Performance Evaluation Time Is Here
Please make sure staff in your unit are aware that performance evaluations for classified and unclassified employees are now underway. March 19 through May 30 has been designated as the time to conduct the 2014 online performance evaluations for classified employees. The period for unclassified performance evaluations is April 2 through June 6.
Managers and supervisors of classified employees received email notification on March 19 with detailed information regarding the process and access instructions. As a reminder, recent enhancements include a performance log that can be used by your employees throughout the year to record their accomplishments, trainings and discussions.
There are also two webinars available for supervisors and managers. Navigating the Online Evaluation Process will familiarize evaluators with the online assessment tool and will be offered on April 1 from 10-11 a.m. and again on April 17 from 2-3 p.m. Assessing and Improving the Performance of Others is a webinar for new managers and supervisors. This webinar will be offered on April 7 from 10:30 – 11:30 a.m.
You can register for any of these webinars at www.kent.edu/hr/employee/performance/performance-evaluation-resources.cfm.
If you are unable to attend one of the sessions, they will be recorded and available for viewing a few days after the presentation.
If you would like an HR representative to come to your unit and present an overview of the evaluation process, contactKaren Watson, employee relations manager, at 330-672-4636 or kswatson@kent.edu.
If you have questions on the classified performance evaluations, contact Watson or Janine Bogden at 330-672-8526 orjbogden@kent.edu.
Spring is Here and so are the Spring Employee Recognition Events!
Office Support Staff Luncheon
Committees have been busy at work planning for some very special recognition events. First on the horizon is the Office Support Staff Luncheon to be held Wednesday, April 23, in the Kent Student Center Ballroom. This invitation-only program recognizes university employees who provide office support in departments throughout Kent State’s campuses. Invitations were emailed to eligible employees the week of March 24 and supervisors are asked to coordinate work coverage in their units so those who are invited may attend.
One of the exciting features of this luncheon is the opportunity for support staff to win door prizes. It has been through the generosity of departments throughout the university that we have been able to continue with this tradition. An email communication was recently sent to department leadership requesting support in donating a door prize or gift basket for this year’s event. A door prize committee member may also reach out to your department to request a donation. Should you have any questions regarding donating, please contact Lisa Galanis at 330-672-5851.
20-Year Club
Next month, the 20-Year Club dinner will take place on Tuesday, May 20, in the Kent Student Center Ballroom. There are 26 staff members who will mark 20 years of continuous service at Kent State during the current fiscal year. The list of inductees is available on the 20-Year Club website. Additional information and more details on the dinner will be available on the website next month.
For questions regarding the Office Support Staff luncheon or 20-Year Club dinner, contact Geraldine Hayes-Nelson, Ph.D., at 330-672-2901 or ghnelson@kent.edu.
Student Employee Appreciation
The Career Services Center would like to remind all departments to show appreciation to their student employees during the week of April 13, which has been designated Student Employment Appreciation Week. Appreciation can include giving students a simple thank you card, surprising students with a homemade treat, placing an ad in the Daily Kent Stater’s special Student Employee Appreciation edition on April 18, or a number of other suggested Student Employee Recognition Ideas found in the Student Handbook.
For questions, you may contact Ami Hollis, associate director of career services, at 330-672-2360 or ahollis@kent.edu.
Faculty Load and Compensation (FLAC) Module Implementation – Kent Campus
All academic departments on the Kent Campus are preparing for the implementation of the Faculty Load and Compensation (FLAC) Module.
Beginning summer 2014, all part-time faculty instructional assignments on the Kent Campus will be paid through FLAC. Presentations were held on March 24 and March 26. If you missed the presentation, a recorded version is available on the Academic Personnel website along with training materials. When you go to the website, click:
- Part-time Faculty Offer Letters
- Faculty Load and Compensation
- Miscellaneous Offer Letter Templates
One-hour, hands-on training sessions will be available in April. Department originators will be able to bring part-time faculty instructional assignments and practice the process. Department chairs/directors should also plan to attend with their originators so that they can go through the complete process.
The open labs will be held in the morning on April 7 and 9; and in the afternoon on April 16 and 22. Choose your date and register at www.kent.edu/hr/register.
If you have questions regarding FLAC, please contact Lynn Heller at 330-672-8702 or lheller@kent.edu, or Daniela Zurschmit at 330-672-8701 or dzurschm@kent.edu.
Verizon Discount Requires Employment Verification
Please notify any of your employees who may receive a Kent State employee discount on their personal Verizon Wireless accounts that Verizon has implemented a new employment verification process.
Verizon offers current Kent State employees a 15 percent discount off eligible services on their personal accounts. The discount does not apply to retirees or former employees. In the past, Verizon used a kent.edu email address to confirm eligibility. Since retirees, alumni, and students can also have a kent.edu email address, this will no longer be accepted as a verification of employment.
The new verification method requires Verizon customers to submit a current Kent State pay stub. Verizon will contact Kent State employees who have the discount with instructions on when and how to submit the pay stub. No action is required from the employee until they receive notification from Verizon.
When employees are asked to submit a pay stub, please remind them to mark out any sensitive information, and to make sure that the name and address of the employer and employee, along with the pay date, are legible.
Problems in submitting the pay stub should be directed to Verizon. Questions about the employee discount should be directed to the Kent State Procurement office at 330-672- 2276.
Kent State Launches Phase One of New Website
On April 30, Kent State University will launch its new institutional and admission's Web pages. On the new home page located at www.kent.edu, you will find these new features:
- A new “Calendars” page that will be accessible from all Kent State web pages
- 1-2-3 … Go! Page for future students
- Infographics in the Kent State “At a Glance” section
Migration from Commonspot to the new website and content management system, Drupal, will happen in phases through December 2014. The four additional phases are targeted to roll out as follows:
- Phase Two, spring and summer 2014 – Redesign and content migration of the Freshman Suite websites (websites most commonly used by incoming freshmen).
- Phase Three, summer and fall 2014 – Redesign and content migration of Regional Campus websites.
- Phase Four, fall 2014 – Redesign and content migration of college and academic department websites.
- Phase Five, fall and winter 2014 – Redesign and content migration of administration department websites.
University Communications and Marketing’s Web team will provide counsel to departmental clients as the various phases of the project are tackled. University Communications and Marketing also have scheduled a series of content management system (CMS) transition workshops and will be including clients on a by-invitation basis, so that attendees can begin pre-production work that will support successful project completions.
As the conversion to Drupal continues, beginner and intermediate Drupal training sessions will be provided by University Communications and Marketing. Additionally, CommonSpot beginner and advanced trainings will continue to be offered until all clients have moved their websites to the new system.
For questions about the website redesign and migration, contact Lin Danes at ldanes@kent.edu.
Be Well Solutions to Provide Wellness Services to Kent State Faculty and Staff
Kent State University employees will soon have the opportunity to participate in a variety of wellness activities, as well as manage and track their health and well-being as a result of a new partnership between Kent State and Be Well Solutions, a physician-owned, comprehensive wellness company.
As part of its 5-Year Strategic Plan for Wellness, the Division of Human Resources conducted a request for proposal for a partner to administer specific services to help employees lead a more productive and healthy lifestyle. Be Well Solutions specializes in full-service wellness offerings, including biometric screenings, health-risk assessments, health coaching, fitness challenges and interventions. With the addition of Be Well Solutions as a strategic partner, it will vastly compliment the services that can be provided to all Kent State employees.
Be Well Solutions will hold health fairs at all eight Kent State campuses, as well as on-site employee meetings to introduce each program. Rollout is expected to begin in mid- to late April, and additional communication will be sent to all employees regarding all services and resources that Be Well Solutions has to offer.
Please stay tuned for more information via e-Inside and your kent.edu email announcements from the Division of Human Resources. For questions, you may contact benefits@kent.edu.
Dates to Remember:
April 3-4 Virginia Hamilton Conference, Kent Student Center. More information atwww.kent.edu/cde/conferences/virginiahamilton.cfm
April 7 World Health Day
April 7-13 National Public Health Week
April 13 Palm Sunday
April 13-18 Student Employee Appreciation Week
April 14 Passover begins at sundown
April 18 Good Friday
April 20 Easter Sunday
April 22 Earth Day
April 23 Office Support Staff Luncheon
Administrative Professionals Day
April 25 Arbor Day
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.