YOUR WEEKLY EMPLOYEE NEWS UPDATE

APRIL 5, 2023

WHAT TO KNOW

SIGNIFICANT COVID CHANGES COMING

Dear Staff,

We have been notified by the Illinois Department of Public Health that the public health emergency – Covid – will officially end on May 11, 2023! Misericordia will continue to implement best practices for our residents and staff and follow guidelines outlined by CDC, CMS, IDPH, and CDPH. In anticipation of this, we are looking at these regulations and will continue meeting their requirements and will monitor them as we expect changes to occur periodically. We will also be reviewing some of our HR practices to see what changes may be needed and/or what we can change. Testing practices may be altered, however, we will continue to have access to OTC test in the case of an outbreak or exposure, and personal protective equipment (PPE) will always be immediately available to staff. We will continue to monitor IDPH in terms of masking requirements and keep staff informed. Most likely we will continue to require masking in McAuley for the foreseeable future.

We wanted to get an initial communication out to our staff but we do realize much more information will need to follow. Going forward we will be looking at a variety of trainings for staff. Continued infection control resources, regulation changes, Misericordia policy changes as a result of returning to “normal” and keeping you informed on the “state of the state”. So many of you were hired during Covid and thus have not had experiences of being Covid-free here on campus and what opportunities that may present for residents and staff.

Mary Pat O'Brien, Executive Vice President

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EASTER PREMIUM PAY

Employees working AM/PM/ON on Sunday, April 9th will be paid time and a half for hours worked on Easter. Additionally, HR will remain open on Friday, April 7th.

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UPCOMING RELIGIOUS SERVICES

(Holy) Thursday, April 6

Mass at 12 pm in the Mercy Chapel

(Good) Friday, April 7

Service at 12 pm in the Mercy Chapel
No Shabbat Service at 4:30 pm (because of HV and because of Passover)

Saturday, April 8

Marian Center Service at 2 pm in the Atrium
Easter Vigil Mass at 4 pm in the LGCYI

CURRENT JOB POSTINGS

McAuley Recreation Aide (details here)
Staff Development Trainer (details here)
DSP/CNA (all shifts)
RN/LPN (all shifts)

Don't forget! Follow and share our recruitment pages with your friends on Instagram and Facebook to let them know we're hiring! For every successful referral you make, you can earn up to $1,000. For more details, you can reach out to careers@misericordia.com and our Recruiting Team will assist you.

WHAT TO DO

COMPLETING YOUR INDIVIDUAL DEVELOPMENT PLAN

An Individual Development Plan (IDP) is a plan to help employees reach the goals determined during the performance evaluation process. This plan will help employees stay on track with their goals. All self-raters will meet with their evaluators to discuss the IDP.

Click here to find the IDP form, as well as a training video that will help you understand the form as a self-rater. These materials can also be found in the Performance Review folder on the home screen of all Mis devices.

Pictured: The Performance Review folder found on the home screen of every Misericordia device. To find the self-rater IDP form click the icon > click the SelfRater folder.

ALSO FOR YOUR CONSIDERATION

SEND YOUR EMPOWERMENT SONGS TO US

It is said that "music allows us to communicate common humanity to each other." This quarter we invite everyone to send us songs that make you feel uplifted and empowered. This includes songs that communicate your identity; songs that communicate how you feel; and songs you listen to for a confidence boost to get you through your everyday lives!

Here are the guidelines:

You may include songs from any genre, songs in any language, and songs with no lyrics.
Please be mindful of songs containing explicit language and provide clean/radio edit versions of them if possible.
Residents who wish to submit songs should be assisted by staff, as needed. Please provide their first name and last initial.

There is no limit to how many songs you submit, so drop them here and we will share them in Campus Connections.

OUR LATEST SUBMISSIONS

From Amy Vonderembse: "'Special' by Lizzo—This song reminds us that we are all special in our own way and each and every one of us has something to bring into the world."

From Sarah Powills: "'It's a Great Day to be Alive'" by Travis Tritt

From Angela Spaulding: "'I Love You, Lord' by Walter Hawkins—I can remember my parents playing this song when I was a kid in the 80's & when I replayed it as an adult it moved me. All of the trials, problems & tribulations that I experienced, the Lord never left my side & for that I LOVE HIM"

From Carolyn Seng: "'Beautiful' by Christina Aguilera—I love this song because we all can relate to it. It tells me to not listen to other people’s opinions about myself. Love yourself no matter what."

From Bernadette Lettner: "'Rivers' by Epica (ft. Apocalyptica)—It's melodic. And empowering. It's a song that is poetic and beautiful something I find uplifting and I hope others will love it as much as I do."

From Amanda Cipriani: "Rise (Sam Feldt Remix)' by Calum Scott—This is my go-to song when I need a reminder of how amazing I am if I am down, and that I can rise from whatever life throws my way!"

From Lela Perez: "'Because You Love Me' by Celine Dion; 'In My Name' by Rev. Milton Brunson, The Thompson Community Singers—Thank you too my Father God and my king Jesus."

From Jazmin Tovar: "'Never Gonna Not Dance Again' by P!NK—I Currently have this song on repeat. It just reminds me that in all the negative things in the world that we cannot control we have to remember to take a step back, breathe, and live a little. Don’t stop doing the things you find the most joy in it."

From Debra Wright: "'Superstar' by Luther Vandross; 'You Can Exit' by Gloria Gaynor—Reminds me of cruising on Lake Shore Drive."

Click here to listen to all of the submissions so far. Be sure to see a submission so we can add yours!

A MESSAGE FROM THE HEART

"Giving thanks warms the soul and reminds us that life is an extraordinary privilege. Joy doesn't come from having, but from appreciating what we have." —Matthew Kelly

Be sure to check your email for Campus Connections each week.

To find previous Campus Connections issues and updates, click here.

If you have any questions or feedback for us, email campusconnections@misericordia.com. Be sure to include your name, work area, and an extension we can use to contact you!