A biweekly publication for faculty and staff

Open Enrollment Continues Through Nov. 25

November 5, 2014

Open Enrollment Underway

The University of California's Open Enrollment for benefits continues until 5 p.m. Nov. 25.

Open enrollment is the time each year when you can change your medical plan and sign up for other benefits. It's a good time to consider any changes to your situation, plan ahead for significant medical events and take stock of your physical well being. 

This year, the UC produced a series of short educational videos to help employees and their families understand their benefits and use them wisely. Available online and via mobile devices, the videos address some of the complexities of using health insurance, and provide basic information, such as the difference between an HMO and a PPO.

Take five minutes to visit the Open Enrollment website to view the videos, including one that offers comparisons of the available medical plans.

Professional Development Workshops 

Looking to sharpen your workplace skills? Below are some upcoming professional development courses through December: 
  • Nov. 10 – Supervising According to Union Contracts 
  • Nov. 12 – Delegating for Success and Accountability
  • Nov. 13 – Customer Service
  • Nov. 19 – Emotional Intelligence/Whole-Brain Thinking
  • Dec. 9 – Team Building
  • Dec. 10 – Situational Leadership: A Model for Developing People
To register:
  1. Log in to the UC Learning Center using your UCMNetID.
  2. Search for training by name in the search bar on the left of your screen.
  3. Select the course you are interested in, then select “register” to see offerings, schedule and location details.
  4. Select the box next to the class that fits your needs and select “submit” to register.
  5. For more information, email hrtraining@ucmerced.edu or call 209-228-8247.

New Employee Orientation, Resources

The next new employee orientation is from 8:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. Nov. 7 in KL 232. For more information, visit the new employee orientation webpage.
 
The first few weeks in a new job can be challenging. To ease the stress of settling in, Human Resources has compiled a list of resources to assist new employees in acclimating to the university. Whether you are new to UC Merced or in a position of supervising others, you will find value in this tool.