WorkLife Connections Newsletter
August 2021
Upcoming Events
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Service Spotlight

The WorkLife Office supports all MSU faculty and staff by connecting individuals with resources and assistance to help navigate the workplace, career, and life transitions. We partner with the community to create an inclusive and responsive work environment where all faculty and staff are respected and supported toward well-being in the multiple roles of work and personal life. 

We work to assist in six primary areas: family care, career transitions, workplace assistance, relocation, community connections, and providing research-based proposals that inform best practices and policies.
Webinar Replay
MSU is a large place and the MSU WorkLife Office is here to help you navigate it! This video is an introduction about things to do at MSU, and in the greater community. Welcome to MSU and reach out to the MSU WorkLife Office if there is anything we can do to help you during your transition.  
chalkboard table with arrows drawn on it pointing in many ways with people around the table.
How to decide who returns to work: Who vs what
The WorkLife Office is working in concert with return to campus committees to help us figure out how to know what work must be done on campus, and what work might be done remotely, which will help identify who needs to return, how much and why.

Learn about the decision-making protocol used in other settings and how we might apply this idea to returning to campus.

TOP of MIND
Barbara Roberts
WorkLife Office Executive Director Barbara Roberts to Retire
After serving for six years as the inaugural executive director of MSU’s WorkLife Office, Barbara Roberts has announced that she will be retiring at the end of July.

"I’d like to thank the MSU community for the opportunity to work together, learn from one another and support each other through some very challenging times. I look forward to seeing MSU evolve into an ever more compassionate, healthy and equitable environment, full of creative innovations and bold thinking about work and personal lives. Go Green!" said Roberts.
FAMILY
adult pushing wheelchair with elderly grandparent reaching out to hug the approaching grandchild.
Supporting Caregivers
Employees are many things outside of their work lives, such as being caregivers or parents to children. “Childcare” looks at aspects to consider when choosing childcare and some of the many ways workplaces can support employees with children in childcare. “Breastfeeding” discusses how workplaces can support mothers that choose to breastfeed. Supporting caregivers also extends to eldercare support. Finding appropriate resources and information can help to reduce the stress of caregiving.
MSU COMMUNITY CONNECTIONS
Michigan State University is a large campus with many different opportunities. Sometimes, connecting with colleagues who share research interests or values can help make an enormous campus feel more like a community. Below are just a few suggestions about where you might get started. See what groups are available in the MSU community.
graphic of global map with arch lines across it. People sillouettes stand across the bottom of the image
Welcome International Newcomers
We understand how different the details of a new community can be. We can help you find banking, real estate, utility companies and commercial resources like local markets and restaurants that offer international foods. We can help you find faith communities and information on schools and sports to help you get settled smoothly. We connect you with information on childcare, eldercare, health and well-being resources. We can also be your connection to resources on MSU's campus.
  • Meet other international colleagues through their stories 
  • Join the Listserv
RESEARCH
4 pictures of houses blocked together with one house in each corner
Our Work from Anywhere Future
Raj Choudhury explains that even before COVID hit, there was already discussion regarding if it was really necessary for employees to be all together in an office. COVID has proven to us that no, we do not need to all be in the same office to complete our work, but how long will this Work-From-Anywhere (WFA) option stick? Choudhury studied several companies who had already gone completely remote or mostly remote and discusses different advantages and disadvantages of WFA on the individual and the company. While this source doesn't explicitly discuss remote work in the area of higher education, it certainly gives important information about the concept of remote work as a whole. MSU will be able to weigh different advantages and disadvantages regarding remote work from this article. 
WORK
Talking people sitting around a table full of books, notebooks, pens and more.
Organizational Guide Toward a Respectful Workplace 
Information for colleges/units/departments to assess where they currently stand in terms of workplace climate. The goal is to help reduce workplace bullying and harassment, and to create and sustain respectful workplace climate. While this guide can stand as a template, the approach may need to be customized based on the particular circumstances. 
open planner showing many events and notes on post it paper
Your Highlight: Not that Kind of Marker 
The highlight is that key to the day - and it doesn’t have to be work-related. With your highlight in mind, you can consider how you can structure your day and what technology can help or hinder your success in that day. 
HEALTH & WELL-BEING
Spartans well podcast icon
Spartans WELL Podcast
Spartans Will, Spartans WELL is hosted by members of the MSU Community with expertise in educator and student well-being. The podcast has been designed to let listeners know they belong, they matter, and they make a difference. 

New episodes, which are released every other week, are determined by listener suggestions. Find this podcast at Spartans Will Spartans WELL Podcast Playlist.
person smiling at the camera while in the office
Welcome to the Well-Being Guide
The Well-being at Work guide began as an idea that arose in 2019 after several on-campus presentations. The same questions surfaced across the ranks of faculty and staff, supervisors and leaders, focusing on how to create and maintain healthier, happier, workspaces and teams. A-ha moments were discovered around the areas of self-care, stress at work, productivity, and the importance of time away from work. 
CAREER
journal with the words professional development goals written in marker on the inside page
HERC Blog: Got a Professional Development Plan Yet? 
Creating a professional development plan can be a daunting task. This framework for creating a plan includes three focus areas: the basics of professionalism, improving current weaknesses, and planning for the future. How are you thinking through your professional development goals? What resources are you using?
screenshot of the introduction slide of the presentation
HERC Webinar: LinkedIn Rock Your Profile
Do you know the difference between your resume and your LinkedIn Profile (and why both matter)? Interested in learning how to leverage LinkedIn for networking and finding opportunities in higher education?
EVENTS
teen holding up a vape device with smoke billowing all around their head
Teens and Vaping
We all know it’s a hot topic lately, but do we know what vaping really is? Is it actually harmful, or not? How do I know if my teen might be vaping, and what do I do about it? Join us for these and other important questions answered by our Families Forward Nurse Care Managers.

By the end of the session, participants will be able to:
1. Describe some of the harmful effects of vaping
2.Talk about what to look for in teens who vape
3. Identify resources and sources of support
MSU WorkLife Office | worklife.msu.edu