03/29/2019
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Good Afternoon MTAS,
I’d like to start off this week’s Mustard with a positive customer comment. This one comes from Jessica in Sweetwater and it’s specifically about Brad, but gives a thumbs up to the entire agency too:
I went to Brad Harris’ budgeting class in Collegedale. The worksheets he provided and the notebook (which will now sit on my desk with my CMFO manuals) have been very helpful. Even though this is my 13th budget, I feel like this class taught me a lot. Probably the most practical application I’ve gotten in a class. Then, when I was changing my budget over into Brad’s provided worksheet, I was off on revenues. I stayed late two nights working to find that amount and finally caved and asked Brad to look over it. Within 45 minutes, he found it. Once again, MTAS comes through.
Just wanted to thank you all for your hard work and your commitment to excellence, particularly in employing great staff that go above and beyond.
Way to go Brad and the “staff that go above and beyond”! You make me proud.
Last week, MTAS presented its budget to IPS. Part of the process is identifying salaries and benefits. This led me to the re-realization of just how expensive the benefit package is. However, I am grateful for it and am so glad that we have the benefits we do. I challenge you to learn how much of a benefit this is to you by finding your benefit statement. You’ll go to the IRIS Self Service web page, just like you do to see your pay stub: https://cas.tennessee.edu/cas/login?service=https%3A%2F%2Fidp.utk.edu%2Fidp%2FAuthn%2FExtCas%3Fconversation%3De1s1%26entityId%3Dirisweb.tennessee.edu. From here you’ll do the two factor authentication, and when you’re in, select “Employee Self Service” from the bar with the folders at the top (it’s the one in the middle). From here, select from the left hand side of the screen under “Benefits and Payment” the item called “Personalized Benefits Statement.” It will show you your hourly rate of pay, and right below it, your hourly pay including the cost of benefits. It will also tell you what percent your benefits are of your total compensation. Besides all that nifty information, this page will also tell you the benefits you are enrolled in, the amount of leave time you have and you can make sure that the information UT has about you is correct (address, emergency contact, etc.).
Today I received notice that the search committee has been approved for the training coordinator position. The committee is:
- Abb Oglesby as chair
- Doug Brown
- Sarah Curtis
- Customers Casta Brice (HR Director for Tullahoma and also an advisory board member) and/or Madelyn Scales Harris (Murfreesboro vice mayor)
Also, there is change coming to the professional development request process. This won’t happen until the fall, but I wanted you to have a heads up on the change. In the past, we completed the training requests with the APR process. As you know, we just finished that; and it was March. If you have a conference you want to attend in January or February, this gets a little complicated. So, we’re going to move up the request time frame so that you’ll know by the end of December what training requests have been approved for the calendar year before the calendar year starts. I hope this will make the process easier and more manageable. There will be more to come, but I wanted to give you as much lead time as possible.
Last week we had two work anniversaries: Armintha and Lisa both share March 27 as their first day of work. Yes, there were a few years between them, but the day remains special to each. Congratulations to you both on another year of service to MTAS.
Finally, I want to share with you that one of our family members, Melissa, is entering a fight with breast cancer. She asked me to let you know. I ask you to support her, and share with her your stories of success, either your own, a friend’s or a family member’s. I also ask that you be understanding when her schedule becomes less predictable as she begins treatments. Melissa, we’re all rooting for you.
I’ll leave you with a quote from Helen Keller: “Although the world is full of suffering, it is full also of the overcoming of it.”
Most sincerely,
Margaret
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