Note: this information applies only to the Vermont campus. Please the other post for information on Monterey.

In preparation for year-end please review the payroll schedule below and plan your time entry and approval. Taking time to plan submission and approval in advance will be critical to successful and timely payrolls!

To reiterate: these are the upcoming pay period deadlines:

26: Monday 12/14/2020

27: Friday 12/18/2020

1: Monday 1/11/2020 (Or Wednesday 12/23/2020 if you are not working over break)

A few key notes:

• Hourly employees will find Holiday and Holiday worked in their Oracle timecards instructions are available here.
• Salaried employees do not need to make any entries in Oracle they will continue to receive their salaries throughout the winter break.
• Absences and time worked can be entered early, please plan ahead and submit time entries to avoid missed pay during the winter break.
• Preparation for W2s: Please verify your mailing address in Oracle.

Pay Period 27 (2020)

• There are 27 pay periods in 2020, the 27^th pay period will not have many of the standard deductions calculated over the 26 standard pay period.
• The deadline for pay period 27 is early due to the winter break. All submissions and approvals must be done by Friday 12/18/20 at 3:00 pm.

Pay Period 1 (2021)

• If you are not working, please enter your time before leaving for the holiday (12/23/2020).
• The standard deadline is immediately following the winter break, it is imperative that all time and approvals are complete on January 11^th by 3 pm.

Note: this applies only to the Monterey, CA campus. Please refer to the other post for information on the VT campus.

In preparation for year-end please review the payroll schedule below and plan your time entry and approval. Taking time to plan submission and approval in advance will be critical to successful and timely payrolls!

To reiterate, the upcoming pay period deadlines are:

26: Monday 12/14/2020

1: Monday 1/4/2021 (Or Friday 12/18/2020 if you are not working over break)

A few key notes:

• Hourly employees will find Holiday and Holiday worked in their Oracle timecards instructions are available here.
• Salaried employees do not need to make any entries in Oracle they will continue to receive their salaries throughout the winter break.
• Absences and time worked can be entered early, please plan ahead and submit time entries to avoid missed pay during the winter break.
• Preparation for W2s: Please verify your mailing address in Oracle.

Pay Period 26 (2020)

• The deadline for pay period 26 is early due the winter break. All submissions and approvals must be done by Monday 12/14/20 at noon (12:00 pm PT).

Pay Period 1 (2021)

• If you are not working, please enter your time before leaving for the holiday (12/18/2020).
• The standard deadline is immediately following the winter break, it is imperative that all time and approvals are complete on January 4, 2021 by noon (12:00 pm PT).

This is a reminder that the 2020 Thanksgiving holiday break extends from 12:00am Monday November 23rd through 11:59pm Friday November 27th. The break has been extended to the full week to show gratitude to all members of the Middlebury College community during this difficult time. Please note that this change does not affect the time entry deadline. For information on entering holiday time in Oracle, please refer to the following page on our website:

http://www.middlebury.edu/offices/business/hr/staffandfaculty/time/ht

We hope everyone enjoys a safe and happy holiday.

Please check the GMHEC Well-being calendar for changes to the regular schedule due to the Thanksgiving holiday.  The calendar password is GMHECWell-Being

Yoga will be operating on a reduced schedule which you can find here or on the TCY Facebook page.

From the GMHEC family to yours, we want to wish you a Happy Thanksgiving. 

Be well.  Take care.  Stay safe.

You will find all the information about these events on the GMHEC Well-being calendar.  The calendar password is GMHECWell-Being

“Be selectively ignorant. Ignore topics that drain your attention. Unfollow people that drain your energy. Abandon projects that drain your time. Do not keep up with it all. The more selectively ignorant you become, the more broadly knowledgeable you can be.” – James Clear

Beth’s morning intention setting:  One of the best ways to gain control of your time & energy is to set an intention.  Setting and living your intentions allows you to focus on who you are in the moment, to recognize and live your values, and to raise your emotional energy, which in turn raises your physical energy.  Join Beth Umba, yoga and meditation instructor as she guides you through a powerful session to help you set an intention that will move you into your day with focus and energy.  Mondays and Wednesdays.  7:30-8:00 am EST. Zoom Meeting ID: 510 175 4836

Plant-based cooking with Nancy Wind:  Join health & lifestyle coach, Nancy Wind, for a fun, dynamic cooking workshop right from your own kitchen.  She will lead you through the preparation of a plant-based dish as you learn how to nourish yourself and your family for the upcoming holiday season. The meal will be gluten free and recipes will be provided in advance.   Monday, November 16th 6:00-8:00 pm EST.   Preregistration required.  Register here.

The Edge Six Week Focus on You:  Join the team from The Edge for this comprehensive six-week program aimed at supporting you through the holiday season.  Get support from your peers, a Registered Dietitian and a health coach in this remote program.  Discussion topics will include maintaining a balanced eating plan, creating sustainable habits and strategies to effectively manage stress.  Mondays, November 16th through December 21st.  Noon-1:00 pm EST.  Cost may be as low as $45 depending on your insurance.  To learn more or to register, contact genavix@edgevt.com or call (802) 951-2320.

Getting and keeping good credit.  Credit scores influence personal finances in more ways than most people realize. Whether it’s your auto insurance premium or the interest rate on your mortgage, you want your credit score to be deemed “excellent”.  Join the experts from My Secure Advantage and explore the criteria that determines a credit score, as well as how to establish new credit, how to recover from credit challenges, and best practices for maintaining an excellent credit score. Tuesday, November 10th noon-1:00 pm EST.  Register here. 

Working with Emotional Intelligence: Join Arnold Sanow, author, keynote speaker and executive coach to gain an understanding of what emotional intelligence is and to communicate in a positive way to improve your relationships.  Tuesday, November 17^th.  1:00-2:00 pm EST.  Preregistration required.  Register here.

Supporting a remote workforce:  With an increasing number of employees working remotely, managers are tasked with developing diversified strategies to support remote workers. Explore the characteristics and dynamics of the remote worker. Develop an appreciation for the needs of remote workers and specific support recommendations.  Brought to you by New Directions Behavioral Health.  Wednesday, November 11th.  noon-1:00 pm or 3:00-4:00 pm EST.  Click here to register. 

Waving Worry Goodbye: Strategies to manage anxiety:  Anxiety can be an occasional visitor, or a long-term guest. Research shows that most anxiety is best managed with behavior intervention. This training will empower individuals to assess their personal anxiety and integrate specific behavior practices to increase relaxation and calm. Brought to you by New Directions Behavioral Health.  Wednesday, November 18th.  noon-1:00 pm or 3:00-4:00 pm EST. Click here to register. 

Leading in the face of adversity:  2020 has been a particularly challenging year, but the job of leading in the face of hardship never goes away. In this session, Snow Academy founder Shane Snow breaks down the surprising psychology of good crisis leadership, how to maintain people’s trust when things are going wrong, and how to deliver news that people don’t want to hear (but need to). Snow will connect his business psychology research to ancient philosophy to teach how you can better deal with leadership dilemmas when the stakes are high. Tuesday, November 17th 2:00-3:00 pm EST.  Register here.

Need tips on how to make your remote workstation work better for you and your body.  Check out this webinar from the ergonomics experts at The Rising Workplace.

Resilience might just be the word of 2020 and understandably so. With all that is going on in the world, we need to be able to bounce back and recover from challenge, set back and trauma.  How resilient are you?  What can you do to build more resilience?  Check out these resources from Cigna.  

Peak performance in work and in life depends on personal energy and teams who manage their energy individually and collectively report higher levels of health, well-being and engagement. We so often hear about the importance of time management, but time is finite. Time is the one thing we can never make more of. Energy, on the other hand, is a renewable resource and learning how to manage our energy is the key to health, happiness and peak performance. If you are interested in bringing this thirty minute presentation to your team, contact Rebecca Schubert at Rebecca.schubert@gmhec.org to schedule a time that works for you.  Come away with practical strategies you can implement to help you and your team avoid an energy crisis and which will enable you to thrive in work and in life.

With the colder weather coming in, now is the perfect time to allocate some time mid-day for some movement.  Check out our lunch time fitness classes which are suitable for all fitness levels.  Details are posted on the calendar.  The password is GMHECWell-Being.

Please note that we will not be holding our lunch time workouts during the week of Thanksgiving but yoga classes will still be available.  Take care & stay well.

November 2020

Habitat for Humanity of Addison County (H4HAC), an affiliate of Habitat for Humanity International, is a non-profit organization that creates opportunities for people to live in decent, affordable, energy efficient homes.  The exciting news is that H4HAC will be building, not one, not two, but FOUR new homes over the next four years in Booth Woods, on the south edge of the town of Vergennes (less than a mile walk from the town center).  These homes have been designed by several classes of Middlebury College architecture students under the guidance of John McLeod, professor of architecture and a practicing architect in Middlebury.  The first home designed, in 2017, for 51 Seymour Street in Middlebury, is complete and just received a design distinction honors award from the American Institute of Architects.

The Booth Woods residences are two, three and four bedroom homes, ranging from 1,100 to 1,250 square feet.  Three of the four are single story.  The structures are of the highest energy efficiency and will cost little to heat and cool.  

Families qualify with combined annual incomes in the $40,000 to $70,000 (depending on the number of children) and with relatively good credit ratings (perfect is NOT necessary).  The mortgages of the finished homes will range from $170,000 – $190,000; and are held by H4HAC at 0% interest.  These homes would typically market for high $200k’s.  Habitat homebuyers also invest hundreds of hours of their own labor, called “sweat equity”, and receive financial education.

To apply, simply go to the H4HAC website and click on Apply for a Home: https://addisonhabitat.org/apply-for-a-home/

Additional opportunities for Addison County homeownership (including a program with a significantly lower income requirement) can be found on Vermont 211’s database by going to www.vermont211.org and clicking on the blue rectangle that leads to the search engine.  You can discover the details of H4HAC’s program, and other programs that can help you become a homeowner, by entering the following terms in our Keyword Search (be sure to enter your ZIP Code first):

• Subsidized Home Acquisition
• Housing Down Payment Loans/Grants
• Housing Counseling for Homebuyers

And remember, you can always reach a Vermont 211 Community Resource Specialist by dialing 211 (24 hours a day, 7 days a week), or by texting your ZIP Code to 898211 (Monday-Friday 8:00am – 8:00pm).

Cigna Extends Cost Share Waiver for Covid Testing and Treatment

At-Home Covid Testing Available

It is likely that influenza (flu) viruses and the virus that causes COVID-19 will both spread this fall and winter. Healthcare systems could be overwhelmed treating both patients with flu and patients with COVID-19. Annual flu vaccines are recommended by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention for all U.S. citizens older than six months of age, barring any medical contraindications. The CDC also notes that vaccination reduces the burden of respiratory illness due to COVID-19 and the likelihood that an individual would need to quarantine if they develop respiratory symptoms. This means getting a flu vaccine during 2020-2021 is more important than ever.  While getting a flu vaccine will not protect against COVID-19, there are many important benefits, such as:

1. Flu vaccines have been shown to reduce the risk of flu illness, hospitalization, and death.
2. Getting a flu vaccine can also save healthcare resources for the care of patients with COVID-19.

You can get your flu vaccine at your primary care practice or at many local pharmacies. For a list of Cigna in-network pharmacies click here. Staying in network for your vaccine will ensure that your vaccine is covered, and you don’t incur any unexpected costs. 

In addition, Addison County Home Health and Hospice is hosting a drive-through flu clinic for members of the public 18+ on Friday, November 20 at their office located at 254 Ethan Allen Highway (Route7) from 7:30 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. The standard dose of the influenza vaccine, not the high dose version for individuals 65+, will be administered. The clinic will be by appointment only and reservations must be made by calling the ACHHH office at 388-7259 by 5 p.m. on November 11. There is no cost for this clinic however donations to ACHHH to cover administration costs are gratefully accepted.