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In this Issue
Beginning Monday, Oct. 11, in order to report to work onsite, Met Council employees must be fully vaccinated against COVID-19 or get weekly COVID-19 tests and test negative. For more information on the vaccine and testing requirement:
Managers' first Go/No-Go lists will be sent tomorrow
Employees who need to test each week must complete their test by 11:59 p.m. each Thursday. To prepare for the first week of the requirement, employees need to test between Oct. 1 and 11:59 p.m. Oct. 7 for clearance to work the week of Oct. 11. A list will be sent to every manager by 8 a.m. each Friday letting them know if their employees are approved to go onsite – based on vaccination status or testing status. Read last week's all-staff COVID-19 email for details on the testing process.
As a reminder, employees who are seeking COVID-19 tests to meet the weekly testing requirement should not attempt to schedule appointments at the Council's Well@Work clinics. Employees who are asymptomatic and are not testing to meet the new testing requirement may access tests through the clinics.
Submit your proof of vaccination
Employees who are vaccinated must submit documentation to Human Resources through Employee Self Service (ESS) to verify vaccination status. In order to be exempt from weekly testing when it begins on Oct. 11, proof of vaccination must have been submitted and verified by Oct. 4. Moving forward, you may submit proof of vaccination at any time, but you may still be subject to weekly testing until your vaccination status is reviewed and verified by Human Resources.
For assistance submitting your proof of vaccination, read the all-staff COVID-19 email for instructions completing the form in ESS or review the proof of vaccination form instructions guide (PDF). You can use the Docket mobile app or visit the Minnesota Department of Health website for help finding your immunization record.
Provide proof of vaccination and get $150
Council members approved a vaccination incentive that will provide a $150 lump sum, cash incentive for every employee who has been fully vaccinated and submits their proof of vaccination through ESS. Proof of vaccination must be submitted and verified by Nov. 26, and the one-time, taxable payment will be included on the Dec. 10 paycheck.
Human Resources and Bus Transportation are hosting two hiring events for full-time bus operators this month at the Metro Transit Instruction Center, 725 7th Street North, Minneapolis.
Candidates can apply online prior to the event and interview on Tuesday or Saturday. They can also apply and interview at the event either day. Assistance will be available onsite for anyone who needs help completing an application online.
Saturday, Oct. 9, 9:00 a.m. to noon
Tuesday, Oct. 12, 4:00 to 7:00 p.m.
Welcome to Breast Cancer Awareness Month – championed at the Met Council by two breast cancer survivors and executive leaders, Marcy Syman and Mary Bogie. All women are at risk for developing breast cancer, and it is the leading cause of cancer death among black women. Survival rates increase dramatically with early detection. This month Fit For Life is partnering with the African American Breast Cancer Alliance to provide education around breast cancer through survivor stories:
Friday, Oct. 15, 11:00 a.m. to noon
Tuesday, Oct. 26, 11:00 a.m. to noon
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Heywood: Tuesday, Nov. 2, 7:00 to 10:00 a.m. Truck will be parked by door 16 (bus pull-in door) across from TCC.
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Metro Plant: Thursday, Nov. 4, 7:00 to 9:00 a.m. Truck will be parked in the West Parking Lot.
Call 952-993-3700 to schedule your screening and tell the scheduler if you'd like to make an appointment at the Metro Plant or Heywood. Contact Shelby.Olson@metc.state.mn.us for questions.
Onsite mobile mammography is available for Met Council employees and free if covered by insurance. Bring your insurance card with you to your appointment. Masks are required during your screening appointment.
Show your pink pride this month by emailing FitForLife@metc.state.mn.us examples of your support! It could be a picture of you or your pet in a pink outfit, share your survivor or supporter story with us, change your Teams background to pink ribbons, etc.
Are you aware of the benefits of enrolling in a Flexible Spending Account (FSA)? Your contributions to the account are taken from your pay on a pretax basis. This lowers your taxable income amount.
When you enroll, you will get a debit card to use when paying expenses. This is a real time saver over submitting claims and waiting for reimbursement. Note that with the Met Council's new FSA administrator, TASC, staff enrolled will receive a TASC debit card. TASC also has some features that are new to us, which we will share in upcoming issues of HR Connect.
With Open Enrollment around the corner – Nov. 1 through Nov. 19 – now is a great time to look at how to decide if you want to enroll in an FSA and for how much.
Health care FSA
This account can be used to pay any health expenses that insurance doesn’t pay. The plan limit for Health FSA is $2,750 per year. With 26 contributions per year, consider the per pay amount when electing (divide the annual amount by the number of pay periods).
Here are some items to consider when making your election:
- Look back at the previous year’s health and dental expenses. Did you have a lot of expenses or a little? Do you expect to do the same this coming year? If so, the total of last year’s expenses may be a good election amount. Maybe add a little extra for unexpected expenses.
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If you have young children or student athletes, you may need to plan for more expenses. Children, especially athletes, tend to get injured or sick and require more services.
- Do you have any procedures you have been planning on, such as knee surgery? Most likely any surgery will use up your deductible. Possibly your out-of-pocket maximum will also be met. Elect what you are comfortable with and save some tax money.
Dependent Care (daycare) FSA
This account is strictly for expenses related to caring for your child(ren) or an adult, while you and your spouse work or attend school. There is a $5,000 limit annually on this account, and there are 26 deductions per year. Most daycare programs cost more than the $5,000 limit, so making this election may be easy. Do the math and be sure you are comfortable with that amount coming out of your pay every two weeks.
The Dependent Care FSA is "use it or lose it" – funds do not roll over from year to year – so be sure your election is affordable and not too much. And your election cannot be changed mid-year if you decide it is too much (or too little) out of your paycheck.
You can elect up to $270 per month for work-related parking expenses. Parking allows you to stop and start your election on a quarterly basis, during the year. If your parking needs change during the year, once a quarter you may go into the enrollment system and change your election.
Remember that you are not automatically re-enrolled in Flexible Spending Accounts from year to year. You must enroll each year.
Performance evaluations are due by Dec. 11. Managers and employees are encouraged to schedule time to complete their respective steps by the due dates listed below.
To keep to the timeline, you should have completed steps one through three by now. Be sure to ask your employees to complete their Year-end Feedback Form, which is due by Oct. 31.
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Establish performance goals first quarter
- May check-in second quarter
- August check-in third quarter
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Employee year-end feedback due Oct. 31
- Manager rates employee’s performance, submits to manager due Nov. 13
- Manager’s manager approves ratings due Nov. 20
- Manager and employee meet to review final rating due Monday, Dec. 6
For employees completing the Year-end Feedback Form:
For managers completing the Performance Evaluation:
- Block off time on your calendar for performance evaluation work and tasks.
- Solicit feedback from employees’ customers to gain a broad perspective of performance.
- Review the level-specific and core competencies on MetNet for each of your staff.
An important role of managers and supervisors is coaching employees to higher performance.
Whether your employees need further development or support in reaching minimum expectations, the Coaching Principles class will expand your coaching skills so you can help them get there.
This virtual, instructor-led Coaching Principles class will be held from 9:00 to11:30 a.m. on Oct. 27. It introduces the foundations of coaching and the GROW model, and it develops the competencies of directs work, communicates effectively, and manages conflict. View the full list of competencies covered by this course on MetNet (PDF).
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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.
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Click the library book icon at the top of the page, locate “A-Learning Institute,” and click the arrow pointing to the right.
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Click “LOD Classes Open for Registration.”
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Locate the class and register.
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