Planning for retirement and choosing the right plan for you and your family can be overwhelming. There is a lot at stake, and it is important that you understand all of your options, as well as the laws and regulations governing the distribution of your benefits once you leave Texas A&M University. Make plans to attend one of our group workshops for pre-retirement counseling. These workshops are not one-on-one sessions, but you will have the opportunity to ask questions. As a participant, you will receive information as to what forms you will need to complete to get you started and to better understand your retirement benefits. Registration is required through Traintraq (https://traintraq.tamus.edu/SectionDetails.aspx?snum=11750) Find upcoming retirement events on the HROE webpage. (https://employees.tamu.edu/benefits/retirement/index.html)

Staff are encouraged to attend the next University Staff Council (USC) meeting on Tuesday, Nov. 18, at 9:30 a.m. (immediately following the Common Grounds Series) in person at the General Services Complex in Room 101 or via Zoom. The vision of the USC is to help staff feel supported, included and valued at Texas A&M University, where we live the Aggie Core Values of respect, excellence, leadership, loyalty, integrity and selfless service. Come to the meeting and let your voice be heard or learn more about what the USC is doing for you. You may access full meeting minutes from previous meetings on the USC website.

Meet with a Benefit & Retirement Specialist if you have questions about:Retirement Eligibility & Savings - We can help you figure out when you are eligible to retire and understand the resources offered to you through your employment to get you financially prepared for retirement. Beneficiary Designation - Need to update or add beneficiaries? Benefit & Retirement Services can help you set up life insurance beneficiaries in Workday. Additional Benefits - The Texas A&M University System health plan has a vast assortment of benefits available to you. Let us help you understand these benefits and decide which program is most beneficial to you and your family. Qualifying Life Events - Experience a life change? We can help you make the corresponding change to your benefits in Workday. All changes must be made within 31 days of a qualifying life event. Upcoming Events - Benefit & Retirement Services strives to provide ample opportunities for education on our programs. Learn about our upcoming events! Other Benefit Related Items - We are here for you! If you have a question or just want to chat about your benefits, stop by! We would love to see you.

Whether you are aware of them or not, emotions are intertwined in everything you think, do, and say each day on the job, in your career and throughout your life. Emotional intelligence (EQ) is how you handle yourself and others on the job. Organizations that embrace EQ development within their workforce experience:Better team collaboration and improved productivity Keen resilience and effective leadership More engagement and increased work satisfaction Improved organizational culture TalentSmart's Mastering EQ® Level 1 will take participants far beyond knowing what EQ is and how they score on their first EQ assessment.Learning ObjectivesDiscover what EQ is, why it matters in all aspects of life, and how to develop it to be more effective. Increase awareness of emotions and the fundamental role they play at work and in life. Explore the four EQ skills in action: Self-Awareness, Self-Management, Social Awareness, and Relationship Management. Discuss real world examples and experience, what works and what doesn't work, and what to do moving forward. Understand their current level of EQ (strengths and weaknesses) and where to focus their development. Complete an EQ Development Plan to include one EQ goal and specific EQ practice strategies that will help achieve that. Register via TrainTraq (https://traintraq.tamus.edu/SectionDetails.aspx?snum=12166) by November 17th.

University holidays are established by The Texas A&M University System Board of Regents. The Qatar campus, School of Dentistry and School of Law, along with other campuses, agencies and universities within the Texas A&M System, have different holiday schedules listed on the Texas A&M System Holidays webpage (https://www.tamus.edu/hr/holiday/). For student-specific holidays and academic breaks, please refer to the Texas A&M Academic Calendar (https://registrar.tamu.edu/academic-calendar).

University holidays are established by The Texas A&M University System Board of Regents. The Qatar campus, School of Dentistry and School of Law, along with other campuses, agencies and universities within the Texas A&M System, have different holiday schedules listed on the Texas A&M System Holidays webpage (https://www.tamus.edu/hr/holiday/). For student-specific holidays and academic breaks, please refer to the Texas A&M Academic Calendar (https://registrar.tamu.edu/academic-calendar).