Category: News Flash

This category is for general news and announcements.

Sick Time vs. Family Sick Time

Published on by MSU Human Resources1 Comment

Have you ever wondered how sick time balances relate to family sick time balances?

family
Allot sick time accordingly in order to care for your family when illness strikes.

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. Individual Collective Bargaining Agreements define the number of hours that may be used and for what circumstances. It is to be reported as family sick and is debited to the employee’s sick leave balance as well as the family sick time balance.  You must have a sufficient balance of both family sick  and sick to cover the absence(s).  Family sick buckets are renewed annually on July 1st.

Heart Health Webinar- Must Attend!

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In the United States, heart disease is the leading cause of death. In fact, 620,000 individuals suffer from their first heart attack annually. While these statistics are harrowing, you can avoid heart disease by practicing heart-healthy habits in your life. Interested in educating yourself? Attend an informative webinar hosted by Best Doctors to get tips from a leading cardiovascular specialist. By attending you will:Heart with stethoscope

  • Learn the basics of a heart healthy life
  • Discover uncommon heart disease symptoms
  • Find out more about recent advances in the prevention and treatment of heart disease

The webinar will broadcast tomorrow, July 30th, at Noon. Don’t hesitate, register here!

Mid-Michigan Fourth of July Festivities

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Whether you desire to attend a parade, a concert, or fireworks this July Fourth, mid-Michigan has got you covered! Check out the events detailed below to help you decide how to celebrate Independence Day.

July 3rd:

Delta Township

Concert: TBA, 6:30 p.m., amphitheater

Fireworks: dusk, Sharp Park

Additional Information: Concessions will be available.

Williamston

Fireworks: dusk, First Baptist Church

Additional Information: Games will follow the fireworks, located behind the church.

July 4th:

Eaton Rapids

Parade: 11 a.m.

Concert: The Glen Erin Pipe Band, 1 p.m., Island Park

Fireworks: Eaton Rapids High School, dusk

Additional Information: There will be an arts and crafts show on Hamlin Street and rotary barbecue chicken during the day. Other events include a children’s pedal tractor pull and a water balloon contest held by the fire department.

CorunnaFireworks

Parade: 10 a.m.

Concert: Dj Nikki Nik, Tramitizer, Westwind, Bad Neighbor, beginning at Noon, center pavilion

Fireworks: McCurdy Park, dusk

Additional Information: Other activities include the  Belt Sander Drag Race, an arts and crafts show, a bike decorating contest, bingo, children’s games, a dog show, a car show, a duck race, and more.

Lansing

Parade: 11 a.m.

Concert: TBA, held prior to fireworks

Fireworks: 10 p.m., Adado Riverfront Park

Lansing Lugnuts Fourth of July Fireworks

Fireworks: dusk (following the game), Cooley Stadium

Mason

Parade: 7:30 p.m.

Concert: CrossBow, 8:15 p.m., Rayner Park Stage

Fireworks: dusk, Ingham County Fairgrounds

Additional Information: There will be a car show from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. downtown.

Meridian Township

Fireworks: dusk, Central Park

Maximize Your Reading Experience With Books 24X7

Published on by MSU Human Resources4 Comments

Along with elevateU, Books 24×7 is an online resource designed to support the high-performance work culture at MSU. Books 24×7 allows users to effortlessly search for specific content or browse a topic of interest to enhance productivity and to save time. Users can create personal folders to save their resources in an organized fashion according to the specific topic or project. Books 24×7 users can also bookmark or annotate key sections within the content for easy tracking and quick retrieval. Between 75 and 150 new books are added to the online and mobile-friendly sites every month, as users can recommend titles, publishers, authors, and topics using the support toolbar on the website. Books 24 X 7 Logo

Books 24×7 users have full control over their book search with the advanced search toolbar, where they can filter content to quickly find exactly what they are looking for. Citing sources is simple with the Books 24×7 citations feature, where users can easily reference books, reports, videos, etc. and include a direct link to the content. This online resource is completely personalized to your reading preferences, and by signing up for New Book Notifications, users will be alerted of new content that pertains to their interests via email. Books 24×7 also allows users to recommend or share links with their colleagues with the click of a button.

Begin browsing Books 24×7 today and learn something new! Log in to elevateU and Books 24×7 through your ESS Tab of the EBS portal.

 

“What’s Your Financial IQ?” Winners

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On April 1, retirement vendor TIAA-CREF and MSU Human Resources released the “What’s Your Financial IQ?” challenge as part of Financial Literacy Month. The challenge came in the form of 15 online quizzes that spanned the entire month. Quiz questions covered a wide range of topics, from everyday financial matters and loans to investing, taxes, and retirement. With 1,480 participant registrations, the challenge was widely received. Participants self-identified their financial subject matter knowledge, ranging from “clueless” to “ready to retire,” and they ranged in age from 18 to 65+. Overall, most participants were relatively financially-savvy, with an average accuracy rate of 75% on the quiz questions.

As part of  the Financial IQ challenge, three MSU employees were selected at random and awarded tablet computers for their participation. The lucky recipients were Erin Buitendorp, in Nursing, Jeremy Davis, in the Weekend MBA Program and Abbe Tykwinski, in Advancement Marketing and Communications.

MSU HR would like to thank TIAA-CREF for sponsoring the challenge and helping MSU faculty and staff test their financial and retirement savvy! Watch out for a similar challenge expected to occur in 2015!

Abbe Tywinski
Abbe Tywinski
Erin Buitendorp
Erin Buitendorp
Jeremy Deland Davis
Jeremy Davis

2014 Student Employee of the Year Award

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Every year student employees in various departments, units and offices at MSU are nominated by their supervisors for the Student Employee of the Year Award. The Student Employee of the Year Award (SEOTY) winner and nominees are honored annually at an award ceremony in April. The Student Employee of the Year Award ceremony falls within National Student Employment Week.

The winner of the 2014 Student Employee of the Year Award is Nicholas Chase, a Student Research Assistant in Horticulture at MSU. In addition to Nicholas, there were 66 additional student employees nominated for the award. Check out the photo slideshow below for highlights from the 2014 Student Employee of the Year Award ceremony. Also, view a full list of the nominees here.

Get Started with elevateU and Go Further!

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MSU Human Resources and IT Services are proud to announce that the new e-learning program, elevateU, is now available for all MSU staff and faculty to access through the EBS portal. ElevateU is a learning initiative that supports the ongoing commitment to create a high-performance work culture at MSU. With elevateU, employees have access to a variety of books, videos, courses and simulations that will highlight the various development and training needs associated with the work they do. The wide range of content covers a variety of topics such as desktop software applications, human resources, change management, project management, leadership, communication and much more. Each unique resource that elevateU offers can be accessed 24 hours a day, 7 days a week at no cost to employees.

To begin exploring elevateU, employees can log on to EBS,go to their Employee Self Service (ESS) tab and click on Professional Development. The link to elevateU will be on the top left-hand side of the page under Training Opportunities. Elevate your knowledge, inspire others and go further with elevateU!

Learn more about elevateU on HR’s Professional Development Services page.elevateU banner

March is Colorectal Cancer Awareness Month

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March is Colorectal Cancer Awareness Month.  According to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control, colorectal cancer is the second highest cancer killer in the U.S.

Doctor
Staying healthy requires regular checkups and screening tests.

Colorectal cancer develops when cells that aren’t normal grow in your colon or rectum. These cells grow together and form polyps. Over time, some polyps can turn into cancer.

The American Cancer Society provides tips to reduce the risk of developing colorectal cancer in the following flyer.

Colorectal cancer, like so many other health-related topics, can be complex and confusing. Sometimes you have questions for which you need answers, but you don’t know who to talk to. That’s where Health Advocate comes in.Continue Reading… March is Colorectal Cancer Awareness Month

Become Nicotine Free in 2014

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There’s no better way to start the New Year then to decide to quit smoking. According to the Centers for Disease Control, 70 percent of people that smoke want to quit. If you’ve ever thought about quitting, then the MSU Breathe Easy: Tobacco and Nicotine Cessation Program is for you.

The MSU Breathe Easy: Tobacco and Nicotine Cessation Program is a 15 month program designed to help participants eliminate any tobacco/nicotine addiction through support group sessions, with or without the use of prescription medications. Items the program focuses on include: cigarettes, cigars, patches and e-cigarettes.

Health4U has one of the most successful tobacco/nicotine cessation programs in the country, as measured by a 15-month sustained cessation rate of over 27 percent.

Participants of the program enjoy many benefits when they quit smoking and stop using nicotine products, including fresher breath, whiter teeth, better breathing, and more money to spend on the things they enjoy.Continue Reading… Become Nicotine Free in 2014

Save Time and Money with an MSU HealthTeam Pharmacy

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Filling a prescription can be time-consuming, but with MSU HealthTeam Pharmacies the process can become a lot easier. MSU HealthTeam Pharmacies include the Olin Health Center Pharmacy and the Clinical Center Pharmacy, both located on MSU’s campus. Each pharmacy offers free on-campus prescription pick-up and delivery, free patient consultation, prescription transfer service, patient medical expense reports and a wide selection of prescription and over-the-counter products. Also, each pharmacy offers a 90-day supply of prescriptions unlike other non-mail order prescription pharmacies.

Save time and money with prescription deliveries straight to your office at MSU.
Save time and money with prescription deliveries straight to your office at MSU.

The Pharmacy Delivery Service provided by the MSU HealthTeam Pharmacies, will pick up your prescription from your office on campus, fill it and deliver it within two business days. The Delivery Service is available Monday through Friday and accepts checks, cash, Visa, Discover or MasterCard for payment.

New prescriptions to be filled must be brought to Olin or the Clinical Center or called or faxed in by a doctor’s office. To transfer a prescription, the prescription bottle or package can be brought to either pharmacy. Prescription transfers can also be made over the phone by calling Olin or the Clinical Center with the name and phone number of the pharmacy where the prescription was last filled, the prescription number and the name of the medication. The MSU Pharmacy staff will then transfer and refill your prescription. Refills can be called in 24 hours a day, seven days a week.

In addition to the MSU HealthTeam Pharmacies, Caremark which administers the prescription coverage for MSU faculty and staff, also offers a mail-order service.

“Caremark is our prescription coverage and the company who administers our prescription plan.  It is also considered CVS Pharmacy.  However, with the Caremark Prescription coverage, employees are not limited to use CVS pharmacies,” said Benefits Representative Jennifer Hensley. “Caremark mail orders are basically the same in regard to getting the 90-day supply and saving money on co-pays.  Further, the prescription is delivered right to your home.”

For the Olin Pharmacy and the Clinical Center Pharmacy hours and locations, visit the HealthTeam Pharmacy website. For more information on Caremark, visit their website at caremark.com.