Author: MSU Human Resources

Engage with your community on Martin Luther King Jr. Day

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MLK and LBJ
Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. and President Lyndon Johnson shakes hands after the signing of the 1964 Civil Rights Act.

MSU’s Project 60/50 began in 2014 as a community-oriented conversation starter that derived its name and mission from the 1954 Brown v. Board of Education of Topeka ruling and the Civil Rights Act of 1964. These two historical pieces of legislation were born from a diverse yet united community’s countless hours of organized campaigning and conversation to achieve the worthy and crucial goal of equality.

The struggle for civil rights continues in this country, and Martin Luther King Jr. Day provides us with the opportunity to reflect on progress and assess what lies ahead. Dr. King has brought hope, inspiration and motivation to millions during and after his lifetime. His encouragement of peaceful protest and widespread awareness of ongoing discrimination remain relevant today.Continue Reading… Engage with your community on Martin Luther King Jr. Day

“Reach Higher” in 2016 with The Daring Way

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Health4U logo
The Daring Way is based on the research of research of Dr. Brené Brown

The new year serves as a common time for people to begin improving the health of their minds and bodies. An often-overlooked but vital part of human health is emotional wellness. Health4U is introducing a new experiential course, The Daring Way™, that teaches participants how to understand and examine their emotions. Lisa Laughman, LMSW, ACSW, will be teaching the course, and affirms that “learning to live and work the Daring Way is essential to high performance.” Workers that are able to navigate the full range of human emotions and understand how vulnerability, shame, insecurity and fear might hold them back will be more likely to take risks and will be emotionally prepared when things go wrong.

“The Daring Way teaches you how to be more comfortable with risk and innovation, and risk aversion is a barrier to high performance,” Laughman said. “When we’re afraid to take a risk because we’re afraid of failing, then we’re not being as high performing as we could be.”

Participants in The Daring Way program will develop tools to take charge of their lives and relationships outside of work, as well.

“Being able to move through challenging circumstances effectively is going help you have healthier relationships, a better sense of perspective, and will protect your physical health as well.”  Laughman said. “Your body is not going to be resisting difficult emotions.”

Each of the 12 classes for The Daring Way take place 12:10 – 12:50 p.m. Wednesdays in 338 Olin Health Center, beginning January 20. The class will now be offered using the online learning platform Zoom, and online seating is still available.

Participants should sign up with the intention to attend every class, if possible.

To register or to ask questions, email health4u@msu.edu or call 517-353-2596.

MSU offers support for smoking cessation

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The benefits of quitting smoking have been made very clear throughout the last few years. In addition to the numerous health improvements, such as a return to regular breathing patterns and a decrease in the risk of heart disease and many forms of cancer, quitters also enjoy saved money, a better sense of smell and taste, more freedom with time and scheduling, and much more. However, knowledge is rarely enough to end an addiction. Many smokers find the task of quitting daunting, or even impossible.

Eligible faculty and staff at MSU don’t have to go through the process alone. The Breathe Easy Tobacco and Nicotine Cessation Program offers behavioral support and, if desired, medication, to aid the quitting process. The next information session is Wednesday, January 27 from 1:30 to 3:30 p.m. in 247 Olin Health Center. Attending the information session does not obligate attendees to enroll in the program. To register, call 517-353-2596 or email health4u@msu.edu.

The program is absolutely free.  MSU faculty, staff, graduate student employees, retirees, and their adult benefits-eligible family members are eligible to participate in this program.

Sometimes the first step is the most difficult. The team at Breathe Easy can guide you along the rest of the way to quitting. Listen to the testimonials from real graduates of this program:

 

Events Round-Up January 2016

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Here are some events happening over the next month that may be of interest to MSU faculty and staff. Please visit the links for more information. Many events require registration.

Community Events

Friday, January 8

Moscow Festival Ballet, 8 p.m., Wharton Center 

Friday, January 15 – Sunday, January 17

Lansing Boat Show, the Lansing Center

Sunday, January 17

Jazz: Spirituals, Prayer and Protest Concert, 3 and 7 p.m., MSU Auditorium

Monday, January 18

Martin Luther King Jr. Project 60/50 events 

Wednesday, January 20

BroadPOP Studio, 2 – 4 p.m., Broad Art Museum 

Friday, January 22

A Spanish Serenade, 8 p.m., MSU Auditorium 

Monday, January 25

Sharper Focus/Wider Lens: The Nature of Inequality, 7 p.m., MSU Union Ballroom 

Tuesday, January 26

Vocalosity, 7:30 p.m., Wharton Center 

Thursday, January 28

Family Moonlight Sledding, 6 – 8:30 p.m., Okemos 

Development, Training and Wellness

Tuesday, January 12

Tai Chi, 12:30 – 1:30, Broad Art Museum 

Wednesday, January 13

Recipe for Health Cooking Series: Dark Chocolate 12:10 – 12:50 p.m., Brody Square Demonstration Kitchen 

Wednesday, January 20

EBS Financial System – Roles/Onboarding, 8:30 a.m. – 11 a.m., 10 Nisbet 

Tuesday, January 26

New Supervisor Essentials, 8:30 a.m. – 1 p.m., 10 Nisbet 

The Mediterranean Way: “Fats and Oils,” 12:10 –12:50 p.m. 338 Olin Health Center

Thursday, January 28

Road Next Traveled: 3-7 Years to Your Retirement, 8:30 a.m. – 4:30 p.m. 

Thank you Abrams Planetarium!

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AbramsPic-slider-cropped
Photo courtesy of Abrams Planetarium.

Abrams Planetarium has been entertaining and educating audiences for more than 50 years. From school field trips to midday relaxation hours, this MSU destination never fails to delight its visitors. Abrams Planetarium uses its state-of-the-art Digistar projector not only for incredible astronomical shows, but also family shows, the homecoming Spartan Spectacular, ambient mood settings and much more.

The planetarium goes the extra mile to serve faculty and staff at MSU.  In partnership with Health4U, it hosts Relaxing Under the Stars, The Healing Power of Guided Imagery and the monthly live concert series Rest with Music. All events occur from noon to 1 p.m. on weekdays for employees to unwind in the middle of their workdays.

Thank you, Abrams Planetarium, for going to astronomical heights to serve the MSU community!

Reminder: Upcoming university holidays

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Red Cedar River in winter.
Snow-covered Red Cedar River. Photo courtesy of Communications and Brand Strategy.

It might not look like it outside, but the winter holidays are coming up! The university will be closed on the following days:

  • Thursday, December 24
  • Friday, December 25
  • Thursday, December 31
  • Friday, January 1

We hope you take this time to relax, eat delicious food and spend time with loved ones! As the year comes to a close, we would like to thank everyone for all of their continued work in making MSU an outstanding university. Let’s make 2016 even better!

From everyone at MSU Human Resources, Happy Holidays and Happy New Year!

New Performance Excellence Program Starts in January 2016

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MSU_PE_Brand2On behalf of Michigan State University, MSU Human Resources has launched Performance Excellence, the new performance management program that will replace the current Performance Development Program. If MSU is to continue to be a leading research university, talented staff who are continually developing their skills to meet the demands of a rapidly changing world are needed.

Performance Excellence includes the following three important stages:

  • Performance Planning and Goal Setting
  • Continuous Feedback, Coaching and Development
  • Annual Performance Review

Employees will move to the Performance Excellence program in 2016.

There are two key items to note during the transition from the old process to the new process:

  1. Performance Excellence will have new forms to aid in this process. For annual reviews that are due between January 1, through June 30, 2016, supervisors and staff will use the new Annual Review form with the current rating system (which is included on the PDF form). On July 1, the rating system will change to four performance levels and the Annual Review form will reflect those changes for reviews due from July 1 forward.
  2. Beginning in January, after an Annual Review form is completed, supervisors and staff must also complete the Performance Planning form, either on the same day as the review, or within 30 days of the review.

All support staff and those who supervise support staff need to complete an online class on Performance Excellence. The class will be available in mid-January and will be accessed through elevateU. MSU HR will announce when the class is available.

For detailed information about the Performance Excellence process, additional learning opportunities, forms, tools for employees and supervisors, and much more, please visit the Performance Excellence website.

If you have questions regarding rollout of the program in your area, contact your college or division-level HR representative.

Travel safely this winter

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A Snow-covered bridge. Photo courtesy of Communications and Brand Strategy.
A snow-covered bridge. Photo courtesy of Communications and Brand Strategy.

It’s easy to forget the trials of winter transportation after months of clear roads. Here are a few safety tips for getting around in the cold and snow.

Driving

  • Drive slowly and leave extra room between you and the vehicle in front of you.
  • Anticipate extra time needed for scraping ice and snow off your vehicle and/or slower driving.
  • Always have at least a half tank of gas in your vehicle.
  • Leave with warm clothes. If you get in an accident or your vehicle gets stuck, you will need to spend some time outside.
  • Don’t warm up your vehicle in an enclosed area, such as a garage.
  • Make sure the exhaust pipe isn’t clogged with snow, ice or mud.

Read more driving tips from AAA and all about snow removal at MSU.Continue Reading… Travel safely this winter

Health Matters: Knee and hip replacement

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HipKneeReplacement_Standard-smallJoint replacement surgery has become very common in the United States, with surgeons replacing more than a million hips and knees each year with very high success rates. Nine out of 10 people who get a hip or knee replacement have significantly reduced pain and increased mobility.

Who is a candidate for replacement surgery?

Although joint replacement is usually needed later in life, anyone who experiences chronic joint pain or reduced mobility in the knees or hips is a candidate for replacement surgery (depending on a variety of other factors). Surgeons will look for signs of osteoarthritis or joint degeneration, the most common forms of arthritis, as the starting point for a plan of treatment.Continue Reading… Health Matters: Knee and hip replacement

‘Tis the season … for phishing, credit card skimming, and email offers that are too good to be true

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The holiday season is a boom for hackers, phishers and scammers. Phishing is a form of fraud in which the attacker tries to learn information such as login credentials or account information by masquerading as a reputable entity or person in email, IM or other communication channels. One of the most common ways to send malicious software to your computer or steal account information is through email. You should be wary of emails that are from unknown sources or that you were not expecting. Never open an attachment from these sources.

A safe way to look at emails that are in question is to drag them to your junk email folder which disables links and attachments and allows you to read the content of the actual email safely.

You should also be wary of emails that do the following:

  • Example of a phishing email
    An example of a phishing email, disguised as an official email from a fictional bank.

    Promote amazing deals on the hottest gifts. If it looks too good to be true, it is!

  • State that you need to confirm your credit card number on an online order.
  • Ask for any personal or banking information – no reputable company will ever ask you to email personal information.
  • Encourage you to follow a link to a login page to verify your account or fix a problem. Even if the URL looks real, it could be disguised that way. Hover over the link and look in the lower left corner of your screen to see the real URL. If you think it is legitimate, go directly to the company’s website and log in from there, or call the company.
  • Appear to be real messages from your bank or credit card company. Go directly to the website you use for online account management or contact them by phone.

You should monitor the statements for your bank accounts and credit cards closely, and contact your credit card company if you see unknown charges on your account.

If you know that you have received a phishing email, contact the company that the email is pretending to be from to bring their attention to the scam.

If shopping online, shop only with reputable companies and avoid shopping on unsecured Wi-Fi.  It may be convenient, but you might as well put your credit card number on a billboard.

The new chips in credit cards can be scanned from several feet away. RFID blocking wallets or card sleeves can help to protect your information.

Stay on the lookout this season to secure your money and your identity!