It is hard to believe that a year has gone by since the inaugural issue of InBrief. InBrief was created as a pilot initiative to increase the effectiveness of Finance and Administration's ability to communicate with the campus community, in part by decreasing the number of broadcast emails you receive. It now includes news and information for other areas of campus. Please take a few minutes and complete this three question survey and let us know what you think.

The 2020 Annual Benefits Open Enrollment for faculty, staff and post doctoral scholars is underway and will run through Nov, 15. This is the once-a-year opportunity for benefits eligible employees to evaluate their benefits and make any necessary changes.

There are a number of exciting new changes and new benefits for both Faculty and Staff and Postdoctoral Associates. Please visit the Open Enrollment website for more information. All Open Enrollment changes will be done through Workday.

The annual Faculty Club Thanksgiving luncheon will be held on Tuesday, Nov. 19 and Wednesday, Nov. 20 from 11:30 a.m.-2 p.m. Make your reservation today by contacting fcreservations@brandeis.edu or ext. 6-4280. For more information please visit the Dining Services website.

By now you should have received your packets of information about The Brandeis Unites Us Campaign. The faculty and staff campaign to support Brandeis, the United Way or Community Works continues through Dec. 31, so there is still time to make your gift. Consider making your gift on Giving Tuesday, the international day of philanthropy. This year, Giving Tuesday is Dec. 3 and if Brandeis reaches 1,948 donors, the University receives an additional $100,000 thanks to Madalyn Friedberg, national president of the Brandeis National Committee and a member of the Board of Trustees. Please visit giving.brandeis.edu/brandeis-unites-us to make your gift!

The Faculty Club is now accepting reservations via e-mail. Please email fcreservations@brandeis.edu to book your next luncheon.

Kutz Bakeshop is now taking orders for pumpkin, apple and blueberry pies to be enjoyed at your Thanksgiving holiday party. Place your order by Wednesday, Nov. 20 for pickup at the Hoot Market between the Nov. 22 and Nov. 27. Each pie sale also makes a $1 donation to the Sodexo Stop Hunger Foundation. All pies are kosher pareve and can be made kosher dairy if desired.

Interested in learning how to manage all of your different account passwords? Curious about how to spot fraudulent emails? ITS is hosting a security awareness workshop to introduce new tools to help you keep your account and data secure, share some information security best practices, and an open Q&A session. Everyone is welcome. Cookies and beverages will be provided. For more information, please send an email to security@brandeis.edu.

Do you have a question about Workday? Want to hear what's next for Workday@Brandeis? Join the Workday@Brandeis team on Thursday, Dec. 5 at 10-11:30 a.m. to hear project updates, learn about Workday Student and get answers to your Workday questions. We invite you to submit your questions and comments through the Workday Feedback Form. Members from HR, Benefits, Finance, Student Employment and ITS will be available to answer your questions. For more information, send an email to workday@brandeis.edu or visit the Workday website.

The Workday@Brandeis project team has engaged with Huron Consulting Group as the implementation partner for the Workday Student project, a multi-year initiative that will eventually replace Sage. This partnership is the result of a comprehensive four-month evaluation process that involved dozens of Brandeis staff across several functional areas. The project team will begin detailed planning in the upcoming weeks and will provide regular project updates as they become available. For more information, please send an email to workday@brandeis.edu.

Get ready for our 10th annual Kindness Day at Brandeis. Kindness Day will take place on Thursday, Nov. 14, but will also include some fun activities during the week leading up. We can't wait to sprinkle kindness all around campus with you. Interested in volunteering to table Kindness Cards and swag? Fill out this form. Questions please contact co-coordinators Emma Forster and Miriam Berro Krugman.

Are you interested in sharing your Thanksgiving holiday traditions with a current Brandeis international student? The ISSO would like to invite you to sign up for our Thanksgiving Host Program to be matched with an international student guest to share the Thanksgiving holiday with you.

Participating as a Thanksgiving Holiday Host is a great opportunity to learn about the cultural traditions of Brandeis' wonderful international students, develop rewarding friendships with them, and share your own Thanksgiving traditions.

If you are interested in sharing your family's Thanksgiving traditions with an international student or two this year, please take a few moments to fill out the online host sign-up form. The sign-up deadline to be a Thanksgiving Holiday Host is Friday, Nov. 15.

For more information and FAQs, please visit the ISSO website or email us at isso@brandeis.edu.

Faculty, staff and postdoctoral scholars still have an opportunity to purchase Celtics tickets. For a complete list of available games and pricing please visit the The Office of the EVP, Finance and Administration website. To purchase tickets please contact Gail Jordan at gmcjordan@brandeis.edu or ext. 6-4435.

The first step to preventing burnout in your personal and professional life is to identify its signs and symptoms. In this interactive session, you will learn how to detect burnout triggers and discover ways to regain enthusiasm and life balance – including pacing yourself at work and at home and becoming more conscious of your needs and motivators. Getting in touch with your physical and emotional needs will enhance your ability to maintain high performance without costing you your health.

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

The stress created by workplace conflict interferes with performance, job satisfaction and productivity. Yet most of us are unaware that conflict, in addition to being inevitable, can lead to innovation, collaboration, behavior change and win-win solutions. This workshop is designed to reduce the stress associated with initiating and engaging in conflict. Not only will you learn principles of effective conflict resolution, you will also gain a deeper understanding of your own conflict style and how to use that knowledge to achieve more meaningful, mutually beneficial resolutions.

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