New Hire Resources
During your first weeks of employment, it’s important to have all the information you need to start off on the right foot. Below are answers to some commonly asked questions. If you have questions or concerns, please feel free to email us at hr@smith.edu.
About Smith
New Staff Orientation
Twice a month the Office of Human Resources conducts a New Staff Orientation, where you will learn about Smith College culture, get answers to questions, and review employee benefits and Workday. The New Staff Orientation for 2022 will be conducted via Zoom. You will be sent an invitation from the Office of Human Resources with the Meeting ID number. Orientation starts promptly at 1 p.m. on the following dates:
- February 27, 2023
- March 13, 2023
- March 27, 2023
- April 10, 2023
- April 24, 2023
- May 8, 2023
- May 22, 2023
- June 5, 2023
- June 20, 2023
Onboarding Process
Offer Letter |
Check the email account you used to apply for the position for an email asking you to sign your formal employment agreement digitally using DocuSign. You’ll receive a copy of the agreement to the email you used to apply for the position. |
New Employee Paperwork |
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Workday & Smith Email Account Setup |
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Updating Your Information
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Benefits Summary
Smith College offers a robust suite of benefit programs designed to support employees’ health and welfare, financial wellbeing, and social and emotional wellbeing whether early in their career, during mid-career or nearing retirement. If you are in a benefit-eligible position, benefits generally begin on your start date and end on your termination date.
Please visit Smith College’s Benefits page to review helpful information including:
- Benefit guides
- Rate sheet
- Overview information including summary documents outlining benefits and coverage
- Contact information for each benefit vendor
Once you’ve decided which benefit plans you want to enroll in, you should:
- Update your home address in Workday, if needed
- Collect social security numbers, dates of birth, and primary care doctors’ names and addresses for those you will cover under your benefits
- Visit the Workday Help site for step-by-step instructions for the “New Employee: Onboarding Benefit Elections” task
If you are in a benefit-eligible position, once you’ve completed required onboarding tasks including submission of your I-9 task, you will automatically receive your new hire benefits enrollment task in your Workday inbox. When you’re ready, click on the enrollment task and follow the prompts. Remember, you must enroll within 30 days of your start date.
Please note: New hire enrollment data is sent to benefit vendors weekly. It takes at least two weeks to receive your member ID card(s) in the mail. If you have questions above coverage and/or your member ID card(s), please call the appropriate customer service number below.
- Blue Cross Blue Shield health insurance: 800-782-3675
- OptumRx prescription coverage: 888-374-8127
- Delta Dental: 800-872-0500
- EyeMed vision insurance: 866-939-3633
- Health Equity health savings accounts (HSA): 866-346-5800
- Voya/Benefit Strategies flexible spending accounts (FSA): 888-401-3539
- Voya Financial 403(b) retirement plan recordkeeper: 800-584-6001
- Allstate identity theft coverage: 800-789-2720
- CompPsych/Employee Assistance Program (EAP): 800-828-6025
Smith College offers a competitive retirement plan that includes a fully-funded employer contribution plus employees can make voluntary pre-tax and/or Roth contributions via payroll deduction beginning as soon as their start date. Employees may start, change, or stop their voluntary contributions at any time through Workday’s Benefits app.
For employees meeting the eligibility criteria below, Smith College contributes 9% of eligible earnings up to an integration level, and 13.3% of earnings above the integration level, to an eligible employee’s retirement account. Employees are not required to make any matching contribution to receive the employer contribution. The College’s contributions to the retirement account are fully vested beginning with the first contribution.
To be eligible for employer retirement contributions paid by Smith College, an employee must:
- Be age 21 or older (starting 1/1/2023)
- Have a year of service with Smith College
- Have 910 hours worked in their anniversary year or a subsequent calendar year
Employees who worked at another college or university within 90 days of their date of hire at Smith College may be eligible to receive up to one year of credit toward service eligibility. To qualify, an “Eligibility Verification” form completed by the previous institution must be emailed to HRBenefits@smith.edu. This form is available on the Benefits website under the Retirement Plan section. Retroactive employer contributions are not made so do not delay in completing and submitting the form.
Voya Financial is the recordkeeper for the Smith College 403(b) retirement plan: 800-584-6001. A Voya account will be created for you after you have started voluntary and/or employer contributions.
For more information on Smith College’s retirement plan including contact information If interested in rolling over money from another retirement plan, visit the Retirement Plan section of the Benefits website.
You are encouraged to designate beneficiaries for all accounts with a potential monetary benefit (e.g. life insurance, retirement accounts, health savings accounts). Beneficiaries for life insurance are designated and maintained in Workday. For the retirement plan, you may call Voya Financial at 800-584-6001 once your Voya account has been established. HealthEquity will record your beneficiary designation for your Health Savings Account (HSA).