The gift of life: Carolina Blood Drive kick off
Retirement system communications updates
Training & Development mentoring materials available
The gift of life: Carolina Blood Drive kick off
Blood donors “saved my life and made my family very happy,”
Karl Schliebe, left, said at the April 24 kickoff for the 20th annual Carolina
Blood Drive, scheduled for June 3 at the Smith Center. Schliebe and his sister
Liz, right, said the former
UNC grounds worker needed about 15 units of blood to survive after a car
accident.
Some 70 faculty
and staff recruiters for the drive enjoyed the presence of giant
inflatable Buddy Blood Drop (background) They received American Red Cross
information and a pep talk from UNC Football Coach Butch Davis. Faculty and
staff can sign up for the drive at 96-BLOOD or www.unc.edu/blood.
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Retirement system communications updated
ORBIT system has log-in change
In an effort to streamline access to
members’ retirement accounts, the Teachers’
and State Employees’ Retirement System (TSERS) has simplified the steps that
are
required to register on the online retirement site, ORBIT (Online Retirement
Benefits through Integrated Technology).
The ORBIT system offers many features to TSERS members:
viewing account history; tracking requests for information; scheduling a
one-on-one meeting with a retirement counselor and much more.
To access ORBIT, visit www.myncretirement.com and select the
“ORBIT” button from the “Retirement” drop-down menu. You will be directed to
the log-in page, where you can complete your registration or log in if you have
already registered.
If you originally registered to access your ORBIT account
prior to March 13 using the more complex NCID process, you will need to
re-register as a first-time user following the instructions outlined above.
Annual benefit statements for TSERS members
The Teachers’ and State Employees’
Retirement System is now distributing annual
benefit statements for TSERS members
directly to employees’ home addresses.
“The mailing began in April and is expected to be staggered
over several months, so not all employees will receive their statements at the
same time,” said Brian Usischon, senior director of Benefits and Employee
Services. As an alternative to statements, employees can log on to ORBIT to
check the status of their account.
If you have questions about your
annual benefit statement, contact the retirement system at 919-807-3050 or
toll-free at 1-877-627-3287.
3Training & Development mentoring materials available
Are you looking to strengthen leadership, motivation and
communications skills in your department? A mentoring program may be just the
answer.
The Training & Development department in the Office of
Human Resources has a variety of mentoring resources available at hr.unc.edu/Data/SPA/training/mentor/index.
“At its heart, mentoring is about learning and development,
aligning an individual’s learning with business goals,” said Rob Kramer,
director of Training & Development. “This alignment creates a platform for
organizational growth and personal excellence.”
What is mentoring?
Mentoring is an organizational practice in which people
transfer or develop specific skill sets. Departments use teamwork to come
together, enabling employees to learn from one another. In the university
setting, a mentor
is an experienced employee who helps and guides another individual’s
development — in general or in a certain area of interest.
Mentoring also creates a sense of ownership throughout the
organization by holding everyone accountable for organizational learning
and success. The actual practice and look of mentoring varies based on the
people and
departments participating in the process.
What are the benefits of mentoring to my organization?
There are numerous advantages to providing
mentoring programs within and across
University departments. Recognized benefits of mentoring include:
Increased
competency levels in accomplishing crucial work for departments and
the University;
Personal and
direct contributions to the career development of talented employees;
Accelerated
leadership development to sharpen coaching, management and
communication skills (both for the mentor and the mentee) — vital skills
for successful leadership practices;
Increased
organizational commitments and job satisfaction, leading to renewed interest
and vigor for work responsibilities, which benefits the University as a whole;
Heightened
individual and organizational learning;
Stronger and
more cohesive teams;
Shared
responsibility that influences learning and growing; and
Maximum
resources for departments with a small workforce or high employee turnover.
Who should participate in the mentoring process?
Mentoring takes place throughout an
organization. Whether people engage in
traditional one-on-one mentoring partnerships or peer and team mentoring, the
process helps participants grow into their full potential and enriches the
workplace. The partnerships can be developed face-to-face or through distance
mentoring, including videoconferencing,
e-mail and phone calls.
How do I get started in the mentoring process?
Training & Development is ready to help individuals,
departments and organizations realize goals by developing mentoring skills.
Training & Development will provide:
Stock and
custom mentoring materials;
Information
about mentoring to
promote a mentoring culture and educate University employees;
Individual
departmental consultations to develop and support mentoring efforts; and
Organization
development programs custom-designed to meet specific mentoring needs.
For more information on mentoring,
contact Training & Development at 962-2550 or training_development@unc.edu.
