Letter from the Director

To Our New Employees:

Welcome to Berkeley Lab and the University of California. You are joining a laboratory with a great tradition of scientific achievement. Ernest Lawrence was not only a scientific pioneer but is also generally considered the founder of the "team science" concept. More than ever before, continuing our tradition of scientific excellence depends on your contribution as an important member of the Berkeley Lab team. This guide will help you find many of the resources at the laboratory to make your job easier and more satisfying. I hope that you have a successful career at Berkeley Lab and that your contribution can help us maintain our scientific leadership into the 21st century.

Charles V. Shank
Director

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New Employee Guide

Purpose

This material is intended to help you get started as a new employee at Berkeley Lab. Specifically, it provides you with:

Some general background information about the Laboratory
A checklist of important actions you need to take as a new employee
A list of Web addresses for important information about Laboratory policies, services, and publications.

For further information, please ask your supervisor or division/department personnel administrator. If you are represented by a union, for information about the applicable collective bargaining agreement, please contact the Labor and Employee Relations unit.

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Welcome to Berkeley Lab

Background

America's national laboratory system started here when Ernest Orlando Lawrence founded this laboratory in 1931. Lawrence invented the cyclotron, which led to a golden age of particle physics and revolutionary discoveries about the nature of the universe. Originally a mecca of particle physics, the Lab long ago broadened its focus. Of our nine Nobel Prizes, five are in physics and four in chemistry. Today, our research programs in advanced materials, biosciences, energy efficiency, detectors, and accelerators address national needs in technology and the environment.

Located in the Berkeley Hills, Berkeley Lab is next door to the University of California at Berkeley, one of the world's great universities. The Lab has some 3,400 employees, including about 600 students. The Lab also hosts more than 2,000 participating guests each year. We are managed by the University of California for the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE).

Vision 2000

Berkeley Lab's Vision 2000 establishes the overarching goals of the Laboratory's strategic planning effort. It focuses on a commitment to reaching out and forging new partnerships with industry, academia, and other national laboratories to create value for the economy, enhance education, and contribute to the community. The four major goals of Vision 2000 are as follows:

Distinguish ourselves as a premier DOE multiprogram national laboratory by performing research of the highest scientific quality. Build on our educational and technical resources to gain a competitive advantage for addressing problems of national significance and advancing the mission of the DOE.
Create value for the economy, enhance education, and contribute to the community through partnerships with industry, universities, and other laboratories.
Make Berkeley Lab the location of choice for facilities and programs. Our operational, administrative, and technical resources will integrate seamlessly with our research and engineering programs to make a Berkeley Lab that works.
All of our activities will be conducted with full regard for the environment and for the health and safety of our employees and the public.
Commit to developing our people to their fullest potential. We value and seek diversity in our work force. We will create an environment that respects the individual, encourages leadership, stimulates innovation, fosters integrity, and demands excellence.

The University of California

Chartered in 1868 as the state's only land-grant institution, UC has grown from 10 faculty members and 38 students to be one of the world's largest university systems, with over 7,000 faculty members and 166,000 students on its nine campuses and approximately 130,000 faculty, staff, and academics statewide. The UC system is composed of nine campuses and three national laboratories. The campuses include Berkeley, Davis, Irvine, Los Angeles, Riverside, San Diego, San Francisco, Santa Barbara, and Santa Cruz. In addition to Berkeley Lab, UC also manages Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory and Los Alamos National Laboratory.

For more information regarding UC, please contact the Office of the President at (510) 987-0700.

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Checklist for New Employees

New EmployeeTo-Do List

Please look this list over carefully. You must take care of these items within your first few weeks of employment.

Identification card. All employees and guests must carry a Berkeley Lab ID card. See the Site Access Office, B65.
Paycheck. You may choose either direct deposit or distribution through your department/division. Discuss with your Personnel Administrator.
Employment papers. Complete all employment papers.
Employment status. Know your employment status, payroll title, and personnel program or collective bargaining unit.
Insurance plans. You should enroll within one month of your hire date.
Benefits. Review your New Employee Benefits Packet.
Parking. Obtain a parking permit or inquire into commute options. See the Site Access Office, B65.

Orientation

The following topics are presented at the employee orientation. You should discuss them with your supervisor to help you understand and adjust to your work environment.

Performance evaluation. What is your probationary period and the performance evaluation process?
Work schedule and compensation. What are your department's practices for hours of work, overtime, call-in procedures, time sheets, vacation, and sick leave?
Your department. Who is your department's personnel administrator? What is its purpose at Berkeley Lab? Become familiar with the department's organization chart.
Facilities and resources. Ask for a tour and description of your department, including the location of restrooms, eating facilities, photocopiers, the mail drop, supplies, and access to computers and lab equipment.
Divisional/Departmental procedures. Ask about staff meetings, breaks, lunch times, sign in/out board, mail and memo distribution, building and office keys.
Working relationships. Find out how your co-workers prefer to work together--their patterns of communication, individual and team relations, reporting relationships, etc.
Health and safety regulations. Know the procedures covering injuries, hazardous materials, emergency evacuation routes, and disaster plans.

Be Well-Informed

You owe it to yourself to be well-informed about your workplace, and you also have a formal responsibility for knowing and meeting the standards of performance and conduct set by Berkeley Lab and the University.

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