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In this Issue
Weeks of writing and stakeholder review was completed this week as we published the Met Council’s updated Telework Procedure. The procedure provides guidelines around employment conditions, supervisor and employee expectations, data and security, and telework location.
With the start of the COVID-19 pandemic, many of our employees had to begin teleworking overnight, forcing us all to learn and adopt new technology and new ways of working together. We learned on the fly and with the hard work of staff across the organization – working onsite and remotely – we maintained a high quality of work and service.
Now, as we transition into a more planful telework setup, we have taken the opportunity to update and expand our Telework Procedure. The world of work is changing, and the Met Council is shifting to make remote work more widely available, using a combination of fully onsite, remote and onsite (hybrid), or fully remote as accepted and supported employment practices for many positions.
Managers and supervisors with direct reports learned more about the new procedure in a Q&A session held yesterday, and an online training on the new Telework Procedure will be available soon through Learn. Managers and supervisors of teleworking employees will be expected to review employee work tasks and evaluate whether and how much time the employee will be approved to work remotely in a fair and consistent manner.
Tools and forms associated with the new procedure are in development and will be linked in the procedure very soon. The COVID-19 newsletter and a MetNet FAQ page will also be used to provide details and answers to questions employees have around the new procedure and the broader telework transition.
The transition from COVID-19-imposed telework will begin in earnest Sept. 7 but is expected to take place over several weeks. A new Telework Transition team kicked off this month to provide Councilwide resources, communication, and guidance and is pivoting from where the COVID-19 Planning Team left off.
Continue to watch your email, MetNet, and our employee newsletters for information on facilities, technology, planning, and more. Additional Q&A sessions for teleworking managers and employees will also be held in the coming weeks.
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Applications for mentees and mentors are due July 28 to be considered for the third group of participants in the 2021 MentoringWorks program. MentoringWorks develops future leaders and supports affirmative action goals. Development takes effort and attention.
Participate as a mentee to build cross-divisional relationships and learn new skills. Participate as a mentor to build your sponsorship skills and help employees navigate their careers.
This group starts Aug. 11 with a virtual introductory session from 10:00 to 11:30 a.m., during which mentees and mentors will meet, learn about the program, and receive resources for a successful experience.
Visit the MentoringWorks page on MetNet for information, and head to the Be a Mentor or Be a Mentee page to apply.
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.
If you would like to focus on improving your financial well-being or want to revisit your financial plans, please join us for the Living Paycheck to Purpose financial empowerment program launching soon.
The program combines education, interactive discussion, and thought-provoking activities to help you overcome hurdles that are standing in the way of reaching your financial goals.
During this program you will:
- Refine your financial goals
- Learn strategies for increasing your savings
- Create a plan to pay off your debt
- Find a budgeting strategy that works for you
- Develop habits that lead to wealth building
Managers can take small steps now to decrease the time and effort it takes to develop employees' year-end performance evaluations.
Perform is accessible throughout the year for managers to document performance, add comments on employees' goals and competencies, and construct the annual performance evaluation. Documenting performance throughout the year satisfies the requirement to document performance and saves time completing year-end reviews.
To add content to an evaluation, click on the “Rating” task on the Perform dashboard to access the employee’s performance evaluation. Once there, managers can edit and add notes to goal and competency progress directly into a draft of the annual evaluation, which can be finalized and submitted in December.
A busy personal life has a direct correlation to your productivity level in your job.
By getting control of your productivity at home you can improve your work productivity, too, making you better able to stick to schedules and meet deadlines by reducing the stress and distractions that come from trying to juggle home and work at the same time.
In this 19-minute course, you’ll learn how to prepare for trips, plan personal and household tasks, and become more organized. You’ll also explore tips for achieving an effective work/life balance and taking care of your personal health and well-being.
To access this Skillsoft course 24/7:
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Go to Learn.
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If you have a Council-issued email address, go to the Talent Hub page on MetNet and click Learn. Then click "Employee with an email address."
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If you do not, go to https://metc.sumtotal.host, click the "Employee without an email address" button, and sign in with your Learn username and password.
- Click the library book icon at the top of the page and select "A-LOD Recommended Online Courses" from the menu.
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Locate "Achieve productivity in your personal life," select the course, and click "Start" from the menu button to the right of the course name.
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