Please join us in welcoming Ms. Susan Harkins to UMBC Human Resources Department as our new Manager of Classification/Compensation. Susan comes to us with over 20 years of human resources and compensation experience, more recently with the University of Maryland Baltimore (UMB) and the University of Maryland College Park (UMCP), where she was a strategic partner with both staff, management and faculty, with respect to classification, compensation, and organizational structure issues. At both campuses Susan gained an in-depth knowledge of system-wide exempt and non-exempt pay and staffing programs and policies, and an understanding of the challenges and creativity required to integrate those with campus level policies and initiatives.
I encourage members of our UMBC community to reach out to Susan at sharkin1@umbc.edu and give her a warm UMBC welcome. In the meantime, we ask that you continue to submit classification inquiries and requests to our dedicated Classification/Compensation email box at HRClassComp@umbc.edu.
Today's talk is The happy secret to better work by Shawn Anchor. We believe we should work hard in order to be happy, but could we be thinking about things backwards? In this fast-moving and very funny talk, psychologist Shawn Achor argues that, actually, happiness inspires us to be more productive.
The Summer 2021 newsletter is now available!
"The Mentor" is the MD State Retirement & Pension Agency's seasonal newsletter for active members. The newsletter provides news, information, and legislative updates.
Have you signed up for your mySRPS account? Your mySRPS account allows active members to access their current account balance, update their beneficiary information, run estimates of their future monthly benefits and much more!
Please note: The Pension Agency no longer mails Personal Statement of Benefits (PSB) to members' home address. Members can now access all their account information 24/7 in their mySRPS account. Members will need to request a registration code to be mailed to their home address in order to initially set up their mySRPS account.
For employees enrolled in the MD State Retirement & Pension system (the Pension Agency), the Summer schedule for pre-retirement webinars is now available.
These webinars are a valuable pre-retirement planning tool for all eligible members (within 8 years of retirement) and their spouses, hosted by the Community College of Baltimore County (CCBC).
Due to COVID-19 safety precautions, all seminars will be offered as webinars covering the same topics as the in-person sessions.
Please register using this link http://www.ccbcmd.edu/ceed-preretirement-state or by calling 443-840-5059. Please remember to use the course # when registering.
The webinars run 9:00 a.m. – 4:00 p.m. and are open to members and their spouses.
· June 10 (CRN 38618)
· June 25 (CRN 38620)
· July 16 (CRN 72911)
· July 22 (CRN 72913)
· August 12 (CRN 72015)
· August 25 (CRN 72016)
After registration, participants will receive a link to the webinar with instructions to participate.
Please visit the MD State Pension Agency website monthly for newly scheduled webinars.
Today's talk is What I've learned about parenting as a stay-at-home dad by Glen Henry. Glen Henry got his superpowers through fatherhood. After leaving behind a job he hated and a manager he didn't get along with, he went to work for an equally demanding boss: his kids. He shares how he went from thinking he knew it all about being a stay-at-home parent to realizing he knew nothing at all -- and how he's now documenting what he's learned.
Today's talk is The cost of work stress - and how to reduce it by Rob Cooke. By estimates, work-related stress drains the US economy of nearly 300 billion dollars a year -- and it can hurt your productivity and personal health too, says wellness advocate Rob Cooke. He shares some strategies to help put your mental, physical and emotional well-being back at the forefront.
Today's talk is Want to be more creative? Go for a walk by Marily Oppezzo. When trying to come up with a new idea, we all have times when we get stuck. But according to research by behavioral and learning scientist Marily Oppezzo, getting up and going for a walk might be all it takes to get your creative juices flowing. In this fun, fast talk, she explains how walking could help you get the most out of your next brainstorm.
Today's talk is How to create meaningful connections while apart by Priya Parker.
Author Priya Parker shares tools for creating meaningful connections with friends, family and coworkers during the coronavirus pandemic -- and shows how we can take advantage of gatherings that are unique to this moment of social distancing. "We don't necessarily need to gather more," she says. "We need to gather better."