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In this Issue
Working at the Met Council means our work can positively impact our communities. The Building Strong Communities (BSC) program is one example of the many efforts across the Met Council and the Human Resources department that are contributing to a more equitable region. BSC is a pre-apprenticeship program designed to introduce and prepare individuals for a career in the union construction industry.
On May 5, 36 individuals from the BSC 2022 cohort celebrated their completion of the program. Graduates will begin their construction apprenticeship in one of 12 participating construction trades and will be supported during the first year of their apprenticeship.
Read more about the program and this year’s cohort on MetNet.
For more, watch an overview video from the Met Council (3 min.) and a local news story about this year’s graduates (1 min.).
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Giving and receiving feedback at work is critical to working relationships. It's the give and take necessary to make progress, grow, and improve. LOD has two classes to support you in sharpening your feedback skills.
May 18, 9:00 to 11:30 a.m.
Managers and supervisors with direct reports will develop their confidence in delivering feedback with ways to reduce defensiveness, include the employee, and ensure follow-through.
Responding Well to Feedback
May 19, 9:00 to 11:30 a.m.
Individuals will learn how to improve their ability to listen, respond, and use feedback in productive and professional ways.
These virtual, instructor-led classes cover the competencies of Collaborates, Values Difference, Instills Trust, Action-Oriented, Communicates Effectively, Cultivates Innovation, Drives Engagement, and Drives Results.
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The Benefits team is hosting quarterly webinars this year on specific benefit plans to help keep our employees informed. This year's second event will be on Health Reimbursement Accounts (HRA) vs. Health Care Savings Plan (HCSP).
These two plans often get confused, and this presentation will explain and define the plans. The plan administrators will be present to share how to best use our plans now and in the future.
Benefits series: HRA vs. HCSP
May 18, 11:30 a.m. – 12:30 p.m.
Microsoft Teams Live Event
An Outlook calendar invitation was sent to all staff this morning. These events are open-house style, so join as you can and bring all your questions.
It’s almost halfway through the annual performance evaluation cycle, which means it’s time for managers to check in with their employees on their performance goals and competencies.
A check-in is twofold:
1. A discussion with the employee
Regular check-ins are the single most important way to support, engage, and retain your employees. Ongoing and progressive discussions provide opportunities to recognize contributions, provide coaching, and address employee concerns.
2. A task in Perform to mark as completed
While monthly check-in discussions are recommended, managers are required to record two check-ins as completed during the year: one by the end of May, and one by the end of August. These two check-ins are now tasks within the Perform system for the manager to mark as completed and do not require completing an online check-in form.
Here are some tips to help you prepare for a check-in:
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Review the assigned competencies for your employees. You can access information about the Competency Model on the Competencies MetNet page or within your employee’s performance evaluation in Perform.
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Review progress towards performance goals and consider if any adjustments to goals need to be made for the remainder of the year.
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Consider adding content and updates on goal and competency progress to the performance evaluation itself. Perform will autosave any content added. Drafts and in-progress content will not be lost.
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Mark the task as completed in Perform after the May and August check-in discussions.
Use these resources to learn more about completing check-ins:
May is National Bike Month, and next week marks National Bike to Work Week. Did you know that CNBC recently ranked Minneapolis as the most bikeable city in the nation? Check out these links for more information, biking maps, and inspiration to celebrate!
If you’re in the market for a new (or new-to-you) bike, or in need of bike repairs, these are eligible expenses for the Trade Time For Fitness program.
Trade Time for Fitness is a health and wellness program that allows you to trade in your annual leave hours to receive up to $2,000 (gross) per payroll year in reimbursements for eligible health and wellness-related expenses and now includes eligible home office equipment.
HealthPartners online health assessment poses questions about nutrition, exercise, emotional health, life satisfaction, and sleep. This is a great opportunity to check in with yourself and receive specific HealthPartners program recommendations based on your results, like Wellbeats on-demand classes and other programs to track your health habits.
And new this year: Spouses on a Met Council HealthPartners medical plan can participate in HealthPartners's online health programming!
*The health assessment and HealthPartners programming are available for employees who have HealthPartners medical or dental coverage through the Met Council. A $40 gift card (subject to tax) will be provided to employees who complete their assessment between Jan. 1 and May 31. Spouses are not eligible for the gift card. The other HealthPartners programs are available throughout the year, and you don’t need to take the health assessment to participate.
To complete the assessment and access HealthPartners programs, visit HealthPartners.com/wellbeing and log in with your HealthPartners account.
Need help? Call HealthPartners at 800-311-1052.
Need a quick, on-the-go recipe for breakfast or a snack? Check out this freezer-friendly smoothie video (6:30 min.) from Chef Marshall O’Brien on the Fit For Life Stream channel. The quick links to the recipes are:
Looking for something more at your own pace?
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