MSU Extension Organizational Development

Introduction

Michigan State University values the multiple roles and responsibilities each of us has in our professional and personal lives. Whether you are a faculty, academic staff, support staff, or administrator, your ability to navigate your work and personal lives compatibly will help you be a productive, satisfied, successful, and healthy member of the MSU community. This WorkLife guide, developed by the MSU WorkLife Office in partnership with MSU Extension, will help connect you to the breadth of resources available to you for your work and personal lives. 

The MSU WorkLife Office provides a one-stop destination for your lifespan and career/professional life questions. The staff of the office can help facilitate success in your many roles and can offer guidance in creating synergy between those responsibilities. The mission of the WorkLife Office is to partner with the community to create an inclusive, responsive work environment where all faculty, academic staff and support staff are respected and supported toward well-being in work and personal lives. 

The office accomplishes this mission by offering guidance and education in five areas: 

1. Career Transitions. Carer transition concerns may include: parental leave; taking on a new role at MSU; advancing or changing careers; faculty tenure clock stoppage; among others. The WorkLife Office offers consultation and connects you to seminars and workshops to assist in these matters.
2. Relocation & Community Connections: if you are new to Michigan State, Michigan or the United States, the WorkLife Office can help connect you to community resources. Even if you aren't new to the area, we have plenty of ways to help you locate and access the resources you need. 
3. Family Care: Resources include, but are not limited to: consultation to determine the best care for you and your family's needs; identifying emergency childcare; sharing best practices for eldercare.
4. Workplace Assistance: We offer guidance for talking with supervisors about flexible work arrangements, recommendations for resolving conflict in the workplace, and identifying MSU policies which may apply to your workplace setting, among others.
5. Research: We provide access to cutting-edge research about best practices for work-life synergy and develop research specific to MSU's community. 

MSU Extension Human Resources

The MSU Extension Human Resources office is committed to supporting all employees of Extension -- in all of our county offices as well as at the MSU East Lansing campus. Our goal is to provide quality HR services that attract, develop, motivate, and retain a diverse workforce within a supportive work environment. We work toward this goal with an emphasis on customer service through consultation with our staff as well as communication with the MSU campus community. If you are unsure who to contact for a specific issue, we suggest you reach out via our general contact information either by email to msue.hr@msu.edu or by telephone at 517-353-9108. 

Inside the Guide

Sections of this booklet include:

• Introduction
• Childcare
• Families with Special Needs
• Eldercare
• Diversity & Inclusion
• Professional Development
• Health
• MSU & Regional Services
• Contact Directory