Spotlight On:

Training and Special Events

Training

Human Resources provides a broad range of learning opportunities for faculty, staff and management employees. These opportunities are presented through in-person training courses, personal growth seminars, and online resources and tools. We develop and deliver professional development courses and coordinate educational workshops facilitated by outside companies. See Training on our website for more information.

HR101 Courses focus on practical tools and techniques for professional development and personal knowledge. We also offer management courses and can work with departments to design custom courses to meet your needs. In addition to in-person courses, all employees have access to two eLearning Resources.

Human Resources staff members are also certified to lead teams through the Insights Discovery workshop, which is designed to help teams work together more effectively and build stronger relationships.

Special Events

The Training & Special Events unit is responsible for planning two major campus wide annual events: the Employee Services Fair and the Spartan Service Celebration. The Employee Services Fair is held during Benefits Open Enrollment, and in addition to the CSU benefit program providers we invite a wide variety of local organizations and companies offering services, discounts and perks to our employees. The Spartan Service Celebration recognizes staff and management employees with milestone years of service. There is a program highlighting the honorees’ contributions to SJSU, followed by a celebratory reception. In addition to these two major events, the staff is involved in New Employee Orientation and manages the monthly Spartan 101 program.

Fee Waiver

The Staff Fee Waiver Program is an excellent benefit for eligible CSU employees. It allows employees or their eligible dependents to take CSU general-fund courses at reduced rates. Human Resources reviews and processes fee waiver applications for staff and MPP employees. We verify employment and academic eligibility then collaborate with staff in the Bursar’s Office and Enrollment Services to complete the process. Please refer any questions you have about the Staff Fee Waiver Program to Julie Wong. For Faculty Fee Waiver questions, please contact Faculty Affairs.

Employee Wellness Program

Well U, the employee wellness program, was created to encourage employees to strive for a healthy, balanced lifestyle. Through partnerships with Kaiser Permanente and Blue Cross we offer programs such as free on-campus flu shots, biometrics screenings and wellness challenges. Our goal is to help SJSU have a healthy, happy and more engaged workforce. To stay informed about the program, join the Well U Google Group.

Carrie Medders, the Senior Director of Human Resources, has management oversight for the programs above while the day-to-day coordination is handled by Julie Wong, Coordinator of Training and Special Events. Please don’t hesitate to contact Julie or Carrie with questions or suggestions.

2016 HR Calendars Online

Just a reminder...you can find a variety of calendars on the HR website. These should help you plan both personally and professionally.

2016 Direct Deposit Calendar

2016 Holiday Calendar

2016 Master Payroll Calendar

2016 Master Payroll Cutoff Dates

2016 Student Payroll Calendar

In addition, you can always find the current quarter's training calendar on the Calendars page of our website: HR Training Calendar January - March 2016.

Spartan 101...It's Not Just for New Employees!

“Even though I attended as a well-established staff member at SJSU, the most exciting resources for me [were] the conversations and the networking with the new SJSU employees, and the guest speakers brought in to give the SJSU campus overview. It was not only a good reminder of the resources available, but learning about new benefits confirm that SJSU is striving to stay well-versed." Lucy Yamakawa Cox, School of Music and Dance

Spartan 101 was initially created for new SJSU employees, but all employees benefit from attending! It’s a great way to meet and network with fellow Spartans from different areas of campus while learning more about SJSU. Speakers from the Office for Equal Opportunity, UPD, Workers’ Compensation and Ergonomics, Campus Recreation, Transportation Solutions and Athletics also talk about the services they provide.

Spartan 101 is held the second Wednesday of the month from 8:30 am to 12:00 pm in Clark 547. Contact Julie Wong if you are interested in attending.

Buzz on Amanda Frank

Amanda is an alumna of San José State and received her Bachelor’s Degree in Business Administration with a concentration in Human Resources. After graduation, Amanda started working in the University’s HR department.

Amanda has been working in HR for almost 10 years. She started her career at the front desk, moved to Training and Development, then finally into Workforce Planning where she works today.

Q. Where did you grow up?

A. I was born and raised in San Jose.

Q. What do you like to eat?

A. I love Indian food. One of my favorite places to eat is the Emperor of India -- I’m sure some of you have joined me for lunch at this restaurant!

Q. What is your favorite spot on campus?

A. I enjoy Tower Hall since it’s the most historical building at the University.

Q. What is the most satisfying part of your job?

A. I enjoy working with managers, staff, and students on the various workforce planning processes. It’s nice to help them understand and troubleshoot issues faced during the filling of a position, classification and compensation reviews, and recruitments.

Recruitment has always been my interest. I enjoy going out to the departments and talking to the managers and hiring committees about the vacancies, the recruiting process, and developing professional relationships with departments across campus.

Q. How do you spend your time outside of work?

A. I find joy in spending time with family and friends, and I also enjoy traveling across the different states. I fell in love with New York because there is so much to do and there are so many cultures. I am also actively involved in the Little People of America organization, where I conduct workshops and educational seminars.

When I’m not busy with all the people around me, I like to treat myself to a manicure, pedicure, and massage!

Q. Who is someone that inspires you?

A. My parents inspire me. Growing up, they taught me that being little didn’t matter. They also taught me that I can achieve anything if I put my mind and heart to it. They also encouraged me to strive to work harder.

Verification of Employment
In our ongoing efforts to provide excellent customer service, we have made a few changes related to the verification of employment. We now have a dedicated phone line and email address for your verification of employment needs. Using these new contact points will ensure the responses to your inquiries are expedited. Please direct your questions, as well as inquiries from outside verifying agencies, to the contact information below:

Email: empverification-group@sjsu.edu
Phone: 408-924-2150

In addition, we have updated our Request for Verification of Employment form. It can be found under R on the All Forms page on our website.

Student Employment Guide for Hiring Departments

We have various student employment programs at San José State, which are governed by federal, state, CSU and campus employment laws, policies and practices.

We have compiled all the necessary information to hire a student employee in one guide. The guide also contains links for forms and references that can aid you in fostering a professional and educational environment for student employees.

See the HR website for Student Employment Guide for Hiring Departments, Student Assistant Appointment Form, and the Student Appointment Letter. 

We hope you find this new tool useful and encourage you to reach out to Your HR Representatives for Employee Services or Payroll if you have any questions.

Holiday Door Decoration Contest

We had great fun decorating our office doors for the holidays and loved having many of you stop by to take a look at them. Thanks to those of you who participated in the judging. Please join us in congratulating our winners!

 Most Creative...Michele Delfino, Employee Services

Most Whimsical...HRIS: Lisa Chen, Shelley Peralta Leyva, Kim Aldridge

Chief Decena's Choice...Stacey Elsibai, Equal Opp & Employee Relations

People's Choice Award...The Front Desk: Aggie Anaya, Crystal Salinas

Spartans Stepping Beyond

in 2016

A New Year’s resolution is a tradition in which a person makes a promise to do an act of self-improvement or something nice, such as recognizing a fellow Spartan for Stepping Beyond!

Spartans Stepping Beyond provides all members of the San José State community with an easy way to say Thank You to someone who makes a difference on campus.

What might Stepping Beyond look like?

• Exemplifying the Vision 2017 goal of helping and caring
• Going beyond what is expected
• Performing exemplary work in support of others
• Completing a task in a manner that allows others to more easily complete their work

All those recognized for Stepping Beyond will be highlighted on the Spartans Stepping Beyond webpage and entered into a drawing to receive a special gift.

Recognize a Fellow Spartan today!

Upcoming HR Training & Events 

The complete Human Resources Training Calendar January – March 2016 is posted on the Human Resources website.

Visit Our Website

408.924.2250

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Join/View the HR User Group for updates from your HR team!