The tradition of presenting a book to retiring employees is one that MSU HR has carried on for years. Recently, a current HR employee brought in her great-grandfatherâs retirement book, circa 1969, to share. Tucked inside the bookâs pages were old employee photographs, images depicting the timeless beauty of MSUâs campus and a letter from President John Hannah. Also included was a pamphlet distributed at MSUâs Seventh Annual Retirement and Service Award Ceremony. This recognition program, an integral part of MSUâs dedication to honoring hardworking employees, still occurs annually each spring. Now, employees are able to select a personal gift that fits their unique preferences.
While many years have passed since the first retirement books were passed out (53, to be exact) it is important to note that MSU has stayed true in its values. Technology, fashion and the community are things that change with time, yet MSUâs dedication to employee appreciation is something that will not falter.
A letter from MSU President John A. HannahSeventh Annual Retirement Program pamphletMSU’s campus circa 1960
This Friday, January 16, âPay it Forward Weekendâ begins. This celebration is the third of its kind. âPay it Forward Weekendâ urges participants to take part in at least on random act of kindness. The only condition is that this act must be carried out without the expectation of receiving anything in return. Last year, 484,743 individuals participated in this unofficial celebration. This year, organizers hope to increase reach tenfold.
Participating in random acts of kindness creates a ripple effect. We all benefit from good deeds!
So how can you get involved? First, join the event on Facebook. Â If you are not a Facebook user, donât worry! You are not barred in any manner from participating. Next, brainstorm an act of kindness. Here are some ideas to get you started:
⢠Pay for someoneâs meal in the fast food drive through.
⢠Leave a bouquet at the hospital for the nurses to distribute.
⢠If you are in a long line, invite the person behind you to go first.
⢠Offer to help carry someoneâs groceries.
⢠Tell a manager about how stellar a certain employee is.
⢠Load extra change into the vending machine.
⢠Buy a lottery ticket for a stranger.
⢠Give a large tip to your server when you dine out.
⢠Let another driver take your parking spot.
⢠Leave a copy of a good book with a note on the bus.
This list is just the start- random acts of kindness are simple but their impact is outlasting! Consider challenging yourself to carry out one or more random acts of kindness during âPay it Forward Weekendâ and then extending this altruism throughout the year. In life, the littlest things make the biggest difference. Feel free to share your experiences with us in the comments section of this post.
MSU has celebrated the legacy of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. since 1980, six years before Martin Luther King Jr. Day was established as a national holiday. This year, Martin Luther King Jr. Day falls on Monday, January 19. MSU students, faculty and staff will join together in recognition of Dr. Kingâs lifeâs work; bringing publicity to major civil rights activities, emphasizing and encouraging peaceful protests, and providing leadership.
The tribute begins this Saturday, January 17 with a gala celebrating the commencement of Project 60/50, a year-long initiative focused on engaging the community in conversations about diversity. After the gala, a Union Activities Board event will be held to illustrate the student bodyâs talent and commitment to civil rights issues. On Sunday, January 18, free jazz concerts will be available as 60/50âs gift to the community. On Monday, a student leadership conference will run through the morning to be followed by a luncheon taking place in partnership with the Greater Lansing King Commemorative Celebration Commission. Other festivities include a commemorative march from the Union to Beaumont Tower and an exhibit at the MSU Museum.
As we look forward to paying homage to the heroic deeds of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., MSU HR salutes all those who have worked for equality; past, present and future.
Often, the elders in our lives prove to be our most vital influences. What we gain from conversation with these role models is truly invaluable. To encourage such discussion, Project 60/50 has created the Across Generations: Video Fest contest. Project 60/50, an ongoing community conversation on civil and human rights, is committed to bringing attention to the experiences, viewpoints, contributions, value and rights of all persons, including older adults.
The Across Generations: Video Fest contest invites young people to tape a conversation with an important elder (anyone 60+ years of age.) This contest not only aids young people in learning more about the elders in their lives, but provides a platform for older adults to share their stories. All entrants and their elders will be invited to a ceremony in recognition of submitted films at the Eli and Edythe Broad Art Museum on February 21. One winner will be selected from each category: elementary (k-5), middle school (6-8), high school (9-12) and college. Prizes include a film screening at February’s ceremony and the East Lansing Film Festival as well as a $60.50 cash award.
Entries can be submitted at Project6050.msu.edu. The deadline is January 31. For more information, view the PDF.
Farewell 2014! We are looking forward to discovering what 2015 will bring.
While many of you may be counting down to the new year, join us in counting down 2014’s most popular blog posts on SourceLive! Our readers learned how to deal with stress, how to prevent themselves from contracting the flu, how to get a massage during lunch break, interesting locations to enjoy a meal on campus, and the true difference between sick time and family sick time, among other topics. Thank you for your readership and we look forward to further informing you in 2015!
#5: How to Deal With Stress
Stress can cause headaches, anxiety and tension. Learn how to manage stress and reduce its negative impacts on your life with this video from Employee Assistance Program Counselor Lisa Laughman.
The Office of the University Physician offered flu clinics at various campus locations in October and November. Flu vaccines administered at the flu clinics were subsidized by Human Resources for MSU faculty, staff, and retirees.
With the hustle and bustle of the holiday season quickly approaching, itâs natural to feel stress and anxiety. Luckily, Olin Health Center is offering three new services that are sure to help! You can now receive reflexology, reiki, and massage therapy services through Olin Health Center.
Are you tired of your regular lunch break routine? There are delicious and affordable meal options all over MSUâs campus, you just have to know where to look. Here are a few options that we recommend trying out on your next lunch break!
Have you ever wondered how sick time balances relate to family sick time balances? Family sick time is not a separate bucket of hours to be used independently. It is a subset of sick time available to use for the illness of a member of the immediate family or other household members.
This holiday season, we hope that you spend well-deserved time with loved ones, allow yourself the opportunity to relax, and eat some delicious meals! With that being said, it is important to remember that this time of year presents a wonderful opportunity to express gratitude. Here at MSU Human Resources, we would like to thank all of our dedicated faculty and staff for their outstanding performance! Michigan State would not be the great university that it is without the work that you do on a daily basis and we are thankful for your talents and service. Â Happy holidays from MSU HR!
Exercise caution when shopping on your smartphone. tablet or computer.
Smartphones and tablets are some of the most popular shopping tools this holiday season. At any given time you may have your financial information, family photos and contact information on one or several devices you carry daily. It’s important to protect yourself against digital pickpockets, hackers and identity thieves by following some basic safely rules:
Protect your device first and its contents second. Update your apps and operating system frequently. Updates often contain security patches to help protect you. Install anti-virus and malware protection on your device.
Enable locks on all electronic devices requiring a password to unlock. The default lock codes are generally only four digits (Apple calls this a simple passcode), select the âpasswordâ option to use at least an eight character alphanumeric password. Most devices will also allow you to limit the number of attempts before the phone locks.
Disable Bluetooth if you are not using it, others can discover your device without your knowledge. Remember when you paired it with your car and the password was 0000?
Turn OFF Location Services or Tracking; this allows apps to know where you are, where you shop or even where you work.
Limit online shopping to when you are on a secure Wi-Fi network, like your home. If you must do business while out, turn OFF wifi and use your phoneâs 3G or 4G network, it is far more secure than a Wi-Fi hotspot.
Nearly 72 percent of the cell phones currently in use are smartphones.  But do you know how smart your phone really is? Here are a few things you might find useful. Note: there are many versions of Android so these may not work on every phone.
You can take a screenshot just like on your computer. On an iPhone â press and hold the Home button along with the Sleep/Wake button, youâll hear a shutter click and the image will appear in your Camera Roll or Photos section. For Android, pressing the Power and Home buttons at the same time will grab an image of the screen and save to your Gallery. Remember to press both buttons at the same time, and hold them until the shutter sound is heard. (You need to hold the Power button slightly before pressing the Home button, then hold them both down.)
Listen to music on your phone with a sleep timer. Many people use their phone to listen to music as they go to sleep, but you don’t want it running all night and draining your battery. On an iPhone, go to the Clock app and click on “Timer”, then “When Timer Ends”. Scroll to the bottom of the screen and select “Stop Playing”. For Android, open the music player settings. Find “Music auto off” and set it to however long you want the music to play.
Block calls and texts. Have you ever had someone get your number and continually call or text even if you tell them to stop? To block calls on an iPhone with iOS 7 or later, open the Phone or FaceTime app. If the person is already a contact, tap his/her name, scroll to the bottom of the page and tap “Block This Caller”. Then tap “Block Contact”. If the person isn’t a contact, tap the “Info” button, then scroll to the bottom of the page and tap Block this Caller. Then tap Block Contact. If you want to block texts, open the Messages app and tap a message from the person you want to block. Tap “Contact” in the upper right and then tap the “Info” button. Scroll to the bottom and tap “Block this Caller”. Then tap “Block Contact”.  You can edit your blocked contacts later at these locations: Settings>>Phone>>Blocked, Settings>>Messages>>Blocked or Settings>>FaceTime>>Blocked. On Android, go to Settings>>Call settings>>Call block. Under “Incoming calls” tap “Call block list” and then tap “Create”. You can enter a number, or tap the picture icon to find the number in your Contacts list or in your call logs.
Take better pictures. You can take photos by tapping the screen but itâs hard not to shake when you tap. On an iPhone, the volume up button can be used as your shutter button. Android has Voice Control in the camera app settings letting you take pictures with commands like âsmileâ and âcheeseâ.
If you attended this yearâs HR benefits Fair, you may have noticed that Professional Development Services ran a contest. Everyone who completed a class between October 14 and October 31 in elevateU was entered into a drawing to win one of two prizes. The winners are:
elevateU Contest Winner Jamie Lake poses with her State Room gift card and elevateU headphones.
Dennis Bond, Manager of Web Services, College of Agriculture & Natural Resources, who won a basket full of MSU items, including a beautiful stadium blanket.
Jamie Lake, Payroll, Residential and Housing Services, who won a $50 gift certificate to the State Room.
Dennis has been making the most out of his elevateU access. âIâve really enjoyed using elevateU. Itâs quick and easy to jump into a course, and itâs also easy to return if you have to put it down. Iâd definitely recommend trying it and have already started assigning courses to my own team.â
Many others have found elevateU helpful as well, both in building skills for their current job, as well as positions they may aspire to. Here are the top 10 classes that MSU employees have taken so far:Continue Reading… elevateU Contest Winners
The Outstanding Supervisor Award was established by the Family Resource Center in the spring of 2001 to draw attention to MSU supervisors who are highly regarded by their employees for their consistent support of the work/life (professional/personal) needs of their employees. Various academic and support staff units submitted excellent nominations this year. The nominees and nominators represent a wide variety of departments and position levels.The recipient selections were based on the testimonies such as those quoted below from their employeesâ nomination letters. This yearâs five winners include:
Mike Gardner- Rivertrail Dining ManagerÂ
âMike has an uncanny ability of making every person that he comes in contact with feel like they are his close and personal friend.â
âHe supports each and every member of our team by creating and fostering a supportive environment and encouraging a happy and healthy work/life balance.â
âHe always cared about me as a person, not just an employee.â
Shawn Kelly- Supervisor-Project Services âInfrastructure Planning and Facilities
âShawn is a family man and very sensitive to oneâs family needs and is very understanding when one has to leave work due to a family emergency, illness.etcâŚâ
âI commute from Grand Rapids on a daily basis and Shawn has allowed me to adjust my work schedule so that I could join a vanpool to help with my work/life balance, save on the cost of commuting and remove some of the wear and tear of driving daily.â
âShawnâs management style is one of empowerment and personalized support.â
Judy McMillan- HRPP Manager-Human Research Liaison Program
âJudy routinely encourages our team to work flexible hours if needed so that we are able to not only excel at our jobs, but also allowing for us to have a life outside of work with our families.â
âI have always felt that Judy respects me as a person first!â
âJudy holds us accountable for our scheduled work hours but also knows that they may be atypical for a given work day to allow for family commitments and what I like to term âhiccupsâ.â
 Gary Roloff- Associate Professor-Fisheries and Wildlife
âGary is much more than the person who oversees my work; you could say he is the reason I work.â
âGary ensures that the work we are doing for him aligns with our greater goals for the future.â
âAnyone who has ever worked with Gary would agree that this award was created to recognize people like Gary.â
Holly Rosen- Director -MSU Safe Place
âBy employing a philosophy of teamwork Holly works to teach and empower our staff, helping everyone to be invested in the process.â
âShe was flexible with prenatal appointments, provided advice and guidance and encouraged me to take time off from work after the birth of both of our children.â
Holly sets the tone for a respectful, inclusive, and client centered work environment.â
