Newsletter

Welcome to the HR Newsletter: September 2025

As campus comes alive with the energy of a new academic year, we’re excited to bring you updates and helpful tips to support you. In this month’s issue, you’ll find resources to help you navigate the busy fall season, such as information on Workday Help, important student employment guidelines, leadership training opportunities, and more.

As we step into the Fall 2025 semester, let’s remember the mission that unites us: to develop Christ-centered men and women with the values, knowledge, and skills essential to impact the world. Thank you for the part you play in making that mission come alive each day!

Message from the EVP

Workday Help Has Launched

We’re excited to announce the launch of Workday Help! This powerful tool will transform how HR delivers services across the university to help you get the assistance and information you need faster and more efficiently.

Whether you have questions about benefits, need support with payroll, or want to explore HR policies, Workday Help streamlines our processes, providing you with consistent, high-quality support – all in one place.

Workday Help allows you to:

• Search our centralized knowledge base for quick answers to common questions
• Submit cases directly to the HR team and track their progress
• Communicate with HR through a clear and organized message thread
• View all your HR cases in one place for easy reference

To learn how to submit a case, simply search “How to create a case” in Workday for step-by-step instructions.

Understanding FMLA and Time Off

With the recent transition to Voya as our life, disability, and leave management provider and the addition of paid parental bonding leave, we want to share some important reminders about leave procedures for all employees.

FMLA vs. Paid Time Off

The Family and Medical Leave Act (FMLA) allows eligible employees who have worked at least 12 months and 1,250 hours for the university to take up to 12 weeks of unpaid, job-protected leave for certain family and medical reasons while maintaining health benefits.

Paid time off (including flexible time off for faculty) does not replace the protection of FMLA, which ensures job protection and continued benefits. Managers aware of absences potentially related to FMLA must contact Human Resources.

Employees and managers should not wait until an employee has exhausted all accrued PTO before requesting FMLA protection. Employees may still use accrued PTO or short-term disability if eligible for payment while on leave.

Read the FMLA knowledge article to learn more about when to request FMLA and when not to.

Coming Soon: CAPTRUST at Work

We’re excited to share a new benefit that will be available this fall to all eligible LU employees: CAPTRUST at Work!

This partnership provides direct access to experienced financial advisors who can help guide you through important decisions, from retirement planning and investment strategies to budgeting and saving for life’s milestones.

As part of this service, you’ll have the opportunity to schedule one-on-one consultations at no cost. These confidential sessions are designed to give you practical, personalized advice to help you make the most of your benefits and feel confident in your financial future. In partnership with Transamerica, CAPTRUST also offers helpful resources so you can clearly see what choices best fit your needs. Whether you’re just starting your career or looking ahead to retirement, CAPTRUST offers tools and expertise tailored to your personal goals.

We will be sharing more information about CAPTRUST soon!

Virginia’s Minimum Wage Will Rise in 2026

The Virginia Department of Labor and Industry has announced that the state’s minimum wage will increase from $12.41 to $12.77 per hour, effective Jan. 1, 2026.

HR will automatically adjust pay rates for all current employees whose wages fall below the new minimum. No action is required from departments for these updates. However, departments are encouraged to review their budgets and plan accordingly for any potential impacts.

Student Workers

Students who are enrolled in classes should be placed in student-classified job profiles rather than part-time, nonbenefited job profiles. This status enables eligible students to receive FICA tax exemption, provided they meet enrollment and employment criteria, and allows students to utilize any Federal Work-Study (FWS) aid they may have been awarded.

Important Reminders

• Hire Effective Date: Always enter the student’s hire effective date as their actual first day of work. Do not use an earlier date.
• Job Profile Accuracy: Ensure the job profile you plan to use is complete and up to date. If updates are needed, please submit a Job Profile ServiceNow request as early as possible.
• Work Hour Limits While School Is in Session:
  • Most students may work up to 29 hours per week — all university jobs combined. Exceeding this limit may have budget implications and could result in the loss of FICA tax exemption status.
  • Administrative Graduate Assistants (AGAs) may work no more than 20 hours per week.
• International Student Workers are limited to 18 hours per week while school is in session. For more details, please visit our International Student Employment page.
• Work Hour Limits During Breaks: Students may work up to 40 hours per week when classes are not in session and during official university breaks of less than 5 weeks.

Managing Summer Temps

A few reports are available to you in Workday to assist in managing your summer temporary workers and positions. To access these reports and find all employees listed under that heading, type the appropriate title from the list below into the Workday search bar:

• All Active Summer Temporary Employees
• All Summer Temporary Positions

Additional resources can be found on our website. Check out the Workday Walk-Throughs webpage for quick guides and videos on various Workday business processes.

Ending Summer Temp Positions

To move a student back into their student worker job profile, you will follow a very similar process to what you did when moving them to a summer temporary position. Please watch the video here for step-by-step instructions.

Important Reminders

• The employee type must be changed back to “Student Worker.”
• Default weekly hours and scheduled weekly hours must match and should be changed to 29 hours or fewer.
• The earliest effective date is Aug. 11, 2025.
• The start date must always be the first date of work rather than an earlier date.
• Job changes and terminations should have been completed no later than Aug. 18, 2025. If you have not completed this action, please do so as soon as possible.
• If the summer temp has an end date, they still need to be terminated if they are not changing back to a student worker.

Job Requisition Requirements for Job Changes

Many job change situations will require a job requisition to be created. There are a few exceptions, such as if an employee is changing jobs and remaining under the same VP or dean. For example, if an employee is promoted from a contact center agent II to a contact center supervisor and both of those roles are under the same HR executive, a job requisition is not needed.

You can view the decision tree for determining when a job requisition is needed here. You can also find this resource on our Workday Recruiting Canvas course and Workday guides webpage.

The One Big Beautiful Bill Announcement

We understand you may have questions about “The One Big Beautiful Bill,” which was signed into law on July 4, 2025. This legislation has generated significant interest, and we’re closely monitoring developments.

At this time, we are awaiting formal guidance and clarification to determine how, if at all, this new law will affect our organization. Once we receive definitive information, we will promptly communicate any relevant updates and next steps.

In the meantime, if you’d like to learn more, we recommend reviewing this informative article from ADP.

Equipping LU Leaders

In June, Human Resources hosted the inaugural Leadership on the Mountain Summit, bringing together leaders from across campus to explore the foundation of the LEADERS framework. You can watch the recap video here and read LU’s latest news article on the summit here.

Are you a manager at Liberty? Don’t miss the opportunity to be part of the 2026 Champion Leadership Training. This dynamic 7-week course is designed to sharpen your leadership skills and equip you for greater impact. This program offers a biblically based approach to leadership, grounded in the LEADERS framework: Lordship, Environment, Accountability, Development, Execution, Results, and Shepherding. You can learn more about the program and apply here.

2025 Paid Leave Days and Holidays

Benefited employees receive paid time off for designated holidays throughout the year, including an extended break during the Christmas season. Be sure to check the Paid Leave page for a full list of 2025 observed holidays and policies in the employee handbook related to vacation, sick leave, and bereavement time.

More information regarding the Christmas closure will be shared in the coming months.

Employee Relocation Reminder

Did you know Liberty has over 6,000 remote employees? If you’re a remote employee and thinking of changing states, there’s a couple of things you should be aware of before completing your move. Per Section 2.12 of the Employee Handbook, faculty and staff must request and receive approval before moving from one state to another. To do so, you need to receive management approval for the move via email, which you will then attach to the Relocation Request Form.

Once you have received a notification from HR that your request has been approved, you can move from one state to another. If you have questions about this process or the 2.12 Workplace Schedule and Location Designation policy, please reach out to us. We’d be happy to help.