August/September 2009 Source Newsletter - MSU Human Resources

August/September 2009Human ResourcesNisbet Building1407 S. Harrison Rd., Ste. 250East Lansing, MI 48823-5239MSU is an affirmative-action, equal-opportunity employer.Upcoming HRD Education OpportunitiesTo register or get more information on any of these upcoming HumanResource Development courses, look at the Odyssey catalog on theHuman Resources Web site at hr.msu.edu. The current Odyssey catalog isavailable under the “HR News” section of the HR Web site.Student-Centered Customer ServiceWednesday, August 19, 8:30 a.m. – NoonPresenter: Lois Wolfe-Morgan, Wolfe Associates. Investment: $90.Introduction to MSU Travel ProceduresThursday, August 20, 8:30 a.m. – NoonPresenter: Debbie Gulliver, MSU Travel Office. Investment: free.Advanced MSU Travel ProceduresThursday, August 20, 1 p.m. – 4:30 p.m.Presenter: Debbie Gulliver, MSU Travel Office. Investment: free.Getting Out of the Struggle TrapFriday, September 11, 8:30 a.m. – NoonPresenter: Lisa Davidson, MSU Employee Assistance Program.Investment: $90.Power Through Conflict with FinesseTuesday, September 29, 1 p.m. – 4:30 p.m.Presenter: Rosemary Ward, Training Direct. Investment: $100.Creating and Maintaining a Positive Workplace EnvironmentWednesday, September 30, 8:30 a.m. – NoonPresenter: April Callis, Springboard Consulting. Investment: $90.Certified Employer Rights and Responsibilities Professional (CERRP)September 21 through September 29.Presenter: Stacy Hickox, MSU School of Labor and Industrial Relations.Investment: $800.Announcing . . .We are pleased to announce a collaborationbetween Human Resource Development(which publishes Odyssey) andLibraries, Computing, and TechnologyTraining Program (LCTTP). This partnershipwill result in a new, more integrated approachto professional development andcomputer training where employees will beable to access training through a singleWeb presence. Benefits will include astreamlined registration process andintegrated marketing of course selections.More information will be forthcoming.Upcoming RetirementEducation OpportunitiesTo register or get more information, call517-353-4434 extension 0 or send an e-mailto benefitsinfo@hr.msu.edu. Sessions arefree and are held in 125 Nisbet Building.Advance registration is requested.MSU Benefits/Retirement OrientationWednesday, August 19 at 12:30 p.m.Presenter: Human Resources staff.MSU Benefits/Retirement OrientationWednesday, September 16 at 12:30 p.m.Presenter: Human Resources staff.Joint Health Care Negotiations UnderwayNegotiations are underway to reacha successor agreement to replace theMSU/Coalition Health Care Agreementthat expires on Dec. 31, 2009.This agreement is a memorandum ofunderstanding regarding health carebenefits between MSU and nine MSUbargaining units, including:• AFSCME, Local 999• AFSCME, Local 1585• Administrative Professional Association(APA)• Administrative Professional SupervisorsAssociation (APSA)New EBSP Web Site and eNews!The MSU EnterpriseBusiness SystemsProjects (EBSP) haslaunched a newWeb site (ebsp.msu.edu) and eNewsmonthly briefing.The Web site offersthe campus detailson EBSP’s efforts to create connectedbusiness systems and improvedprocesses for MSU’s finances, humanresources and research administration.The effort will affect all facultyand staff by giving them a new way tomanage their employee informationonline starting in July 2010.Benefits Questions517.353.4434/800.353.4434benefitsinfo@hr.msu.edu• Clerical-Technical Union (CTU)• Lodge 141 Fraternal Order of Police,Sergeants Division• Lodge 141 Fraternal Order of Police,Non-Supervisory• International Alliance of TheatricalStage Employees, Local 274• International Union of OperatingEngineers, AFL-CIO, Local 547Bargaining teams have been selectedand initial meetings held to lay thefoundation for continuing negotiationsthat are expected to continuethroughout the fall.Finance and human resources staffcan learn:• What you can do now to prepare forthe transition.• Details on the At Your Side Consultingeffort to help units prepare fornew account codes and organizationstructure.• The latest list of current systems andapplications that will remain or bereplaced.The eNews brief will be a monthlye-mail with a summary of headlinesfrom the Web site. To sign up, e-mailebsp@msu.edu with the subject “Subscribeme.”Comments & suggestions for Source are welcome!Contact us at: hrmail@msu.edu or 517.884.0111What Readers Said:A special thanks to those readerswho responded to our question inthe last Source about our redesignand whether we should go electronic.Here’s what we heard:• The shorter format is a hit. Peopleprefer a short, easy to scan newsletterthat relays basic facts andtells readers where additionalinformation is available if desired.• Readers are divided on whetherwe should go electronic. Whilethe majority preferred electronic,quite a few of you expressed astrong preference for print andsaid you would stop readingSource if we stopped printing it.Thank you to all who responded.We are researching our options andwill keep you posted!A New HR Web SiteWe recently performed a majorupgrade of our Web site. Pleasecheck it out at hr.msu.edu and letus know what you think of the newformat!Give feedback directly to our Webmaster by e-mailing webmaster@hr.msu.edu or calling 517-884-0182.Your opinions are very important tous. Please share them!hr.msu.edu

MSU is Gearing Up for Annual Community Charitable CampaignMSU is gearing up for the 2009-10MSU Community Charitable Campaign.This year’s goal is to raise$590,000 to help people in need inour community.The Pacesetters Campaign has kickedoff and will continue throughout thesummer. The Pacesetter Campaignseeks early pledge commitments tohelp lay a successful foundation forthe full campaign, which kicks off onSeptember 17, 2009.Another special opportunity withinthe larger campaign is the LeadershipGiving Campaign, for donors who areable to give $1,000 or more.Big or small, every gift counts and canmake a difference in the life of someonein our community.New this year . . .This year, there will be a new minimumpledge requirement of $50 pergift if you wish to designate your giftto a specific charitable organization.The reason for this change is a desireto hold down administrative costsand maximize the percentage of giftsused to help people in need.In past years, some donations costmore to process than the value of thedonation itself, while others resultedin processing costs that were not inReduce, Reuse, Recycle – Save $ and the Planet!Did you know that turning lights off for just one hour eachday in a building reduces energy use by 3%? Turning off (orenabling energy savings features for) computers and otherequipment after work hours or between prolonged absencesalso reduces building energy use by 3%.Each of these 3% reductions saves 2,490,000 kwh, 5,666metric tons of carbon dioxide (a greenhouse gas) andSign Up Now for the MSU Smoking CessationProgram Orientation on September 16Still smoking and still wishing youcould quit? Don’t miss the opportunityto sign up now for the Sept. 16orientation for the next cycle of theMSU Smoking Cessation program.This year-long program combines themedication Chantix with medicalevaluation and monitoring as well asstructured behavioral support.Faculty, academic and support staffand their adult benefits-eligiblefamily members are eligible toparticipate. To learn more about thisprogram, including information oncost to participate, visit the Health4UWeb site at Health4U.msu.edu. Or,register for the orientation by calling517-353-2596 or e-mailingHealth4U@msu.edu. Space is limitedso register early.keeping with the goal of the CapitalArea United Way and The MSUCommunity Charitable Campaign ofmaintaining low administrative costs.Please note that the minimum pledgeamount only applies to gifts designatedto a specific organization.Donors can still make undesignatedgifts in any amount or designate a giftof any amount to one of the specificgoal areas listed on the pledge form.However you choose to help, pleasegive to this year’s Campaign tosupport people in our communitywho need our help more than ever inthese difficult economic times.$175,000 in fuel costs (based on 2008 figures).Please help MSU conserve resources by turning off lights andcomputers when not in use and unplugging unused lightsand appliances.These tips were brought to you by the Be Spartan GreenInitiative. For more ideas, please visit bespartangreen.msu.edu.FSA Open EnrollmentOpen Enrollment for Flexible SpendingAccounts (FSA) will be held fromNovember 2 to November 16, 2009.Mark your calendar now and don’tmiss this opportunity to save moneyby using pre-tax dollars to pay foreligible dependent care and healthcare expenses in the coming programyear.Enrollment information will be maileddirectly to eligible faculty and staff inlate October.Find Help at the Earn,Learn and Intern Fair!Internships@State is proud to announcethe Earn, Learn and Intern (ELI) fair isback for its second year. This year will bebigger and better than ever, but weneed your help!Last year at ELI over 100 employers(including many MSU departments)connected with about 1400 studentslooking for jobs at MSU and in thegreater Lansing community.Are you looking for student employeesthis fall? Need an intern? Register athttps://msu-csm.symplicity.com/events/ELI2009 or contact Wendy Coduti atcoduti@msu.edu or 517-884-1347.And thanks to the I@S program’s socialmedia intern, Brett Kopf, employers andstudents can now also connect with I@Svia three social networking venues,including:• Facebook: www.facebook.com/internatstate• Twitter: www.twitter.com/internatstate• Linked-In: www.linkedin.com (MSUInterns Group)Flex for U Committee Wants Your Feedback!“Flex for U” is a new MSU committee analyzing the current and potentialuses of flexible scheduling arrangements at MSU. Well-designed flexiblescheduling arrangements can be a real win-win proposition for bothemployers and employees. Studies have shown appropriate use of flexscheduling can actually increase productivity while also improving morale,decreasing absenteeism and turnover and improving work quality.What is Flex Scheduling?Flexible work arrangements are designed first to meet the unit’s businessneeds and secondly to allow mutually beneficial variations in when, where,and/or how work is done. Examples of flexible work arrangements include:• Variable start and end times (such as 9 a.m. to 6 p.m., or 7 a.m. to 4 p.m.)• Extended meal times offset by additional hours worked at the beginningor end of the shift (such as working 7 a.m. to 11 a.m. and 2 p.m. to 6 p.m.)or compressed meal times offset by a later start time or earlier end time.• Start and end times individualized by day (such as working 9 a.m. to 6p.m. Monday through Wednesday and 7 a.m. to 4 p.m. Thursday andFriday.)• Longer work days with shorter work weeks (such as working four 10-hourdays and having three days off.)• Telecommuting for a portion of work hours.• Part-time or reduced work hours.Some variations of flexible work arrangements may be limited. Units andemployees need to be sure to design these arrangements to comply withwhatever contract or University policy provisions may exist.Who is “Flexing” at MSU today?As part of its work, the Flex for U committee will be collecting feedbackfrom units and individuals currently using flex scheduling about how thosearrangements are working, what benefits they have yielded and whatchallenges they have presented. If you want to share information aboutyour flex scheduling experiences with the committee, please contact LoriStrom, coordinator of the Family Resource Center at 517-884-0186 orstrom@hr.msu.edu.Could Flexing be Right for You?If you think flex scheduling arrangements hold promise in your work area,there’s no need to wait for the committee to finish its work to investigatethe possibilities. Family Resource Center’s Lori Strom is available to consultwith units interested in designing flexible scheduling arrangements. Formore information, check out the Family Resource Center Web site at frc.msu.edu or register for an October 29 seminar on flexible schedulingoptions being offered through Human Resource Development. Theseminar will be from 8:30 a.m. to Noon. Advance registration is required.