Cougar Corner
COVID-19 Vaccines
HR Cougar Corner As you know, federal and state health officials are working with the medical community on the rollout plan for the COVID-19 vaccines. We encourage you to talk to your doctors about when a vaccine will be available and ...
SURS Counseling Sessions
HR Cougar Corner Unfortunately, SURS will not be offering in-person appointments any time this spring. However, in addition to the telephone appointments, they just started offering virtual retirement counseling appointments via TEAMS, which have been well received. Employees can schedule these ...
Grab and Go Lunches
HR Cougar Corner On Thursday, November 19, employees were treated to a grab and go lunch as a thank you for their continued efforts during the pandemic. Highland's Fine Arts Cafe' provided the lunch options. The lunch was made possible through ...
Focused Stories
HR Cougar Corner You all have observations, events and experiences you see or hear that represent the best of our employees; stories that illustrate a willingness to collaborate with others, contribute to our mission or goals, or be innovative during this ...
SURS 457 Plan Delay
HR Cougar Corner It was previously communicated that SURS would soon offer a SURS 457(b) Deferred Compensation Plan to all active members to allow for an additional convenient way to save for retirement. Originally, the plan was to be offered beginning ...
BCBSIL Providing Premium Credits to Fully Insured Customers
HR Cougar Corner Due to COVID-19, employees have not been using their insurance benefits at the same level. Because of this, some medical, dental, and vision carriers are providing employers with a credit against future premiums owed under their insurance contracts.In ...
Change to Open Enrollment Period for Optional Life Insurance and Long-Term Disability (LTD)
In previous years, open enrollment for Optional Life Insurance and LTD was offered to our full-time employees in October with an effective date of January 1. This year we will be moving open enrollment for those two insurances to May ...
Pandemic Fatigue
Contributed by HealthCheck360An unintentional phenomenon is on the rise—pandemic fatigue. People are tired of staying at home. People want to be the social creatures they inherently are. People want their “normal” back. This collective fatigue is making some people— consciously ...
Fraudulent Unemployment Claims
As you may have been hearing on the news, the Illinois Department of Employment Security (IDES) has identified an increase in fraudulent unemployment claims in recent months. These claims seem to be related to the increase in benefits available due ...
Uncertainty Fatigue
Below is a brief editorial from professional trainer, Toby Causby, on uncertainty fatigue.The Circle of Agency is the mental, emotional, and physical space within which we have the power to act.During stressful, challenging, and difficult situations, it is so easy ...