The Environmental Services monthly employee newsletter
After the murder of George Floyd last summer, I reflected on my role as a leader in changing the structures that make society unfair. Council data show that the Environmental Services workforce does not represent the community we serve, across all staff and especially at the leadership level. Stories reveal that our coworkers and managers unconsciously or consciously create a work environment that is not always inclusive. Many more staff have expressed a desire to do better but don't know what they can do. It's clear we need change to ensure we have a diverse, equitable, and inclusive workplace.
That's why I'm bringing our Sustainable Services goal – focused on each of us – front and center.
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We've launched a divisionwide effort to build our racial equity plan. Staff have asked why focus on race when we have equity issues related to gender, disabilities, sexual orientation, age, and others. Our greatest gaps are in racial equity. Improving equity and inclusion requires focus to achieve results.
Systems that fail people of color, fail all of us. As we learn to be more inclusive of racial diversity, these same approaches and new behaviors will support all forms of inclusion. The framework, tools, and resources that support racial equity can apply to other areas.
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Every Environmental Services staff member drives the success of our mission to provide wastewater services and integrated planning to ensure we have sustainable water quality and water supply for the region. To succeed in our mission, our workplace must support all of us to do our best work together.
Speak up
Your voices are needed to help us understand where we can improve racial equity. We aim to involve as many of our staff as are willing to participate. We want to move away from the tradition of hierarchy that has not done a good job of allowing voices to be heard. If you have concerns about coworker reactions or management shutting down conversations about improvement, reach out to me or a member of our Workforce and Equity staff.
Research shows having a workplace where employees feel safe and are encouraged to speak up outperforms other organizations in their culture. Speaking up in this racial equity work builds the muscles for speaking up on other improvement opportunities as well.
When you communicate your concerns, ideas, and suggestions about work-related issues with the intent to improve our processes and work better together, we all succeed.
The MCES Equity Initiative is just beginning. We need your help to discover where we need to focus first. There are several engagement opportunities for all division employees:
- Equity briefings
- MCES racial equity survey
- BIPOC focus groups
- Diamond Inclusiveness Assessment
Expectations to make the Equity Initiative a success
We're counting on all employees to help us develop and carry out the Equity Initiative. Here are our expectations of managers and supervisors:
- Champion the intent of the project and use as many methods as needed to inform your staff about the project and its importance.
- Support the process – if you are not ready to do this, let leadership know so that they can help you get there.
- Ask questions at any time during the process.
- Provide opportunities for your staff to participate and address barriers to participation.
- Let your staff and colleagues know it is important for us to engage around equity and that all our input is valued.
- Make decisions that support equity.
- Acknowledge and apply the experience of the people participating.
- Agree to change policies, practices, and situations.
- Assign necessary and sufficient resources.
- Use your leadership to support this process.
- Have confidence that more perspective shared will help us make our best decisions and plans.
Knowing what we expect from our managers and supervisors should help employees see the support they will receive. Here is what we also expect from our employees:
- Participate and speak up as opportunities are presented.
- Support the process – even if you are skeptical, be open to the possibility that you could be surprised by how this effort will achieve improvements.
- Ask questions at any time during the process.
- Let us know if there are obstacles to your participation, so we can address them and facilitate your involvement.
- Acknowledge and apply the experience of the people participating.
- Support changes in policies, practices, and situations.
Read more about MCES employee engagement opportunities on MetNet.
What would you say if you were asked, "What should MCES do to improve our work/life balance?" Would you recommend more appreciation days for staff? An evaluation of all on-site work tasks to see if more could be done remotely? A divisionwide moratorium on meetings? People shared those suggestions and many more during the recent Workplace 2.0 Workshop.
Input from the 40 workshop participants is turning into recommendations for our future workplace – one that supports employee well-being, enhances our work, and enables us to better retain and attract staff.
The participants, comprised primarily of MCES employees along with a few Met Council staff and external utility and planning experts, answered five major questions about MCES workplaces:
- What should the equitable treatment of staff look like in our workplaces?
- What should work/life balance and workspace/schedule flexibility look like in our workplaces?
- How should communication occur or improve to positively serve our workplaces?
- What should our workspaces look like to positively impact our workplaces?
- What technology and resources should exist to positively impact our workplaces?
"I'm hopeful that this process will help us create a better plan together, and that plan will support our performance and well-being," Leisa Thompson, MCES general manager, said at the beginning of the workshop sessions. "I am confident because we have many voices to help us make these recommendations that they'll be actionable."
The final session generated more than 650 individual ideas to take forward. These are currently being refined by the Workplace 2.0 Process Team and will be shared with MCES leadership at the Strategy Network at the end of August. The action plan will be shared with all staff as it moves into implementation over the next 12 to 18 months.
"It's a wonderful feeling to work for an organization that puts so much time and effort into improving the workplace and all of the things that encompasses."
- Amanda Cerne, assistant business unit manager, Metro Plant
Cracking Complexity approach
The Workplace 2.0 sessions were based on the Cracking Complexity process. This method is applied to solve complex problems by tapping a strategically selected variety of people to participate in a facilitated discussion. Participants are assigned roles in the discussion to ensure a good exchange of ideas, point out any missing perspectives, and deeply listen to highlight the key points from the conversation.
Read more about the approach on MetNet.
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Our Energy Management Team is contributing to research funded by the Water Research Foundation that will help water and wastewater utilities make informed capital expenditure decisions and increase confidence in future energy efficiency and emission reduction projects.
"We're sharing some of our energy projects as case studies in this research effort," said David Ponder, environmental analyst in Sustainability Support. "Having industry standards for energy savings estimates will help us build the business case for energy efficiency investments and make it easier to position our projects with our electric utility partners to obtain incentives.
"We use energy management to not only contain expenses in our wastewater operations, it's one of our strategies for sustainability. We aim to minimize our environmental impact and plan for affordable treatment services in the long term for the Twin Cities region."
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Local news media recently did stories on two MCES activities:
MCES has posted job openings for two construction contract administrators – one for electrical projects and one for mechanical projects. Join hiring manager Jim Sailer, manager of Construction Services, and Robin Lee, talent acquisition specialist in Human Resources, for an information session to learn more about the positions and ask questions.
Monday, Aug. 23, 1 to 2 p.m.
Via WebEx
Registration for the information session is required by 5 p.m. on Friday, Aug. 20. Please see the job posting for the registration link (bottom of job posting) and more information about the position.
Hess, Peterson improve Environmental Health and Safety website
For redesigning the Environmental Health and Safety website, a Keystone Team Award was presented to Kris Hess, business analyst 3, Administration and Communications, and Alesha Peterson, senior administrative specialist, Environmental Health and Safety.
Using internal customer feedback, Hess and Peterson redesigned the website to be more user friendly, allowing busy core service staff to quickly find information they need to do their jobs safely and in full compliance. Site navigation is now more intuitive and important documents are easy to find. The team reviewed all documents to ensure that only the most recent and relevant versions were on the website and archived all previous versions.
Nominating Hess and Peterson for the award were Tim Morrell, acting manager of Environmental Health and Safety, and Sam Paske, assistant general manager of Utility Management Systems.
"When we contacted Kris for some assistance with our website, she immediately agreed and provided us with unbelievable help and support," Morrell said. He added that Hess met with the work group multiple times to understand the project issues and needs. She created mockups with potential changes and provided additional guidance and input. And she ensured a smooth roll-out of the new site.
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Team recognized for developing position information sessions
For developing a process to make MCES career opportunities more accessible to internal candidates, a Keystone Team Award was presented to a Workforce and Equity team of Kim Burbank, former programs and administration specialist and now a talent acquisition specialist with Met Council Human Resources; Kristi Goble, program coordinator; and Suidi Hashi, associate outreach coordinator.
The team created and carried out position information sessions that directly support the Met Council's Affirmative Action Plan and Human Resources Workplan. The sessions are like a large-group informational interview, in which current employees meet with Human Resources staff and MCES hiring managers to learn about an open position and see if they might be suited to the job. Hiring managers benefit by learning more about potential applicants.
The team also targeted our employee base from diverse backgrounds to increase the diversity of our candidate pool and have a better chance at not only promoting from within, but in being able to promote women or Black, Indigenous, and people of color (BIPOC). "Both of these demographics are areas in which the Council struggles substantially in retaining staff, and we are finding that women and BIPOC employees are leaving the organization at much higher rates than they exist within the organization," said nominator Jenn Zuchowski, manager of Workforce and Equity. In reviewing data and possible causes of this, the team made a connection between employees' lack of knowledge of what the open jobs entail, as well as the recruitment and selection process.
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Champion organizes recognition for Core Growth Program participants
For planning and coordinating a successful graduation event for her co-workers completing the Core Growth Program, a Keystone Award was presented to Cassie Champion, principal environmental scientist, Water Resources.
Champion was a member of the 2021 group that completed the development program for emerging water sector leaders. She realized that the 2020 group of six employees had its in-person program interrupted by the COVID-19 pandemic, completed a large portion of their work virtually, and did not have an in-person graduation event, and her 2021 group of 10 employees had to complete its entire program virtually and didn't get to experience the in-person networking and team building of previous classes.
"Cassie believed it was important to have an event for both groups in the program that would boost morale, create a positive and safe environment, and increase employee engagement," said nominator Kristi Goble, program coordinator in Workforce and Equity. "She went above and beyond her regular duties and position to plan, coordinate, and successfully host a graduation event in June. She made sure the program graduates received the recognition they deserved and kept the event pandemic-safe by holding it at an outdoor picnic shelter."
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Taylor helps move racial equity work forward
For helping advance MCES's Equity Initiative, a Keystone Award was presented to Susan Taylor, executive assistant to the MCES general manager.
"During a time of pandemic and social unrest, Susan was able to stretch outside of her usual job and assist the division in moving racial equity work forward," said nominator Jenn Zuchowski, manager of Workforce and Equity. "Susan has been able to not only keep us in alignment with the process and stages necessary to create our racial equity strategic plan, but she was able to ensure that the topic did not silently disappear as the division focused on our core functions and employee well-being during the pandemic."
See full award details on MetNet.
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A recap of recent Met Council announcements relevant to MCES
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Masks required inside Met Council facilities: Earlier this month, Met Council leaders reinstated the mask requirement for all facilities. All employees who are inside Met Council facilities must wear a face covering, regardless of vaccination status.
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New telework transition FAQ page: The Telework Transition FAQ page on MetNet provides details on related policies and procedures, the new hybrid schedules, how to prepare for the transition, and technology and workspaces in the new hybrid setup.
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COVID-19 vaccine now available at Well@Work clinics: Appointments are required and available Mondays and Thursdays at both of the Met Council's Well@Work clinics. Masks are required at all times in the clinics.
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Workforce data dashboard now available: A new online dashboard summarizes and displays the Met Council workforce snapshot data in alignment with our Affirmative Action Plan goals. Making this information available provides important context for our employees, equity change teams, and Council members to make informed decisions.
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Installing new badge readers: Over the next few months, the badge readers employees use to unlock doors and open gates are being replaced at all Met Council sites. All existing badges will work with the new readers. If you arrive at a door/gate where a reader is being replaced, please wait or find an alternate entrance to the building.
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Change to Microsoft Teams recordings: Recorded Teams meetings will no longer save to Microsoft Stream. Instead, recordings will automatically save to either the Team's SharePoint site or to OneDrive, depending on how they were scheduled. Recorded meetings already stored in Microsoft Stream are not affected at this time.
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Human Resources updates: Flu shot clinics are being offered at many Met Council sites in September for onsite employees. Employees not working onsite can schedule a flu shot appointment at either of the Well@Work clinics, or through their regular clinic or convenience clinics. Recordings are available for recent manager and supervisor sessions: July 21 Q&A on the telework transition, and Aug. 3 Ask HR session on best practices using the Perform module.
Full information on MetNet.
COVID-19 RESOURCES
Anniversaries
Congratulations to these employees celebrating milestone anniversaries!
45 YEARS
Harriet Simmons, senior administrative specialist, Plant Engineering, Robert Street
30 YEARS
Evelyn Logan, plant operator, Liquids Business Unit, Metro Plant
15 YEARS
Val Hardy, plant operator, Blue Lake Plant
10 YEARS
Richard DeMars, stationary engineer, Solids Business Unit, Metro Plant
Mara Hosseini, senior administrative specialist, Blue Lake Plant
5 YEARS
Nicholas Bernardy, machinist mechanic, Mechanical Planning and Maintenance, Regional Maintenance Facility (RMF) and East Bethel Water Reclamation Facility
Marcus Bush, principal engineer, Wastewater Planning and Community Programs, Robert Street
Pat Revoir, contract administrator, Construction Services, Metro Plant Construction Field Office (CFO)
Staffing changes
Posted by Human Resources since the July Update
NEW HIRES
Teresa Dambowy, principal administrative specialist, Plant Engineering, Robert Street
Jaime Fernandez, construction inspector trainee, Construction Services, Metro Plant CFO
Armel Green, construction inspector trainee, Construction Services, Metro Plant CFO
Margaret Grefig, financial analyst, Budget and Analysis, Robert Street
Saul Hernandez, interceptor service worker trainee, Interceptor Services, RMF
Aaron Kuznia, construction inspector, Construction Services, Metro Plant CFO
Justin Ruff, interceptor service worker trainee, Interceptor Services, RMF
Eric Sagnes, intern, Performance Excellence and Analytics, Metro Plant
Teng Sa Yang, construction inspector trainee, Construction Services, Metro Plant CFO
REHIRES
Bob Nordquist, program supervisor, Industrial Waste and Pollution Prevention, Metro 94 (post-retirement option)
DEPARTURES
Val Hardy, plant operator, Blue Lake Plant
Rick Russell, principal contract administrator, Construction Services, Metro Plant CFO
Porter Sartor, industrial waste technician, Industrial Waste and Pollution Prevention, Metro 94
POSITION CHANGES
Marie Cramer, assistant manager, Construction Services, Metro Plant CFO (formerly principal contract administrator)
David Erickson, interceptor service worker 2, Interceptor Services, RMF (formerly interceptor service worker 1)
Gabriel Rios, interceptor service worker 2, Interceptor Services, RMF (formerly interceptor service worker 1)
Daniel Russow, principal engineer, Industrial Waste and Pollution Prevention, Metro 94 (formerly senior engineer)
Marissa Walseth, lab analyst 2, Analytical (Lab) Services, Metro Plant (formerly lab analyst 1)
Story idea? Contact Deb McKinley by email: deb.mckinley@metc.state.mn.us.
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