Author: Megan MacGregor

Increase to Benefit Level for Optional, Employee-Paid Life and Accidental Death and Dismemberment Insurance

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Effective for the 2021 plan year, the benefit level for optional, employee-paid life insurance and accidental death and dismemberment (AD&D) insurance will increase to 1 – 10 times your annual salary (previously, it was available from 1 – 8 times your annual salary). There are also various levels of coverage available for your spouse/other eligible individual (OEI) or dependents.

Please Note: these changes are applicable to optional, employee-paid life and AD&D insurance only. MSU offers you several different types of life/accident insurance plans, which you can learn more about on the HR website.

MSU benefits-eligible employees can enroll in, change or cancel these optional benefits for the 2021 plan year during Open Enrollment in October. Use the following information to help you decide if these benefits are right for you and your family. You’ll also find information to help you calculate your monthly costs if you decide to enroll in one or both options.

Optional, Employee-Paid Life Insurance

Life insurance can provide a lump-sum payment to beneficiaries upon the insured’s death. Optional, employee-paid life insurance is available to all regular full- and part-time (50% or more) employees, as well as to your spouse/OEI and dependent children. There are various levels of coverage, and the cost of the plan varies according to the plan selected.

How to Calculate Your Monthly Cost: find formulas for how to calculate your monthly costs in this year’s Open Enrollment guides. Be sure to reference the appropriate guide: Support Staff Open Enrollment Guide or Faculty/Academic Staff Open Enrollment Guide.

Optional, Employee-Paid AD&D Insurance

AD&D insurance provides various amounts of coverage for accidental death or dismemberment or loss of sight, whether during business or pleasure. Optional family coverage is also offered. This is available to all regular full- and part-time (50% or more) employees, as well as to your spouse/OEI and dependent children. Benefit levels vary by type of insurance selected and the extent of the injury.

How to Calculate Your Monthly Cost: find formulas for how to calculate your monthly costs in this year’s Open Enrollment guides. Be sure to reference the appropriate guide: Support Staff Open Enrollment Guide or Faculty/Academic Staff Open Enrollment Guide.

Questions? You can learn more about your life/accident insurance options on the HR website or contact the HR Solutions Center at SolutionsCenter@hr.msu.edu or 517-353-4434.

Graphic of a checklist

Time to Choose Your Benefits for 2021: Your Open Enrollment Checklist

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It’s more important than ever to make sure you have the best benefits options selected for you and your family. October is almost here, which means the MSU Benefits Open Enrollment period (October 1-31, 2020) is about to begin for benefits-eligible employees. To prevent the spread of COVID-19, we will not be having our usual in-person Benefits Fair or offering in-person assistance with our MSU HR staff. However, we will be providing virtual opportunities for you to ask questions and get assistance, including a Virtual Benefits Fair (learn more below).

Use the following checklist to help guide you through Open Enrollment and be sure to make your selections between October 1 -31, 2020.

  • Double Check Your Benefits Needs
    During Open Enrollment, you may enroll in, change, or cancel coverage for the following benefits:
    • Health
    • Dental
    • Flexible spending accounts (health and/or dependent care)
    • Life insurance
    • Some voluntary benefits, like vision, legal or critical illness insurance

      Make sure you review the Open Enrollment guide carefully and choose the best benefits plans for your family. Remember, you also have access to various voluntary benefits, like vision insurance. Find Open Enrollment guides on the HR website.
  • Review the Changes for Next Year’s Plans
    Changes for the 2021 plan year include:
    • Increase to the premium threshold for the spousal affidavit: If your spouse/OEI has access to health care coverage through their own current or former employer, they must purchase the coverage their own employer offers if the annual employee premium cost for single-person coverage is $1,500 or less. You may still cover your spouse/OEI on your MSU health coverage as a secondary plan.
    • Increase to Benefit Level for Life and Accidental Death and Dismemberment (AD&D) Insurance: Employee-paid Life and AD&D insurance is now available at a benefit level 1-10 times your salary. Previously, it was available at a benefit level 1-8 times your salary. Learn more about these benefits in the Open Enrollment guides.
    • Aetna DMO Co-Pay Increase for Orthodontics: The Aetna DMO co-pays for orthodontics have increased from $2,300 to $3,000. Only support staff are eligible to enroll in the Aetna DMO plan. Co-pays have not changed for the Aetna Premium DMO plan. Find co-pays by dental plan in the Open Enrollment guides.
  • Make Your Changes Online Before October 31
    If you want to make changes to your benefits selections – or you cover a spouse/OEI on your benefits plan – we encourage you to do so during the Open Enrollment window: October 1 – 31, 2020.
  • Virtual Benefits Fair
    In an effort to reduce the spread of COVID-19, we will not be having an in-person Benefits Fair this year. Instead, we’re offering a Virtual Benefits Fair from October 12-16, which will consist of an online source for curated content from our benefits vendors (such as videos, brochures and more), along with the opportunity for you to ask your benefits questions to MSU HR staff and/or our benefit vendors on October 15 from 11 a.m. to 7 p.m. and October 16 from 7 a.m. to 5 p.m. Visit theVirtual Benefits Fair Information page on the HR website to find the most up-to-date info about the fair. 

We hope this checklist is helpful! Remember, everything you need to know about Open Enrollment is available on the HR website Open Enrollment page, including links to the appropriate benefits guide, enrollment instructions, and detailed benefits information.

Questions? We’re happy to help! Call or email the HR Solutions Center at 517-353-4434 or SolutionsCenter@hr.msu.edu.

Job of the Week – Data Resource Analyst

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This week’s job of the week is a Data Resource Analyst (Posting #646611) for the College of Education, specifically within the Education Policy Innovation Collaborative (EPIC). EPIC partners with state and school district leaders to produce rigorous and objective multi-methods research with consequence that strengthens evidence-based decision-making for practice and policy in Michigan, with implications for historically disadvantaged students throughout the country.

This position will be responsible for managing, processing, and analyzing large-scale administrative data sets central to our work. Additionally, this person will manage the acquisition, organization, warehousing, documentation, security, and dissemination of data.

The ideal candidate will have knowledge equivalent to that which normally would be acquired by completing one or two years of post-bachelor’s degree work, such as a master’s degree in Educational Administration, Statistics, Economics, or Research Methodology. See job posting for a complete list of desired qualifications.

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.

Online Resources, Toolkits and Courses for Supervisors and Managers

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Are you a supervisor or manager looking for opportunities to help you grow in your leadership role? Whether you’re a brand-new supervisor or an experienced manager looking for resources to develop your skills, there are tools available to help you. Information is available in various formats to fit your schedule and learning style including in-person professional development courses, online resources and toolkits on the HR website.

In-Person Professional Development Courses

  • Communication Strategies for Supervisors on March 12
    One of the non-negotiables for successful leadership is being an effective communicator. Many leaders believe they do communicate effectively, but what most leaders do not understand about communicating with their team is that it is not just about what is said. It is about how it is said, when it is said, to whom, did the receiver understand the message in the way it was intended, and on and on. To lead successfully today, leaders must be able to persuade, inspire, listen, articulate the big picture, and create teams of people who buy into and trust the sender. Learn more about the Communication Strategies for Supervisors course.
  • Manager as Coach on March 12
    Successful managers today understand the importance of coaching in the workplace to improve productivity, loyalty, and results. Instead of telling team members what to do, or just expecting them to perform, it is important to guide, discuss and encourage – in other words, coach. Learn more about the Manager as Coach course.
  • Leading Change on March 31
    Effective leadership is imperative in times of transition, regardless of the nature or source of the changes you’re experiencing. This session will enable you to understand the phases of change, deal with resistance, build support for change, and communicate more effectively to reduce resistance and build change adeptness in staff members. Learn more about the Leading Change course.
  • Managing Meetings on April 22
    With company resources tighter than ever, frivolous meetings are simply not an option. Yet they continue to occur more often than ever. And too many unproductive, wasteful meetings create a major drag on staff morale and motivation, thus affecting productivity and turnover. And, if you are the organizer or leader of meetings, you simply cannot afford to look unprofessional. This course will help you better plan, lead, and follow through on your meetings and enhance team productivity, coordination, and cohesion. Learn more about the Managing Meetings course.
  • Building Capacity for Resilience as a Leader on April 23
    Leaders need to be increasingly resilient to the steady stream of challenges, struggles and setbacks that are part of our work. Our success depends on our individual and collective ability to bounce back when things don’t go as planned, gain important new knowledge from failures, and respond quickly and effectively when we need to chart a new course. Leaders can dramatically improve their effectiveness by gaining a foundational understanding of healthy psychological functioning and developing practical skills to increase their level of personal and professional resiliency. Learn more about the Building Capacity for Resilience as a Leader course.
  • Everything DiSC: Management on April 28
    The focus of Everything DiSC: Management is a deeper understanding of oneself, as this is the first step to becoming a more effective manager. The DiSC Management profile will help managers understand the preferences they have as a manager, thereby helping them understand when they are a strength, and when those preferences could turn into a bias against other, equally valuable, work styles. The profile also teaches how to observe behaviors in colleagues, employees and clients to recognize their DiSC styles and how managers can adapt their behavior to other DiSC styles in order to manage more effectively. Learn more about the Everything DiSC: Management course.
  • Emotional Intelligence in Leadership on April 29
    A strong leader ignites motivation and unleashes productivity creating an environment in which individuals want to “follow”. A person with high emotional intelligence has mastered self-management and interpersonal dynamics. Combine the two and the result is an emotionally intelligent leader! Attend this seminar and learn the link between leadership and emotional intelligence. Learn more about the Emotional Intelligence in Leadership course.

Online Resources with elevateU

The elevateU portal is full of online resources including eBooks, videos, courses and more – all available to you for free 24/7. Want to learn more about optimizing team performance, cultivating creativity or processing change? You’ll find resources on these topics and much more in the elevateU portal. Use these tools to help you build your own skillset as a leader or share these resources with your team to help them reach their professional goals. Learn more about elevateU and access here.

Toolkits on the HR Website

The HR website contains a wealth of information useful to those in a supervisory role, including toolkits for various processes. Whether you have questions about how to hire support staff, want an overview of benefits options or need to know deadlines for payroll processing, these toolkits are available to assist you.  Find toolkits for supervisors on the HR website.

Job of the Week – Study Abroad Program Coordinator

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This week’s job of the week is a Study Abroad Program Coordinator (#639778) for the Office of International Health and Safety Team in the International Students and Programs department.

This position will support the operational management of international health and safety matters. This includes, in collaboration with the Director of International Health and Safety and the Senior Coordinator for International Health and Safety, overseeing office management, analysis, travel preparedness and plan response strategies to promote and protect the well-being of MSU international travelers. The coordinator will share 24/7 coverage for international emergencies.

The ideal candidate would possess knowledge equivalent to that which normally would be acquired by completing a bachelor’s degree in international relations, foreign language, area studies, communication, higher education administration, criminal justice, or a related field; three to five years of experience in a related field such as study abroad, emergency coordination, international travel and security, campus crisis management and/or risk management; international experience such as Peace Corps, nongovernmental or academic; experience living or working abroad; 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.

Upcoming Supervisor Professional Development Courses

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As a supervisor or manager, it’s important to keep learning in order to build a successful team and keep your employees engaged. Whether you’re brand new to your leadership role or an experienced supervisor looking for resources to develop your skills, we offer a variety of classes to help you grow in your career. Stay on track with your personal and professional goals by taking one of these upcoming courses.

Fundamentals of Supervision – March 11

Supervisors are a main determinant of overall performance, retention, and morale in an organization. This session will help participants with less than three years of supervisory experience learn fundamental skills to become a successful supervisor.

Communication Strategies for Supervisors – March 12

One of the non-negotiables for successful leadership is being an effective communicator. Many leaders believe they do communicate effectively, but what most leaders do not understand about communicating with their team is that it is not just about what is said. It is about how it is said, when it is said, to whom, did the receiver understand the message in the way it was intended, and on and on. To lead successfully today, leaders must be able to persuade, inspire, listen, articulate the big picture, and create teams of people who buy into and trust the sender.

Manager as Coach – March 12

Successful managers today understand the importance of coaching in the workplace to improve productivity, loyalty, and results. Instead of telling team members what to do, or just expecting them to perform, it is important to guide, discuss and encourage – in other words, coach.  This session is geared to help leaders understand the importance of being a successful coach.

Creating an Inclusive Environment – March 17

While this course is for everyone, it’s especially important for leaders to understand how to create an inclusive working environment. First, you will work to understand and identify categories associated with the various labels we apply to ourselves and others. Second, you’ll consider the ways in which these categories apply to you and how this shapes your interactions with others. Finally, you’ll then be introduced to an exercise designed to enhance self-awareness and bridge connections.

Supervisor Strategies for Performance Planning – March 17

As a supervisor, it is important that you sufficiently prepare and work collaboratively with your employees to make the Performance Planning portion of Performance Excellence successful. In this program, you can expect to learn strategies to link university and departmental priorities to the employee’s role, clarify expectations, write effective SMART goals, identify skill gaps, create a development plan and increase engagement in the process.

Leading Change – March 31

Effective leadership is imperative in times of transition, regardless of the nature or source of the changes you’re experiencing. This session will enable you to understand the phases of change, deal with resistance, build support for change, and communicate more effectively to reduce resistance and build change adeptness in staff members.

Retirement Planning: 2020 IRS Retirement Plan Contribution Limits

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Could you be saving more for your retirement? Whether you’ve just started working at MSU or have been here for 30+ years, it is important that you continue to monitor and adjust how much you’re saving if you want to have a comfortable retirement.

The IRS places limits on how much employees can contribute to a retirement plan each year. The IRS recently announced the retirement plan limits for 2020:

  • The annual employee contribution amount increased to $19,500 from $19,000 for 403(b) and 457(b) plans.
  • The age 50 catch-up contribution amount increased to $6,500 from $6,000 for 403(b) and 457(b) plans.

If you want to save as much as you can for your retirement, there is a tool in the EBS Portal called the Max Savings Contributions Calculator available to assist you. This tool automatically displays the remaining amount of retirement contributions you have available before reaching one of the limits, and the equivalent percentage of your pay to help you spread that out for the year.

To access this tool:

1. Login to the EBS Portal with your MSU NetID and password.

2. Click the My Benefits tab at the top.

3. Click the Benefit/Retirement tile.

4. Select Enroll/Change my Retirement/Health Savings Account Options in the drop-down menu and then click Next in the bottom right.

5. Navigate in the bar graph to the Savings Plans screen by clicking Next in the bottom right.

6. The Max Savings Contributions Calculator screen will display. This display will automatically show the remaining amount of retirement contributions you have available (if any) before reaching the IRS limit.

7. You can adjust the percentage of your contributions to any retirement plans you participate in by clicking on the pencil icon, and then choose Select to make the change.

8. If you want to enroll in a new plan, begin by clicking on the paper icon next to the plan and vendor of your choosing, and then enter the percentage of your new contribution and choose Select to enroll.

9. Make sure to click on Save in the bottom right to complete and save any changes/enrollments.

If you are an academic year faculty or academic staff employee, or a Voluntary 403(b) Base participant age 50 and over, contact the HR Solutions Center at 517-353-4434 or SolutionsCenter@hr.msu.edu for further assistance in calculating your maximum contribution percentage.

Learn More About MSU’s Retirement Plans 

The HR website contains a wealth of information about the different types of retirement plans offered, retirement investment vendors, and planning tools available.