December 2023: Executive Department Employee Newsletter

The State House came alive with excitement on November 8th, when Governor Healey, Lieutenant Governor Driscoll, and their cabinet, along with the Executive Office for Administration and Finance, and the Human Resources Division hosted the 39th Annual Employee Performance Recognition Program awards ceremony. The day celebrated and acknowledged the exceptional achievements of over 80+ public servants from across the Commonwealth. Read full recap story.

Visit the event photo gallery

AlertsMA is the fast and convenient way the Commonwealth communicates with you about emergencies and other important events. Now, AlertsMA is even better. Employees can use their AlertsMA account to register to receive severe weather alerts from the National Weather Service. Learn more.

Commonwealth employees - act today for a time-limited student loan forgiveness opportunity that offers important debt relief for government and nonprofit workers. If you have federal student loans, you may be able to get new relief through a payment count adjustment (Adjustment) that the U.S. Dept. of Education is conducting for the Public Service Loan Forgiveness (PSLF) Program. To benefit, you may need to consolidate your federal loans by Dec. 31, 2023.

EILB is an optional benefit program available to regular full-time and part-time employees in the Executive Branch who have at least one year of eligible state service and acceptable attendance. To become a member of EILB for a calendar year, an employee donates at minimum one day of sick, vacation, or personal time to a statewide sick leave bank. This program has been available for the past 26 years and offers two annual opportunities to enroll: November/December and June/July. Enroll today!

Did you know you can suppress your paper Form W-2 and Form 1095-C through HR/CMS Employee Self-Service (ESS)?

What does suppressing my forms mean?

Suppression means the Commonwealth will not print and mail your forms, but instead will make them available to you digitally in Employee Self-Service.

Suppression = going paperless with your forms.

Why would I want to suppress my forms and go paperless?

Going paperless helps employees get their forms faster, and is more secure. In addition, this saves the Commonwealth money and is environmentally friendly. View instructions on Mass.gov. 

'Tis the season to be stress-free! Feeling overwhelmed as the holidays approach? Dive into these MassAchieve courses to unwrap strategies and techniques that'll make your stress "snow" much more manageable. Begin by selecting any of the courses listed below in MassAchieve.

• Respond to Stress 4 min 
• Recognize and Acknowledge Stress 3 min 
• Beat Stress Inducing Thought Processes 3 min 
• Why You Need to Manage Stress at Work 3 min 

Effective November 1, 2023 employees can use their sick and vacation leave accruals to supplement their approved PFML payments from the Department of Family and Medical Leave (DFML). Learn more, read the Dec. 4, 2023 memo.

As we head into the holiday season, this can be a good opportunity to work on completing your Commonwealth annual required trainings.

Here are a couple ideas to help:

• Set aside time each week by scheduling time in your calendar to take the trainings.
• If a meeting gets cancelled, use that time to take a training.

Follow these steps and you’ll be done in no time! Then you can cross required trainings off your to-do list.

Group Insurance Commission (GIC) members can view their benefits online 24/7 by registering for the MyGICLink Member Benefits Portal.

Benefits of MyGICLink: 

• Securely update your personal information
• Enroll in or update your benefits in just a few minutes
• Chat live with GIC staff, and much more!

The holidays can be overwhelming. Find a compassionate ear at Mass4YOU and get the support you need. Call 1-844-263-1982, TTY 711, or log on to liveandworkwell.com with access code: mass4you. This FREE benefit provides you with 3 no-cost, confidential counseling sessions for you and each of your dependents eligible for GIC medical coverage. Being a GIC member is not a requirement.

Are you following the Commonwealth on LinkedIn? We've just hit 100,00 followers! Stay up-to-date on Commonwealth news, including announcements from the Administration, new initiatives, changes in leadership, and updates on our policies and procedures. Stay informed.

For December, our Commonwealth Connection banner image was submitted by Ken Wedge from the Executive Office of Technology Services and Security. The photo is of the Cambridge side of the Leonard P. Zakim Bunker Hill Memorial Bridge and was taken in 2016.

Ken is a Municipal and School IT Manager working for Office of Municipal and School Technologies/EOTSS; assigned to Berkshire, Franklin, Hampden, and Hampshire Counties.

Please continue to submit your best shots of natural scenery, historical landmarks, and cultural beacons that represent all corners of Massachusetts. You'll get photo credit if your image is selected for our Commonwealth Connection banner of course! SUBMIT PHOTO

📅 Mark your calendars:

December

• Winter Begins - Dec 21 ❄️
• Christmas Day - Dec 25 (Massachusetts legal holiday)
• New Year's Eve - Dec 31

January 2024

• New Year's Day - Jan 1 - (Massachusetts legal holiday)
• National Mentoring Month
• Martin Luther King Jr. Day - Jan 15 (Massachusetts legal holiday)

Previous issues:

• November News
• October News
• September News
• August News
• July News
• June News
• May News
• April News
• March News
• February News

Follow the Human Resources Division on Twitter

and The Commonwealth of Massachusetts on LinkedIn