The MSU WorkLife Office also meets with new hires. They can email: worklife@msu.edu to schedule an appointment. This helps to orient new Spartans to the resources of the WorkLife Office as well as answer any questions needed for a smooth transition.

Employers can value their employees in different ways. Bad employers only value them as a part of the machine. Many employers view employees as valuable assets, which is good, but that’s still investing in people only to the extent that we get a return on the investment. I propose that the best employers value their employees as whole people, which means they recognize, appreciate, and try to help employees with their challenges, responsibilities, priorities and passions outside of work.

The Whole-Person Workplace Column aims to embrace and encourage the whole person workplace. We honor who our employees are inside and outside of work in the multiple roles they have in their lives. To that end, we are offering monthly features that include a wide range of MSU faculty, academic staff, and support staff, including their lives, hobbies, and motivations outside of work. This month, we are highlighting MSU employees that are engaged in different physical activities. Read more about how Brian Egan and Charlie Liu cemented a friendship through the discipline required for running. Also featured: Jeanne Stebleton, who learned patience from running ultra-marathons, including a 100-mile marathon, and Amy Holda, who competes in obstacle course competitions! Are you interested in sharing your whole person story? Contact us at worklife@msu.edu.

Michigan State University’s Safe Place, a domestic violence program established in 1994, recently received a $251,254 grant to expand its services.  “We provide emergency shelter, counseling, and advocacy services which include safety planning and childcare,” Holly Rosen, Director of Safe Place said.

MSU Opens First-ever Sexual Assault Healthcare Program

Free and confidential medical care is now available on the Michigan State University campus 24 hours a day to individuals who have experienced sexual assault and seek care within a five-day period. The MSU Sexual Assault Healthcare Program facilities are co-located with the MSU Center for Survivors in the Student Services Building at 556 E. Circle Drive.

Program to Nearly Double Amount of Nurses in State Trained in Caring for Sexual Violence Survivors

An initiative led by the Michigan State University College of Nursing will nearly double the state’s number of qualified nurses who can assess and treat survivors of sexual violence in the next three years. The program — funded by a three-year, $1.43 million federal grant — will begin in January and focus on ensuring more registered nurses have their Sexual Assault Nurse Examiner (SANE) certification, particularly in rural areas. SANE-certified nurses have specialized knowledge and clinical preparation in sexual assault and abuse cases.

The program is staffed 24/7 by specialized forensic nurses. Services are free and available to adults who have been sexually assaulted within the last five days.

Stephen Miller explains the specific advantages of flexwork to mothers. He does so by backing up the claim that motherhood comes with a unique sense of responsibility. A survey conducted of 1,508 women in the US found that only 31% of mothers with a child under the age of 18 planned on returning to work within the next year, while 69% said they would remain at home for the child.

To offer the most impactful resources and programming that best suit the needs of our MSU staff and faculty, we ask that you take a moment to provide feedback on our Family Focus Group surveys.

It is important for us to hear more about your needs regarding work-life harmony. Thank you for your time and insight.

Why are family-friendly policies so important? What value do caregivers bring to the workforce? In the US workforce, 17% are caregivers for adults over the age of 18 and 33% of the workforce are parents of children under 18 who live at home. One-third to one-half of the entire workforce have a caregiving role.

care.com/msu is a search service. The Premium Membership is provided free of charge to all full-time MSU affiliates – faculty, staff, and postdocs – to help you find quality childcare, eldercare, household help and services both at home and when you are away, or when your loved one lives far from you. You can post a job, search for student employees, look for a job or find service providers in your geographic area. Care.com/msu provides extensive informational resources for managing relationships and responsibilities with service providers and employers.

Everyone talks about looking forward to retirement. We’ve all asked that conversation with a laugh, “How many more years until I can retire?” That transition in life can be such an exciting one, but when it does arrive for some people, it can also bring a lot of uncertainty and fear. Where some of us once thought we would be so excited to run out the door, it turns out that it can be very hard to leave. Some individuals find themselves struggling to make the decision to retire and to take the step to put in their notice and choose an end date.    

Workplace well-being programs have many benefits for employees and employers alike. Some of the key benefits are lower healthcare costs, reduced absenteeism, and increased morale, which lead to higher employee retention and higher employee satisfaction.

Taking care of someone with dementia, memory loss, or Alzheimer’s disease can be confusing, stressful, and exhausting.

Creating Confident Caregivers is a six-week class held online (using Zoom) for family caregivers to ease all those difficult emotions by increasing knowledge. During the class you will learn about dementia, its impact on behavior, how to set realistic goals, and much more.

Join us to learn how to define trauma and the manifestations of trauma in the workplace, and describe the principles of a trauma-informed organization. In this session, you'll be able to determine your own potential needs related to practicing in a trauma-informed manner.

Finding a balance between raising and being a human isn’t easy. After the last two years, parents feel pulled in more directions than ever; guilty that when they spend time on one thing, they’re neglecting another. Our guest, Julie Morgenstern, author of "Time to Parent", will share a unique framework for managing the conflicting priorities of the parenting years. Parents with kids at every age and stage in their lives will get practical tips and liberating insights, including how much time and attention kids need, clever ways to keep your marriage and social life alive, streamlining and sharing household logistics, and so much more. You’ll learn how to gain more time, lose the guilt, and be more deeply present in all you do.

Do you feel stuck where you are now in your career in higher ed? In this webinar, we will review the current higher education job market and share four strategies for moving up in your career, including concrete steps that you can take. We’ll also discuss how to assess if an institution is committed to internal advancement.

Are you beginning to plan college visits for your prospective high school graduate? Are you seeking guidance on how to navigate the landscape of nearly 4,000 degree-granting postsecondary institutions in the United States? With nearly 30 years of college admissions experience between them, Christina Carr and Terence Brown are interested in providing information they hope will reduce the stress often associated with a student’s college search process.

When we are in proximity to people who have differing identities, lived experiences, and cultural understandings from our own, building meaningful and supportive connections can feel beyond our reach. In this session, we'll use Transforming Theatre Ensemble scenarios focused on a fictional relationship between a staff person and a student who have different understandings and experiences around gender.

In this session you will gain a deeper understanding of basic brain functioning of the client with Cognitive Impairment/Alzheimer’s Disease. How to successfully navigate the journey of your new role assignment as caregiver; how to decrease burn out and ways to handle the various moods that may occur. This session will also discuss ways to handle the progression of the disease, and what to expect over the long haul.