Please mark your calendars for the following critical benefits and health related events. Details and other announcements will follow in the next issue of InBrief.

Staff, Faculty and Postdoctoral Scholars Benefits Fair
Thursday, Oct. 31, 11:30 a.m.-2:30 p.m.
Hassenfeld Conference Center, Sherman Hall

Staff, Faculty and Postdoctoral Scholars Flu Clinic
Thursday, Oct. 31, 10:30 am – 2:30 pm
Hassenfeld Conference Center, Luria

Annual Benefits 2020 Open Enrollment
The Open Enrollment period will be in effect from Friday, Nov. 1 until Friday, Nov. 15

Facilities Services has begun the campus-wide transition from building cooling to heating. The systems cannot heat and cool at the same time, so this transition is an important step in maintaining your comfort and conserving energy.

For more information please visit the Facilities Services Website.

Throughout October (Domestic Violence Awareness Month), you will see information and events about domestic and dating violence across campus, including a toiletry donation drive (tampons, pads, toothpaste, deodorant, etc.) for REACH Against Domestic Violence, a local shelter. The drive will culminate in “Purple Thursday” on October 24, a day to raise awareness about domestic and dating violence by wearing purple. The Prevention, Advocacy & Resource Center (PARC) will be giving out pins to the community to wear and show support.

The dining services request for proposals (RFP) process is underway. Please visit the Dining Services web page for information on process and timeline, and to provide input. Community forums will be held as an opportunity for community engagement regarding the RFP process. All are welcome to attend and refreshments will be served.

Faculty, staff and postdoctoral scholars still have an opportunity to purchase Bruins and Celtics tickets. For a complete list of available games and pricing please visit the The Office of the EVP, Finance and Administration website.

BJ's Wholesale Club is offering a membership discount to new and renewing members for all Brandeis employees.

The new members only offer is:
$25/12 months for the basic membership(normally $55/12 months)
$50/12 months for the rewards membership(normally $110/12 months)

 The renewing members offer is:
$40/13 months for the basic membership(normally $55/12 months)
$80/13 months for the rewards membership(normally $110/12 months)


This offer is available until Oct. 25. Please contact BJ's representative Kim Sbrogna at ksbrogna@bjs.com for more information and applications.

Workday support is available during the Workday Wednesdays open office hours held weekly on Wednesdays from 1 to 3 p.m. No appointment is needed. Starting, 10/23, faculty, staff and student employees are welcome to stop by the Feldberg Atrium Conference Room to get assistance with Workday. Please visit the Workday@Brandeis website for online resources including how-to documentation, short instructional videos, and FAQs. For more information, please contact workday-help@brandeis.edu.

Family Weekend 2019 is quickly approaching. We're expecting to reach upwards of 700 participants. The first event to kick-off the weekend is the Welcome Reception on Friday, October 25. The reception is from 3 p.m.-5 p.m. in the Shapiro Campus Center Atrium. We hope you can make it. This is a great opportunity to meet many of the families that will be on campus throughout the weekend. See our full list of events for the weekend.

All Brandeis faculty and staff are invited to exhibit their artwork in JustArts, the sixth biannual faculty/staff exhibition. Faculty emeriti and post-docs are also welcome to participate.

For more information and to register please visit the JustArts web page.

Please contact Ingrid Schorr at ingrids@brandeis.edu or 781-736-5008 with questions.

It’s crucial as a manager to know the basics of the law in order to avoid common mistakes that can lead to real trouble. This workshop will provide managers with an overview of relevant employment laws and will educate managers on how to recognize red flags and seek assistance.

For more information and to register please visit the Human Resources Training website.

Human Resources is kicking off the following Management “Nuts and Bolts” workshops as a pilot program to provide managers with key knowledge and tools. Managers can register for any or all of the following workshops:

• TBD | Learning About Different Positions Types
• Thursday, Nov. 7 | Introduction to Leave Policie
• Thursday, Dec. 5 | How to Conduct One-on-Ones

To register or for more detailed information please visit the Human Resources Training and Professional Development web page.

Learn how to create well-written e-mail messages, memos, reports and other materials. Review ways to enhance the “readability” of your messages and tips to help make e-mail writing faster and easier. Special focus is on seven principles of effective business writing and how to approach a writing task. The workshop will also review aspects of punctuation, grammar and word usage, and you will learn about Web resources that can help you further develop your writing skills.

For detailed information and registration please visit the Human Resources Training and Professional Development webpage.

Managing stress with today’s pressures and responsibilities can be a challenge. Discover your levels of categorical stress around physical, social, emotional and mental symptoms. Enhance your ability to identify stress and be proactive in managing stress as it comes your way.

For detailed information and registration please visit the Human Resources Training and Professional Development webpage.

In an effort to help managers with their hiring needs, the Office of Human Resources will be holding Recruitment & Hiring Workday assistance training. Melinda Cimino and Emily Bonawitz will be available to answer questions.

One of the three priorities of the Division of Finance and Administration is to make Brandeis a great place to work! The three new policies/programs will take effect on January 1, 2020.

• A University-wide staff policy on Telecommuting & Alternate Work Schedules
• A new On-The-Spot Reward Program for staff
• A new contract with Bright Horizons for additional Child & Dependent Care Resources for faculty, staff and graduate students

The Brandeis University Staff Advisory Committee (BUSAC) and the HR/Finance Liaison Group (administrators from schools and divisions) are key advisory partners, and we are grateful for their attention and advice. Please remember, these are not effective until 2020, but we welcome questions at hr@brandeis.edu.

With the end of the calendar year approaching, it is a perfect time for employees to review their vacation balances. The University vacation policy limits balances that employees are allowed to carry-over to the next calendar year. On January 1, 2020, employees who have balances that exceed the carry-over limit will have their balances reduced. Please plan ahead and use your accrued time to avoid losing any vacation time. As always supervisor approval is required before vacation leave can be taken. Please visit the Human Resources Website to view the paid time off policy.