{"id":74499,"date":"2018-02-23T15:02:02","date_gmt":"2018-02-23T21:02:02","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/news.olemiss.edu\/?p=74499"},"modified":"2018-02-23T15:02:02","modified_gmt":"2018-02-23T21:02:02","slug":"office-provost-creates-initiative-improve-work-life-balance","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/web20.olemiss.edu\/news\/wordpress\/office-provost-creates-initiative-improve-work-life-balance\/","title":{"rendered":"Office of the Provost Creates Initiative to Improve Work-Life Balance"},"content":{"rendered":"<p style=\"background: white;\"><span style=\"font-family: 'Georgia',serif; color: #333333;\"><a href=\"http:\/\/web20.olemiss.edu\/news\/wordpress\/office-provost-creates-initiative-improve-work-life-balance\/careerlife-connector-logo-white\/\" rel=\"attachment wp-att-75067\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-medium wp-image-75067 alignleft\" src=\"https:\/\/web20.olemiss.edu\/news\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/02\/UCIMG-18-300x168.jpg\" alt=\"\" height=\"168\" width=\"300\" srcset=\"https:\/\/web20.olemiss.edu\/news\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/02\/UCIMG-18-300x168.jpg 300w, https:\/\/web20.olemiss.edu\/news\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/02\/UCIMG-18-768x431.jpg 768w, https:\/\/web20.olemiss.edu\/news\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/02\/UCIMG-18.jpg 2048w, https:\/\/web20.olemiss.edu\/news\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/02\/UCIMG-18-580x326.jpg 580w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 300px) 100vw, 300px\" \/><\/a>In an effort to improve career-life balance for University of Mississippi employees, the <a href=\"https:\/\/olemiss.edu\/provost\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Office of the Provost<\/a>&nbsp;has created the&nbsp;<\/span><a href=\"http:\/\/careerlife.olemiss.edu\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\"><span style=\"font-family: 'Georgia',serif;\">Career-Life Connector Initiative<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-family: 'Georgia',serif; color: #333333;\">&nbsp;to help faculty and staff balance professional and personal responsibilities.<\/span><\/p>\n<p style=\"background: white;\"><span style=\"font-family: 'Georgia',serif; color: #333333;\">The initiative includes four career-life navigators who share their experiences of integrating work and personal life with the understanding that individuals have different priorities in their own lives. Navigators guide and direct faculty and staff to multiple resources so they can make informed decisions based on individual situations, from starting and raising a family to caring for a sick partner or aging loved one to managing difficult situations while balancing work.<\/span><\/p>\n<p style=\"background: white;\"><span style=\"font-family: 'Georgia',serif; color: #333333;\">Faculty and staff members may email<span class=\"apple-converted-space\">&nbsp;<\/span><\/span><a href=\"mailto:careerlife@olemiss.edu\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\"><span style=\"font-family: 'Georgia',serif;\">careerlife@olemiss.edu<\/span><\/a><span class=\"apple-converted-space\"><span style=\"font-family: 'Georgia',serif; color: #333333;\">&nbsp;<\/span><\/span><span style=\"font-family: 'Georgia',serif; color: #333333;\">or a navigator directly to schedule a meeting.<\/span><\/p>\n<p style=\"background: white;\"><span style=\"font-family: 'Georgia',serif; color: #333333;\">\u201cWe are committed to helping faculty and staff balance the responsibilities in both their professional and personal lives,\u201d Associate Provost Donna Strum said. \u201cNavigators will provide information that employees need to achieve a healthy work-life balance. We are pleased to foster an environment that supports work-life integration.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n<p style=\"background: white;\"><span style=\"font-family: 'Georgia',serif; color: #333333;\">The navigators are John Adrian, business manager for the Office of the Provost; Katherine Centellas, an associate professor of anthropology in the Croft Institute for International Studies; Kelly Brown Houston, an administrative coordinator in the Department of History; and Melinda Valliant, an associate professor of nutrition and hospitality management.<\/span><\/p>\n<p style=\"background: white;\"><span style=\"font-family: 'Georgia',serif; color: #333333;\">\u201cThe navigator may serve as a \u2018first stop\u2019 for employees in need of direction,\u201d Strum said.<\/span><\/p>\n<p style=\"background: white;\">Faculty and staff may not want to go directly to their supervisors&nbsp;to share personal information or ask questions about family caregiving needs or work-life balance, so the navigators allow faculty and staff members to speak with peers and inquire about various work-life situations confidentially.<\/p>\n<p style=\"background: white;\"><span style=\"font-family: 'Georgia',serif; color: #333333;\">The navigators attended several training sessions and engaged with leaders across campus to learn about available resources. They also met with people in various units, including&nbsp;<\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/hr.olemiss.edu\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\"><span style=\"font-family: 'Georgia',serif;\">Human Resources<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-family: 'Georgia',serif; color: #333333;\">, the offices of <a href=\"https:\/\/eorc.olemiss.edu\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Equal Opportunity and Regulatory Compliance<\/a>, <a href=\"http:\/\/diversity.olemiss.edu\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Vice Chancellor for Diversity and Community Engagement<\/a>, and the <a href=\"http:\/\/ombuds.olemiss.edu\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">University Ombud<\/a>s, and the <a href=\"https:\/\/sarahisomcenter.org\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Sarah Isom Center for Women and Gender Studies<\/a>.<\/span><\/p>\n<p style=\"background: white;\"><span style=\"font-family: 'Georgia',serif; color: #333333;\">Employers that offer work-life balance are likely to have the competitive edge. The most successful businesses realize that effectively addressing work-life balance issues with their workforce can increase morale and foster commitment, improve employee recruitment and retention,&nbsp;and raise productivity.<\/span><\/p>\n<p style=\"background: white;\"><span style=\"font-family: 'Georgia',serif; color: #333333;\">\u201cHaving a work-life balance leads to lower stress levels, better overall health, and better job satisfaction and performance,&#8221; Centellas said. &#8220;It also can help address issues proactively. A satisfactory work-life balance \u2013 however that is defined by the employee \u2013 also can contribute to a more inclusive, respectful and equal campus. This is because how people define and achieve work-live balance will be diverse, but we want to support the paths that are meaningful to each employee.&#8221;<\/span><\/p>\n<p style=\"background: white;\"><span style=\"font-family: 'Georgia',serif; color: #333333;\">The Career-Life Connector Initiative also provides career-life consultants to facilitate recruitment and provide information about work-life integration during the search process, as requested by job candidates.&nbsp;Consultants include Derek Cowherd, senior associate athletics director for academic support; Melissa Dennis, head of research and instruction services at the <a href=\"https:\/\/libraries.olemiss.edu\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">J.D. Williams Library<\/a>; Kathy Knight, associate professor of nutrition and hospitality management; and Shawnboda Mead, director of the <a href=\"https:\/\/inclusion.olemiss.edu\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Center for Inclusion and Cross Cultural Engagement<\/a>.<\/span><\/p>\n<p style=\"background: white;\"><span style=\"font-family: 'Georgia',serif; color: #333333;\">Search committee chairs can email&nbsp;<\/span><a href=\"mailto:careerlifesearch@olemiss.edu\"><span style=\"font-family: 'Georgia',serif;\">careerlifesearch@olemiss.edu<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-family: 'Georgia',serif; color: #333333;\">&nbsp;to request assistance with the interview process.<\/span><\/p>\n<p style=\"background: white;\"><span style=\"font-family: 'Georgia',serif; color: #333333;\">For more information about&nbsp;navigators,&nbsp;consultants and the&nbsp;UM Career-Life Connector Initiative, visit<span class=\"apple-converted-space\">&nbsp;<\/span><\/span><a href=\"http:\/\/careerlife.olemiss.edu\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\"><span style=\"font-family: 'Georgia',serif;\">careerlife.olemiss.edu<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-family: 'Georgia',serif; color: #333333;\">.<\/span><\/p>\n<!-- AddThis Advanced Settings generic via filter on the_content --><!-- AddThis Share Buttons generic via filter on the_content -->","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>In an effort to improve career-life balance for University of Mississippi employees, the Office of the Provost&nbsp;has created the&nbsp;Career-Life Connector Initiative&nbsp;to help faculty and staff balance professional and personal responsibilities. The initiative includes four career-life navigators who share their experiences of integrating work and personal life with the understanding that individuals have different priorities in<a class=\"more-link\" href=\"https:\/\/web20.olemiss.edu\/news\/wordpress\/office-provost-creates-initiative-improve-work-life-balance\/\" rel=\"nofollow\">Read the story &#x2026;<\/a><!-- AddThis Advanced Settings generic via filter on get_the_excerpt --><!-- AddThis Share Buttons generic via filter on get_the_excerpt --><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":86,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"ngg_post_thumbnail":0,"footnotes":""},"categories":[178],"tags":[],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v15.0 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/wordpress\/plugins\/seo\/ -->\n<title>Office of the Provost Creates Initiative to Improve Work-Life Balance - Ole Miss News<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"http:\/\/news.olemiss.edu\/office-provost-creates-initiative-improve-work-life-balance\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Office of the Provost Creates Initiative to Improve Work-Life Balance - Ole Miss News\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"In an effort to improve career-life balance for University of Mississippi employees, the Office of the Provost&nbsp;has created the&nbsp;Career-Life Connector Initiative&nbsp;to help faculty and staff balance professional and personal responsibilities. 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