Employee Perks

Employee Perks

Along with salary and benefits, the University of Illinois continuously seeks additional benefits to offer employees. These additional benefits are not required of the University and might be called “perks.” Goods, services or privileges granted to employees may be offered in addition to salary and standard benefits. On their own, these perks usually have no cash value, but in conjunction with salary and other benefits may have tax implications, (see policies on employee tuition waivers below). Please consult your campus Human Resources professional or the Office of Business and Financial Services with any questions.

Campus Services and Discounts Heading link

Employees receive reduced rates on certain campus events, programs and services and at many off-campus retailers. Perks may include movie passes, tickets to Ravinia, passes to Six Flags Great America theme park, and Dragon Dollars.

 

See Adoption Benefit Program for details.

Call CMS with any questions at (217) 782-2548 or (800) 442-1300. TDD/TTY (800) 526-0844

The University of Illinois Alumni Association (UIAA) is an independent, nonprofit organization that welcomes all graduates, former and current students, faculty, staff and friends of the University as members. Information on membership and alumni benefits may be found at www.uiaa.org/chicago/.

Effective on and after 6/1/2011 no new enrollments are allowed into this category. However, those with coverage prior to 6/1/2011 will be allowed to remain covered as Domestic Partners. See the Closed Benefits Plans section on the System Human Resources Benefits page for more information.

Civil Union Partner Coverage: Effective 6/1/2011, in accordance with Public Act 96-1513, the State of Illinois provides health, dental and life coverage for Civil Union Partners and their children. Civil Union Partners are defined as same-sex or opposite sex partners. See the Benefits Choice Options Booklet on the System Human Resources website or the Civil Union and Domestic Partner Coverage page on the Dependent Coverage page of the CMS website for additional information.

COBRA Benefits

See the COBRA Benefits page on the System Human Resources website for details.

 

Full-day childcare is available for children of UIC students, faculty and staff through the UIC Children’s Center.

UIC offers customized commuter counseling for all students, faculty and staff. If you have questions about the best way to arrive on campus via train, bus, bike, foot or carpool, contact commuteadvice@uic.edu. A counselor will provide transportation options and determine the fastest and least costly ways to get to UIC.

UIC faculty and staff are eligible for a membership discount on Chicago’s Divvy bike share system, which expanded in summer 2020 to include e-bikes; the code is ‘GoFlames’. The university also has an arrangement with Zipcar for discounts on personal and departmental memberships. In both cases, you must use your university email to qualify. Visit Divvy and Zipcar to learn more.

UIC is recognized as a bike-friendly university, and several miles of bike lane have been added to UIC’s campus in the last five years. With a helmet and an ID, you may use the showers in the Sport and Fitness Center (west side) or the Student Recreation Facility (east side). Many buildings have indoor bike storage rooms – ask within your department to see if your office has one.

Illini Union Tech Zone (UIUC)

University employees can make purchases through Illini Union Tech Zone to receive discounted pricing on desktop and laptop computers, iPods, and more. Apple, Hewlett Packard, Lenovo, Microsoft, and Dell products are available.

UIC Tech Center

Students and staff are eligible to receive discounts on computers, software and other accessories at the UIC Tech Center.

University of Illinois WebStore

Students, faculty, and staff on all three U of I campuses are eligible to receive significant discounts on over 150 software applications offered by the University of Illinois WebStore

IPHEC Furniture Discounts for UIC employees Home Offices

Knoll, one of the IPHEC furniture vendors, is offering a discount to UIC employees who want to purchase furniture for their home office.  Information on ordering, discount codes, and healthy tips for working from home is found below.

Exclusive Mortgage Services offered through Guaranteed Rate including:

  • Receive a lender credit
  • Personalized service – get help from your dedicated home loan expert

*Waived $1440 lender fee available through University of Illinois Chicago corporate benefits team. Qualified participants include University of Illinois Chicago employees only. Must access the University of Illinois Chicago website from the University of Illinois Chicago Intranet or visit University of Illinois Chicago website, successfully complete a mortgage loan application, and close the mortgage loan with University of Illinois Chicago. Applicant subject to credit and underwriting approval. Restrictions may apply.

nutrition

Nutrition and Wellness

State Employee Assistance Programs

The State Employee Assistance Program is available to employees who are eligible for SEGIP. If the employee participates in a State health plan, EAP services are also available to their eligible dependents.

The State EAP is a free, voluntary, and confidential program that provides problem identification, counseling, and referral services. Employees will be directed to a Guidance Consultant to assist them with a variety of concerns. All calls and counseling sessions are confidential, except as required by law.

To view and access all services available to you, create an account and login using the steps below:

  • Visit https://www.guidanceresources.com/groWeb/login/login.xhtml
  • If you have not registered on the ComPsych website:
    • Select the Register tab
    • Enter Organization Web ID: Stateofillinois and select the Register button
    • Choose a User Name and Password
    • Enter your preferred email address and choose security questions and answers
    • Select the Submit button
  • Once registered, log in using your user name and password.

Getting help is easy, convenient, and available 24 hours a day, seven days a week at 833-955-3400 or 800-697-0353 (TDD/TTY). A Guidance Consultant will answer your questions and, if needed, refer you to a counselor or other resources.

Nutrition and Wellness Center

The UIC College of Medicine Nutrition and Wellness Center offers a range of services, including smoking cessation, weight management, and sleep disorder programs.

The University of Illinois Hospital & Health Sciences System

The University of Illinois Hospital & Health Sciences System Patient Care Services provides a broad range of programs, including weight management.

Women’s Health

The UIC National Center of Excellence in Women’s Health provides an online searchable database of women’s health resources in Chicago and the surrounding area.

Shared Benefits Program

A pool has been established which will provide eligible employees who have exhausted all accumulated sick leave and, if applicable, vacation leave with the opportunity to receive additional leave days when a disability claim is pending before the State Universities Retirement System (SURS) or when experiencing a catastrophic injury or illness, depending on the type of employee. See the Shared Benefits section on the System Human Resources website for more details.

Details on the variety of Additional Discounts & Other Services available can be found on the System Human Resources website.

Please Note: Courtesy discounts are subject to change or discontinuation by the provider at any time. The University may remove discount offers without notice.

Discounts include:

  • Vehicle Discounts from Ford and General Motors.
  • Cellular phone discounts ranging from 15-18% from AT&T Wireless, Sprint, T-Mobile, U.S. Cellular, and Verizon Wireless.

Both the state of the art Sports & Fitness Center (west side) and the Student Recreation Facility (east side) are available to all employees at discounted membership rates: http://recreation.uic.edu. Numerous programs and services are available, such as massage therapy, personal training, aquatics, fitness, and a climbing wall. Outdoor fields, tennis and basketball courts are also available to employees..

Information on pension and pension benefits may be accessed at the SURS website.

In addition to SURS benefits, UIC retiree benefits include but are not limited to educational, computing technology, ID cards, library access, events and activities access, financial services and more. Please see the Retiree’s Guide at right.

travel&lodging

Information on travel discounts may be found on the OBFS website. Discounts are available through preferred vendors for travel, transportation, and lodging. When making hotel reservations ask about “state employee discounts.” Many hotels will provide a discount. A University ID must be provided to receive discounts.

www.obfs.uillinois.edu/travel/

Please note: University policy dictates specific terms and procedures regarding hotels reservations and auto rental for employees in travel status.

Emergency Travel Assistance

All active U.S. employees covered under the basic group life insurance program through the State of Illinois Department of Central Management Services are covered. Coverage includes basic emergency travel assistance services, transport services, and pre-trip resources for eligible employees and their dependents. Enrollment is not required and there is no cost for the coverage. Additional coverage is available. See the Travel Assistance and ID Theft Protection brochure on the Systems Human Resources website for details.

Relocation Assistance

The contracts described have been awarded to moving companies to help employees and new hires move their belongings. See Relocation Assistance Policy for more information.

Information on Tuition Waivers can be found on the System Human Resources website under the Benefits section.

See also: OBFS Tuition and Waivers, Taxability.