Faculty & Staff Benefits

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Faculty and Staff Benefits

Fairfield University offers comprehensive benefits and resources designed to promote a healthy work and lifestyle for employees and their families. Upon hire, all new employees receive a one-on-one benefits orientation with a member of our staff.

The following is a summary of the opportunities available to our employees.

Fairfield University offers many specialized programs for its employees:

  • New Hire Welcome
  • Detailed Benefits Orientation
  • Take Your Child to Work Day
  • Retirement Planning Seminars
  • On-Site TIAA-CREF Representative
  • Annual Recognition Reception for Service
  • Rev. W. Laurence O'Neil, S.J. Employee Choice Award (given annually)
  • Employee Workforce Development Trainings

Fairfield University believes it is in the best interest of our employees, their families, and the University to make available an Employee Assistance Program (EAP) which deals with personal and work-related problems. Higher Ed EAP is a free and confidential benefit offered to full-time and part-time employees of Fairfield University and Fairfield Prep to help you (as well as your household members and dependent children) find resources to resolve problems and improve the quality of your life.

Higher Ed EAP offers a broad array of tools and services to help with problems that might affect your personal or work life. Just a few examples of these include: Covid-19 Support, Marriage & Family, Stress, Legal Problems, Debt, Childcare, Elder Care, Grief, Pet Problems, Education Planning, Scholarships, Depression, Taxes, Wills, Smoking Cessation, Wellness, Adoption, Substance Abuse, Mental Health, and Divorce.

In addition, Higher Ed EAP offers hundreds of personal and professional development opportunities, from, training programs to one-on-one telephonic coaching in the following areas: Certified Financial Coaching, Balancing Life at Work & Home, Resilience, Effective Communication, Home Purchasing, Student Debt, Yoga & Meditation, Workplace Conflict, and Retirement. 

There are several ways to access Higher Ed EAP:

  • For immediate assistance, dial 1-800-252-4555 to speak directly with a professional counselor 24-hours a day, 7-days a week, 365-days a year.
  • Register and log onto www.HigherEdEAP.com.
  • Download, register, and log onto the ESI Employee Assistance mobile app available in the App Store or the Google Play Store.

Confidentiality is strictly maintained.

Various University departments offer faculty and staff with discounted or free access to opportunities to support and enhance their professional and personal experiences. Check out some of our most popular work perks.

Benefits Enrollment and Eligibility

Enrollment in all benefits plans and requests for additional information or changes in coverage are handled through Human Resources. Employees must complete their benefits elections on Workday within 30 days of their eligibility for benefits.

Regular full-time Faculty and Staff are eligible for benefits. An eligible employee is a member who works a minimum of 30 hours per week for the University. Regular full-time Faculty and Staff benefits begin on the first date of the month following the first day of employment.

Benefit plans currently include:

  • Medical Plan
  • Dental Plan
  • Vision Plan
  • Tuition Benefit
  • Flexible Spending Plan
  • Employee Assistance Plan
  • Vacation/Sick/Personal Time (Staff & Administration)
  • Basic Life Insurance/Accidental Death & Dismemberment Insurance (AD&D)/Supplemental Life Insurance
  • Long Term Disability Insurance
  • 403(b) Retirement Plans

Regular part-time employees are eligible for the pro-rated benefits listed below according to the average amount of hours worked each week. This category includes individuals that work 20 to 29 hours per week for the University (over 1,000 hours per year) consistently over the entire year.

  • Pro-rated Tuition Benefit
  • 403(b) Retirement Plans
  • Prorated Vacation/Sick Time
  • Employee Assistance Plan

Part-time employees who work 19 hours or less per week, Temporary as Needed and Student Workers are not eligible for University benefits.

Please note: if you or your eligible dependents do not enroll in the plans within 30 days of your eligibility date, you will not be able to enroll until the next Open Enrollment Period.

Under the health plan, eligible Dependents include your:

  • Spouse
  • Dependent children under the age of 26
  • Unmarried dependent child of any age who is incapable of self-sustaining employment due to a mental or physical handicap.

(Note: A child includes your biological child, adopted child, or stepchild.)

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