Best Employers of Ohio 2022
Kent State University is participating in the “Best Employers in Ohio” program created by Crain's Cleveland Business and Best Companies Group. The program is designed to recognize outstanding places of employment in Ohio.
As a part of the program’s process, a random sample of university employees will receive an online survey on April 29. Please take 10 - 15 minutes to complete the survey, which will come from Surveys@BestCompaniesGroup.com with the subject line: “Best Employers in Ohio - Employee Survey.”
Please do not forward your invitation to other employees, as each invitation contains unique access information that can only be used once.
If you accidentally delete your survey email, you will receive reminders on May 4, 9 and 13.
A third-party agency will administer the survey and tabulate your confidential ratings. Please follow the instructions and submit your completed survey no later than May 13. The survey is optional, not mandatory.
Your honest feedback is extremely valuable to this process.
Thank you, in advance, for participating in the “Best Employers in Ohio” survey.
One of My Colleagues is on an Extended leave. Can I Donate Some of My Available Sick or Vacation Time to Her or Him?
Classified Bargaining, Non-Bargaining, and Unclassified employees may donate time to another employee. Faculty members may also donate to staff members (Classified and Unclassified). Questions regarding donated leave for faculty members should be directed to Academic Personnel at 330-672-8702.
The Leave Donation Policy (Policy 3342-6-11.4) establishes guidelines for transferring sick/vacation leave to employees who experience a continuing disability due to non-work related illness or injury. In accordance with this policy, active employees with greater than 240 hours of accrued sick time may donate up to 80 hours of sick leave in any twelve-month period. An employee may also contribute a maximum of 80 hours of earned vacation leave to another employee per twelve-month calendar year. Separating employees can donate both vacation or sick leave as noted in paragraphs (D)(1)(a) and (D)(1)(b) of the policy.
To donate leave follow these steps:
- Log on to FlashLine
- Hover your cursor over “Employee”
- In the “Resources” block, click “My Earnings & Benefit Elections”
- Click “Employee Leave Donation”
- At the bottom of the page, enter the amount of time you want to donate
- Choose an approved donee from the drop-down list
- Click “Donate Your Leave”
To find a list of eligible employees, or to learn more, please review the Leave Donation section of the Employee Benefits website. For questions, you may contact the Employee Benefits Office at 330-672-3107 or benefits@kent.edu.
May Employee Wellness Offerings Focus on Eating and Your Emotions
Emotional eating is a pattern of consuming food to deal with stress, boredom, or other feelings unrelated to hunger. When emotional eating happens frequently or becomes the primary means of dealing with emotions, health and happiness can be negatively affected.
One way to combat emotional eating is by switching to a mindful, or intuitive, eating perspective, a process of honoring health by listening and responding to the direct messages of the body in order to meet your physical and psychological needs. To learn more about eating and emotions, join Employee Wellness for webinars in May on emotional vs. intuitive eating and food addiction.
Another way to manage stress and other feelings that lead to emotional eating is through physical activity. You'll find that in addition to nutrition-related offerings, there are several opportunities during the month of May to get outside, move your body, and connect with colleagues, including two walk and talks, and Get Fit Don’t Sit Day.
To view the full list of May offerings, visit the May wellness focus page. For questions related to health and wellness offerings for faculty and staff, contact Employee Wellness at wellness@kent.edu or 330-672-0392.
Onsite health coaching, Kent Campus, May 3
If emotional eating or stress eating is something that you struggle with, a registered dietitian can help you learn about and practice mindful eating, identify emotional triggers, and provide support as you work toward your nutrition goals. And that is just one topic that Be Well Solutions’ dietitians and health coaches can help with.
Health coaching sessions are confidential and include a safe, supportive, and non-judgmental conversation with a certified coach. Your coach will help guide you through the process of planning, implementing, and maintaining healthy behaviors. You'll receive encouragement and support as you work toward identifying and overcoming your barriers to achieving success.
Health coaching is complimentary and unlimited for full-time, benefits-eligible faculty and staff. Each session is worth 10 Tier 2 points toward the wellness rewards program. The next onsite session is Tuesday, May 3, at Heer Hall on the Kent campus. Virtual coaching is also available year-round and accessible from all campuses and locations. To schedule a session, login to your Be Well portal and click on “Worksite Health Coaching” or select “Virtual/Telephonic Nutrition Counseling and Health Coaching” under “My Appointments.”
For questions related to wellness offerings for Kent State faculty and staff, please contact the Employee Wellness office at 330-672-0392 or wellness@kent.edu.