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.
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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:
- July 5, 2022
- July 18, 2022
- August 1, 2022
- August 15, 2022
- Aug 29, 2022
- September 12, 2022
- September 26, 2022
- October 11, 2022
- October 24, 2022
- November 7, 2022
- November 21, 2022
- December 5, 2022
- December 19, 2022
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
- a benefits overview video where we walk you through your benefits options
- a comparison chart showing how out-of-pocket expenses vary among the four health plans available through Blue Cross Blue Shield
- pharmacy benefit information, managed through OptumRx, which is included with any of the health plans
- information a separate, annual prescription deductible and how pharmacy copays are structured in tiers
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.
When your other onboarding tasks are complete, you will 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 after your first day of work.
Please note: Workday enrollment data is sent to all of the vendors on Friday nights. It takes at least two weeks to receive your cards in the mail at home. If you need to follow up on your cards, please call the appropriate customer service number below.
- Blue Cross Blue Shield health insurance: 800-782-3675
- Benefits@Blue for Smith College Employees
- 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
- 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
- New Directions Employee Assistance Program (EAP): 800-828-6025
Each year there is an open enrollment period during which you have the opportunity to change or update your benefits. Be sure to check the regular news and policy updates from HR.
All employees are welcome to make voluntary contributions to the retirement plan. Employees may start, change, or stop their contributions through their Workday account at any time.
To be eligible for employer retirement contributions paid by Smith College, an employee must:
- Be age 26 or older
- 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 employer contributions earlier. To qualify, a “Retirement Eligibility Verification” form, completed by the previous institution, is required for audit purposes. This form is available on the HR Benefits webpage, and should be emailed to Tina Benoit at tbenoit@smith.edu.
Voya Financial is the recordkeeper for the Smith College 403(b) retirement plan: 800-584-6001.
A Voya account will be created for you as soon as contributions are elected.
If you are interested in rolling over money from another retirement plan, please contact Oxander Caballero, Account Consolidation Representative at Voya Financial Advisors Inc. by phone at 612-217-9694 or email him at oxander.caballero@voya.com. You will need to have a Voya account set up in order to arrange for a rollover. The easiest way to have your account set up at Voya is to start a voluntary contribution.
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 1-800-584-6001 once your Voya account has been established. HealthEquity will record your beneficiary designation for your Health Savings Account (HSA).