Author: Megan MacGregor

Cherelyn Dunlap Joins Human Resources to Fortify the MSU Approach for Employees with Disabilities

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cherelyn dunlap
Cherelyn Dunlap from the Office of Employee Relations, MSU HR.

MSU Human Resources is excited to introduce Cherelyn Dunlap, who joins our Office of Employee Relations (OER) team in a new role that will work closely with the MSU Resource Center for Persons with Disabilities (RCPD). This new role was created to help streamline the process and experience for employees with disabilities who are seeking accommodations to help them perform their job duties.

The OER Director Rick Fanning is thrilled to have Cherelyn on board, “We are happy that Cherelyn has joined us in Employee Relations. She brings a great deal of knowledge and experience in the accommodation process, and I am sure that her work will be a valuable addition to MSU.”

Cherelyn’s considerable work experience includes 20 years as a Labor Relations Representative and Benefits Director for the Michigan Corrections Organization and an Employee Relations Specialist for the Auto Club Group (also known as AAA). Her extensive knowledge of benefits, insurances, FMLA, Workers’ Compensation, and retirement, in addition to managing accommodation requests, makes her well-equipped to take on this new role at the university.

Along with her knowledge and skillset, Cherelyn shows a genuine enthusiasm for impacting and improving someone’s work experience, which makes her a true asset to the MSU community.  “At an institution where inclusion is paramount, we must ensure that individuals with disabilities feel confident in knowing the university will strive to meet their needs. The RCPD has been diligent in providing this service thus far, and it is my desire to help find ways to continue, and improve, this important work moving forward,” says Cherelyn.

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There are many different scenarios where an accommodation could improve an employee’s work experience. Cherelyn explains, “When we think of an individual with a disability, we think of someone with a physical disability we can see; however, there are many individuals working with disabilities we cannot see.” For example, a person who suffers from migraine headaches may complain that their condition is brought on by the glare from their computer screen. An accommodation could be to provide the employee with a screen overlay to diminish the glare from their computer.

Other accommodations could be more advanced. People who develop arthritis in their hands can have difficulty performing any job functions that require them to type and use a computer. Manipulating the computer keys and mouse exacerbates the individual’s arthritis. An accommodation could be to provide the employee with software which allows them to use talk to text. The software learns the various programs the employee utilizes, and the employee uses a headset or handheld microphone to speak the words that should go into the spreadsheet, report, email, etc.

Cherelyn is quick to point out that every employee is unique, and the accommodation recommended is entirely based on the individual’s needs and determined on a case-by-case basis. Cherelyn and the team of professionals at the RCPD are ready to assist employees with resources that create an environment of opportunity.

Michael Hudson, RCPD Director remarks, “Cherelyn arrives with extensive HR experience that will fortify inclusion efforts for people with disabilities in the workplace. RCPD will continue to welcome persons with disabilities with an ability-centered approach and innovative solutions while HR formalizes these into reasonable accommodations.” You can learn more about the RCPD in this recent MSUToday article.

What is the Process for Receiving an Accommodation?

If you believe you have a condition that could be improved by an accommodation, the following steps will help guide you through the process:

  1. You should register with the RCPD and make a written request for an accommodation. You must also provide the RCPD with medical documentation of the disability.
  2. The RCPD then determines whether you have a qualifying disability, as defined by the law and the university policy.
  3. After the RCPD has determined the condition qualifies as a disability, Cherelyn will begin consulting with RCPD on the case and promptly begin the accommodation process.

MSU HR and RCPD are thrilled to have Cherelyn join the Employee Relations team and are looking forward to her contributions to MSU!

Questions? Please visit the RCPD website to learn more about how employees with disabilities can find assistance at MSU or to register your own disability with the RCPD.

Job of the week – Concert Production/Technical Manager

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This week’s job of the week is a Concert Production/Technical Manager (#554761) for the Department of Music. This position is seeking an individual to plan and implement the backstage usage and theatrical equipment for productions, performances and other events.

The responsibilities for this role include assisting with creating and maintaining the master planning calendars for theatre and production, managing conflicting needs for hall access and usage, and assisting with scheduling and oversight of support staff for hall operations. Other responsibilities for this role include coordinating movement of musical instruments and advising/assisting with the load-in and set up of productions and performances.

The ideal candidate would possess knowledge acquired by completing a four-year college degree program in a business-related field; one to three years of related and progressively more responsible or expansive work experience in house management, managing large numbers of employees, operating computers, and office 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.

Tips to Use Your Flexible Spending Account Funds

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Welcome to 2019 and your flexible spending account (FSA) funds! If you signed up for a 2019 FSA during Open Enrollment last October, you’re on your way to saving money on out-of-pocket medical and/or dependent care expenses. MSU’s FSA plan administrator is WageWorks. If this is your first time participating in an FSA, make sure you register for your online WageWorks account.

If you have a Health FSA, you can purchase a variety of products and services with pre-tax dollars – it’s like a 30% off sale on eligible expenses1. Some items you may not know about include:

  • Allergy medication
  • Bandages
  • Breastfeeding classes
  • Cough syrup
  • Dyslexia treatment
  • First-aid kits
  • Guide dog
  • Hearing aids
  • Humidifier/air filter
  • Lasik
  • Pain relievers
  • Pregnancy tests
  • Reading glasses
  • Smoking cessation drugs
  • Sunscreen

You can find a complete list of eligible expenses for both health and dependent care FSA funds on the WageWorks website2. To make shopping for eligible expenses easier, visit the online FSA Store for the largest selection of guaranteed FSA-eligible products. And remember, managing your WageWorks account is quick and easy with the WageWorks EZ receipts app. You’ll love the convenience of submitting claims, uploading receipts and checking account balances directly from your phone.

What if I still have funds left over from my 2018 FSA?

Not to worry – if you still have funds left over from your 2018 FSA, you have until March 15, 2019 to use these funds and until April 30, 2019 to submit receipts to substantiate these claims. Find more information on the HR website.

Questions? For more detailed information contact WageWorks at 877-924-3967 or visit the WageWorks website. For plan eligibility questions contact the HR Solutions Center at SolutionsCenter@hr.msu.edu or 517-353-4434.

1 Assumes a combined tax rate of 30%, including FICA, state, and federal income taxes. Actual amounts may vary.

2 Some items may require a doctor’s prescription or other documentation from your doctor. Please see your account details for more information.

Nominations are Open for the Student Employee of the Year Award!

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If you work on campus, you know how important student employees are to the success of your department and the university. Do you know a student who consistently goes above and beyond in their work? Supervisors have the chance to recognize these exemplary Spartans by nominating them for the Student Employee of the Year award by February 4, 2019.

Find more details and the nomination form on the Department of Student Life website.

Last year’s winner was Emily Duddles, Learning Assistant for the Department of Physics and Astronomy.

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Last year’s Student Employee of the Year winner, Emily Duddles.

Eligible nominees must be:

  • Currently registered in an MSU degree-granting program.
  • Employed on student employee payroll for a minimum of three months between June 1, 2018, and May 31, 2019.
  • Nominated by their supervisor. Only one student employee may be nominated per supervisor. Complete an online nomination form here.
    Note: Graduate assistants, residence hall staff and other student employees who do not fall under the jurisdiction of MSU Student Employment or the Student Employee Payroll may not be nominated for this award. They are eligible for other recognition programs.

All nominees will be honored with certificates. The MSU Student Employee winner’s name is submitted for consideration for the State of Michigan competition. All nominees will be acknowledged at the reception on Tuesday, April 9, 2019, at the Kellogg Hotel and Conference Center. Learn more about the award on the Department of Student Life website.

Job of the Week – Unit Human Resources Administrator I

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This week’s job of the week is a Unit Human Resources Administrator I (#551670) for the Department of IT Services Communication and Training. This position is seeking an individual to support the hiring, development, and engagement of the MSU IT team.

The responsibilities for this role include administering and coordinating the hiring and recruitment processes for all professional, clerical, student and temporary/on-call employees within IT.  Other responsibilities for this role include serving as a resource to department supervisors and a liaison to central MSU Human Resources to manage and coordinate human resource activities.

The ideal candidate would possess knowledge acquired by completing a four-year college degree program in Human Resources, Business Administration or related field; three to five years of related and progressively more responsible or expansive work experience in managing human resource functions, designing and implementing training programs and human resource/labor relations management and computer applications; 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.

Are you happy at work? Time to make career goals part of your New Year’s resolutions.

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With the new year on the horizon, now is the time to relax and recharge, spend time with your loved ones, and maybe start thinking about your career goals for 2019.

The average American spends 90,000 hours at work over their lifetime. That’s 1/3 of your life or 50% of your waking hours spent in the company of your co-workers (Pryce-Jones, 2010). When you think about your work life in these terms, it makes sense that you’d include career goals as part of your New Year’s resolutions.

What should your goals be? Research shows that people who feel more engaged and appreciated at work report feeling happier in general. These happy worker bees have a few things in common including a meaningful vision for their future, a sense of purpose, and great relationships (McKee, 2016).

Lucky for you, as a benefits-eligible MSU employee you have access to a variety of personal and professional development courses that can help you identify growth areas and build roadmaps for a more purposeful future. We recommend using some (or all!) of the following courses to help you reach your career goals and ultimately become happier at work.

Highlight of 2019 Professional Development Courses:

Chances are, you could use a little focus in your life. Between emails, text messages, phone calls, meetings, social media, family, and co-workers all demanding your attention, it can be hard to clear away the distractions and zero in on the work that needs to get done. We recommend taking the course From Distracted to Productive to learn “game plan” ideas for getting and keeping your distractors under control.

Once you’ve become more productive at work, how do you sustain those high results? You must have a significant amount of emotional resiliency as you navigate the challenges inherent in your day-to-day life. The course Sustainable High Performance teaches you how to increase your capacity for calm, creative responses to a wide variety of problems and operate from a high-quality state of mind.

And career goals would ultimately be meaningless if you didn’t create them with a bit of introspection. The Everything DiSC: Behavior Styles at Work course helps you understand yourself and how you relate to other people – including your co-workers. While the Identify and Maximize Your Strengths course shows you what makes you unique and helps identify your natural talents.

Ready to Sign-Up?

Find all the current professional development courses on the HR website. Register for the courses through the EBS Portal. After you log in, click the My Career and Training tab and then click the Courses for Employees at MSU tile.

McKee, Annie. “Being Happy at Work Matters.” Harvard Business Review, 26 Oct. 2016, hbr.org/2014/11/being-happy-at-work-matters.

Pryce-Jones, Jessica. Happiness at Work: Maximizing Your Psychological Capital for Success. John Wiley & Sons, 2010.

Sick while on vacation? Get medical advice 24/7 from Teladoc

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Will you be traveling during the holiday season? If you or a family member gets sick or needs medical advice while you’re away (within the USA), remember that Teladoc is here to help. Teladoc gives you 24/7 access to speak with a licensed health care professional by web, phone, or mobile app. They can even send prescriptions to a nearby pharmacy when medically necessary. This benefit is available to all MSU employees and their dependents who are currently enrolled in an MSU health plan.

How Does it Work?
When you need medical advice, you can receive quality care from a licensed health care professional in three simple steps:

  1. Request: Ask to talk to a health care professional 24 hours a day, 365 days a year by web, phone or mobile app.
  2. Visit: Speak with a health care professional; take as much time as you need to explain your medical concern.
  3. Resolve: If medically necessary, a prescription will be sent to the pharmacy of your choice.

To find more information on this benefit you can visit the HR website. To sign up, visit Teladoc.com and click on “Member Login” to set up your Teladoc account. Then request a consult with an available medical professional. If you have any questions you can contact Teladoc directly at 1-800-Teladoc or visit the Teladoc website.

What HR is Making for Thanksgiving

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Are you looking for some last-minute recipe ideas for the Thanksgiving holiday? Members of the HR team share their favorite holiday dishes below. Whether you’re looking for a unique addition to your holiday menu or you’re still trying to plan what you’re going to make, these recommendations will help make your Thanksgiving meal a success!

Sharon Moore’s Cranberry Sauce
This delicious homemade cranberry sauce is a special garnish to put with any Thanksgiving turkey. Sharon found this recipe a few years back and decided to try it out on the family. They love it and now it is requested every year.

Edita Herbstova’s Cream of Peanut Soup
This yummy soup dish is served with chopped toasted peanuts on top and sippets. What are sippets, you ask? Click the recipe above to find out!

Monica Burrow’s Pumpkin Layered Magic Cake
The pumpkin and cake layers in this Betty Crocker Kitchens dessert recipe magically switch places while it’s baking (awesome!). Finished with a fluffy cream cheese whipped cream on top.

Danielle Devota’s Signature Sweet Potato Casserole
This recipe from The Pioneer Woman blog is so tasty it has become a trademark dish at the Devota Thanksgiving.

Becky Proctor’s Classic Sage Stuffing
If you’ve been looking for the very best stuffing recipe, look no further. This stuffing recipe is remarkably simple to make and will be the star dish at your table.

Megan MacGregor’s Vegan Lentil & Sweet Potato Shepherd’s Pie
If you have any friends or family members with dietary requirements coming over for Thanksgiving, this dish is dairy-, egg-, and meat-free (but full of flavor!). Perfect for the vegans or vegetarians at your table.

Happy Thanksgiving from the MSU Human Resources team!

MSU’s Jeff Brodie Talks about his Experience with the Livongo Diabetes Management Program

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Jeff Brodie is a Management Analyst at MSU Human Resources who was diagnosed with diabetes in 2011. When the Livongo for Diabetes Management program first rolled out as a free benefit to MSU employees and their spouses/dependents, Jeff was one of the first to sign up.

Jeff admits his process for handling his diabetes needed to improve, “Prior to signing up for Livongo, I managed my diabetes primarily by reviewing my A1C numbers (average blood glucose) every three to six months
but unfortunately, the absence of a ‘bad’ number caused me to do very little to manage my condition.” The Livongo program aims to reduce the burden on those living with diabetes by offering technology and support to help members easily manage their health.

Members get a free Welcome Kit which contains the Livongo connected meter, a charger, unlimited free strips/lancets, a convenient carrying case, and optional coaching with a health care professional.

Livongo Diabetes Welcome Kit
The Livongo Welcome Kit

Jeff finds the Welcome Kit and support immensely helpful, “I receive FREE test strips and lancets, and weekly summaries of my results
the best thing is: it keeps a record of every test result that I can put into a spreadsheet and share with my doctor.” Jeff’s favorite part of the program is the unlimited free test strips and lancets – why pay for these supplies when they are available free?

Signing up for the program couldn’t be simpler, “I signed up by phone and it was easy
the Welcome Kit arrived in the mail, I had a phone number or email address handy for questions. And once I got started, it became part of my daily routine to test.” Creating a daily habit to test is a great first step to learn when you may need to make small changes in your diet and/or exercise to improve your overall health.

Jeff admits he could still do more to manage his diabetes, like improve his diet. However, he explains that Livongo, “reminds me that I’m a diabetic, that I should test, and that I should use my test results to make SOME changes in my diet and exercise
This has caused me to make changes in my lifestyle that I otherwise would not have made.” And while Jeff has opted to not use the optional coaching services offered by Livongo, he does occasionally reach out to the coaches via email if he has a question about his numbers, diet or the program.

Understanding how what you eat influences your diabetes is vital to improving your health. As Jeff explains, “Even when I let my food monster win for a day, I’m still aware of being diabetic and the lifestyle changes I must undergo to manage it.” Keeping track of the trends in his numbers has encouraged Jeff to adjust his diet to eat more vegetables and protein and fewer carbs, especially if his results are high.

If you’re unsure if the Livongo program is right for you, consider Jeff’s attitude: “There is nothing to lose at all, and everything to gain. Even if you sign up and do the minimal, you will be healthier than if you didn’t sign up at all.” Your level of participation in the program is entirely up to you, with the option to cancel anytime.

If you have questions or are ready to sign up, visit the Livongo website. Find more testimonials for Livongo here. Do you have your own experience with Livongo? We’d love to hear in the comments below or email us at hrcommteam@hr.msu.edu.

What Makes You Unique?

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How do you build better relationships at work? Find the right role to fit your talents? Have powerful, constructive conversations? Living your best life begins when you tap into your unique talents. Learn to Identify and Maximize Your Strengths with a new training opportunity available through Organization and Professional Development.

Before this course, you will complete Gallup’s CliftonStrengths online assessment to determine your natural patterns of thinking, feeling and behaving. The assessment measures your specific order of 34 themes of talent—your “talent DNA.” The odds that someone shares your exact same order of 34 themes are roughly 1 in 259,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000. Discover what makes you truly unique from everyone else.

When you attend this program, you will:

  • Receive your assessment results
  • Explore what you naturally do best
  • Learn how to further develop these areas

The course instructor will help you understand your customized results, so you can discover what makes you exceptional and maximize your potential. With increased self-awareness and a new language for understanding and expressing what you do best, research has shown that you will be more likely to feel confident, achieve goals, and feel energetic and engaged.

Ready to Sign Up?

The next Identify and Maximize Your Strengths is Wednesday, December 12 from 1:00 p.m. to 4:30 p.m. The course is taught by Sabrina Hebeler and Danielle Hook from IPF. More dates for this course will be available soon. Sign up by logging into the EBS Portal and selecting the Courses for Employees at MSU tile under My Career and Training.