FAQs for Managers

The most important thing for managers to do is to remain neutral in any discussions with eligible staff.

• Don’t advise an employee on what decision to make even if they ask for your opinion.

• Don’t proactively reach out to your eligible employees to discuss the VSRI or attempt to determine if an employee is eligible for or interested in the program.

• Don’t persuade or influence an employee’s decision to participate in any way.

• Do guide the employee to the Benefits Office at 773.702.9634 for answers to their questions about benefits or to their Human Resources representatives for other related questions.

Whether or not to retire is a very important and personal decision that eligible employees will have to make individually. Managers play a critical role in ensuring the employee’s decision-making process is based on their own circumstances and personal judgment about what is best for them.

The Benefits Office will be conducting VSRI Program overview and retirement planning sessions with eligible employees. A list of dates and times for these sessions can be found in the FAQs for Eligible Employees on the UChicago Intranet. In addition, for those who have additional questions after attending an informational session, benefits specialists will be available for confidential, one-on-one retirement meetings.

Your role should be to support your eligible employees during their decision-making process without guiding or pressuring them into any sort of decision. You may be tempted to make efforts to retain your employees, especially your high-performing and high-potential employees, and those in critical jobs. It is not appropriate for you, as a manager, to indicate to certain employees that you hope they will not elect to participate in the VSRI or to encourage their participation. The VSRI Program includes flexibility to address the rare and limited circumstances in which an eligible staff member who expresses interest in the VSRI can be approached by their Dean/Officer (or designee) to consider a delayed retirement date. See Question 7 below for more information about expectations of managers under this aspect of the VSRI Program.

No. Consistent with the best practices that apply to voluntary retirement incentive programs, managers and unit-heads will not be provided with a list in advance of who in their unit is eligible to participate. Relatedly, managers should not reach out to eligible employees to discuss the VSRI and should not attempt to advise an employee to accept the VSRI (or to not participate and instead remain with the University).  Managers will be notified of an employee’s acceptance into the program after the election period is completed and no later than mid-March.

Employees may come to you and seek your general thoughts and/or personal opinions about the VSRI or any other upcoming changes. Your well-intentioned comments could be misinterpreted as signaling your support for or against participation. As a manager, it remains your role to communicate with and listen to your staff, but it is not your role to provide VSRI or other benefits-related information or to directly or indirectly guide their decisions around whether they participate. Rather, you should acknowledge the importance and personal nature of the decision and direct them to the appropriate VSRI Program resources on the UChicago Intranet for answers to their VSRI and benefits-related questions so they can make this personal decision on a well-informed basis. 

• Don’t share your personal situation and/or opinions of the VSRI Program

• Don’t share your prediction about other potential changes that may be ahead

• Study and understand basic information about the VSRI program, but don’t provide information to employees – direct them to the appropriate resources.

Managers should remain positive, balanced, visible, and available and assure their team members that transition plans will be developed for any employee electing to participate in the VSRI Program. It’s important that managers demonstrate their individual commitment to stay focused on the mission of the team or department.

Yes, after agreements are provided (on or about March 18, 2024), managers and members of their staff who have a final retirement date specified under the VSRI Program should discuss and plan for transitioning work and responsibilities as well as the agreed-upon plan for letting other team members know that the employee has chosen to retire.

No, there is a limitation on rehire as an employee and/or independent contract under the VSRI. Please consult the VSRI Program Plan Document for specific limitations related to future engagements with the University as an employee or independent contractor. A unit’s plan for adapting to an employee’s retirement under the VSRI cannot involve the individual’s immediate continued engagement with the unit, as an employee or independent contractor, for the periods specified in the VSRI Program.

In recognition of the fact that there are a limited number of positions for which a retirement on the specified date, may adversely impact mission-critical functions at the University, the VSRI does allow for Deans and Officers, during a limited period of time (i.e., February 15 through March 7, 2024), to request that certain eligible employees who submitted an expression of interest consider delaying their retirement date. These requests are expected to be extremely limited, and the number of such requests that are actually approved by the Provost or CFO (as applicable) cannot exceed 10% of the total number of individuals campus-wide who submit an expression of interest. Managers should not approach an employee about delaying their retirement except at the direction of their Dean or Officer and only during the period specified for doing so under the VSRI Program.

Once an employee’s expression of interest and application for the VSRI has been approved and their retirement date has been confirmed (i.e., in mid-March), the unit should work with the employee to ensure transfer of knowledge, a transition plan for the employee’s responsibilities, and confirmation of documentation of policies, processes and procedures for which they are responsible. The Organizational Development team in Central HR is available to provide guidance and support in this area.