Hiring Restriction Lifted
President Lester A. Lefton announced on April 2 that the universitywide hiring restriction has been lifted. The president imposed the restriction in December 2010, in anticipation of a significant decline in state revenues.
The end of the restriction also means that the Hiring Request form is no longer required as a prerequisite to making a faculty or staff hire. However, all hiring supervisors are expected to continue to exercise prudent business judgment and follow university policies and procedures when hiring.
In an email message sent to faculty and staff, Human Resources Vice President Willis Walker noted that although the restriction took a tremendous amount of time and effort, it was beneficial in helping the university achieve the Excellence Agenda. It also provided the Division of Human Resources with valuable information to make enhancements to the university’s current hiring forms, including the paperless Position Request Authorization form (PRA) in the My Action Items tab of FlashLine.
Wellness Survey
Just in time for national Public Health week (April 2-8), Kent State wants to hear from faculty and staff about what they would like to see in a workplace wellness program. Employees will receive information this week about two opportunities to provide input during the month of April. One way is to take an online survey, which will take about 30 minutes to complete. The survey is available now through April 22.
Employees can also take part in a series of one-hour, town hall meetings that will be held during the weeks of April 9and April 16 at all campuses. Managers and supervisors are asked to coordinate work schedules to allow those who wish to attend a town hall meeting to do so. Classified employees who participate in a town hall meeting should record the time as “university business” in Kronos.
More detailed information, including dates and times for the town hall meetings and a link to the survey, is available atwww.kent.edu/hr/benefits/employee-wellness.cfm.
Student Employee Information
The Career Services Center is asking for your assistance by letting your student employees know about the Spring Job and Internship Fair today, April 3, from Noon-4 p.m. in the Kent Student Center Ballroom. The job fair is open to all Kent State students and alumni who are seeking full-time employment or internship opportunities. More information on the event is available on the Spring Job and Internship Fair Web page.
Department heads are encouraged to show appreciation to their student employees during the week of April 9, which has been designated Student Employee Appreciation Week. Appreciation can include giving students a simple "thank-you," surprising students with a treat bag filled with candy or inexpensive items, placing an ad in the Daily Kent Stater’s special Student Employee Appreciation edition on April 13, or a number of other suggested Student Employee Recognition Ideas.
If you have questions, contact Ami Hollis at ahollis@kent.edu or 330-672-8380.
Performance Evaluations Continue
A reminder that the performance evaluation period for classified employees is underway and will end on May 15. Performance evaluations for unclassified employees will begin April 9 and end on June 6.
Evaluators of unclassified staff will receive email notification prior to the evaluation period start date that will include detailed information regarding the process and access instructions.
New managers and supervisors are encouraged to register for a one-hour webinar, Assessing and Improving the Performance of Others, on April 18 at 10 a.m. Human Resources will also be offering a one-hour webinar, Navigating the Online Performance Appraisal Process, on April 12 at 2 p.m. The second presentation highlights the new look and enhancements to the evaluation program. Enhancements include a performance log that employees can use throughout the year to record accomplishments, training and discussions. View training dates and other resources for classified evaluations.
View training dates and other resources for unclassified evaluations.
If you need assistance with the evaluation process, contact Karen Watson, employee relations manager, atkswatson@kent.edu or 330-672-4636; or Sandra Cole at scole3@kent.edu or 330-672-7501.
Leave Reporting Reminder
Beginning this month, the amount of time an employee has to enter outstanding leave will be two pay periods, or 30 days. This applies to employees who report vacation, sick or personal leave in the Time Reporting in Banner channel in the MyHR tab of FlashLine.
As a manager, please make sure that employees who report leave through FlashLine have accurately reported the number of vacation, sick or personal hours taken and have submitted it for approval.
Managers should also make sure that time approvers are reviewing and approving leave reports in a timely manner and are regularly checking to make sure that employees submit all vacation and leave time that is taken. Prior to scheduling leave, the employee is responsible for scheduling vacation time in advance with his/her supervisor.
If you have any questions, contact a member of the HR Records staff at 330-672-2901 or hr-records@kent.edu.
ADA News
If a member of your staff has a disability that requires an accommodation in the workplace, or while attending a program at the university, please make them aware that they can request accommodations as part of the Americans With Disabilities Act. Requests should be directed to Amy Quillin at 330-672-8036. Upon review of the request, the university may provide a reasonable accommodation and assume the cost associated with it. No reimbursement will be provided if the accommodation did not receive prior approval from the university.
Office Support Staff to be Feted with a Picnic in the Park
The 15th annual Office Support Staff Recognition luncheon will be held on Wednesday, April 25, from 11:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. in the Kent Student Center Ballroom. This year’s theme is A Picnic in the Park and features enertainment by the Musical Theatre Senior Showcase from the School of Theatre and Dance.
The Division of Human Resources sponsors this annual event, which is held during Administrative Professionals Week, to recognize the hundreds of support staff who work throughout the university’s departments, divisions and campuses. The event marks the observance of national Administrative Professionals Day, which is also on April 25.
The event is by invitation only and managers are asked to coordinate coverage in your unit so that those invited may attend. Please note the luncheon is for support staff and not for managers or supervisors. Managers are encouraged to take some time during Administrative Profesisonas Week to recogzine the support staff in your unit.
For more information, contact Carla Wyckoff at 330-672-5857 or cwyckof1@kent.edu.
Save Time by Resetting Forgotten Passwords Yourself
Beginning April 9, the Information Services Helpdesk will no longer provide current users with temporary passwords over the phone. Faculty, staff and students can reset FlashLine passwords themselves. Go to the FlashLine log-in page at www.kent.edu. Once there, click on the Forgot Your Password? link, to the left of the Password box. You may also visit your local campus Helpdesk location for assistance. A list of all Help Desk locations is available at http://support.kent.edu/help.
Sexual Assault Response Team (SART) Survey
Kent State University’s Sexual Assault Response Team (SART) provides a comprehensive, collaborative and victim-centered response to sexual assault that includes prevention, education and recovery components. The responsibility of the SART is to educate the university community about sexual assault, to provide anti-violence programming and support services, and to encourage all community members to speak out when witnessing violence.
SART is conducting a survey of all Kent Campus students, faculty and staff to gauge awareness of the important topic of sexual assault prevention and to solicit feedback to improve the awareness programs and sexual assault support services offered in the future.
Please visit www.surveymonkey.com/s/KSUSART by April 27 to take our brief, 5-minute survey. Thank you for your participation.
Dates to Remember:
April 2 World Autism Awareness Day
April 4 Bowman Breakfast, 7:30 a.m., Kent Student Center Ballroom.
Contact Mary Mandalari at mmandala@kent.edu for more information.
April 6 Passover Begins (at sundown)
April 8 Easter
April 12-13 Virginia Hamilton Conference, Kent Student Center.
More information at http://virginia-hamilton.slis.kent.edu/2012.html
April 14 Passover Ends
April 16 Income Tax Pay Day
April 22 Earth Day
April 25 Office Support Staff Celebration, 11:30 a.m.-1:30 p.m.,
Student Center Ballroom. See related article for more information. National Observance of Administrative Professionals Day
April 27 Arbor Day
April 29 Spring Semester Classes End
Tell Us What You Think
This e-newsletter is designed to keep you, the managers and supervisors, informed. Please take a few minutes to let us know what you think of it, along with any comments or suggestions. You may contact us atmanagersfeedback@kent.edu. We look forward to hearing from you.
For information about events and programs for university employees, please check out the Faculty and Staff calendar and share the information with your staff.