1. Complete Your Required Tasks
Complete all required tasks as advised from People & Talent.
Your New Hire Checklist
WGU is committed to offering you a rewarding career that gives you the opportunity to make valuable contributions toward rewriting the rules of higher education to put students first. Follow the steps in the checklist below to make a great start at WGU.
2. Enroll in Benefits
Enroll in your health and insurance benefits.
3. Save for the Future
Enroll in the company’s WGU Retirement Savings Plan to prepare for retirement.
Let's Get Started!
1. Complete Required Tasks
Please complete assigned tasks to People & Talent as soon as possible.
2. Enroll in Health and Insurance Benefits
You have 30 days from your date of hire to enroll in WGU benefits. If you do not enroll within the 30-day time frame, you will not have healthcare coverage and certain other benefits. You will need to wait until Open Enrollment or experience a qualifying life event, such as a birth or a marriage.
As a new employee of WGU, all benefits are effective on your first day.
Who Can Enroll in WGU Benefits?
WGU employees in regular positions classified to typically work 30 or more hours per week are eligible to enroll in WGU’s benefits program. Positions classified for fewer than 30 hours per week are generally not eligible for medical, dental, and WGU-paid life and disability benefits. If your position is classified as part-time, temporary, intern, or intermittent, other eligibility rules may apply for purposes of vacation, sick, and holiday eligibility. You may also cover your eligible dependents under WGU’s medical, health savings account (HSA), prescription, dental, vision, and life benefits.
| FT Employees in Regular Positions Classified to Work 30+ Hours per Week | PT Employees in Regular Positions Classified to Work Less Than 30 Hours per Week |
|---|---|
| Medical, Telehealth, Dental and Vision | Vision |
| HSA/FSA accounts | Flexible Spending Accounts (FSA) |
| Supplemental Benefits (Accident, Critical Illness and Hospital Indemnity) | Supplemental Benefits (Accident, Critical Illness and Hospital Indemnity) |
| WGU-paid life and disability benefits (STD and LTD) | Voluntary Life & AD&D |
| LegalShield & IDShield | LegalShield & IDShield |
| Discounted WGU tuition | Discounted WGU tuition |
| Retirement Savings Plan | Retirement Savings Plan |
| Paid Holidays, Vacation and Sick Time | Paid Holidays and Sick time (prorated) |
| Wellbeing programs including Mental Healthcare | Wellbeing programs including Mental Healthcare |
| Paid Parental Leave and Family Planning | Perkspot (Discount program) |
| Employees in Temporary Positions Classified to Work 30+ Hours per Week | Employees in Temporary Positions Classified to Work Less Than 30 Hours per Week |
|---|---|
| Medical and HSA (if hired to work full-time 30+ hours) | Retirement Savings Plan (Eligible to receive employer contributions after 1,000 hours worked during first year of employment) |
| Retirement Savings Plan (Eligible to receive employer contributions after 1,000 hours worked during first year of employment) | Perkspot (Discount program) |
| Perkspot (Discount program) | Paid Holidays and Sick Time (prorated) |
| Paid Holidays and Sick Time | Discounted WGU tuition |
| Discounted WGU tuition | Emotional Wellbeing & Mental Healthcare |
| Emotional Wellbeing & Mental Healthcare | WGU Wellbeing |
| WGU Wellbeing |
Note: Special Medical Plan eligibility is extended to employees otherwise ineligible for WGU Medical coverage, if their 12-month average of actual hours worked exceeds 30 per week.
Who Is an Eligible Dependent?
Your eligible dependents include:
- Spouse or domestic partner (same or opposite gender)
- Your dependent child(ren) and your covered spouse’s or domestic partner’s dependent child(ren) up to age 26
- Disabled children who became disabled on or before age 26
Domestic Partner Eligibility
- You are a registered domestic partner
OR
- You maintain the same principal place of residence and intend to do so in the future
- You agree to be responsible for each other’s basic living expenses in the event that either of you is unable to provide such expenses for himself or herself
- You are both 18 or older
- Neither of you are married
- You are not related by blood to such a degree that you would be prevented from marrying in the state in which you reside
- Neither of you has maintained coverage for another domestic partner under any health plan within the last six months (this excludes any domestic partner that has died within the last six months)
- You agree to notify WGU immediately upon your failure to satisfy any of the criteria of domestic partnership
Take Action!
As a new employee, you can enroll in the following health and insurance benefits. This site will help you learn about these valuable benefits.
Visit the links below to learn more about these valuable benefits:
Additional WGU-Provided Mental Healthcare Benefits: Spring Health & Headspace
Spring Health. Just like exercising regularly or going to the doctor for an annual checkup, prioritizing your mental health supports your overall wellbeing. Spring Health provides WGU employees with a robust suite of emotional wellbeing and mental health services featuring a personalized Care Navigator, unlimited coaching, 10 free live therapy sessions per year, and various app-based tools—all through a confidential, user-friendly platform. All employees, their spouses or partners, and age 13+ dependent children are eligible to use WGU’s Spring Health platform. Additionally, you and your covered dependents aged 18 and older are eligible for 10 free motivational coaching sessions per year.
Headspace. In addition to Spring Health, WGU has also teamed up with Headspace to offer free access to its simple, powerful app. Meditation and mindfulness are proven to help people stress less, focus more, and sleep soundly. Headspace offers 1,000+ hours of brief exercises to help you live your whole day mindfully.
New Hire Wellbeing
WGU wants to ensure you feel supported as a new employee, especially when it comes to understanding your WGU Wellbeing and Employee Benefits. We invite you to participate in a quick scavenger hunt designed to help you become familiar with the many resources available to you.
Participation in this activity is voluntary and the incentive you may receive is dependent upon which Western Governors University Medical Plan option you are enrolled in, if any. Incentives will be awarded the month following completion of this activity.
- Employees enrolled in the Traditional Low Deductible Plan (LDHP) will begin receiving the wellbeing credit applied to their premiums
- Employees enrolled in the High Deductible Health Plan (HDHP) and those not enrolled in any Western Governors University Medical Plan will receive 1,000 Boomin' Bucks
Answers for this activity can be found within wgubenefits.com, the IntraNest, Workday, and the WGU Wellbeing Portal powered by Sonic Boom. Please do not contact WGU People Center for answers to the scavenger hunt. Click here to get started!
How to Enroll
After reviewing your benefit options, make your enrollment selections within 30 days of your date of hire.
Enrolling Is Easy!
- Visit the Workday website – Enroll online at your convenience, any time of day or night. The Workday website will guide you through the benefits enrollment process every step of the way.
Log In
On the Workday homepage, you will see that you may have some tasks waiting for you in your inbox which is located in the upper right hand corner. One of the tasks waiting for you is titled Benefit Change – New Hire. When you click this task, you will follow the on-screen instructions to make your benefit elections
Make Your Elections
You’ll use Workday for most of your benefits enrollment tasks. Although your benefits coverage is effective on your hire date, be sure to enroll within 30 days of your hire date to ensure you are covered.
Review Your Benefit and Program Offerings
During your first week, you’ll receive a task in Workday to enroll in benefits. Be sure to first check out our medical, dental, vision, life insurance, and other offerings to determine which plans best fit your needs. And see who you can cover under our plans.
Note: You have 30 days from your hire date to enroll in benefits, but on your first day, you won’t see your benefits task waiting for you in Workday.
Ready to Enroll?
Enroll in the following benefits using Workday:
- Medical
- Accident Insurance
- Critical Illness Insurance
- Dental
- Vision
- Health Savings Account
- Health Care Flexible Spending Account
- Limited Purpose Flexible Spending Account
- Dependent Care Flexible Spending Account
- Life Insurance
- AD&D
- Identity Theft Protection
- Legal Protection
Important Reminders!
- Be sure to provide the necessary dependent information to enroll eligible family members.
- Make sure you’ve provided beneficiary information for your life insurance.
3. Save for the Future
You can invest for retirement with easy payroll deductions through Transamerica. You will be able to set up your account and contributions with Transamerica by the end of your first week at WGU. If you don’t take any enrollment action within 90 days of becoming eligible, you not be eligible to enroll until next Open Enrollment. You may change your contribution rate and investment elections at any time through Transamerica directly.
Learn more
Review the many great features and advantages of the WGU Retirement Savings Plan.
How to Enroll in the WGU Retirement Savings Plan
You can easily enroll in the WGU Retirement Savings Plan and manage your account online or by phone:
- Visit the Transamerica website – Enroll online at your convenience, any time of day or night.
- Call 800-755-5801 – Representatives are available to help you Monday through Friday, 8am – 9pm ET.
Important Reminder!
Make sure you’ve provided beneficiary information for your WGU Retirement Savings Plan account.