Categories
March 2016

From Our Friends in Human Resources and Payroll

Save Some Green: New Discounts
Check out the Life/Work Connections discount page. Discounts can be a helpful way to price shop and save. As with any purchase, find the deal that is right for you. Three new Mason discounts have just been added:

  • Bellini Salon & Spa (Vienna, Virginia) – Faculty, staff, and students receive a 10% discount on any salon or spa service.
  • Ties.com – Not surprisingly, Ties.com sells ties, but they also have tie racks, tie bars, socks, and pocket squares. Mason faculty, staff, students, retirees, and alumni receive 20% off purchases (excluding sale items) by using the code provided on the Life/Work discount page.
  • Ticket Monster Perks – Discounts available to the entire Mason community (faculty, staff, students, retirees, and alumni) on sports, concerts, and theme park tickets nationwide. Follow the three easy steps on the Life/Work discount page to start saving.


Physical Well-Being Seminar: Organization and Self-Reliance – Stepping Stones on the Path to Success in Elementary and Middle School

Looking for ways to keep your child organized? Join Charlotte Foster, English Department Chair at Westminster School, on Monday, March 7, at noon as she focuses on the best ways to enable your child to take ownership of his/her homework, assignments, and belongings.

Learn test and quiz strategies, as well as ways to manage long-term assessments like exams and projects. Finish the school year with less stress and get your child on the path to better organization! This session will be videoconferenced to Arlington and SciTech. To register, visit hr.gmu.edu/learning. For more information, view the flyer.

 

Additional News from Westminster and Mason: A Merit Scholarship Opportunity for Children/Grandchildren of Mason Employees
In collaboration with George Mason University, Westminster School is offering a scholarship opportunity to children/grandchildren of Mason faculty and staff. The renewable Merit Scholarship is in the amount of $8,000 per year and is open to students entering grades 3–7.

Westminster School is an independent school located in Annandale, Virginia, just minutes from the Beltway. To find out more about this opportunity, visit Mason’s Life/Work Connection website or the Westminster School’s collaboration scholarship page.

 

Spring Telework Week at Mason: March 7-11
Have you ever contemplated teleworking? Now is the time to try it out! From March 7–11, Mason will be celebrating its own Telework Week during the university’s Spring Break. An abbreviated, one-page agreement is available at hr.gmu.edu and on the flexible work website at flexwork.gmu.edu.

Note that those who participate in Telework Week are doing so under the Flexible Work Policy, #2202. Signing the abbreviated agreement binds the employee/supervisor to the terms and conditions of the complete telework agreement.

 

Take Your Kid to Mason Day: Monday, March 28
The Working Moms Support Group and Working Dads Group, in collaboration with Human Resources and Payroll and several other Mason offices, have come together to create a new pilot event for faculty and staff with school aged-children. In the spirit of the popular “Take Our Daughters and Sons to Work Day,” special programming will occur on the Fairfax Campus on Monday, March 28. This is a scheduled Teacher Workday in Fairfax and Prince William County public schools, so children will not miss school to participate.

Formal programming is scheduled for the morning, while the afternoon is left open to allow your child more direct job shadowing experience in your department and around campus. You may also want to check Around Mason for any additional opportunities taking place that day.

To participate, complete the Take Your Kid to Mason Day Consent Form and fax to 703-993-2601 or email a scanned copy to worklife@gmu.edu.

Take Your Kid to Mason Day Schedule of Events:

  • 9:15 a.m.: Welcome and Remarks by President Cabrera
  • 10 a.m.: Campus Information and Tour – Admissions Office
  • 11:30 a.m.: Optional lunch at Ike’s (free for participating children, reduced rate of $8 for participating parents)

Please note the following details for participation:

  • Parents must accompany their minor children at all times while on campus, per University Policy 2228
  • Supervisor approval is necessary for participation
  • Complete the Take Your Kid to Mason Day Consent Form and fax to 703-993-2601 or email a scanned copy to worklife@gmu.edu
  • While there is no age requirement, this event is most appropriate for school-aged children between 8–12 years
  • This is a pilot event. Your participation and feedback are important if we hope to develop it for years to come!

 

Save the Date: 20th Annual Victims’ Rights 5K Run/Walk on April 1
Join us on Friday, April 1, at noon outside Merten Hall for the 20th Annual Victims’ Rights Run/Walk. The proceeds of this event support Mason’s Victims of Violence Fund and the Rape Aggression Defense (RAD) Program. The Victims’ Rights Run/Walk collaborates with the Aimee Willard Endowed Scholarship Fund. Aimee was a Mason student/athlete whose life was tragically cut short by a brutal act of violence in 1996. To learn more about Aimee, the endowed scholarship in her name, and to register for the race, visit vrrw.gmu.edu.

 

March Well-Being Seminars
March well-being seminars are just a click away!  On-site classes for March (videoconferenced to Arlington and SciTech) include:

  • March 7: Organization, Self-Reliance, and Time-Management: Stepping Stones on the Path to Success in Elementary and Middle School (flyer), presented by Charlotte Foster, Westminster School
  • March 17: Advanced Directives, presented by the Anthem Employee Assistance Program
  • March 21: Building a Portfolio for Any Weather, presented by Jeff Jones, Fidelity Investments
  • March 30: Working with the Mind-Body Connection to Improve Physical Well-Being, presented by Shernita Rochelle-Parker, Human Resources and Payroll

All sessions held at noon. For a description of each session and to register, click here.

 

Leading to Well-Being: Cultivating Resilience Conference
Don’t miss the early-bird rates for George Mason University’s annual Leading to Well-Being Conference. Now in its seventh year, this conference gathers the nation’s top experts in leadership and well-being for two days of deep and substantial learning focused on cultivating resilience. Those wanting an even deeper learning experience may be interested in one of the half-day Thursday Intensives. Reduced Mason employee rates are available. Early-bird rates end Friday, March 4, and space for the optional Thursday Intensives is limited, so register soon! Find out more and register at leadingtowellbeing.gmu.edu.