This special issue of the COVID-19 update email is being sent to managers and supervisors with direct reports to provide an overview of the timeline, guidance, and tasks necessary to prepare for the telework transition this fall.
If you are receiving this and do not have teleworking employees on your team, please review the high-level information here so you understand the timing and process for teleworking employees rejoining those onsite.
In the coming weeks, we will provide more planning guidance to managers and employees for returning teleworking teams to onsite work.
Small numbers of teleworking staff have been returning to onsite work this summer, and larger numbers will return after Labor Day. We don’t expect everyone to be back onsite right away this fall, and the guidance we’ll provide will help your work areas determine both your transition plan and your more long-term needs as a department.
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At a glance
What you'll learn in this email:
- High-level timeline for the telework transition
- What managers and supervisors of teleworking staff should start doing now to prepare
- Updated Telework Procedure coming this week
- Telework transition Q&A on July 21 for managers and supervisors with direct reports
Read on for more about these updates.
Telework transition timeline
As we look to bring employees back to the office who have been working remotely during the COVID-19 pandemic, the Met Council pandemic and telework transition planning teams are hard at work putting guidelines together and assessing onsite logistics for returning teleworkers to Met Council facilities.
We have identified the phases below to guide this transition. Over the next year, the Met Council will engage in a hybrid work model with a phased-in approach and several points for evaluation and adjustment.
In these phases, we will learn more about which tasks are best accomplished onsite or remotely; additional technology needs or enhancements to support a hybrid approach; space needs and best approaches to accommodating hybrid work onsite; and additional training needed for coordinating hybrid work, performance management, and recognizing differences.
- Preparation = July – August 2021
- Division/department leadership determine general telework direction.
- Departments begin creating initial onsite, hybrid, and telework schedules.
- Determine employees’ "primary" work locations and plan for suitable workstations.
- Complete required online training on the updated Telework Procedure.
- Phase I: Transition = September – November 2021
- Complete the required Work Unit Telework Plan and implement the new schedules for all teleworking employees by mid-October.
- Employee and manager sign a telework agreement.
- Complete required online training on the hybrid work environment (teleworking employees and supervisors).
- Identify issues regarding technology, space, and department communication and service delivery.
- Phase II: Revise and refine = December 2021 – February 2022
- Conduct formal check-ins with staff, team, and customers.
- Division/department leadership reviews and refines plans.
- Continue to address technology and space issues.
- Phase III: Normalizing = March – May 2022
- Keep working, revising, and collecting information to make improvements.
- Phase IV: Formal review = June – August 2022
- Formal review with employees and management is facilitated by Human Resources, the Telework Transition Team, and Council business representatives.
- Update procedures and make changes identified in the formal review.
Expectations for September
Please note that we do not expect that all returning teleworkers will report onsite the day after Labor Day. Employees, managers, and department leaders will work together to define their new work schedules and determine when they will go into effect.
The transition phase begins in September, and the teleworker's new schedule should be implemented by the middle of October.
Each department will set expectations for when employees should return within this window. Then, each teleworking employee will determine with their manager the exact date they will start their new schedule, and the work plan and effective date will be defined in the signed telework agreement.
Preparation: How to prepare for the telework transition
Here is what managers and supervisors of teleworking staff should be working on in July and August:
- Become familiar with the updated Telework Procedure (to be published this week).
- Determine the general telework direction for your department based on job tasks, department and customer needs, workspace availability, and employee feedback. Communicate those expectations to your employees as soon as possible.
- Begin creating initial onsite, hybrid, and telework schedules for your team. Document decisions in the Work Unit Telework Plan.
- Determine employees’ "primary" work location and plan for suitable workstations. If applicable, plan for the return of office chairs, monitors, docking stations, and other items that staff brought home during the pandemic.
- Share and reinforce Councilwide and division communication over the coming months to make sure your employees are receiving the information they need and getting their questions answered.
- Attend town hall sessions for managers and supervisors to hear from leaders, learn critical information, and ask questions. The first one is on July 21 (more details below).
- When they become available, complete the required trainings in Learn on the updated Telework Procedure and managing in a hybrid work environment.
Please talk with your manager or division leaders to discuss any questions, concerns, or feedback you have. Share the questions and concerns of your team members, or encourage them to submit their comments to the planning team via the online COVID-19 feedback form.
Please know that as managers you are empowered to make decisions that are right for your business and team.
Updated Telework Procedure coming this week
Human Resources and the pandemic incident command team have updated the Met Council’s Telework Procedure, which will be approved and published this week. Look for more information on the changes in an all-staff communication later this week.
Telework transition Q&A for managers July 21
To help teams prepare for the transition, managers and supervisors with direct reports are invited to attend a virtual Q&A with leadership this Wednesday. In this session, managers will learn about the updated Telework Procedure, review tasks they should begin working on with their staff, and gain insight into the Councilwide telework transition planning team.
Telework transition Q&A: Managers and supervisors with direct reports
Wednesday, July 21
11 a.m. – noon
Microsoft Teams
The Outlook invitation was sent last week to all managers and supervisors with direct reports. Please contact Paula.Crane@metc.state.mn.us if you did not receive a meeting invite. If you cannot attend live, the session will be recorded and posted on MetNet for later viewing.
Stay updated and share your feedback
Please stay tuned to these update emails, future town halls, and MetNet for more information. The COVID-19 FAQ pages on MetNet will be updated with focused information on the telework transition.
We appreciate your patience with this process and your understanding that we do not have answers to all questions and details at this point. As the planning teams create guidance and put together comprehensive information for returning teleworkers to onsite, continue to share your concerns and questions on enterprise-wide procedures and logistics. Please send us your thoughts using the online COVID-19 form. Please talk with your manager about division- or department-specific issues.
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