Month: November 2011

Planned Snacks: Recognizing and Planning for Your Hunger Patterns

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You feel it coming…your stomach starts to grumble, your mouth starts to water…you’re hungry! But wait, it’s 10 a.m., or 3 p.m., and it’s not meal time. So, what do you do? You may ignore it, but then you’re starving by your next meal and you overeat. Or, you look around the office and settle for a couple candy bars that ruin your appetite for your next meal. To avoid this dilemma, here are some tips for planned snacks:

  1.  Notice your hunger patterns. Each person’s is unique and doesn’t vary much from from day to day. Most people need their meals plus a snack or two.
  2. Plan for it. Bring in snacks you enjoy to work, and then you’ll have something ready for those hunger pains. Taking a break from work while you snack allows you to eat undistracted. You can return to work refreshed. And your hunger will return in time for your next meal.
  3. Give yourself permission. Planning the snack is the first step in permission giving that will help you avoid bad feelings and binge eating. There’s a reason your body is asking for food!Continue Reading… Planned Snacks: Recognizing and Planning for Your Hunger Patterns
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Need to be a Better Delegator? There’s a class for that . . .

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Ever have so much going on that it doesn’t feel like there’s even enough time to ask anyone for help?  Or have you wanted to reach out to your team members for help but wound up just keeping all the work yourself because it was too complicated figuring out what you could safely and fairly give away, who you should delegate it to and how you could make sure work still got done well and on-time once you handed it over to others?

Folder with Do it or delegate it note
To do or to delegate? How good are you at making that call?

If so, you aren’t alone, according to Jennie Petrovich, an MSU Organization and Employee Development consultant. Petrovich, who also oversees the education and training provided to MSU employees through the office of Human Resource Development, said that becoming more effective at delegation can make life better for both the delgator and the people being delegated to, while also improving the overall quality of the work accomplished.Continue Reading… Need to be a Better Delegator? There’s a class for that . . .

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Is Open Enrollment the Only Time I Can Change My Benefits Selections?

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Today’s mailroom monday question: Is Open Enrollment the Only Time I Can Change My Benefits Selections?

Picture of Mom and Baby (Don't worry, you can add her to your benefits right away.)

Though MSU’s annual open enrollment period held each spring is the time when most benefits decisions for you and your dependents should be made, under certain circumstances you can make changes to your benefits selections outside of open enrollment.  The circumstances typically involve what are called “Qualifying Life Events.”  Some of the most frequent reasons faculty and staff may qualify to make benefits changes outside of open enrollment include mid-year changes in life circumstances due to:Continue Reading… Is Open Enrollment the Only Time I Can Change My Benefits Selections?

Are you Psychologically Flexible?

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This is a guest post by Lisa Davidson. Lisa is a counselor at the MSU Employee Assistance Program, a consultant for Health4U and a facilitator for numerous Human Resource Development courses.


When something happens that is challenging, unpleasant or not what you expected, how able are you to adapt in the moment? Do you respond from your core values, or do you tend to become reactionary and respond in ways you later wish you hadn’t? Increasing your psychological flexibility allows you to respond to the inevitable pain of life with greater acceptance, clarity and effectiveness.

According to Russ Harris, M.D., author of The Happiness Trap, psychological flexibility is “the ability to be in the present moment, with awareness and openness, and take action, guided by your core values. In other words, it’s the ability to be present, open up and do what matters.”Continue Reading… Are you Psychologically Flexible?

Get Certified with LCT!

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Are you ready to take your technology knowledge to the next level? Then consider getting certified!

Libraries, Computing and Technology (LCT) is now an official Certiport Testing Center, offering certification exams in Microsoft programs such as Word and Excel, as well as Adobe and technology certification for IT professionals.Continue Reading… Get Certified with LCT!

“Fun Friday” Contest Winners 11/18/11

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The drawing’s been held for this week’s “Fun Friday” contest, and the winners are:

MSU Water Bottle
MSU Water Bottle from University Stores

The Best Ice Cream and Cheese Around!

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It’s Fun Friday, and today we’re thinking about some MSU Dairy Store fun! Everybody loves a couple scoops of good quality ice cream, and the famous MSU Dairy Store has the best around!

Ice Cream at Dairy Store
The MSU Dairy Store has two locations you can visit, the MSU Union and Anthony Hall.

The Dairy Store offers 32 flavors of ice cream, dairy products, farm fresh eggs, fresh cheese curds and six other varieties of cheeses, all produced on site at the Dairy Complex and Food Processing Plant.Continue Reading… The Best Ice Cream and Cheese Around!

Job Posting of the Week! 11/17/11

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This week we’re highlighting a Secretary II  position in the Graduate School Dean’s Office (Posting #5460).  Some of the job duties for this position include providing secretarial support for the Associate Dean, including: calendaring, filing, reporting and processing vouchers in EBS; maintaining and reconciling bookkeeping records and submitting bills for departments in EBS; establishing and maintaining departmental files, preparing materials for distribution; preparing and/or maintaining databases, spreadsheets and reports; processing student e-fellowship forms, and health insurance requests.

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For a complete description of this position, and to view all of our current postings, please go to www.jobs.msu.edu and select Support Staff under the Fast Jobs Search.

Thank You Clerical-Technical Employees!

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Today we’re thanking MSU’s clerical-technical (CT) employees. These employees are essential to the University as they work throughout our academic departments and support units. From office assistants to research technologists to veterinary technicians, CTs hold a wide variety of crucial positions.

Each year, MSU Human Resources presents one outstanding CT employee the Clerical-Technical Recognition Award, established by Dr. Charles and Marjorie Gliozzo in honor of Dr. Gliozzo’s parents. The selection criteria includes respect and concern for all members of the campus community, diligence in daily work, significant contributions to the community or public service and innovative thinking. Here are the most recent recipients:Continue Reading… Thank You Clerical-Technical Employees!

What Do You Know About Diabetes?

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Did you know that November is National Diabetes Month and that World Diabetes Day occurred earlier this week on November 14?Diabetes highlighted in dictionary

You’ve probably heard that diabetes is a chronic health condition becoming increasingly common in the United States that can contribute to serious health complications, such as blindness, kidney disease, heart disease, nerve damage and amputations.  But did you also know that there are different kinds of diabetes and lots of things people with diabetes can do to help control the disease and protect their health?Continue Reading… What Do You Know About Diabetes?