Month: June 2019

Learn to use your sick time quota!

Published on by Roger BeachLeave a comment

How to Use Your Family Sick Time Quota Balance

If you’re an MSU support staff member, you may have you found yourself wondering how MSU’s family sick time balance works. How is your sick time balance related to your family sick time balance? Let’s break it down.

First, what is family sick time? Basically, the university gives you paid time you can take to care for a family member or someone in your home. Exactly how much time and what qualifies varies depending on your union. Find out here how your union defines family sick time. You get a certain amount of family sick time to use during a fiscal year, July 1 – June 30.

Is this separate from your sick time balance?

Technically, no. When you enter time in EBS, it appears separately, but any time you take for family sick will be deducted from the family sick balance AND your personal sick time balance. This means if you want to take eight hours of family sick time, you have to have eight hours available in BOTH the sick time balance and family sick time balance.

Think of it this way – you earn sick time every pay period and of that sick time, you can use a set number of hours as family sick time. Your sick time can be used when you personally are sick or when you go to the doctor or dentist. If you use up all your family sick time, you should not be using any remaining personal sick time to cover times when you’re away from work to care for a family member of someone in your home. View the full policy for support staff here.

Example: Sue Spartan’s Time Balances

Sue Spartan gets paid monthly. She earns eight hours of sick time every pay period. On July 1, Sue gets 80 hours of family sick time to use through June 30 of the next year. She has accumulated a sick time balance of 100 hours. Sue’s son, Sam, gets sick one day and she wants to take time off work to stay home and care for him. Sue will enter eight hours of time taken from her family sick time balance. Her updated balances will show 92 hours of sick time and 72 hours of family sick time remaining.

Still not clear?

If you’re still not sure how the family sick time quota balance works, or if you have questions for your specific situation, give us a call! You can reach a representative at the HR Solutions Center at 517-353-4434 or SolutionsCenter@hr.msu.edu.

Nominate your supervisor for the Outstanding Supervisor Award!

Published on by Roger BeachLeave a comment

Do you have a supervisor that shows empathy, understands your work/life balance and supports your individual goals? Nominate them now for the 18th Annual Outstanding Supervisor Award! This award is presented by the MSU WorkLife Office to honor supervisors who demonstrate positive leadership and support the work/life needs of their employees.

Here is one of last year’s winners, Niesa Kettler, with her employees below  from the department of Veterinary Diagnostic Laboratory – Bacteriology. Her team described her as “Always welcoming, caring, accommodating and fully understands the needs of her employees, both on the job and outside of work”. When writing your nomination letter, think about what makes your supervisor special. How do they show their understanding and how do they stand out?

Niesa Kettler and her team from the department of Veterinary Diagnostic Laboratory.
Niesa Kettler and her team.

When nominating a supervisor/administrator, nominate someone who shows qualities such as:

  • Understands work/life balance
  • Allows flexible schedules
  • Treat everyone with dignity, integrity and respect
  • Promote teamwork while supporting individual goals
  • People first attitude
  • Positive leadership that empowers others

To nominate a supervisor for this award, you must submit a nomination form, nomination letter and 2-4 letters of support on what makes that person an outstanding supervisor. Any staff, faculty or student can nominate their supervisor for this award. Submit a nomination online now through Tuesday, July 9.

The Outstanding Supervisor Award Committee will review the nominations and nominators will be notified in late September. The selected recipients will be honored with a surprise celebration around National Bosses Day on October 16. For any questions or additional information visit the WorkLife Office website or contact them via phone at 517-353-1635 or at worklife@msu.edu.