As of Jan. 1, long-time employees on the biweekly payroll will receive an addition to their retirement packages. Those employees who have worked over 20 years at Duke and choose to retire early will get a noticeable increase in their retirement checks.
Under the old policy, these employees would receive drastic cuts in their retirement checks, getting only 45.2 percent of what they would have received had they retired at the age of 65. The new plan gives these early retirees 70 percent of these funds.
Deborah Horvitz, director of human resources communications, said that all employees should have been made aware of the changes via a four-page brochure sent by mail. All employees questioned had seen the new brochure, but none had actually read the information inside.
"I guess I do need to think about it. I only have five more years," said Ethel Collins, a food service employee who has worked at Duke for over 20 years. Like Collins, several employees said they recognized the importance of retirement plans, but other benefits-like health care or vacation-seemed more pressing.
Collins drew a parallel between many employees' disinterest in the retirement preparation and an old saying: "You're always prepared to live, but you never prepare to die."
Arthur Brodie, who has worked off and on for the University since 1957, said that he and his fellow workers found the information confusing.
"I planned to make an appointment with one of the people in personnel-there is a lot of it I still don't understand," Brodie said.
Horvitz said that her office is fully aware of the problems in communicating benefit details to employees and that the office is actively trying to remedy them. "One of our goals is to make information more accessible, not as much jargon... clearer language...," she said, noting that the latest brochures are "close" to where the office wants to be.
Duke hopes to offer more aid to employees in their understanding of their benefit packages with the creation of the Human Resource Information Center. The center, located in the Erwin Square Building on 9th Street, recently opened for phone or walk-in questions concerning benefits.
Though some employees might worry that the latest changes to the plan may only aid a small number of people this doesn't seem to be the case. While workers are employed for an average of 10 years, a sizable number of employees have worked past the 20-year mark: 2,538 current bi-weekly employees out of about 15,000.
All employees agreed that the newest change is a good way of rewarding those who have worked at Duke for a long time.
"That is no more than logic," Brodie said. "The people who have contributed more [should get more]."
Horvitz said that this change-along with a cost-of-living adjustment that will affect those who retired before 2000-is part of a continual effort by Duke to review and adjust compensation programs. "We are always looking to have benefits that will help us to recruit and retain staff," she said.
Nearly 63 percent of Duke employees are paid on a bi-weekly basis. These workers are covered under one benefit package, while those paid on a monthly or annual basis are subject to another.
Duke Benefits Administration creates retirement packages for all employees, along with other benefit plans including health, dental and life insurance and disability payments.
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