IFB Beat – Week of January 9, 2023

**8 Hour Employees: To be paid for the holiday hourly associates must work at least 6 hours on the last scheduled workday before the holiday and at least 6 hours on the first scheduled workday after the holiday.

**10 Hour Employees: To be paid for the holiday hourly associates must work at least 8 hours on the last scheduled workday before the holiday and at least 8 hours on the first scheduled workday after the holiday.

All associates must be sure to gain approval in advance from your supervisor for any work schedule deviations from your standard scheduled hours surrounding any holiday. Additionally, you must be employed with the company for 90 days prior to the holiday to receive holiday pay.

2023 HOLIDAY SHUTDOWN SCHEDULES

Please note that all holiday shutdown schedules are subject to change based on business needs.

July 4^th Operating Schedule: Office and Textiles Manufacturing will be shut down in observance of Independence Day on Tuesday, July 4. All employees will return to their normal work schedule on Wednesday, July 5th.

Christmas Operating Schedule: Office and Textiles Manufacturing will be closed Monday December 25^th.Employees will return to their normal work schedule on Tuesday, December 26^th.

New Year Operating Schedule: Office and Textile manufacturing will be closed Monday January 1, 2024, in observance of New Year’s Day. Employees will return to their normal work schedule Tuesday January 2, 2024.

Associates must be sure to coordinate work schedules and any other leave requests with their direct manager or supervisor, with as much notice as possible. Employees are encouraged to manage their vacation time accordingly to avoid unpaid time during shut down periods. Should you have additional questions please contact your direct supervisor.

Winston-Salem Canteen Market is Now Open!

The full Canteen Market setup launched last week. Previously, this article had a listing of the initial menu pricing. We have become aware of some discrepancies between the menu pricing previously provided by Canteen vs. what is ringing up at the register. We are working to correct the issue – either to update the errors in the price list, or for Canteen to adjust how the products scan at the register. We hope to have more information to share soon. For questions on specific item pricing, please see Claudia or Paulet in the cafeteria between 6am and 3:45pm.

Programs and Services

Assistive Technology Support Group Update

The Assistive Technology support group will meet on the third Wednesday during the months of January, February, and March at 7 PM EST. We will continue to use Zoom as our meeting platform. We are excited about what the new year will bring! So, mark your calendar and don’t miss the next meeting on January 18 2023.

Winston-Salem IFB Dart Team

Interested in joining or just getting more information about the IFB Dart Team? Please join us on February 8, 2023 from 12:00 PM-1:00pm in the TAD’s Room to hear all about this wonderful world of throwing darts.

See what S.E.E. is Doing!

Lego Christmas tree with 2 gifts

S.E.E. After School Winston journeyed to Sweden on our tenth day of Christmas around the world. This is where Legos were invented, so we built a Christmas tree with gifts in front of it out of Legos. We enjoyed caramels and sugared nuts while listening to “Nu Ar Det Jul Igen”: Now It Is Christmas Again

Brandon holding a rain stick

S.E.E. After School Winston journeyed to Africa on day eleven of Christmas around the world. We made rain sticks out of paper towel tubes with rice and paperclips inside and covered with card stock paper and Christmas stickers. We enjoyed banana nut muffins and listened to “Betelehemu” – a west African Christmas worship song.

Adult Support Group Meetings:

Monday, January 9 NFB meeting from 12:00-12:45 in TADS Room.
Tuesday, January 10 Transportation support group meeting from 12:00-12:45 in TADS Room.

Community Low Vision Center

CLVC Item of the Week:

Portable Digital AM-FM Weather Radio with Weather Alert

Portable Digital AM-FM Weather Radio with Weather Alert for $28.95

Be prepared for severe weather with the Portable Digital AM/FM Weather Radio with Weather Alert. This portable radio receives instant 24-hour weather, marine forecast, and weather alert information transmitted by NOAA on seven weather band frequencies. When an emergency broadcast is received, the alarm sounds and an LED warning indicator flash to alert you there is warning in effect. This unit also features dimmer control on the blue back-lit LCD display, digital tuner with 10AM/10FM presets and is powered using the included AC adaptor or using 3 x C batteries (not included).

CLVC January Item of the Month:

Large Print Calendar

2023 Calendars are available! Prices range between $6.95 and $14.99 based on size, including Big Print, Giant, or Jumbo.

If you are interested in purchasing Low Vision Equipment through our Loan Program (3rd Party), please contact a Low Vision Coordinator for assistance.

Insider Corner

Connect with Faith Harding, Insider Corner Editor

Have a story, new article, app, or interesting fact you want to share? Email me! Faith Harding at FHarding@ifbsolutions.org.

Have a wonderful week!

Faith Harding

Community Connections

Save the Date for Cane Quest 2023!

Great volunteer opportunity!

Date: Thursday, April 13, 2023

Location: Arkansas School for the Blind and Visually Impaired – 2600 West Markham, Little Rock, AR

What Is Cane Quest?

Cane Quest is a challenging orientation and mobility contest for students in grades 3-12. There are several Cane Quest regional events across the country and the contestants are divided into three categories:

Scouts: grades 3 to 6

Explorers: grades 7 to 9

Trailblazers: grades 10 to 12

Explorer and Trailblazer contestants are given auditory instructions and challenged to safely complete secret routes in their community using proper travel techniques and appropriate cane skills. Scout contestants team up with a sighted adult and earn coins as they navigate a route that demonstrates mastery of basic orientation and mobility skills and proper sighted guide techniques, within the boundaries of a school or agency.

To learn more about Cane Quest on the Braille Institute website.

We are looking for the following:

Contestants (cane users grades 3-12)
Volunteers
Sponsors

Please complete the “Cane Quest 2023 – Interest Form” if you would like to help.

This is an all day event. If you have any questions, please reach out to Whitney.Musick@wscstarfish.com

HR & Opportunities

Apply Today: Business Essentials 2023

IFB Solutions is pleased to be partnering once again in 2023 with Guildford College to offer Business Essentials. The target audience for this training opportunity is open to Hourly IFB associates in Winston Salem who meet all criteria set forth on the Business Essentials Application found below.

Some topics that will be covered in this participant focused training include:

Business-what, why and how?
Motivating and leading people
Ensuring quality.

To be eligible to participate in this course, associates must meet the following criteria:

An application must be completed in full at the below link
An updated copy of the applicant’s resume must be submitted to Brent Burkholder via email at bburkholder@ifbsolutions.org.
All associates must be employed with IFB for at least 6 months
All participants must have satisfactory attendance and job performance
All associates must have their computer skills assessed by the Workforce Development team (HR will scheduled and coordinate this assessment).
All participants must be recommended to participate in this class by their supervisor. (HR will obtain recommendation).

Applications are available at:

https://forms.office.com/Pages/ResponsePage.aspx?id=SQbDxA4fmESiHhoGX06NHOYPKmJQb4VLrwA3jsZJq_NUN09ITzFOTjgxUVRNNFVWQVRTOUZDN0pPUC4u

The deadline to have the application and all supporting materials submitted for consideration is Tuesday January 10, 2023. For more information or questions please contact Brent at 336.245.5611.

2023 Voluntary Benefits Open Enrollment Closes this Friday, January 13

2023 Voluntary Benefits Open Enrollment January 1, 2023 through January 13, 2023

Voluntary Benefits like life insurance and short-term disability insurance are different from Core Benefits (medical, dental, and vision). These run on a calendar year enrollment period. Enrollment for these Voluntary Benefits opens January 3, 2023 and closes January 13. Effective date is February 1, 2023.

We are excited to announce a new way to enroll this year: a pre-scheduled phone appointment with a licensed, professional Benefit Coach. The Benefit Coach will review the benefits, costs, answer your questions, and enroll or waive you in the benefits you choose in one easy phone call. You can even include your spouse on your call. Details are below.

MetLife has been our provider for some Voluntary Benefits, and IFB Solutions is now switching all Voluntary Benefits to MetLife. Employees who have Voluntary Benefits with Colonial need to take special note as those will cease effective January 31, 2023.

Voluntary benefits available through MetLife include:
• Voluntary Life Insurance for Employee and Dependents
• NEW: Accident Insurance
• NEW: Critical Illness Insurance
• Short-Term Disability Insurance (Admin and Hourly Admin Employees Only)
• NEW: Worksite Short-Term Disability Insurance (Hourly Employees Only)

Enrolling in or formally waiving voluntary benefits is mandatory and may be done online or over the phone. Online Enrollment Starts January 3, 2023 through Paycom. Phone appointments are available January 5, 2023 through January 13, 2023.

If you choose to take advantage of a phone appointment with a Benefits Coach, we HIGHLY recommend you go ahead and schedule your appointment now with the information below.
• To schedule a phone appointment with a Benefits Coach online: https://IFB.AppointmentNavigator.com (Available 24/7 on your smartphone, tablet, or laptop/computer)
• To schedule a phone appointment with a Benefits Coach over the phone: call 1-877-277-7476, Mon – Fri, 9 am – 9 pm eastern time
• Note that phone appointments with a Benefits Coach are available between January 5 and 13, 203 and take place Monday through Friday between 5pm and 9pm eastern time.

For those who wish to enroll in or waive voluntary benefits online, prompts and instructions will be available in Paycom on January 3, 2023.

If you have questions, please reach out to Ciara Frenette at cfrenette@ifbsolutions.org or 336-245-5644, or ask your supervisor to put in a Benefits Ticket to request a meeting.

Zoom Meeting Links

Adult Support Groups Zoom

https://ifbsolutions.zoom.us/j/99498078576?pwd=ODJzK0sxcXZrME9yN25YRTdiNXBSQT09
Meeting ID: 994 9807 8576
PASSWORD: 92638
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+13017158592,99498078576# US (Germantown)

13126266799,99498078576# US
+(Chicago)

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877 853 5257 US Toll-free
888 475 4499 US Toll-free
Meeting ID: 994 9807 8576

Assistive Technology Support Group Zoom

https://ifbsolutions.zoom.us/j/94434630872?pwd=aXFYSHYyWkh1SE1tWDNOdDIwVURwUT09

Meeting ID: 944 3463 0872
Passcode: 924496

+13017158592, 99434630872, #, # US (Germantown)

+13126266799, 99434630872, #, # US (Chicago)