October 2017 – Page 2

The Mystery behind Work-Life Balance

Published on October 11, 2017 by MSU Human ResourcesLeave a comment

This is a guest post written by the WorkLife Office. Visit their website for more information.

When people at MSU talk about the WorkLife Office, it’s not surprising when they often add “balance” to the end of our title. One of the major roles of our office is to help MSU faculty and staff find the resources they need to juggle their multiple responsibilities – at work and in their personal lives. But what about this concept of “balance”? Is it just a myth, or does it really exist?

Here’s what we tell people: it’s time to rethink the idea of balance. More often than not, balance doesn’t mean your time is evenly split between work and personal life. Balance is more about a feeling – do you feel gratified or overwhelmed (or somewhere in between) by your work and life responsibilities? More and more, we see a unique blending of time and focus between these worlds. Work and life are not mutually exclusive realms. Who we are at work is not separate from who we are at home and vice versa.

If we check our work email at home, or take a personal call while we are at work, it does not mean that we have failed at work-life balance. It just means that we are humans with many intersecting identities that make us the unique individuals that we are.

Here are some quick tips about work-life balance:

Rethink “balance” – it’s not always a 50/50 split. Sometimes work is more intense and other times our personal lives require more of our focus.
Reflect on your work-life habits – notice if you prefer to keep work and your personal life separate, or if you prefer a blended model. Don’t try to force yourself into a different work style – find the one that works for you and your productivity.
Consider work-life stressors – take note of the types of projects, or times of year when you feel the most overwhelmed. When you begin documenting these, you are more able to plan for them in the future.

Pro-tip: schedule a consultation with the WorkLife Office to help you identify your work-life balance needs. Call 517-353-1635 or email worklife@msu.edu.

New Online Resources in elevateU!

Published on October 10, 2017 by Megan MacGregorLeave a comment

The online learning platform elevateU has a new MSU Highlighted Program available to all MSU faculty and staff called “Building a High Performing Work Culture”. This program is filled with courses, videos, books and more to help all levels of MSU faculty and staff increase their professional and personal development. The resources cover a range of topics, with anything from dealing with workplace conflict to creating formulas in Excel.

Along with the new MSU Highlighted Program, elevateU has a new look with an updated graphic identity and homepage. Click one of the tiles on the homepage to go directly into the “Building a High Performing Work Culture” program. Tiles are grouped into categories to allow for easier access to key resources. Check out the video below to learn more about what elevateU has to offer.

You can login to elevateU here with your MSU NetID and Password.

Job of the Week 10/6/17

Published on October 6, 2017 by MSU Human ResourcesLeave a comment

This weeks job of the week is a Neighborhood Administrative Coordinator (Level 11) with REHS.

In this position, the chosen individual will provide administration, coordination, and leadership for the following specialized areas: Conferences, Service Centers, Safety and Security including keys and building access, Housing and Customer Service. They will also train, supervise, and evaluate a team of student supervisors who oversee more than 75 student employees working at the residence hall service centers.

Eligible candidates will demonstrate skills of leadership and communication, maturity, a well-developed sense of responsibility, sensitivity to individual differences, a positive self-concept, an understanding of how to promote student learning and academic success, and an interest and enthusiasm for working with students.

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

Careers @ MSU Graphic

Meet ALEX, the Virtual Benefits Counselor!

Published on October 4, 2017 by MSU Human ResourcesLeave a comment

Who, or actually what, is ALEX? A virtual benefits counselor to help you make the best decisions this Open Enrollment period! During Open Enrollment, ALEX will be available to take you through your benefits options and provide a summary of suggestions and estimates tailored to you.

Here are three important things to know about the ALEX tool:

It’s personalized, so you can see which plan makes the most sense for YOU.
It’s fun to use; there’s no complicated legal terminology. This tool makes your benefits easy to understand.
It’s confidential, so you can get the guidance you need without revealing all of your personal information.

Visit the MSU HR website to meet ALEX and learn more about this tool.

This tool is for educational purposes; open enrollment is still done through the EBS Portal. For assistance using ALEX, or to understand your benefits’ options, please contact the HR Solutions Center at 517-353-4434 or SolutionsCenter@hr.msu.edu.