A-to-Z Index

December HR Update

JMU Benefits Series

Give yourself the gift of knowledge this holiday season. Register to attend one or all of 2012’s Benefits training opportunities. 

FMLA Review Tuesday, January 17
Understanding Your Leave Tuesday, January 24
Health Insurance and
Flexible Reimbursement Accounts		 Wednesday, February 22
Retirement 101 –
Understanding Your VRS Retirement		 Wednesday, March 14, or May 16
Tuesday, October 16
Injured at Work, What Next?
Understanding Workers’ Compensation		 Tuesday, March 20
Optional Retirement (Non-VRS) -
What to Expect When You Retire		 Wednesday, April 4
Life Insurance Wednesday, April 18
Understanding Virginia Sickness and
Disability Program (VSDP)		 Wednesday, September 26
Saving for a Rainy Day –
Taking Advantage of Savings Opportunities		 Wednesday, November 7


MyMadison is on the way! More information to come in January.


Test your INTERVIEW QUESTION Knowledge

This is the second in a series of questions related to best hiring practices.

Question: Which one of the following questions should you not ask a candidate during an interview?

1. Will you tell us a little about yourself?

2. What would you do if someone asked you to do something unethical?

3. When I call your references, what will they say is your greatest strength and your greatest weakness?

4. When taking on a new task, do you like to have a great deal of feedback and responsibility at the outset,   or do you like to try your own approach?

1 is the correct answer.

This question could lead candidates to disclose personal information that should not be considered during the selection process, such as how many children they have, what church they attend, etc. Asking candidates to “briefly describe past work experience” will elicit useful job-related information to help in the selection process.  


Promoting Positivity

Whether you celebrate Christmas, Hanukkah or Kwanzaa may not matter-the pressures of perfectionism, rigid traditions and materialism can affect anyone. This year, why not prioritize your plans around your answers to the following questions:

  • What exactly am I celebrating?
  • What is most important to me about the holidays?

The Winter Holidays: What Are You Celebrating? 
Laurie M. Stewart - Achieve Solutions® Web Site


JMU’s Commonwealth of Virginia Campaign

Employees have pledged $37,422.44 to date. That’s almost 94% towards this year’s goal of $40,000.

There is still plenty of time for you to make a difference in our community. Please note these important dates:

Tuesday, December 20 – Last day to make a pledge through payroll deduction.
Saturday, December 31 – Last day to make a pledge to count for 2011 tax reporting.
Friday, January 20 – Last day to make a pledge online.

Thank you!


Check out JMU Training and Development’s 2012 Schedule of Classes

For additional information or to arrange customized sessions for your department, contact Suzanne Vance, Training Coordinator, at 8-4101 or vancesn.