 Met Council colleagues,
This email is intended for staff with existing Met Council accounts.
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In case you missed it in our newsletters, at the end of this month we will implement single sign-on for these two websites:
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Employee Self Service (ESS) – the employee information website where you can access pay stubs, tax documents, and more
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Benefitfocus – the website used for Open Enrollment and updating benefits after family status changes
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The good news is this means you will no longer need to remember and use a separate user ID and password for those two sites!
How will this impact me?
To make this work, all employees will now have a Met Council account.
This change will impact staff in different ways:
- Since you already have a Met Council account, you will now use that for logging into ESS and Benefitfocus.
- If you have not set up multi-factor authentication (MFA) before, you will need to set it up if you want to log in to ESS or Benefitfocus off-site and off the Met Council network. (See MFA details below.)
- If you manage staff who do not have a Met Council account, they are getting one. (See details below so you can help them!)
What does single sign-on mean?
It's easy! These websites will use your Met Council Microsoft account (your work email address and password), and:
- If you are already logged in to your Met Council account on your device, you will be automatically logged in and you will not see a login screen.
- If you are not logged in already, you will land on the login page and use your Met Council username and password to sign in.
If you need more info, click a question to jump to the section below:
Don't forget!
Open Enrollment for 2023 benefits begins Oct. 31.
Benefitfocus is the website you use to complete your enrollment, and it will now use single sign-on.
Find more information on MetNet (Human Resources > Benefits > Open Enrollment) or in the information packet mailed to your home address in late October.
Use this easy web address to log in to Benefitfocus to complete Open Enrollment:
MetroCouncil.org/BenefitsEnrollment
If you are accessing Benefitfocus or ESS off-site and off the Met Council network (not connected to VPN), when you log in you will need to complete multi-factor authentication (MFA).
MFA requires you to use two steps to log in, instead of just entering your username and password. Methods for completing MFA include a text message, phone call, mobile app, email, and security questions.
If this is your first time using MFA, you will need to set up which methods you’d like to use. You can set up MFA now before single sign-on launches at the end of this month.
Follow the instructions at MetroCouncil.org/MFA for help setting up and completing MFA.
If you manage employees who are getting a new Met Council account, please review these details so you can help them!
Staff are receiving a username and an initial password, which they will use to log in for the first time and then they will change to a password they choose.
If you'd like to help make sure your employee has the full instructions, print out this single sign-on handout (PDF) for them.
We are encouraging staff to consider logging in to Benefitfocus (MetroCouncil.org/BenefitsEnrollment) now to set up their account password, even if they're not able or ready at this time to complete Open Enrollment. That will give them time to reach out for help in case they experience any issues.
Note: Their username for logging in looks like an email address (firstname.lastname@metc.state.mn.us), but they will not have access to the Met Council email system (Outlook).
What is their new account?
The username is:
firstname.lastname@metc.state.mn.us
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For example:
If my name is Abby Normal, my username will be: abby.normal@metc.state.mn.us
If my full name is Abigail, though, it will be: abigail.normal@metc.state.mn.us
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They will use an initial password to log in for the first time, and then the system will prompt them to change their password to something they choose.
The initial password is:
- (lowercase) first two letters of their last name
- (lowercase) first two letters of their first name
- their five-digit employee ID number
- an exclamation point
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For example:
Abby Normal’s initial password for their first login would be: noab12345!
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Project team members are doing additional onsite outreach to these employees who do not already have accounts in order to help them set up their account passwords and get access to ESS and Benefitfocus. (See onsite details below.)
If you need assistance logging in with your Met Council account or setting up MFA, please talk to your manager or supervisor, or call the Service Desk:
Service Desk
651-602-1498
Monday through Friday, 7 a.m. to 4 p.m.
Staff from Information Services will be available at the onsite Open Enrollment info sessions in November to assist employees who need help setting up their password for their new Met Council account. Drop by any time during these open-house sessions!
| Location |
Date |
Time |
| East Metro Garage: drivers room |
Tuesday, Nov. 1 |
11:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m. |
| South Garage: drivers room |
Wednesday, Nov. 2 |
1:00 to 5:00 p.m. |
| Nicollet Garage: drivers room |
Friday, Nov. 4 |
8:00 a.m. to noon |
| Heywood Garage: drivers room |
Monday, Nov. 7 |
10:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. |
| Overhaul Base: Training Room A |
Thursday, Nov. 10 |
7:30 to 10:30 a.m. |
Staff from Information Services will also be available at certain sites in October and November during shift changes to assist employees who need help setting up their password for their new Met Council account. Stop by if you see them at your work site and you need assistance!
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