Your Best Doctors Benefit is Available to Help You

Published on by Megan MacGregorLeave a comment

If you’re facing a serious diagnosis or recommendations for medical care such as surgery, chemotherapy, radiation or other treatment options, your Best Doctors benefit can help. Before you decide on your course of action have your medical diagnosis, treatment plan and/or medical questions reviewed and answered by world-renowned medical experts – at no cost to you. As a result, you’ll be sure to have the right information, the right diagnosis and the right treatment plan. We’re happy to offer this free benefit to all benefits-eligible employees and retirees.

Why Do People Use Best Doctors?

Reasons people use Best Doctors: 32% need help deciding between treatment options, 26% have symptoms that aren't improving, 23% question their need for surgery, 6% are skeptical of their doctors, and 5% don't understand their diagnosis. Source for data is from the Best Doctors website.

People go to Best Doctors to find answers and leave feeling more confident about their decisions. Watch the video below to hear the Price family’s story. They share, “Had it not been for Best Doctors, I would have had a hugely more invasive procedure that would have limited function and extended my recovery time.”

How Does It Work?

Member Testimonial – Price Family CTABD from Teladoc Health on Vimeo.

Visit the Best Doctors website and click “Create a Profile” to register. You then have the option to use the following services:

  1. Expert Opinion: Have a physician conduct an in-depth review of your medical case and receive expert advice about medical treatment options. 
  2. Find a Specialist: Get help finding a specialist near you.
  3. Treatment Decision Support: You have access to coaching and interactive, online educational tools that offer in-depth and easy-to-follow information about your specific medical condition. Use these tools to help you make more educated, confident decisions about your health.
  4. Medical Records eSummary: With your permission, you have the option to allow Best Doctors to collect and organize your medical records for you and provide them on a USB drive. You will also receive a personal Health Alert Summary based on the records collected, giving you a total snapshot of your medical wellness.

Questions? Learn more on the HR website or visit the Best Doctors website.

Don’t forget about these summer activities on campus!

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Are you working on campus this summer? While campus may be a little slower, there are still things to do! From visiting the Dairy Store to grab a scoop of your favorite ice cream to enjoying free concerts at the Beaumont Tower. Whether you’re looking for something to do while you’re on lunch or something to do for the evening, there are a variety of campus activities held this summer.

If you’re looking for something to do on lunch, the Fresh Air Fitness series by MSU Health 4U Program offers a variety of activities during the week:

  • Monday – Tai Chi at the Summer Circle Courtyard
  • Tuesday – Yoga at the Engineering Courtyard
  • Wednesday – Yoga at the Wharton Center
  • Thursday – Pilates on the Green

If you enjoy music, you can find the MSU Carillon every Wednesday at the Beaumont Tower beginning July 3. (In case you’re not familiar with it, a carillon is a set of bells played in a tower.) If you’re looking for something sooner, you can attend Music in the Garden with Spartan Jazz at the Beal Botanical Garden. Make a picnic for the family and come out to enjoy the Music in the Garden: Spartan Jazz concert on Tuesday, June 25 at 7:00 p.m. You can also find a list of other free concerts held this summer at the College of Music website, including their Outdoor Summer Concert Series. Or enjoy music on your lunch break with Rest with Music at Abrams Planetarium. The Rest with Music series is every Monday from 12:10 p.m. to 12:50 p.m. You can find more information about this series, registration and featured artists at the Health 4U website. If you’re looking for another way to enjoy the outdoors take a walk to the MSU Dairy Store.

The MSU Dairy Store is the perfect place to grab a scoop of your favorite ice cream and enjoy the campus. MSU Dairy Store is open throughout the summer from 9:00 a.m. to 8:00 p.m. during the week. They have  a variety of ice cream flavors from Banana Chocolate Chunk to MSU’s very own Izzo Malted Madness. You can get your own single scoop or maybe share a half gallon with the office. For a list of all flavors, regular menu items and drinks, visit the MSU Dairy Store website.

If you’re looking to travel this summer with the family or take a vacation by yourself, don’t forget MSU Benefits Plus can help you save! MSU Benefits Plus has a variety of discounts for theme parks, hotels, travel and entertainment. You can find deals from Six Flags, Great Wolf Lodge, Hotels.com and more! Find these deals and more on the MSU Benefits Plus website.

Whether you are traveling or enjoying the beautiful MSU campus, there are a variety of ways to get the most out of your summer!

Job of the Week – Union Manager

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This week’s job of the week is a Union Manager (#585654) for MSU Union. This position is seeking an individual to direct, implement and evaluate operational activities of services and partnerships at the Union.

The responsibilities for this role include interviewing, hiring, supervising and evaluating support staff. Other responsibilities for this role include working with Residential Hospitality Services (RHS), developing operational budgets, preparing monthly reconciliation of fund ledgers and provide active support with REHS Outreach and MSU Tour programs.

The ideal candidate would possess knowledge by completing a four-year degree program in business or hospitality; five to eight years of related and progressively more responsible or expansive work experience in management, retailing, accounting, marketing, maintenance, public relations and contract administration or an equivalent combination of education and experience.

For more details on the responsibilities of this position, and to view all our current postings, visit careers.msu.edu. Internal applicants should access postings through the Careers @ MSU tile in the EBS Portal.

How to use your sick time quota balance

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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 cannot use your 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.

Job of the week – Police Officer

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This week’s job of the week is a Police Officer (#582769) for the Department of Police and Public Safety. This position is seeking an individual to serve as a full-time law enforcement agent by upholding the highest standards while protecting the MSU community.

The responsibilities for this role include patrolling land governed by the MSU Board of Trustees on foot, bicycle or patrol vehicle, performing investigations and participating in training sessions. Other responsibilities for this role include carrying out community team policing such as office hours, alcohol awareness programs and other community service programs.

The ideal candidate would possess knowledge by completing a four-year college degree program, or attainment of degree within six months of hire; six months to one year of related and progressively more responsible work experience; or an equivalent combination of education and experience.  

For more details on the responsibilities of this position, and to view all our current postings, visit careers.msu.edu. Internal applicants should access postings through the Careers @ MSU tile in the EBS Portal.

Job of the Week – Executive Staff Assistant to the President

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This week’s job of the week is an Executive Staff Assistant to the President (#582200). This position is seeking a dynamic individual to provide support to MSU’s new President. The successful candidate will manage the President’s schedule, ensuring appointments, meetings, social engagements, and university and community functions are accurate and appropriate.

The responsibilities for this role include preparing meetings, organizing and drafting correspondence, and coordinating activities for the President’s office. Other responsibilities for this role include arranging the President’s travel arrangements and interpreting university policies and administrative procedures.

The ideal candidate would possess knowledge normally acquired through the completion of a four year degree program such as a bachelor’s degree in business or public administration; five to eight years of related and progressively more responsible or expansive university work experience in confidential office protocol, arranging domestic and international travel, composing correspondence, and operating computers; and knowledge of the university structure, policies, and procedures; or an equivalent combination of education and experience.

For more details on the responsibilities of this position, and to view all our current postings, visit careers.msu.edu. Internal applicants should access postings through the Careers @ MSU tile in the EBS Portal.

Summer is the Perfect Time to Sign-Up for a Professional Development Course!

Published on by Megan MacGregor1 Comment

With summer right around the corner, many students are heading home to refresh, recharge and prepare for another academic year. A quieter campus means you might also have some time to refresh and recharge your professional or personal development goals. Summertime is the perfect opportunity to look at your schedule and figure out which professional development courses available in the coming months interest you most.

Luckily, Organization and Professional Development (OPD) is offering a variety of courses this summer to help you reach your goals. Are you a new or experienced supervisor looking to improve your leadership skills? Or maybe you’re interested in finding out how to leverage your natural strengths and work behavior styles? Whatever your personal and/or professional goals, OPD has a variety of courses to help you succeed.

Courses to Improve Your Skills as a Supervisor or Leader:

Personal Development Courses:

Communication and Customer Service Courses:

You can find all current OPD courses on the HR website. Sign-up through the EBS Portal. MSU support staff should remember that they may have access to Educational Assistance to help with any course registration fees. Questions? Contact HR Solutions Center at SolutionsCenter@hr.msu.edu or 517-353-4434.

Job of the week – International Student/Scholar Advisor I

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This week’s job of the week is an International Student/Scholar Advisor I (#579814) for the College of International Studies and Programs. This position is seeking an individual to provide support to international students, assisting them in accomplishing their academic and personal goals.

The responsibilities for this role include serving as a Designated School Official (DSO) and Alternate Responsible Office (ARO) for the university F-1 student program and assisting in the development and coordinating of the Office for International Students and Scholars (OISS) programs. Other responsibilities for this role include assisting with special projects and student outreach and supporting student organizations’ needs.

The ideal candidate would possess knowledge by completing one or two years of post-bachelor degree work in international education, a foreign language, education or guidance counseling; one to three years of related and progressively more responsible or expansive work experience in academic counseling, a familiarity with immigration regulations, experience working with university-level students, international experience that may include studying, living or working abroad, or interacting with international students; or equivalent combination of education and experience.

For more details on the responsibilities of this position, and to view all our current postings, visit careers.msu.edu. Internal applicants should access postings through the Careers @ MSU tile in the EBS Portal.

Performance Excellence Resources

Published on by Megan MacGregor1 Comment

Do you have a Performance Excellence annual review and/or planning meeting coming up soon? Performance Excellence is a collaborative process between MSU support staff and their supervisors that ensures employees are continually developing their skills to contribute to the success of the university. Employees should be meeting regularly with their supervisors to discuss their Performance Excellence development plan and goals for the year. This encourages everyone to stay engaged and allows goals to be adjusted if needed. Whether you are an employee or supervisor, we have resources to help you get the most out of the Performance Excellence process.

Find Tips and Tools on the HR Website

There is a wealth of information available about Performance Excellence on the HR website including:

  • Detailed info about the process
  • Required training
  • Learning opportunities to help meet performance goals
  • Related forms
  • Tips and tools for success

Visit the Performance Excellence webpage and then select whether you’re looking for resources for employees or supervisors.

Professional Development Courses

Are you looking for resources to help you build skills in certain areas? Organization and Professional Development (OPD) offers a variety of instructor-led courses to help you reach performance goals. Find courses on how to thrive through change, manage difficult customers, or identify and maximize your strengths, among many others! Find a list of all current OPD courses here.

Supervisors can also find courses to help them navigate the Performance Excellence process, including this upcoming course:

And remember, eligible employees have access to Educational Assistance for any course registration fees.

Online Resources through elevateU

No time to attend an in-person course? No problem! elevateU is a free online learning platform available 24/7 for MSU employees with courses, books and videos to assist with skill building. Resources cover a variety of topics and you can print off a learning transcript to show your supervisor a list of resources you’ve completed. Learn more and access elevateU here.

Questions? Contact the HR Solutions Center at SolutionsCenter@hr.msu.edu or 517-353-4434.

Job of the week – Farm Manager II/S

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This week’s job of the week is a Farm Manager II/S (#575832) for the Department of Land Management in the College of Agriculture and Natural Resources. The responsibilities for this role include developing and overseeing the operational budget for Lake City Research Center, maintaining comprehensive records of land use, tiling, planting and harvesting data, and managing research projects. Other responsibilities include conducting farm tours and merchandising programs.

The ideal candidate would possess knowledge acquired by completing a four-year college degree program in Agriculture and/or Crop and Soil Science; three to five years of related and progressively more responsible or expansive work experience in supervision, management, crop production and livestock management; or an equivalent combination of education and experience.

For more details on the responsibilities of this position, and to view all our current postings, visit careers.msu.edu. Internal applicants should access postings through the Careers @ MSU tile in the EBS Portal.