A thought for the day...
If you can't explain it simply, you don't understand it well enough.
– Albert Einstein (1879-1955) German-born theoretical physicist
 IN THIS ISSUE
Guest Notes from Charlie Zelle
Chair
In many ways, everything seems different this year.
It’s been an unprecedented year, with the COVID-19 pandemic, the murder of George Floyd and community aftermath, the uncertainty surrounding this recent election on a local and national level.
Our anxiety levels are high. We want to know the plan to move forward. It’s what we do – we plan, we execute, we review, we plan again.
We persist and we continue to support our customers and partners in the Twin Cities region.
On Nov. 16, I had the honor and privilege to celebrate our tremendous employees at the virtual employee recognition event. I hope you were able to attend this inspiring event. If you missed it, you can view the video on MetNet. (See story and the link just below.)
It was so wonderful to connect with you, even though the event was remote. It’s especially important after the year we’ve had to appreciate one another and spend time boosting our spirits. We’ve done some really great work this year, in spite of so many challenges. What a privilege it is to work with each of you.
The theme of the employee recognition event this year was “In This Together,” and with the challenges we faced, in the wider world and in our own lives, it’s more true now than ever before.
You know what it means to serve others and be strong for our colleagues and customers. We’re all “In This Together,” and I’m inspired by the way our staff support each other, and the dedication and innovation you bring to your work every day.
We are all truly in this together. When I say “we,” who do I mean?
To start, I mean you and I and all our co-workers, especially our Transit and ES employees working on the frontlines, out in the community. I mean our families and households. I mean the people in our neighborhoods, our cities, and beyond. People we serve, no matter the circumstances we face.
I mean the people we see and hear about who are bearing unprecedented challenges as they make a difference in our lives. Health care workers. Emergency responders. And many others who take risks on our behalf.
We may not know everything that everyone is doing, but we do know that people of good will are working toward the same overall goal.
This brings me so much peace. You all inspire me to continue moving forward, even when the path is unclear.
“We” can be a powerful idea, and when we move into action, it’s a powerful force for good in the world. All of us, whatever our individual role, can help one another – and ourselves – to emerge from this unprecedented situation together.
So keep this thought in mind: We continue to hold on to our shared hopes. We continue to support each other. And we continue to work together for the people in our wider community.
Thank you for your wonderful work. And thank you for your contributions to the Metropolitan Council and the region.
|
Celebrating every employee...
 Screen grabs from the employee recognition video and other photos show the diverse work of staff.
Nearly 600 employees log in for agency-wide tribute to employee excellence
The Council's 2020 Employee Recognition Event will forever be remembered as "the one online," and not necessarily in a bad way.
Sure, it lacked the usual face-to-face networking and gabfest. And the sumptuous breakfast.
But it hit hard on the bottom line: Showing public gratitude to Council employees for their hard work, dedication and performance over the past year – among the most challenging and eventful in the Council’s 53-year history.
The traditional event was reimagined and condensed to a one-hour virtual conference that for the first time was opened to every Council employee, not just the few hundred called out for special recognition.
Nearly 600 employees logged into the event while many more have viewed the video recording of it. (See link below.)
Highlights included short remarks and deep thanks from Council leadership and executive managers to every employee who met the steep challenges presented by the pandemic that struck in March.
Speakers in order (for about 3-6 minutes each) included Chair Charlie Zelle, Regional Administrator Meredith Vadis, Community Development Director Lisa Barajas, Transportation Director Nick Thompson, Acting Regional Administrator Mary Bogie, Environmental Services General Manager Leisa Thomson, and Metro Transit General Manager Wes Kooistra.
Human Resources Director Marcy Syman opened and closed the speaking portion of program, as lead of the ceremonies.
Most of the speakers’ remarks were addressed to employees who succeeded at goals within their division or at the department level. One individual called out for special recognition was Principal Communications Specialist Leigh Homstad, who in December will mark his 50th anniversary at the Council.
Preceding the speakers was an impressive one-minute montage of video and photos by videographer Carol Critchley showing Council employees at work this year.
See the program (16 pages) listing 100s of employees recognized in dozens of categories, plus the meeting agenda and more.
See the video. The opening video montage of images lasts about 70 seconds; the program starts at 90 seconds and lasts about 50 minutes.
EVENT PLANNING TEAM Bill Beck, Sam Caron, Alison Coleman, Paula Crane, Carol Critchley, Michelle Fure, Kristi Goble, Danielle Julkowski, Claire Lukens, Angie Madoll, Crystal Mulry, James Perron, Marcy Syman and Michele Wenner.
Teamwork the key ingredient for success in 2020
The old axiom that "nothing around here gets done alone" has never been more true than in 2020, the year of the pandemic.
And as usual, when faced with a challenge, Council staff responded to overcome the obstacles and continue delivering on the Council's mission: To foster efficient and economic growth for a prosperous region. Pandemic or no pandemic.
Working under the direction of Council leadership and senior management, Council staff from bottom to top across the agency came together in new and surprising ways that enabled every department to continue moving toward their goals, however small or large. Looking back to March and April, that wasn't always guaranteed.
But succeed we did, earning high praise from Chair Charlie Zelle and executive leaders (see Zelle column above, and comments from senior leaders in the video of the Employee Recognition Event, linked above).
Certainly 2020 is one for the books; every Council employee can and should be proud.
Following here are short summaries of nine staff teams called together for special recognition, almost exclusively as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic that struck in March.
Every team is being recognized for "High Performing Teamwork" resulting in process improvements, outstanding results, or positive contributions to the work environment.
For a longer description of each team, including team member names, read more on MetNet.
ACH Vender Record Team
With excellent collaboration, teamwork, communication, this team helped update the Council’s records in PeopleSoft for more than 3,200 vendors so they could receive payments electronically, at significant cost savings to the Council. Transitioning vendors to electronic payments has been an important project and goal for years.
Business Continuity Risk Management Team
The Business Continuity team prepared the Council to respond to the Covid-19 pandemic crisis, enabling the Council to keep customers and staff safe, while ensuring continuity of services – many essential – to the region. This team’s effective planning enabled the Council to maintain its effectiveness during the pandemic.
Communications Dept. COVID-19 Response Team
The team was called upon to support the Continuity of Operations group in activating the Council’s pandemic response plan. Within a few hours, they had created communications notifying our on-site staff that they would need to start working remotely. In the following days, it became clear that the team needed to regularly communicate critical information to Council employees so they understood workplace expectations and safety precautions. Others on the team devoted significant time and effort supporting the state response through the Minnesota Department of Health.
ECM & IS Microsoft Implementation Team
In response to the pandemic, this group got Microsoft Teams fully up and working across the organization to enable Council employees to collaborate and interact remotely. They brought the organization from approximately 100 daily users to 3,000 in one week, and they continue to implement additional features to enable Council employees more advanced collaboration and connection.
Pandemic Home Office Team and the Service Desk Expansion Team
When the pandemic hit, many Council employees had to begin working from home full time. The IS Service Desk could handle issues involving Council-owned equipment that employees brought home, but employees’ own home office equipment was another matter.
An ad hoc team, including both IS and ECM staff, created a "Home Office Help" Microsoft Teams site, with subchannels for topics users would likely have questions about, including Microsoft Teams, Office 365, home networking help, and equipment recommendations. It also created a forum for user interaction, recruited other employees from around the Council to participate in responding to home technology questions, creating a peer-to-peer support network.
The Pandemic Home Office Team worked to create a new process that met a new need in an unprecedented situation. Announcement of the program drew a deep roster of volunteers who were willing to learn new skills as part of the Service Desk Expansion Team. Team members had to manage their own remote-work transitions, and they worked outside their normal duties to contribute to the effort.
Pandemic Procurement Team
When the pandemic first began, sources of supply for pandemic-related items such as masks, gloves, disinfectants, sanitizers, and cleaning supplies became difficult to locate and source. This team stepped up and took ownership of the supply issues, working each day to call any vendor that might have available products. They also coordinated daily with their individual warehouse teams to determine inventory needs and creative alternative solutions for products.
R.A. One-Day Hiring Event Team
This team came together to create and organize the Council’s first-ever one-day hiring event. Qualified applicants who attended the Jan. 11 event were able, that day, to take the assessment test, have an interview, receive a conditional job offer, and be drug tested. The usual process can take weeks to reach that point. A new assessment worked on by Bus Transportation and Human Resources was rolled out at this event, reducing the time from 2½ hours to less than 30 minutes.
Virtual Meetings Team
This team supported ES Water Supply Planning staff with the first virtual meeting of the Metro Area Water Supply Policy and Technical Advisory Committees, a governor-appointed group of external water-supply stakeholders who are critical to shaping the Council's approach to regional water supply planning. The team scheduled the Webex meeting, supported the meeting presentations – ensuring that information was shared effectively, and important relationships and connections were maintained through the remote environment.
Metro Mobility and Transit Link pull through tough times
Staff across the Council have gone the extra mile over the past eight months in response to the COVID-19 outbreak. We saw some of these stories during last week’s employee recognition event, “In this Together.”
Among these staff has been an extraordinary effort by the Metro Mobility and Transit Link teams. When COVID-19 first surfaced and the stay-at-home orders went into place, traditional rides on Metro Mobility and Transit Link immediately dropped as customers complied with the order.
“This presented both a problem and an opportunity for these essential services,” said Metro Mobility Senior Manager Christine Kuennen. “The problem was that we had vehicles and bus operators who are crucial to serving our customers who were suddenly idle. The opportunity that staff found, in partnership with our contractors and county mobility management coordinators, was to set in motion new services that would serve the community.”
Essential services
Even as regular ridership started coming back in July, both Transit Link and Metro Mobility continued to provide grocery and goods delivery for our customers and food shelf delivery, as well as delivering essential health workers to their jobs. Here are some striking statistics: nearly 2,000 grocery trips; over 29,000 food shelf deliveries; and nearly 127,000 essential health care worker trips.
To be able to execute these new service lines, between Council staff and contractors, it meant that all hands were on deck. While staff’s "normal" work may have subsided, there were new responsibilities and extra hours that came into play to provide these critical services. For example, Metro Mobility Service Center staff have taken on the role as key contact tracers.
“Through the first few weeks of launching new services, Customer Service Specialists agreed to work nights and weekends to care for customers and their questions in a time of crisis,” said Metro Mobility Customer Service Manager Andy Streasick. “And, while our call volumes initially dropped in March by more than 65%, they’ve rebounded and are now only down about 8%.”
No one contacted through contact tracing has been symptomatic, which speaks to the safety protocols and service adjustments made in the early weeks and the messaging to customers about essential trips and the face mask requirement.
Contractors, counties, and staff working together
These shifts have also enriched the relationship among staff, contractors, and counties. Communication and cooperation are fundamental as everyone shares resources and information, and as they support each other through the changes.
“Early on, food shelf deliveries were done by Metro Mobility providers,” said Contracted Transit Services Manager John Harper. “Those deliveries were transitioned to several Transit Link providers over time to ensure we balanced contractors’ work as Metro Mobility demand increased. This required the coordination of contractors, internal staff, and county mobility managers to ensure no food shelves were left behind."
There was also close coordination between Metro Mobility and fixed-route contractors during the response to the civil unrest.
“Since beginning of the outbreak, we’ve been able to put in place a compensation structure that pays contractors for COVID-related work,” said Kuennen. “This is all while the First Transit East Garage moved facilities from Roseville to Saint Paul and the South Zone transitioned to a new provider.”
Metro Mobility and Transit Link regular ridership has returned to about 50% of pre-COVID ridership. The chart above shows that trips have been steadily climbing since the stay-at-home order was lifted in early June. Metro Mobility customers are still encouraged to use Metro Mobility for essential trips.
– By Sara Maaske
Dial-back measures now in place through Dec. 18
The State of Minnesota launched a new app Monday to notify individuals whether they’ve come in contact with people who have tested positive for COVID-19.
New limits effective until Dec. 18
On Wednesday, Gov. Tim Walz signed a new Executive Order to address the rapid increase of COVID-19 cases in Minnesota in recent weeks. State officials are reporting that hospitals are filling and will soon not be able to treat patients because of the influx of COVID-19 patients.
In-person social gatherings with individuals outside your household are prohibited; bars and restaurants are limited to take-out and delivery service only; gyms, fitness studios, entertainment venues, event spaces, and similar establishments are closed; and adult and youth sports are paused. These new restrictions are in place until Dec. 18.
This includes fitness and workout rooms in Met Council facilities; they will remain closed until further notice.
|
Stay home, stay safe
The new guidelines stress that Minnesotans should not gather with anyone outside their immediate household, for any reason. Even with holidays coming in the next four weeks, people should have no indoor or outdoor gatherings, except with immediate household members, and no person from outside your immediate household should enter your home.
Get tested – it's free and easy to do!
The Minnesota Department of Health (MDH) works in partnership with communities to provide safe and free on-site COVID-19 testing in areas with outbreaks, increasing cases, or other barriers to access existing test sites.
HealthPartners testing for Council employees
For employees who have a HealthPartners medical plan, HealthPartners has the most up-to-date information related to COVID-19 care and testing on their website at HealthPartners.com/coronavirus. In some cases, you may need to complete a video visit prior to obtaining a COVID-19 test.
Leadership Forum 2021
The 2021 Leadership Forum conference planned for April/May will feature learning sessions for managers and supervisors with a focus on racial equity, anti-racism, and inclusion. In advance of the conference, there will be some seminars and preparatory sessions, as well.
Look for two emails in coming weeks to help you get signed up for an assessment due Dec. 4, and a 3-hour virtual seminar to be offered on various dates in December and January.
The virtual environment allows the conference content to be delivered in phases, which will maximize learning and opportunities to put the information presented to use. The virtual environment also allows for more flexibility in scheduling, so that the training sessions fit more easily with existing work shifts.
This conference is hosted by the Office of Equal Opportunity and Human Resources. The training is part of the Met Council's Affirmative Action Plan. For questions, please email Roderic.Southall@metc.state.mn.us or Jerilynn.Sushko@metc.state.mn.us.
The sixth special session of 2020 came and went on Thursday, Nov. 12, after Gov. Walz extended the peacetime emergency declaration in response to the COVID-19 pandemic.
The Senate adjourned after a relatively brief floor session. Sen. David Tomassoni (DFL, Chisholm) was elected Senate President for the short remainder of the 2020 legislative session. Senate Republicans were concerned that if Governor Walz appointed Lt. Governor Flanagan to another position, the Senate President then becoming the Lt. Governor, would impact their members and majority. No action was taken in the Senate regarding the peacetime emergency extension.
In the House, Republicans moved to consider a bill that would allow the legislature to either terminate a peacetime emergency in its entirety after 30 days or terminate any subsequent order or rule issued by the Governor in response to the peacetime emergency. The motion to suspend the rules fell short and the bill was not taken up. No additional action was taken in the House before they adjourned.
Please call or email Brooke Bordson in Government Affairs if you have any questions.
|
Some changes are coming in the new year to policies governing how long an email or Microsoft Teams chat messages will be kept before it is automatically deleted. These changes may require you to take some time over the coming weeks to archive or save your information so you don’t lose it.
-
Emails in your inbox will be retained for 6 months. Current standard is 60 days.
-
Emails in your archive folder will continue to be retained for 3 years.
-
Chat messages in Microsoft Teams Chat will be retained for 6 months. Files shared in Microsoft Teams chat will continue to be shared past the retention period.
-
Content in Microsoft Teams channels (posts) will be retained for 3 years. Files within a specific team are not subject to the retention period.
-
Any Skype for Business conversation history that you may have will be retained for only 6 months.
- Locate any records or files contained within your chat conversations. Snap a screen shot of the record and save it to your long-term retention location.
- Locate any records contained within your Teams channel conversations. Snap a screen shot of the record and save it to your long-term retention location.
- Locate any records contained within your Skype for Business conversation history folder in Outlook, and save files to your long-term retention location.
The changes take effect Jan. 4, 2021. If you haven’t archived or saved this information and it is older than the limits identified in the list above, you will not be able to access it after Jan. 4.
In addition, related Met Council Policies and Procedures will be updated to consistently reflect the new retention.
Please do not store content on your local computer or desktop. Content stored on local drives is not accessible by staff who need access to the information.
These changes will not change documents that have been shared in a chat or Teams channel. These files still exist in their original location and will continue to be available. They also do not affect meeting notes in Teams, though it does affect chats in Teams meetings. Meeting organizers can access meeting notes in OneDrive under the “Microsoft Teams Data” folder.
Enterprise Content Management offers training to all Met Council staff on records-management best practices and the roles and responsibilities of all employees regarding the Minnesota Government Data Practices Act. To schedule a training for your department or for any general inquiries regarding this change, please contact Enterprise Content Management at ecm@metc.state.mn.us.
Don’t let the winter blues get you down. You can get ahead of the eight ball with any of the following opportunities offered by the Council’s Fit For Life program. And there are even more opportunities coming. Visit Fit For Life on MetNet for more.
Live Fitness Classes
NEW! Live 30-min workout at 1:00 p.m. on Wednesdays. Workouts will be live and also recorded for replay after class. No equipment needed. Contact AmandaBuchanan@metrotransit.org for calendar invite (contains Zoom info). All previous classes can be found at Fit For Life on MetNet.
- Wed., Nov. 25, Bodyweight HIIT (High Intensity Interval Training)
- Wed., Dec. 2, Core conditioning
- Wed., Dec. 9, Bodyweight HIIT
Make It Mindful Campaign In this four-week email-based campaign, you’ll be introduced to essential mindfulness concepts and practices to help you start, or continue, your own journey to a more mindful way of living. This activity starts Monday, Dec. 7, and ends the week of Dec. 28. If you’re interested in participating, register here or email ashley.starr@metc.state.mn.us.
See upcoming wellness classes, programs, and sessions.
Employees across the organization are doing their part to keep Met Council services and programs running at full steam, despite the coronavirus and state lockdown. But we’re all in this together. To help share a little virtual camaraderie, we’re asking staff how their work has changed and what it’s like to serve during a pandemic. To share your story or suggest someone who is doing outstanding work, please email thewire@metc.state.mn.us.
Baris Gumus-Dawes
Senior Researcher
Community Development
How has the pandemic affected your day-to-day work?
Surprisingly, the pandemic did not affect my day-to-day work that much. Instead of going to meetings, now I have virtual meetings, and I don’t have to worry about finding available rooms for my meetings. Microsoft Teams is really convenient that way. I miss running into colleagues by the water cooler, but now we have the occasional virtual chats instead. Spotty Wi-Fi days can at times be annoying, but I figured out back-up plans for those days as well. The pandemic forced us to be more technologically savvy. Overall, the transition has been surprisingly easy.
What’s it like working through a pandemic?
Working from home takes a bit of improvising. For instance, while I have a workstation, I spend most of my time working from various armchairs in the house. An armchair for meetings, where the Wi-Fi reception is more reliable, an armchair for writing, etc. Rotating through those armchairs breaks my day into segments. On days with lots of meetings, I end up wearing headphones all day long. It feels good to take them off at the end of the day. Sometimes I have "walking meetings," which involve neighborhood walks. They are much more scenic than the skyway walking meetings I used to have.
How has your life changed outside of work?
The pandemic simplified my family life in that we don’t have to drive our kids to their extracurricular activities. They do things virtually, so we have more time at home. Socializing outdoors has been a welcome change too, but I still miss indoor gatherings. I also started learning Spanish. I study 15 minutes every day, and so far I have a 169-day streak, which I am really proud of. Another thing that my husband and I picked up is doing crossword puzzles. Overall, the rhythm of our life is slower, and we are a little more isolated than usual.
|
Stephanie Paulson
Assistant Director
Metro HRA
How has the pandemic affected your day-to-day work?
Each day feels like a strange marriage between exactly the same as the day before and complete chaos. I’ve found myself working more hours to accommodate my own work responsibilities as well as the responsibilities that come with distance learning.
What’s it like working through a pandemic?
The pandemic has offered most work groups the unique opportunity to try new things – engagement, communication, etc. Coming out of this, I can’t imagine anyone’s work will be the same.
How has your life changed outside of work?
I am spending a lot more time with my husband and our three boys, Cam, Evan, and Trey. Up until now, we have been fortunate to have had mostly warm weather to escape the house for walks or backyard time, but winter is right around the corner! Mother Nature is going to force me embrace the snow and cold temperatures soon.
|
ECM and IS departments have merged under IS
In mid-November, the Enterprise Content Management (ECM) and Information Services (IS) departments merged under the IS umbrella. The goal of the combined department is to deliver more streamlined content management and technical services and to support innovative collaboration. Managers will be working over the next year to fully integrate initiatives, operations, and planning. During the transition, staff will remain focused on delivering outstanding services to partners and stakeholders. Staff will work to avoid any disruptions and to be available for any questions or concerns staff and managers have.
Employee Resource Groups forming across Council
Employee Resource Groups (ERGs) are groups of employees and allies sharing a common characteristic or interest, such as gender, ethnicity or race, sexual orientation, generation, or other special interest. The Office of Equal Opportunity (OEO) has created some guidelines and expectations for creating and staff involvement with the resource groups. Among the basics are creating a charter, establishing leadership, and creating a plan for activities. Do you have a group interested in forming an ERG? Email EO Manager Mitzi Kennedy.
MentoringWorks applications open December 1
Make a difference in your professional career or in the direction of someone else’s through the 2021 MentoringWorks Program. Apply on MetNet by selecting Be a Mentor or Be a Mentee. For detailed information on the program, please visit the MentoringWorks site and fact sheet.
A recorded information session is available on the site. Applications will be accepted throughout 2021.
Who is eligible? Employees who have passed their probationary period and received a "Met expectations" or higher on their last performance review, are not currently on a Performance Improvement Plan, and have their supervisor’s approval. Bus and rail operators, interns, those on the post-retirement option (PRO), and contract or temporary employees are not eligible.
Hearty congratulations to the following employees who in December celebrate major milestones in their service to the Council. This recognition includes only Robert Street employees and Regional Administration employees working off-site. For recognition of Metro Transit and other Environmental Services employees, see Insights and ES Update, respectively. The information is released when it is made available from Human Resources.
Years of Service
50 Years!
Leigh Homstad, Principal Communications Specialist, Communications
20 Years
Judd Schetnan, Director, Governmental Affairs
15 Years
Becky Beck, Business Systems Analyst, Finance
5 Years
Greg Brainard, Senior Facilities Maintenance Tech, Central Services
Nick Hendrickson, Manager, Finance, Metropolitan Transportation Services
Michael Nguyen, Engineer, Environmental Services
Stephen Norton, Senior Engineer, Environmental Services
New Staff
Chor Ly, Sept. 8, Contracts Negotiator, Procurement
Rajan Nayar, Sept. 9, EO Consultant, Office of Equal Opportunity
Marie Ozanne, Sept. 28, Principal Contract Administrator, Procurement
Mark Thompson, Oct. 5, Senior Manager, Finance
Michael Frencl, Oct. 12, Systems Engineer, Information Services
Walter Atkins, Oct. 19, Associate Engineer, Environmental Services
Chong Lao, Oct. 26, Supervisor, Metro HRA
Theresa Krinke, Nov. 2, Benefits Specialist, Human Resources
Cameron Colvin, Nov. 9, Associate Engineer, Environmental Services
Departures
Akua Asare, Nov. 14, Auditor in Charge, Audit Administration
Wendy Chretien, Nov. 14, Project Manager, Information Services
Xia Thao, Nov. 14, HR Assistant, Human Resources
 |
|
City of the Future
Photo by Cecile Cloutier
Good photos can be found everywhere and sometimes you just need to look up, as HR Assistant Cecile Cloutier reveals here. “It was a bitterly cold evening last spring when I was waiting for a bus at my Nicollet Mall stop,” she said. “I noticed how great the new, retro-styled Dayton’s sign looked on the top of the remodeled Dayton’s store. I pulled out my trusty iPad but because of spotlights underneath the sign, I couldn’t get a clear shot to save my life. I was ready to delete the photo, but I looked at it again. Sure, the sign wasn’t readable, but I still captured a dramatic, futuristic cityscape. A very happy accident!”
|
The Wire is published every two weeks for employees of the Metropolitan Council. Everyone is invited to submit comments and story ideas. Contact the editor at thewire@metc.state.mn.us
|
