Course Syllabus

HR 65, Human Resource Benefits Administration

Spring 2025

Instructor Contact

Eric Arndt

Email: earndt@santarosa.edu

Office Hours: Zoom calls are available with advanced notice.

I typically respond to emails within 24 hour on weekdays and 48 hours on weekends and holidays.

Course Web Site

Students will use the Canvas course website for assignment instructions, submitting assignments, viewing classmates' work, sharing resources, and viewing grades.

Textbook

Employee Benefits, ISBN 9781260260489, 7th Edition - 2023, Joseph Martocchio

You can order the textbook online via the SRJC Bookstore. Note that if you want to pick your book up in Petaluma, you need to order them from the Petaluma Bookstore website.

Important Dates

Day Class Begins: March 3, 2025

Day Class Ends: May 4, 2025

Last Day to Add without the instructor's approval: March 5, 2025

Last Day to Add with instructor's approval: March 14, 2025

Last Day to Drop without a 'W' symbol: March 14, 2025

Last Day to Opt for Pass/No Pass: May 4, 2025

Last Day to Drop with a 'W' symbol: April 20, 2025

Course Description

Fundamentals of employee benefit programs and leaves of absence requirements. Content covers the interpretation of California and Federal law to correctly administer employee benefits and leaves of absence. Topics emphasize the administration of group benefits, including health and survivor insurance, government-mandated insurance, defined benefit and defined retirement benefits, and family, medical, and pregnancy leaves of absence.

Student Learning Outcomes

Upon completion of the course, students will be able to:

Develop a comprehensive and legally compliant benefits package suitable for today's diverse employment base, in the context of the employer's size, industry and budget.
Determine which leaves of absence apply to specific situations, including describing the limitations and requirements.

Students will be able to:

Describe the major characteristics of various health plan formats.
Determine and describe the cost to the employer of an employee benefits package.
Select a health plan that best meets an individual employee's needs.
Identify the most common leaves of absence available to employees in California and describe their mandated and optional characteristics.

Topics and Scope

The course follows the topics addressed in the textbook. The following topics will be addressed, but not necessarily in the same order:

Best Practices and Current Trends in Benefits Administration
Developing an appropriate benefits package
Communicating benefits to employees
Legal Overview
Federal law
California law
Costs of Benefits: The Current Dilemma Facing Employers
Benefits Plan Administration
Medical plans
Health Maintenance Organizations (HMO), Preferred Provider Organizations (PPO), Point of Service (POS), Indemnity Plans
Structural options include a Flexible Spending Account(FSA), Health Savings Account (HSA), and a High Deductible Health Plan (HDHP).
Retirement plan options
Defined contribution plans
Defined benefit plans
Retirement plan structural options 401(k), ESOP (Employee Stock Ownership Plan, etc.)
Health & Survivor Insurance
Dental
Vision
Long Term Disability (LTD), Short Term Disability (STD), Life
Voluntary Time Off
Leaves of absence (LOA)
Vacation
Holidays
Sick time
California-mandated laws on leaves of absence
Domestic violence, sexual abuse and other California mandated leaves
Kin care
California Family Rights Act
Pregnancy Disability Leave
Federal mandated laws on leaves of absence
Family Medical Leave Act (FMLA)
Coordination of State and Federal leave provisions
Benefits information implications
Attendance Policies
Reasonable accommodation
Employer rights and expectations
California Mandated Insurance Programs
State Disability Insurance
Paid Family Leave
Unemployment compensation
Workers’ Compensation
Federally Run Insurance Programs
Social Security
Medicare
Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA) Administration
Consolidated Omnibus Budget Reconciliation Act (COBRA)

Class Meetings

All material and activities will be offered asynchronously, meaning the students can access them anytime.

Dropping the Class

If you decide to discontinue this course, it is your responsibility to officially drop it to avoid getting no refund (after 10% of the course length), a W symbol (after 20%), or a grade (after 60%). Also, the instructor may drop a student for several consecutive, unexplained absences.

Pass‐No Pass (P/NP)

You may take this class P/NP. You must decide before the deadline and add the option online with TLC or file the P/NP form with Admissions and Records. With a grade of C or better, you will get a P.

You must file for the P/NP option by May 4, 2025. Once you decide to go for P/NP, you cannot change back to a letter grade. If you take this course as part of a certificate program, you can probably still take the class P/NP. Check with a counselor to be sure.

Instructor Announcements and Q&A Forum

The instructor will post announcements on the “Instructor Announcements” page in Canvas throughout the semester. Canvas notifies students according to their preferred Notification Preferences when the instructor creates an Announcement. A “Q&A Forum” is also on Canvas to ask for assistance of your classmates or instructor.

Attendance

Students who fail to attend the first class (face-to-face courses) or do not log-in to an online class after the second day of the semester will be dropped from the class. It is strongly advised that if you need to miss more than one class/homework deadline in a row that you contact me to avoid being dropped from the class.

Late Policy

All assignments are due at midnight, PST on the due date. A late submission will receive a 20% penalty. Submissions more than one week late are not accepted without prior arrangement. Late work will not be graded unless a student sends instructor an email with URL for late work.

Exams

There will be several quizzes. The material comes from textbooks, class lectures and supplemental materials. If any exam is missed, a score of zero will be recorded as a score. It is your responsibility to take the online exams by the due date.

Grading Policy

Visit the “Grades” in Canvas to keep track of your grades. I grade [once a week] and post grades and comments on the online Canvas gradebook.

Grades will be assigned as follows:

A	90%	90 points or more
B	80%	80 to 89 points
C	70%	70 to 79 points
D	60%	60 to 69 points

If taking Pass/No Pass you need at least 70% of the total class points and complete the midterm exam and the final exam to pass the class.

Standards of Conduct

Students who register in SRJC classes are required to abide by the SRJC Student Conduct Standards. Violation of the Standards is basis for referral to the Vice President of Student Services or dismissal from class or from the College. See the Student Code of Conduct page.

Collaborating on or copying of tests or homework in whole or in part will be considered an act of academic dishonesty and result in a grade of 0 for that test or assignment. I encourage students to share information and ideas, but not their work. See these links on Plagiarism:
SRJC Writing Center Lessons on avoiding plagiarism
SRJC's policy on Academic Integrity Links to an external site.

Other Important Policies and Practices

Restricted Approach “The use of generative AI is limited in this course. Specific assignments may allow it when it supports higher-order thinking, but only within set guidelines. Students must adhere to clear expectations regarding when and how AI is used, and citations are required for any AI-generated content.”

Closed Approach “Grammar, composition, and/or vocabulary are part of the learning outcomes of this course. Therefore, all assessments (writing assignments, oral compositions, presentations, summaries, etc.) must be your original work. The use of artificial intelligence (AI) tools, such as ChatGPT, is prohibited. The use of AI tools is considered plagiarism in this course, and disciplinary actions fall under the plagiarism guidelines. The instructor may follow up with the student with an oral conversation to assess the learning..”

Avoid Plagiarism

Although most students have likely heard about plagiarism during their years of schooling, it is still prevalent in higher education.

The video below reviews what plagiarism is and how not to do it.

Plagiarism: How to avoid it. Links to an external site.

Netiquette, or Why Is It Harder to Be Polite Online?

Netiquette refers to using common courtesy in online communication. All members of the class are expected to follow netiquette in all course communications. Use these guidelines:

Use capital letters sparingly. THEY LOOK LIKE SHOUTING.
Forward emails only with a writer's permission.
Be considerate of others' feelings and use language carefully.
Cite all quotations, references, and sources (otherwise, it is plagiarism).
Use humor carefully. It is hard to "read" tone; sometimes humor can be misread as criticism or personal attack. Feel free to use emoticons like :) for a smiley face to let others know you are being humorous.
Use complete sentences and standard English grammar to compose posts. Write in proper paragraphs. Review work before submitting it.
Text speak, such as "ur" for "your" or "ru" for "are you" etc., is only acceptable when texting.

Special Needs

Students with disabilities who believe they need accommodations in this class are encouraged to contact Disability Resources (527-4278), as soon as possible to better ensure such accommodations are implemented in a timely fashion.