Human Resources News Blog

Worried About Winter Weather?

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With winter weather approaching, now is a good time for departments to begin discussing communication procedures for weather-related absences. During times when weather conditions deteriorate, each person within the University community must exercise personal judgment on the ability to get to or from campus.

Interruptions in work due to weather are no different than other events that cause us to leave work early or arrive late. The first thing employees should do is contact their supervisors directly and explain the situation.

Hourly employees may use vacation or comp time to make up for hours missed due to bad weather. Exempt employees are expected to fulfill their regular job responsibilities.

Please exercise caution in adverse conditions. In the event the local public schools are closed, remember that Michigan Tech has a policy regarding Children in the Workplace.
For questions or concerns, employees should contact Human Resources at 7-2280 or email Amy Mensch at ajmensch@mtu.edu.

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Lunch & Learn: Relax for the Holidays Open House

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All faculty, staff, and students are invited to stop by the Memorial Union Ballroom B between 11:30 a.m. and 1:00 p.m. Wednesday, Nov. 8 to attend an open-house style Lunch and Learn.

The 4th annual “Relax for the Holidays” open house will feature several relaxation stations, including Aromatherapy with Michelle Coria and Yoga & Guided Relaxation with Beth Ryynanen. There will also be some “fun” stations: a coloring station, light therapy, make-and-take soup mix, and more.

Attendees will be eligible to enter a free drawing for prizes by J. Jukari Spa and Salon. Feel free to bring your lunch; tea and hot chocolate will be provided. Attending employees will earn 100 HuskyPAW points.

This event is sponsored by WorkLife Connections and Employee Wellness.

Contact sbrodeur@mtu.edu with questions.

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Lunch and Learn Well Attended

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Lynn, L&LWith everything life throws at you, how do you handle stress?  Lynn Anderson, certified massage therapist and owner of The Healing Nest in Laurium, was on hand Wednesday to share her personal journey into finding ways to manage physical and emotional symptoms.  She also demonstrated simple hand-on techniques for relaxing the nervous system for yourself and others.  Attendees left feeling a little more relaxed with tools to help reduce stress and a list of Lynn’s favorite books.  Lois Sedar, Recreation, was the winner of the massage giveaway.

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TIAA Beneficiary Reminder

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TIAA is mailing out the following reminder to update your retirement beneficiary information.

Naming your beneficiary, and keeping the information current, is an important aspect of managing your retirement account. A birth or marriage may have changed your thinking since you made your original choice. Or perhaps you never designated a beneficiary at all. Missing or outdated information can create significant costs and delays for those you leave behind.

This is a friendly reminder to make sure your beneficiary information reflects your current wishes.

It takes just a few minutes online.

The good news is that it’s easy to name, change or confirm your beneficiaries.

  • Log in to your account at TIAA.org.
  • Under My Account, select Change Beneficiaries from the Profile section.
  • From there, you can designate beneficiaries and select how much each should receive.

If you prefer, you can complete a paper form and return it by mail. To have a form mailed to you, call us at 800-842-2252. For your protection, we cannot change your beneficiary over the phone.

If you make a change, you’ll receive a confirmation by mail. And you can change your beneficiary again at any time. TIAA and Michigan Technological University appreciate your attention to this matter.

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How Do You Handle Stress? Lunch & Learn

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relax

This Lunch & Learn is presented by Lynn Anderson, certified massage therapist, and sponsored by Employee Wellness and WorkLife Connections. It will be held from noon to 1 p.m. Wednesday, Oct. 4 in Memorial Union Alumni Lounge A.

All attendees will be eligible for a prize drawing for one bodywork session with Lynn. Register here. HuskyPAW members may claim 100 bonus points for attending. Feel free to bring your lunch; refreshments will be provided. This free event is open to faculty, staff and students. Email Shannon Brodeur with questions. L&L-Oct4-final

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Weight Watchers at Work

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Register here for the 12-week Weight Watchers at Work session, which begins Wednesday, October 4, in 125 Fisher Hall at 5:30PM for weigh-ins and 6PM for the meeting. Open to employees and retirees.
Participants must register online by Wednesday,September 27, 2017. The fee for this 12-week session is $126.00 per participant and includes free access to Weight Watcher’s premium ‘Online Plus’ website. Registrations will no longer be done on site – all registrations must be completed online.
You will have the option of paying with a credit/debit card or TechFit. If using TechFit, choose “yes” for “Payroll Deduct”. Flexible Spending Account money (FSA) is not accepted as a method of payment. The Weight Watchers Monthly Pass is not accepted in At Work. Credit/debit cards or bank accounts will not be billed until a minimum of 15 participants have registered for the meeting.
Contact sbrodeur@mtu.edu or 7-1146 with questions.
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Flu Clinic

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UP Health System Portage will be offering flu vaccine clinics on Michigan Tech’s campus this fall

The quadrivalent flu vaccine is by injection at a cost of $40 payable at the time of service. Cash, check or credit card will be accepted. Students with Michigan Tech’s Consolidated Health Plan (CHP) insurance can have their flu vaccine billed to insurance with their CHP member ID card. Employees, retirees and family members insured by Michigan Tech’s Blue Cross Blue Shield of Michigan (BCBSM) can also have their flu vaccine billed to insurance with their BCBSM member ID card. This does not include retirees that have Blue Cross insurance through MPSERS.

Anyone under the age of 18 cannot be vaccinated without parental permission. A spouse and/or child may attend without the employee.

The dates of the clinics are:

  • Thursday, September 14, 4-6 pm (MUB Ballroom)
  • Tuesday, October 3, 4-6:00 pm (MUB Alumni Lounge B)
  • Monday, October 16, 4-6 pm (MUB Alumni Lounge A)
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Employee Assistance Program (EAP) Reminder

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Benefit Services would like to remind employees that Michigan Tech offers an employee assistance program with Northstar Employee Assistance Program (EAP) to provide services to eligible faculty and staff, and their spouses and dependents.

Employees have free access to Northstar EAP’s counseling services (up to eight sessions per year) and their website, which has links to helpful information. This service is there to help manage issues that may be impacting your personal and work life. Areas of expertise include stress, depression, family and marital issues, work relationships, alcohol and substance abuse and grief.

Northstar EAP provides local counselors who will provide an assessment and support, all in a confidential and comfortable setting. Confidentiality is maintained in accordance with privacy laws and professional ethical standards. The University will not be notified when EAP services are requested or used.

To set up an appointment call 906-225-3145, or schedule an appointment online at Northstar

September News Letter 2017 

 

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Health Risk Assessment (HRA) Incentive

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Benefit eligible employees who have an annual physical and complete a Health Assessment with Blue Cross Blue Shield of Michigan by December 31, 2017, can earn one of the following incentives:

  • $100 deposited into a Health Savings Account (HSA)
  • $100 deposited into a Flexible Spending Account (FSA)
  • $100 deposited into Techfit
  • $200 deposited into a T2 account (funds may only be used at a Michigan Tech facility)

To complete the Health Assessment through Blue Cross Blue Shield of Michigan:

  • Log in to your account at bcbsm.com (You can easily register if you are not currently set up.)
  •  Click “Health & Wellness” in the blue bar at the top of the page
  •  Click “Take Your Health Assessment” to begin
  • Once completed, please print a copy of the confirmation page for your records.

Paper Health Assessment forms will not qualify for the incentive.

 

Employees who have met the above requirements will be contacted to choose their incentive in 2018. Incentives will be awarded in March 2018. Please read the Wellness Program Notice located online about our voluntary wellness programs.

Contact Benefit Services at benefits@mtu.edu with any questions.

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