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In this Issue
During Open Enrollment, you can choose to keep your current medical or vision plan, or choose another. You may also enroll or disenroll yourself or family members in the medical, dental, vision, and life insurance plans.
Do you want a Flexible Savings Account (FSA) for 2021? You can use an FSA to pay for health care expenses not covered by insurance, for daycare expenses, or for parking costs. If you want to enroll in one or more, you must do so during the Open Enrollment period.
If you make no changes in your plans from 2020, all your benefits, except FSA, will roll over into 2021.
On MetNet, you can find:
- Open Enrollment information and a calendar of online information sessions.
- A video presentation with an in-depth description of the medical plans and cost comparisons of the plans (17:47 min.).
- A video on health plan basics, definitions, and general information (7:51 min.).
- A video on each medical plan and tips on how to choose one (15:42 min.).
Once you’ve made your choices, go to the instructions on Metnet for accessing the Benefitfocus portal, where you enter your selections.
So much has changed in the recent months – where and how we work, social activities, and distance learning to name a few. Many changes in a short period of time can be overwhelming and exhausting, yet supervisors need to guide employees through them regardless of how they feel.
Register for "Change Cycle: First Things First" to learn about the six stages of change and the best strategies for managing self and others in each stage. This class is for managers/supervisors with direct reports and is offered via WebEx on Nov. 12 from 9:00 to 11:30 a.m. Take it by itself or as part of the supervision certificate.
To enroll:
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Go to the Talent Hub page on MetNet.
- Click “Learn” and sign in with your username and password.
- Click the library book icon at the top of the page and scroll down to “A-Learning Institute” and click the arrow pointing to the right.
- Scroll to “LOD Classes Open for Registration.”
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Locate the class and register.
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As part of the recent Ask HR sessions, two groups are forming to obtain feedback on the recruitment and selection process:
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Advisory Group – This group will be composed of a representative from each of the five Equity Change Groups, as well as five hiring managers. The Office of Equal Opportunity will also have a representative. Several Talent Management staff will be participating. This group will review each phase of recruitment and identify opportunities for improvement.
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Focus Group – Five recent recruitments will be identified and the hiring manager, the selected candidate, and a unselected internal candidate will be invited to participate in an individual interview to obtain a better understanding of their recent recruitment experience (what went well, what were pain points, and what ideas for improvement).
Identified areas of improvement will be reported out, as well as periodic status updates to changes to the recruitment and selection process.
For more information on recent Ask HR sessions, please visit the Building Diversity page on MetNet.
Your feedback is welcomed! Please email ASK HR if you have questions or feedback.
Employee Resource Groups (ERGs) are groups of employees sharing a common characteristic or interest to welcome and support one another. These groups can form around gender, ethnicity or race, sexual orientation, generation, or other special interests, like being a new mother, bicycle commuting, or sustainability. Anyone interested in starting an ERG should contact Mitzi Kennedy in the Office of Equal Opportunity.
LGBTQ resource group to meet Nov. 10 for discussion
Equity and Inclusion staff at Metro Transit have begun forming a Council-wide LGBTQ employee resource group after the enthusiasm and cross-divisional collaboration in creating the Pride lunch-and-learn this summer. The first LGBTQ ERG will be held on Tuesday, Nov. 10, at 10:30 a.m.
Are you interested in taking a leadership role, joining a conversation about the mission and vision, or submitting ideas for a permanent name for this ERG? If so, contact Sarah Berres at Metro Transit by Friday, Nov. 6, to learn more or to receive the meeting invite.
If you missed the Pride lunch-and-learn, check out the Pride Committee’s presentation from this summer.
Use Writing Assistant in Perform.
Writing Assistant is a valuable tool in the Perform system to help managers evaluate employees’ competencies during the performance evaluation. Writing Assistant offers statements about how each competency is defined and demonstrated at three performance levels. The statements can easily be added to a performance evaluation with one click.
Managers are strongly encouraged to use these statements as a starting point and customize them to reflect the unique performance of each individual. More information about using Writing Assistant is available in the MetNet video on Perform Evaluation Navigation, starting at 6:52 (time count).
Questions? Contact Perform@metc.state.mn.us.
It’s hard to believe we are closing in on eight months of the COVID-19 pandemic. The pandemic has shifted our world dramatically, affecting everyone in different ways. It tcan take effort and intention to combat the stress.
For those who have a pre-existing mental health concern, COVID-19 may exacerbate your situation. As we continue to face uncertainty, our hopes of returning to normal can diminish, and anxiety and depression may take hold – signs of pandemic fatigue. As we experience stress day to day, the cumulative effect over time can be hard to handle.
The good news is that there are easy-to-access resources to help deal with pandemic fatigue. Check out a few of these articles to get started:
Another great resource is the Greater Good Science Center. To find out what they have to offer, go to the top topic bar of the web page and click on the magnifying glass icon. Then enter "pandemic" as the search term, and check out the search results.
In addition, Sand Creek EAP offers four private, confidential counseling sessions at no cost to you. For more information call directly at 1-888-243-5744 or visit www.sandcreekeap.com.
Back by popular demand, the Living Paycheck to Purpose program is a four-week, live, online program designed to help you take control of your financial life so you can thrive in and out of the workplace.
This program combines education, interactive discussion, and thought-provoking activities to help you overcome financial hurdles that are standing in the way of reaching your financial goals.
During this program you will:
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Refine your financial goals.
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Learn strategies for increasing your savings.
- Create a plan to pay off your debt.
- Find a budgeting strategy that works for you.
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Develop habits that lead to wealth building.
This program will be held online on Tuesdays, Nov. 17 through Dec. 8, from 10:30 to 11:30 a.m., and is limited to 15 employees. Sign up by contacting Crystal Felten.
Visit the Fit For Life MetNet page for a full listing of programs, events, and opportunities coming this winter, including new sessions around caregiver support, as we approach the holiday season.
Have you made fitness related purchases this year? You might be able to trade in your annual leave hours to be reimbursed.
The final deadline to submit your claims for 2020 purchases for the Trade Time For Fitness program is Dec. 1. Purchases can be for yourself, as well as your eligible tax dependents.
NOTE: All 2020 claims must be received by Dec. 1, 2020, to be processed in time to be paid out in 2020. Purchases made in 2020 cannot be accepted in 2021.
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