Campus Resources for Job or Income Loss

The news of job or income loss can come with feelings of stress and uncertainty. How can I prepare? What happens to my health insurance? What do I do now?

To help UW–Madison staff navigate these challenges and understand their rights, the Office of Human Resources has created the Employee Guide to Job or Income Loss. This comprehensive guide is designed to support staff who may have received notice of layoff, non-renewal, or change in appointment and includes policies, procedures, and information about support resources.

If you’ve been affected by job or income loss, the guide can help you:

• Take your first steps after notification: Learn what you should do immediately after receiving notice of layoff, non-renewal, or change in appointment. Review the Important First Steps section to find out whom to contact, get information about changing payroll deductions, learn how to cancel transportation and technology services, and more.
• Understand the impact to your benefits: Find out what happens to your benefits in the event of layoff or non-renewal. Employees will receive written verification of their benefits at layoff from Madison Benefits Services before their appointment ends.
• Sign up for Referral Priority: Referral Priority is an OHR service to help support eligible employees—typically strong candidates who often bring valuable institutional experience—in finding new employment after layoff, or, in some cases, non-renewal. Employees enrolled in Referral Priority receive expedited consideration of their job application and are eligible to bypass the full recruitment process.
• Get emotional support: Tap in to the no-cost counseling and consultation services offered by UW–Madison’s Employee Assistance Office (EAO), or learn how to schedule a free session with LifeMatters, which provides confidential talk, text, or video appointments with professional counselors 24 hours a day, seven days a week.
• Access financial resources: Browse courses, collections, articles, calculators, and online coaching sessions offered by UW Credit Union and Banzai; dig in to free financial wellness resources from UW Extension; explore financial resources designed for families and parents from the Office of Child Care & Family Resources (OCCFR); and more.
• Find job-search help: Schedule a free, one-on-one appointment with a member of UW–Madison’s Employee Career Counseling team or explore self-service resources such as do-it-yourself career planning tools and effective job search tips. You can take advantage of Employee Career Counseling services within six months of the end of your UW–Madison employment, as long as your employment ends due to a layoff or non-renewal.
• Enhance your professional skills: Develop your professional skill set with no-cost course offerings supported by the Learning and Talent Development office. To help with the transition, employees facing job or income loss are also encouraged to attend virtual courses focused on resilience and change readiness.

There’s more information to be found in the Employee Guide to Job or Income Loss. For questions related to your employment, contact the human resources office at your school, college, or division.