Tag: awareness

Your Guide to MSU Resources for Stress Reduction

Published on by Abigail Miller1 Comment

April is Stress Awareness Month! Daily stress can seriously impact both our mental and physical health. Taking control of our stress is key to living a balanced and healthy life. MSU offers a variety of resources designed to help you manage and reduce stress:  

Activities

  • Campus Meditation Map: Beal Scholar Anhad Viswananth created this incredible meditation map to highlight the best spots to meditate around campus. 
  • Staying Active: Watch your stress dissolve as you become more active this spring. Warmer weather is on its way, and it’s the perfect time to get outside and run, kayak, walk, or swim. Join a biking group in the Greater Lansing area or an MSU Recreation group fitness class to stay motivated. 
  • Finals Flex Midday Movement: Stop by the MSU Main Library to wind down from the school year and de-stress. Bring a mat or a towel, and get ready for breathing, stretching, and mobilizing exercises. 
  • Desk Decompress: Tuesdays and Thursdays from January 7 to May 1, join this 15-minute virtual class to relax and decompress while stretching and strengthening the wrist, shoulders, and spine. Register here for Desk Decompress for a midweek pick-me-up!
  • Walking at MSU: There are many things to see and do on MSU’s 2,100-acre campus. Follow these various MSU campus walking tours to make the most of our beautiful campus and gardens. 
    • On April 5, join the Red Cedar River Environmental Walking Tour and learn about the environmental history of the river at the heart of MSU’s campus. This 1.2-mile round-trip walk will start at the MSU Main Library and describe some interesting historical and environmental features of the river.
    • On April 10, join the Beal Botanical Garden for a Sensing Spring tour to learn about the science of nature exposure benefiting physical and mental wellbeing and how plant communities support each other, plus some ways we can be supportive in return.
    • On April 23, join Beal Botanical Garden and Campus Arboretum for lunchtime guided walking tours on the fourth Wednesday of each month, April through October.
    • On April 25, join IPF and Landscape Services for Arbor Day and help install native plant material along the riverbank, creating a new pollinator garden along the banks of the Red Cedar River.
  • Rest with Music: Music can heal, calm, and regenerate our mind, body, and spirit. Hosted by Health Promotion and Engagement, Abrams Planetarium is holding Rest with Music – live musical performances featuring a variety of musical styles and genres. Visit the website for dates and times available for you.

Learning Resources

  • Breaking Free from Stress Course: This course will help you become aware of how your own thought world operates to bring you your personal reality of your work and personal life.  Learning the basic principles presented in this course will help you see how to be less reactive to other people and events and how to live your life from a deeper perspective of common sense and wisdom. Eligible employees may use their Educational Assistance funds for this course.
  • Spartan Resilience Education Programs: University Health and Wellbeing provide opportunities for any Spartan, anywhere, to develop or strengthen the skills needed to effectively respond to their unique collection of challenges. Through a variety of media and teaching formats, they seek to ensure that resilience education is accessible, inclusive, and ever-present as part of the “Spartan Experience.”
  • How to Disconnect from Work: Taking time away from work, in the forms of breaks, vacation time, or strengthening boundaries around employees’ workdays, is important. View these resources to learn more about balancing your time and work schedule. 
  • Stress Reduction: MSU Health4U has plenty of resources to help you reduce your stress levels. Learn more in their Stress Reduction series of articles. 
  • Employee Assistance Program: The Employee Assistance Program (EAP) is a confidential short-term counseling and referral service provided at no cost to MSU faculty, staff, graduate assistants, retirees, and their insurance-eligible dependents who are located within the state of Michigan. Classes and resources to help reduce stress are updated on the EAP website often.
  • Avoiding Burnout: This article will help you learn how to avoid burnout and what to do if you’re experiencing it.

Stress can look different for each individual, so take care of yourself using these resources and beyond. Have another resource you’d like to add to the list? Let us know in the comments!

Opening photo of the Beal Botanical Gardens by MSU University Communications.

MSU Resources for National Disability Employment Awareness Month

Published on by Josh WorleyLeave a comment

Written with support from HR Accommodations Specialist, Julie DeGraw, PhD

October is National Disability Employment Awareness Month (NDEAM), which raises awareness around disability employment issues and celebrates the many contributions of workers with disabilities. In observance of NDEAM, we put together this helpful list of resources for awareness of employee disability workplace accommodations.

The theme for NDEAM 2022 is Disability: Part of the Equity Equation, which celebrates the essential role individuals with disabilities play in the workplace. “Disability is and always has been part of the rich diversity of our nation, and, by extension, our workforce,” says the Office of Disability Employment Policy. “During NDEAM, we celebrate the contributions of people with disabilities, past and present. We also commit to ensuring all workers, including workers with disabilities, have equal opportunity to gain skills and put them to work in inclusive, supportive workplaces going forward.”

We all play an important part in fostering a more inclusive workforce where every person is recognized for their abilities – every day of every month. Although many impacts are not physically visible, it doesn’t mean they do not exist. 

MSU is a leader in cultivating a diverse and inclusive campus environment, and we are constantly striving to improve our efforts to meet the needs of persons with disabilities by being more flexible, understanding, inclusive and supportive of those with different abilities.

Resources for Employee Disability Workplace Accommodation Awareness

  1. Are you looking for more information about the types of disability workplace accommodations you can request or more information on your disability in general? You might want to check out the Job Accommodation Network (JAN). JAN allows you to look up suggestions for workplace accommodations by disability, limitation, work-related function, topic or accommodation. Please note: Not all accommodations listed on JAN may be deemed reasonable as it depends on the essential duties of your individual position.
  2. Did you know you have access to discounts on hearing aids? MSU employees and retirees may qualify for discounted hearing aids through partnerships between some MSU benefit providers and TruHearing®. Additional funding can also be provided by our partner organization Michigan Rehabilitation Services. Please contact Accommodation Specialist, Julie DeGraw for more information.
  3. Technology can be a great resource for employees in addressing the impacts of their disability. Some resources are offered for free at MSU without even having to complete the registration process (e.g., screen reader software that reads text aloud)! See the full range of resources at the Resource Center for Persons with Disabilities (RCPD) Assistive Technology page.
  4. Employees with attention deficit disorder (ADD) or attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) can find a wealth of information and resources through ADDitude. Read the ADDitude magazine, view webinars, download eBooks and more!

If you are interested in requesting disability workplace accommodations at MSU, begin the process by registering with the Resource Center for Persons with Disabilities (RCPD). 

All medical records and diagnoses are kept confidential from supervisors and units. Undergraduate and graduate employees can also qualify for workplace accommodations. If you need more information or help going through the process, please contact Accommodation Specialist, Julie DeGraw at degrawju@msu.edu or 517-884-0799.

For more information on National Disability Employment Awareness Month please visit the Office of Disability Employment Policy’s website.

Consider Enrolling in Critical Illness Insurance During National Critical Illness Awareness Month

Published on by MSU Human ResourcesLeave a comment

Have you or a family member ever faced a health emergency and wished you were better prepared? Critical illness insurance can alleviate some of the financial burden by giving you a lump-sum of money to help cover unexpected or additional costs in the event of a health emergency. During the Open Enrollment period (October 1-31), benefits-eligible faculty, academic staff and support staff have the option to enroll in critical illness insurance through MetLife.

Outside of the Open Enrollment period, benefits-eligible new hires or newly-eligible employees have 30 days to enroll from their date of hire or date of eligibility.

What is Critical Illness Insurance?

Critical illness insurance works to complement your medical coverage. This type of insurance helps safeguard your finances by providing you with a lump-sum payment when you or an eligible dependent (such as your spouse or child) need it most. In the event your family experiences a health emergency, such as a heart attack, cancer or stroke, your critical illness insurance can help you pay for unexpected medical costs or anything else you may need. The extra cash can help you focus on getting back on track— without worrying about finding the money to cover some of your expenses (MetLife, 2019).  

Watch the video below to learn more about Critical Illness Insurance through MetLife:

What Illnesses Does It Cover?

The following medical conditions are covered under critical illness insurance:

  • Stroke
  • Heart Attack
  • Full Benefit Cancer
  • Partial Benefit Cancer
  • Kidney Failure
  • Major Organ Transplant
  • Coronary Artery Bypass Graft
  • And many more! Find a complete list on the plan summary sheet on the HR website.

Benefits-eligible faculty, academic staff and support staff have now through October 31 to enroll in this optional benefit through MetLife. Find more information and enroll through MSU Benefits Plus.

Note: Individuals enrolled in Critical Illness for the 2022 plan year will continue to be enrolled in the 2023 plan year without any action.

Questions? Learn more about critical illness insurance and other voluntary benefits on the HR website. For questions about enrollment, contact MSU Benefits Plus Customer Care at 888-758-7575. Contact the HR Solutions Center with any additional questions at SolutionsCenter@hr.msu.edu or 517-353-4434.

MetLife (2019). MetLife Critical Illness Insurance provides you cash when you need it most. New York City, NY.