Save the Date!
Make plans now to join us on Monday, March 5, for the first Balanced Dukes Conference, brought to you by the Work-Life Balance and Wellness Council and JMU's Talent Development. Featured topics will focus on Work, Family, Community and Self as they related to four areas: mind, body, balance and relationships. More details will be coming soon, watch your email!
Featuring Keynote: Joel Salatin
Balanced Dukes is pleased to announce Joel Salatin as the featured keynote speaker for the Work-Life Balance Conference. Joel is a renowned author, lecturer, and third generation farmer on his family's Polyface Farm in Virginia's Shenandoah Valley. Featured in Michael Pollan's New York Times bestseller, Omnivore's Dilemma, and in the award-winning documentaries Food, Inc. and Fresh, Polyface Farm services more than 5,000 families, 50 restaurants, 10 retail outlets, and a farmers' market with salad bar beef, pigaerator pork, pastured poultry, and forestry products. When he's not on the road speaking, Salatin is at home on the farm, keeping the callouses on his hands and dirt under his fingernails, mentoring young people, inspiring visitors, and promoting local, regenerative food and farming systems.
Salatin has authored nine books including Folks, This Ain't Normal: A Farmer's Advice for Happier Hens, Healthier People, and a Better World and The Sheer Ecstasy of Being a Lunatic Farmer. He also writes The Pastoralist column for Stockman Grass Farmer, granddaddy catalyst for the grass farming movement, and the Pitchfork Pulpit column for Mother Earth News, as well as numerous guest articles for ACRES USA and other publications. A frequent guest on radio programs and podcasts targeting farmers, homesteaders, and foodies, Salatin's practical, can-do solutions tied to passionate soliloquies for sustainability offer everyone food for thought and plans for action.
Connections Day, Tuesday January 30
The next Connections Day will be held on Tuesday, January 30 from 8:15 a.m. to 1:00 p.m. in the Montpelier Room, E-Dining Hall. All new JMU employees hired between October 2017 and January 2018 are invited to attend the event. We ask your assistance in encouraging your new employees to attend this event designed specifically for them.
Please share this information with those in your department who are involved with recruitment and selection of new employees.
Pre-registration is required to attend. If you have any questions, please feel free to contact Jennifer Dodson, Onboard Specialist at dodsonjl@jmu.edu or 540/568-4473.
A FEW NOTES ABOUT LEAVE
Time and Attendance Records for Non-exempt Classified Employees
Per Department of Labor requirements, every employer covered by the Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA) must keep accurate record of hours worked for each covered, non-exempt worker. This information includes regular hours worked, leave taken, leave without pay, overtime/compensatory hours worked, holidays, and scheduled days off. The 2017 Time and Attendance Records for non-exempt classified employees must be submitted electronically to benefits@jmu.edu no later than Friday, January 19. The 2017 and 2018 Time and Attendance Records are located on the Time and Attendance Reporting website.
University Closings Due to Inclement Weather
With winter temperatures reaching the valley, we are preparing for the possibility of inclement weather delays and closures. Please review Policy 1309-University Closings, Class Cancellations and Exam Postponements Due to Inclement Weather or Emergencies to learn more regarding closing decisions, the cancellation of classes, the difference between designated and non-designated staff, and compensation for hours worked during an inclement weather delays and closures.
Classified and A&P Faculty Leave Types
Are you confused about what leave types you have available to use? If so, please visit HR's Leave webpage in order to review the various leave types available to you.
Join JMU’s Policy ListServ
JMU employees may join the Policy ListServ to receive notification when:
- Policies are posted on the JMU Manual of Policies and Procedures website for public review
- The semi-annual policy change notification report has been posted on the site
- Policies are updated
Click to subscribe to the Policy ListServ, which will open an e-mail using Outlook. Then send the e-mail to subscribe.
Benefits Basic Training
What health insurance plan are you currently enrolled in? What retirement plan are you in? Did you know you get free benefits just from working at JMU? All these questions and more will be answered in Benefits Basic Training. In this training, you will get a personalized packet of your specific benefits and gain in-depth knowledge and answers to your questions.
Topics covered include:
- Health Insurance & Flexible Spending Accounts
- Life Insurance
- Family Medical Leave Act (FMLA)
- Virginia Sickness and Disability Program
- Leave
- Workers’ Compensation (WC)
- Americans with Disability Act (ADA)
- Retirement & Supplemental Retirement Accounts
- Voluntary Benefits, EAP, Abenity and Tuition Waivers
Benefits Basic Training is offered through Talent Development and facilitated by the Benefits Team. Join us starting January 30 by registering via MyMadison.
Benefits Broadcast
Our goal with the Benefits Broadcast is to feature a specific benefit each month. This month’s featured benefit is…
Health Benefits Incentive Programs – Healthy Insights
Do you suffer from asthma, COPD, hypertension, or diabetes? If so, for those suffering from these long-term health conditions and are COVA Care and COVA HealthAware members, you may get certain drugs or supplies at NO COST!
To qualify you must meet certain requirements:
Asthma and COPD
To qualify you must:
- Take your asthma/COPD medication as directed for a 90-day compliance period
- Continue to take your medication as directed by your doctor of healthcare provider
- Speak with a Healthy Insights nurse quarterly, or as directed
- Have an annual wellness exam with your doctor or healthcare provider
- Get a flu shot
Hypertension
To qualify you must:
- Take your hypertension medication as directed for a 90-day compliance period
- Continue to take your medication as directed by your doctor of healthcare provider
- Speak with a Healthy Insights nurse quarterly, or as directed
- Have an annual wellness exam with your doctor or healthcare provider
Diabetes
To qualify you must:
- Take your diabetes medication as directed for a 90-day compliance period
- Participate in a minimum of quarterly coaching calls with a Healthy Insights nurse
- Continue to take your medication as directed by your doctor of healthcare provider
- Follow up with your doctor or healthcare provider each plan year
- Have at least one HbA1c test each plan year
Make this year the beginning of a healthy year by receiving free coaching calls to control your long-term health condition while lowering your medical health costs. To learn more, call 1-866-938-0349.
Payroll Services Dollars & Sense
Payroll Services is currently preparing and reconciling W-2’s for distribution. In addition to mailing them as we have done in the past, your 2017 W-2 will be available electronically within the Employee Tab in MyMadison. Please note the Employee Social Security Number box on the electronic W-2 will be blank. If you mail your tax return or have someone prepare your tax return on your behalf, you will have to use the W-2 you receive in the mail. 2017 W-2’s will be available and mailed no later than January 31st.
Additionally, on December 22, President Trump signed H.R.1, also known as the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act, into law. Because this tax legislation was passed so late in 2017, the IRS will not issue withholding guidance for 2018 until later this month. That being said, additional communication(s) will be forthcoming as information is provided, as this new law will affect everyone’s paycheck.
Duo Voluntary Enrollment Ends January 17
Employees, Affiliates, Emeriti -
Time is running out if you have not already enrolled in JMU’s new Duo two-factor authentication service. Wednesday, January 17, voluntary enrollment ends and your next login to MyMadison will require you to complete Duo enrollment before you can proceed. This means that if you are busy trying to enter or approve leave, update your personal information, access your class roster, check your pay, change your password or do any of the many other things you normally do using MyMadison, you will be unable to do so until you complete Duo enrollment.
To avoid the frustration of an untimely interruption, please take a few minutes before tomorrow to enroll in Duo:
- Go to http://www.jmu.edu/computing and click on the Duo icon.
- Use information on the web page to decide which device option(s) to use (smartphone, basic cell phone, tablet or token).
- If you plan to use Duo with a smartphone or tablet, download the Duo Mobile app from the appropriate Apple (AppStore) or Android (GooglePlay) site. Then log in to MyMadison as you normally do. Follow the step-by-step instructions in the Enrollment Guide to enroll your phone or tablet with Duo.
- To use a basic cell phone with Duo, you will be limited to only using passcodes delivered via text message. Follow the step-by-step instructions in the Enrollment Guide to enroll a basic cell phone.
- If you decide to use a token, one JMU-owned token will be provided to you. Just take your JACard or other government-issued photo ID to the IT Help Desk on the fourth floor of the Student Success Center to pick up the token and have it enrolled.
- Once you have a device enrolled, practice using it for your MyMadison and JMU SSL VPN logins. Specific login steps and other details are available in the Duo User Guide.
- For assistance, contact the IT Help Desk at 540-568-3555, or email helpdesk@jmu.edu.
JMU Talent Development
Discover.Grow.Succeed.
- Managing Generations in the Workplace (TD1971)
- Successful Communication Via Devices (TD2152)
- HR Document Retention (TD2273)
- Benefits Basic Training (TD2274)
- Grants: Post-Award Practices & Procedures (TD1502)
- Student Employment Essentials (TD1460)
- Retirement 101: Understanding Your VRS Retirement (TD1212)
- Congratulations! You’re a Supervisor, Now What? (TD1396)
- SUCCESs: Making Ideas Stick (TD2233)
- Making Your Metabolism Work for You, CommonHealth (TD2261)
Visit Talent Development’s webpage for a listing of all they have to offer!
What’s New at UREC?
Camp UREC
Are you looking for a weekly summer day camp that teaches your child healthy lifestyle habits and encourages play while building new skills? Registration for Summer 2018’s Camp UREC and Adventure Camps are now open! UREC offers multiple camp options to meet the needs of a wide range of ages and interests.
Wellness Center Services
The UREC Wellness Center is located on the second floor of UREC and offers the following wellness services for faculty, staff and students: personal training, small group training, massage therapy, fitness assessments, nutrition analyses, and much more!
CommonHealth at JMU is excited to announce our new campaign for 2018: The 12 Months of Wellness
Each month we will be focusing on a different wellness topic; offering sessions and information regarding that topic.
January: Setting Healthy Goals
February: Heart Health & Smoking Cessation
March: Nutrition
April: Asthma/Allergies
May: Beneficial Plants
June: Fruits/Veggies
July: Summer Fun & Safety Tips
August: Child Health
September: Volunteering
October: Financial Health
November: Employee Assistance Program
December: Stress Management
Check out the video that will help you remember the topics for each month.
We hope to see you at our upcoming JMU CommonHealth events – have a healthy and happy new year!
New Assistant Director, HR Consulting Services
Congratulations to Chuck Flick who recently accepted the position of Assistant Director, HR Consulting Services! The Assistant Director, HR Consulting, leads and supports the HR Consulting Services team in proactively serving the University community with current and innovative business processes related to compensation and position management, performance evaluations, employee relations and development, and policy interpretation. Chuck joined JMU in 2018 and has over 25 years of Human Resources leadership experience. He is a graduate of Virginia Tech with a B.S. degree in Mathematics and is certified as a Senior Professional in Human Resources. Chuck also serves on the Board of Directors of the Shenandoah Valley Society for Human Resource Management.
New HR Front Desk Assistant
Congratulations to Joanna Swartley who recently accepted the position of Human Resources Front Desk Assistant. This position provides a high level of customer service to both external and internal customers and administrative support for the HR team. Joanna took courses at JMU as an undergrad to help her complete a BS degree in Business Education at Eastern Mennonite University. Additional grad courses taken at JMU helped her maintain a Virginia state teaching license. For many years Joanna taught business classes at Eastern Mennonite High School, Massanutten Technical Center and EMU. She served eight years as the bookkeeper at Rockingham Eye Physicians and most recently served as the Administrative Assistant to the Seminary Dean at EMU.
Human Resources is dedicated to customer service, a positive approach to change and the pursuit of excellence that promotes university and individual success.
Credits:
Created with images by free pictures of money - "Taxes" • StartupStockPhotos - "student typing keyboard" • Bob5D - "Welcome" and by JMU University Communications and Marketing.