Category: July 2017

The Outstanding Supervisor Award, sponsored by the Mason Staff Senate, seeks to recognize supervisors who routinely go above and beyond to provide unparalleled leadership, mentorship, and support within their departments or offices. Outstanding supervisors model and promote a positive work-life balance and strive to serve not only their departments or offices but also their personnel. Other activities that an outstanding supervisor demonstrates include:

• Acknowledging exemplary performance
• Supporting innovation and soliciting input from employees
• Being fair and flexible
• Encouraging and providing opportunities for professional growth

Does this sound like your supervisor? If the answer is yes, we want to know!

Consider submitting a nomination form for the Outstanding Supervisor Award.  More details can be found on the Mason Staff Senate website:  https://staffsenate.gmu.edu/ourwork/appreciate/outstandingsupervisoraward.  The nomination period opens on August 1, 2017, and ends on August 31, 2017.  Email completed nomination forms to staffsenate@gmu.edu.

Questions? Contact Amanda Corrigan, Staff Senate (3.4141 or acorrig2@gmu.edu)

The winner(s) will be officially recognized during the Outstanding Achievement Award ceremony.

Heartfelt congratulations to Patrice Bolton, Program Assistant in the School of Business, for being selected as the June 2017 Employee of the Month. Read more about Patrice in this Mason News article.

Do you know a superstar? Make sure they receive the deserved recognition, and submit a nomination for Mason’s Employee of the Month. Additional information can be found on the Human Resources and Payroll awards page.

Contact Reward and Recognition at awards@gmu.edu with questions.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Social Well-Being: Mason Kids Club

Wondering what to do with your school-age child between the ages of 6-11 once camp ends and school hasn’t started? Sign up for Mason Kids Club, managed by the George Mason University Child Development Center, from August 14-August 25. Two one-week sessions will be offered with fun, hands-on activities and engaging campus field trips. For details and registration, please visit http://www.regonline.com/masonkidsclubsummer2017 .  If you have any questions, please call the Child Development Center at 703.993.5960.

Career Well-Being: Non-Exempt Employees Can Choose Leave or Pay for Their Overtime Hours

Effective August 1 , non-exempt employees (i.e. overtime eligible for all hours over 40 worked in a week) can initiate or change their election regarding how their overtime is to be handled by the Payroll Department. All non-exempt employees have the option of being paid for their overtime (which is the default) or to accumulate their overtime as leave.

If a non-exempt employee has made an election in the past and does not want to change their election, they do not have to do anything. If they want to continue to receive pay for any overtime earned, they also do not have to complete a form.  However, if the non-exempt employee would like to change their election from receiving pay to receiving leave or receiving leave to receiving pay, please ask him or her to complete an Overtime Leave Agreement Form and submit it to the Payroll Department no later than Friday, September 8.

Unfortunately this deadline is firm and we cannot accept forms after that date.

Please remember that an election commits the employee to their choice for one year until the next open enrollment period. This means that if the non-exempt employee elects leave accumulation he or she will receive leave and not pay for any overtime worked during the next academic year.

Please contact Catalina Wheat at 3.2751 if you have any questions.

Career Well-Being Compressed Schedules and the Holidays

If you or a member of your team is using the compressed schedule flexible work option, you may have questions on how to handle the upcoming summer holidays.  Please visit http://hr.gmu.edu/worklife for details.  If you have any questions, please call 3.2600 and ask for a member of the Life/Work Connections team.

Financial Well-Being

Saving Money

Please check out the Life/Work Connections discount page at http://hr.gmu.edu/worklife/discounts for some money-savings opportunities.  There are some terrific and timely summer savings opportunities out there from the Commonwealth’s Department of Human Resource Management.  You can also visit them directly at http://www.dhrm.virginia.gov/employeediscounts.

Discount Opportunity: GlobalFit

There are some new offerings from GlobalFit.  It’s not just gym discounts anymore.  In addition to savings offers at over 9000 gyms, fitness centers, and studios nationwide, check out GlobalFit for group fitness on demand, exercise DVDs, or wearable fitness trackers.  They also have offers from Diet-to-Go, Nutrisystem and more.  Log in to the discount page and select “Athletics and the Arts” from “myDiscounts” on the left-side navigation or visit them directly at http://www.globalfit.com/georgemasonuniv.

Individual Retirement Counseling Sessions

Healthy finances are a cornerstone of your own personal well-being.  It’s always important to be saving for your longer term goals – retiring student debt, buying a car or home, saving for the kid’s or grandkid’s college education, and the big one ….. retirement.  No matter your age, retirement is one of everyone’s long term goals.  To help you with your plans, take advantage of on-campus individual retirement counseling sessions offered by TIAA, Fidelity, and ICMA-RC.  For dates and times, please visit http://hr.gmu.edu/benefits/retire/tiaa.php.

On-Line Webinars

Our in-person financial well-being sessions are on hiatus until the fall but there are still some fabulous opportunities to enhance your financial knowledge during the summer.  You don’t have to be a member of TIAA, Fidelity, or the Virginia Retirement System (VRS) to participate.  Check out:

• TIAA: Several topics are available in July including a Quarterly Economic and Market Update (July 13) and All About IRAs (July 19).  Visit TIAA for details on all of the available sessions and to participate.  For the slate of all TIAA classes in July, August, and September, please visit the TIAA Calendar.
• Fidelity: Two sessions are currently available – Financial Do’s and Don’ts of Divorce (on demand) and Role Reversal: Taking Care of Older Loved Ones (August 15 or 16).  Visit Fidelity for details and to participate.
• Financial Well-Being Portal: Lots of resources are available on the Portal including webinars from the Virginia 529, the Virginia Retirement System (VRS), and more.

With the Mason Staff Senate’s move from Merten Hall complete, please note our mailstop has changed.  Our new office is located in Mason Hall D019 and our new mailstop has changed to 2C9!

Election season is here!  Voting in the Staff Senate election will begin on July 10, and end at 5 p.m. on July 21.  

Visit this link to vote:  https://staffsenate.gmu.edu/election2017.  The link for voting will be posted at that link, beginning July 10.

Follow us on Facebook and Twitter to see highlights of the election candidates and election results.

Contact staffsenate@gmu.edu with questions

Enjoy the flavors and fragrances  of Provence and Northern Coastal Italy on this journey of the senses. Enjoy cooking classes, meeting the cheese maker, and exploring the rich culture of a region steeped in history.  From Provence you will travel through the principality of Montecarlo, and onwards to Italy.  Learn about local foods with hands-on experiences. Your Mason multi-lingual escort, instructor Patricia Boudinot, is from Cannes and will give expert advice and suggestions from her first-hand knowledge of the region. Celebrate with new friends at our farewell dinner in Italy!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Program Details

Dates: October 7, 2017 – October 16, 2017

Eligibility

This program is open to all members of the Mason Community including students, faculty, staff, alumni and the general public.
No academic credit is awarded on Mason Cultural Tour programs.

Housing

First class hotel accommodations; double occupancy standard.

Eden Hotel & Spa, rue d’Antibes, Cannes, France

Grand Bristol Resort & Spa, Rapallo, Italy

Program Cost:  

• $3695 with airfare included
• Single supplement, $770

Included:

• Round-trip airfare from Dulles International Airport (IAD)
• 9 Nights  with first class accommodations
• Tour transportation in deluxe motorcoach
• Itinerary events and excursions as listed above
• Most meals
• Pre-Departure Orientation
• International Emergency Insurance

Not Included:

• Other transportation
• Personal spending
• Gratuities

The itinerary and additional details can be found here. For questions, contact Rita Rowand at rrowand1@gmu.edu.

Mason’s gardens are booming and blooming right now. Get in on the fresh food, help serve your community, learn about plant identification, gardening techniques, and get a great work out while enjoying the sunshine.

Summer 2017 Volunteer Schedule:

• Presidents Park Greenhouse: Tues./Fri. 11 a.m.-2 p.m. and Wed. 1-3 p.m.
• Innovation Food Forest: Tues./Fri. 4-7 p.m. (in greenhouse if raining).
• Potomac Heights Organic Vegetable Garden: Wed./Thurs. 4-7 p.m. (in greenhouse if raining).

Bring your own water bottle and dress to get dirty. For questions, contact Donielle Nolan at dnolan6@gmu.edu.