New Employee Guide: Your First Week

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During the first week, you are getting a real feel for your new job, connecting with your coworkers and colleagues and seeing what makes the University of South Carolina Beaufort such a special place.

Now is the time to make some very important decisions. If you are benefits eligible, you will need to select your health plan and insurance benefits. You will also need to select a retirement program. All employees will need to learn more about what their supervisors and departments expect of them. Making good decisions now will result in positive outcomes for a long time to come.

1. Review and Select Your Benefits

Benefits-eligible employees have a limited amount of time to make selections:

You must refuse coverage or elect your health plan and make your life-insurance decisions within 31 days of your date of hire.

Decisions about retirement plans or non-membership selection, if applicable, must be completed within 30 days of your date of hire using the link in PEBA's retirement enrollment notification sent to either your work or personal email.

Important: For retirement, if election of non-membership is not exercised within 30 days or if no retirement program is selected within the 30 days, you will be automatically enrolled into the SCRS or PORS retirement system (whichever is applicable), which is irrevocable.

Review our New Employee Benefits Guide to learn more about eligibility and your options.

2. Complete Your First Week Onboarding Tasks

Log in to Employee Self Service using your Network Username and password to complete any First Week Tasks you did not complete on your First Day.

Click on the “Onboarding” tile and use the left navigation to select “First Week Tasks” to complete tasks such as your mailing address, contact information, ethnicity, veteran status and emergency contact information. You can also provide voluntary self-identification of a disability.

3. Understand Expectations

  • Learn why your role is important to your team and the University and how it aligns with departmental and USCB goals.

  • Schedule your on-the-job training and any environmental safety and professional development you need in order to perform your new role. New supervisors are expected to complete the LEAD Supervisory Essentials program within 18 months of being hired into a supervisory role.

  • Review your planning documents and the employee evaluation process with your supervisor in order to clarify your expectations and understand how your manager measures success.

  • Staff employees should review the guide to performance evaluations.

  • Learn the formal and informal ways your team works together. Topics to discuss with your supervisor include communication styles, decision making, problem solving, dealing with conflict and frequency of standing meetings.

4. Download Safety Alerts and Apps

The University of South Carolina Beaufort is deeply committed to the health and wellbeing of our campus community. If you are experiencing a hurtful or harmful situation, use the Campus Safety Guide to take immediate action. As an employee you also have access to the Employee Assistance Program which offers a broad range of services to support your wellbeing.

Register to receive Carolina Alerts for up-to-the-moment campus safety news.

Review university policy HR 1.18,  Hazardous Weather and Emergency Leave and the related Hazardous Weather FAQ.  Any closings or delayed openings of state government offices are posted on the South Carolina Emergency Management Division's website, and the University will send a Carolina Alert notification.

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