jobs (Step 2)? I have never done that before.

Tax rates increase as income rises, and only one standard deduction can be claimed on each tax return, regardless of the number of jobs. Therefore, if you have more than one job at a time or are married filing jointly and both you and your spouse work, more money should usually be withheld from the combined pay for all the jobs than would be withheld if each job was considered by itself. Adjustments to your withholding must be made to avoid owing additional tax, and potentially penalties, when you file your tax return. All of this has been true for many years; it did not change with the recent tax law changes. The old Form W-4 accounted for multiple jobs using detailed instructions and worksheets that many employees may have overlooked. Step 2 of the redesigned Form W-4 lists three different options you should choose from to make the necessary withholding adjustments. Note that, to be accurate, you should furnish a [current] Form W-4 for all these jobs.

An employee’s tax withholdings are based on how the W-4 from is completed, the IRS tax structure, and how much taxable earnings are in the pay period. The IRS has a Tax Withholding Estimator to help employees target their refund amount.

Employees can view their current tax withholding status through IRIS Employee Self Service by selecting the Pay/W-2 Information tab and Manage Tax Information.

Address and Emergency Contact Form Available in IRIS ESS

Since the introduction of IRIS HRM in 2017 employees have had the ability to update their Address and Emergency Contact information directly in IRIS Employee Self Service (ESS). On April 3rd the Division of Finance began requiring that employees who need to update their Address or Emergency contact do so in IRIS ESS. Along with this update is a shift in expectations for employees assisting in the onboarding process. Going forward, the expectation is that the Emergency Contact and Address information be completed in IRIS ESS.

This change requires that Hiring Managers and Admin Staff work with their department recruitment (or talent acquisition) staff and OIT customer service to make sure that new hires get set up with access on day one. If you are not sure what is needed to get a new hire their access, please review the “Setting Up the Email and User Access on Day 1” article from the last HR Update.

Some updates that were made as part of this effort include:

• Updates to the New Employee Orientation to include the new “Confirmation of Completion of Paperless Pre-Hire Documents” as well as adding links to the ADDR Job Aid and the EMER Job Aid to assist new hires with filling out their information in IRIS ESS.
• Updates to the Employee Packets to remove the old PDF versions of the Address and Emergency contact form and instead direct employees to fill out the information in IRIS ESS and use the confirmation form to submit the information.
• New instructions directing employees to reach out to the Employee Call Center if they run into issues with filling out their Address or Emergency Contact in IRIS ESS.

These updates allow employees to keep their information updated and correct without needing to wait for Division of Finance Payroll Services to manually enter the information, thus ensuring employee accountability and ownership of a portion of their data. It also eliminates potential human error in the repeated data entry.

Information Available in IRIS Employee Self-Service

Besides updating the address or emergency contact information in IRIS Employee Self Service (ESS) there is a plethora of other information available for all employees. Through this platform, employees can check their current employment status, merit anniversary date, leave balance, pay stubs, W2s, and other important information. IRIS ESS is meant to give employees freedom to access information independently, rather than relying on the Employee Call Center or Payroll Services. In addition to the array of information employees can attain through the platform, the continued rollout of the onboarding process will include features that allow employees even greater freedom and independence.

Update to User Information available for New Hires

The Division of Finance is working on an update to the information that can be included when setting up user records for new hires in the State Directory (DSGW/LDAP). Currently, only basic information such as name, EE ID, and Department are available for establishing the user record for a new hire, and often additional information is not available until Payroll enters the appointment action.

The planned updates will allow the initial user record to use the information available for the position record for the PCN to which the employee is to be appointed. Lookups will occur in IRIS HRM based on the PCN provided by department recruitment (or talent acquisition) staff in the prehire action. This means that the user record that is added to LDAP can include additional data elements like Division, Home Unit, Supervisor, Work Location Address, Bargaining Unit, etc. These improvements to the data interface between IRIS and LDAP will help with some of the dynamic user access that usually has to wait until the Division of Finance Payroll Services enters the appointment action.

The Division of Finance is working directly with department recruitment (or talent acquisition) staff on the timing of this update and making sure they know about changes to their business processes that will need to be made to get a more complete user record established as part of the prehire action.

As a reminder, completing the creation of any new user record does require action from OIT or department IT staff. Please ensure you are providing adequate information and notice to IT when preparing to onboard a new employee so that IT can schedule the work appropriately.

Learning & Development Report: Bethel

The Division of Personnel and Labor Relations’ Learning and Development Team traveled to Bethel to conduct in-person training from April 3rd – April 7th.

Ten supervisors who directly oversee 67 employees successfully graduated the Academy for Supervisors 101, leaving with key HR knowledge, a detailed understanding of the State of Alaska’s Performance Management model in AspireAlaska and a new supervisors toolkit with documents like leave trackers, coaching templates and much more.

The Learning & Development team is grateful for the opportunity to ensure that our fellow state employees all over our great state have access to quality training opportunities, investing in themselves and their future with the State of Alaska.

Start Your Career in HR Today

The Division of Personnel and Labor Relations (DOPLR) offers exciting career paths with opportunities for ongoing development. Now is an outstanding time to join DOPLR and be part of the positive developments underway in State HR. DOPLR offers a supportive, team-centered environment with a strong emphasis on training and development. Check out opportunities to join the State HR team on Workplace Alaska (pro tip: check both the State Employee and All Applicant job boards and search “human resources”). The Careers in State HR website has a wealth of information about working in DOPLR.

DOPLR Comings and Goings

This is a new section on the HR Update where we are hoping to highlight some of the comings and goings within Division of Personnel and Labor Relations.

Goings (leaving DOPLR)

• Nancy Sutch (Deputy Director)
• Teri Clark (Absence Management)

Comings (New to DOPLR/Internal Promotions)

• Benthe Mertl-Posthumus (Promotion) (Deputy Director)
• Manuel Gonzalez (ER)
• Tammy Backus (ER)
• Bert Bennett (Promotion) (Classification)
• Dana Harrington (Classification)
• Sarah Darling (Promotion) (EEO)
• Amber Glen (LR)
• Hannah Nelson (Absence Management)