An Employee Resource Group is a free employee-led group (open to all MSU employee types including faculty, academic, and support staff and their families) that fosters inclusivity and builds community for those with common lived experiences by providing group discussion and learning opportunities, programming, and platforms for sharing resources.

The WorkLife Office is honored to work alongside talented and dedicated MSU students each year through our Internship Program. This year, we have the pleasure of welcoming 6 students to our team! These students will focus their time on work-life projects, research, family and caregiving program coordination, and many of our monthly events. Help us give a warm welcome to these outstanding students and change-makers.

The MSU WorkLife Office is proud to partner with MSU Extension to offer a variety of webinars and programs to bring our Spartans in depth, up to date, resources and information around the topics of infant and childhood development as well as promoting social and emotional health in our youth. After the successful completion of a 6-part Parent Talk System Series, the WorkLife Office is also looking forward to featuring MSU’s Extension offices in multiple sessions as part of an annual calendar of events for the Family Employee Resource Group. Topics to be covered will include effective parenting styles as well as how to talk to your child about race and other social justice issues.

From HR Source

With the implementation of MSU’s new remote work policies, many of us are officially working a hybrid or remote schedule or are considering doing so in the future. We asked Spartans who work all over campus to share their best tips for their hybrid or remote work schedules. The top tips below cover leveraging Teams, establishing a consistent routine, staying connected with colleagues, and more.

Would you like to become more familiar with the technology tools available at MSU? MSU IT offers no-cost, virtual, instructor-led training for all students, faculty, and staff. Join our live sessions for instruction on Zoom and the Microsoft 365 suite, including Microsoft Teams, OneDrive, OneNote, SharePoint, and Forms.

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. Are you interested in sharing your whole person story? Contact us at worklife@msu.edu.

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Organizations encouraging activity and active breaks in the workplace show concern for employees’ wellbeing and improve employees’ feelings towards the organization. There are also good team-building opportunities that encourage activity, like walking meetings or active retreats such as a bike or bus tour of campus. For employees, activity improves energy, self-confidence, increases optimism, productivity, reduces employees’ stress, and improves health.

While remote work has many benefits, setting clear boundaries and feeling connected to colleagues are valid concerns. These tips will help you put the right foot forward in your career when you're working from home. What has helped you be successful while working from home?

It becomes more apparent each year with the HERC Job Seeker Survey that providing employees with a flexible work environment is one of the key drivers of employee recruitment and retention. The 2022 HERC Job Seeker Survey clearly displays that employees are seeking work environments that value the employee as a whole person, which includes considering their needs outside the office. Our Spartans are not only employees, they are also parents, caregivers, spouses, and so much more! WorkLife issues affect every one of our employees and are undoubtedly a DEI issue, as the caregiving role disproportionately falls on women and especially women of color.

Here are some of the ways in which the MSU WorkLife Office is working towards creating a whole-person workplace by providing support, guidance, and services to our Spartans.

Please join us on August 9 at noon. For more than two years, moms have had to figure out how to keep their families going through craziness. Every time they hit their stride, something came along to throw things back into chaos. And here we go again….it’s back to school season and for many, back to the office full-time or hybrid. Families are again in flux. If this sounds familiar, join us and our guest -- life and career coach Letisha Bereola -- to learn how to build new systems that support life today, enabling you to thrive, not just survive. Dads, come too, and learn how you can help lighten the load!

JOIN US August 10 at 1 p.m., for a virtual event with Michigan Financial Companies to learn more about basic tips and reminder for budget and debt management! "When I make recommendations, I'm not tied to any one company. Consequently, when we create a financial plan together, I can truly act in your best interest and that's the way it should be," said presenter Ethan Cramer.

If you are new or returning to Michigan State University, the Greater Lansing area, Michigan or the United States, the WorkLife Office can help connect you to campus and community resources. Even if you aren’t new to the area, the Office has plenty of ways to help you locate the resources you need and become connected to your colleagues and your community.

This is a 6-week series of classes that will run

Tuesdays, July 19 to August 23 from 1:30 - 4 p.m.

POWERFUL TOOLS FOR CAREGIVERS will benefit you whether you are helping a parent, spouse, friend, or someone who lives at home, in a nursing home, or across the country. This workshop focuses on self-care for you, the caregiver. The workshop will not focus on specific diseases or hands-on care.

Week 1 (9/9/22): Introduction to Lactation: Benefits, How Lactation Works

Week 2 (9/16/22): Baby is Here! Getting Started: The Mechanics of Lactation Positioning, Latching On, Feeding Patterns, Challenges

Week 3 (9/23/22): Maintaining Lactation: Lifestyle, Expressing and Storing Milk, Returning to Work

Week 4 (9/30/22): Lactation Transitions: Introducing Solid Foods and Weaning

Although lactation is natural, it is a learned skill. This four-part program is designed to give pregnant parents and their partners information on preparing to breast/chest feed and strategies for continuing to breast/chest feed upon returning to work.

Week 1: Newborn Traits, Newborn Behaviors

Week 2: Crying, Comforting, and Diapering

Week 3: Bathing and Newborn Health

Week 4: Infant Safety and CPR