Tableau is getting much-needed upgrade this next weekend, March 4-5!
Our current Tableau environment is running on an older system with an older version of Tableau. We are happy to announce that we have upgraded to a new system and the latest and greatest version of Tableau. With this upgrade, there will be some changes.
If you find a link on the Lorax that goes to the old reporting site, please send an email to intranet.pca@state.mn.us to have the link updated. If you have any questions, please contact Miranda Nichols.
Questions about retirement benefits?
Representatives from the Minnesota State Retirement System (MSRS) will be available Tuesday, March 7, for individual appointments. Employees will take away information on all three benefits MSRS provides: State Retirement Benefits (MSRS), Deferred Compensation, and Health Care Savings Plan. Click on the time that works for you and fill in the requested information. You will get a confirmation email with your date and time. To register: To meet in person or to meet via phone/Zoom.
|
Learn more about your optional employee benefits
Sign up for a virtual informational meeting March 9 to speak with an Ochs account manager to discuss the following benefits:
- Life Insurance (Employee, Spouse, Child)*
- Short Term Disability (Employee)*
- Accidental Death & Dismemberment “AD&D” (Employee and Spouse)
- Long Term Disability (Employee)
*Health questions and evidence of good health are required to enroll outside of your newly eligibility period.
Be prepared — before your meeting:
- Visit ochsinc.com/stmn to learn more about your Optional Benefits
- Have your 8-digit employee ID number available
Reminder: Voyageur and Continous Improvement Awards photos available for download
In response to many requests, we have posted all of the Voyageur and CI award photos that were taken over the last 3 years. This seemed like the easiest way for staff to have access to their portraits for other uses.
This is an unlisted link, meaning you will only be able to find this album if you have the exact URL. To download your image, click on your photo and then the 3 dots in the upper right corner.
|
Gwen Jenkins joins RMAD division
Gwen Jenkins recently joined the MPCA as a recycling and composting specialist in the Resource Management and Assistance Division. In her new role, Gwen will be focusing on recycling outreach, planning and education; recycling market development; and composting outreach and technical assistance.
She holds a Master of Urban and Regional Planning degree with a focus on environmental planning, and a bachelor's degree in environmental studies. Find out more about Gwen and what she does in her spare time on the Lorax.
|
Green chemistry and engineering Internship grant available
MPCA is soliciting applications for a $12,000 grant from MPCA to host an intern this summer!
Any company that can host the intern in Minnesota may apply. Interns must have at least a four-year STEM degree by the time they start, and they can be assigned to any project using green chemistry techniques or technologies. Find out more on MPCA's Green chemistry and engineering internship grant webpage and be sure to spread the word. Applications are due March 31.
|
March’s Equity Experience events
Equity Experience events offer a variety of ways to “experience” equity, so we can hold ourselves accountable to learning, growing, and engaging with this important work and our commitment to diversity, equity and inclusion.
Check out the event list on the Lorax. In order to receive an IDEA credit for attending an Equity Experience event, you will be required to report what you learned, thought, experienced, etc. to your team, so that there will be accountability and shared learning.
IDI group debrief sessions
Thursday, March 2, 1:30-3 p.m.
As part of the MPCA's Intercultural Competency Professional Development Program, all agency employees will need to complete the Intercultural Development Inventory (IDI). Please wait to sign up for a group debrief until after you have received your IDI code and taken the assessment. Important: Please put your full first and last name on the assessment! During the group debrief, employees will receive one IDEA credit as well as further instructions and options for next steps in continuing the IDI process. Find out more on the Lorax.
Join Teams meeting.
Intercultural Development Inventory Qualified Administrator Information Session
Tuesday, March 7, 11-11:30 a.m.
Are you interested in cultivating a workplace culture that is more inclusive? Have you heard about the IDI? Do you know what a QA is or does? Come find out at the IDI QA Information Session!
The IDI is widely used and well-known, and is a reliable and valid measure of intercultural competence. The IDI can be used to assess where individuals and groups are in their intercultural development along the Intercultural Development Continuum (IDC). This IDI magic can’t happen without a Qualified Administrator (QA). A QA is someone who has been trained to assist others in understanding their IDI results and supporting them on their journey of cultural competency. We are looking to recruit more QAs for the MPCA’s IDI program and would love to share all the ins and outs of what this entails, with you.
Join Teams meeting.
Water Issues Seminar: The Role of green stormwater infrastructure in climate resiliency
Thursday, March 9, 9-10 a.m.
Green stormwater infrastructure (GSI) encompasses a variety of practices primarily designed for managing stormwater runoff, but it can also provide additional benefits such as habitat or aesthetic value. There are conflicting views on the effectiveness of GSI in addressing climate resiliency, ranging from having no impact to having significant impact. As is usually the case, the truth is somewhere in the middle. Mike Trojan from the MPCA explores ways in which GSI can help address climate resiliency.
Join WebEx meeting.
Courageous Conversation training — Mental Health in the Workplace: The Stigma and the Costs
Thursday, March 9, 1-2 p.m.
Please join the Equity Committee in watching a couple videos that touch on the importance of recognizing how employee’s mental health is vital to workplace culture, the stigmas around mental health in the workplace, and the operational costs associated with ignoring this issue. Afterwards, there will be a guided discussion where we will reflect on the videos we watched, as well as discuss our own experiences with mental health in the workplace. This event is eligible for 1 IDEA Credit, and should be titled “Mental Health in the Workplace” in ELM.
Join meeting.
IDI Qualified Administrator Certification Course
Interested in becoming a Qualified Administrator (QA) of the Intercultural Development Inventory (IDI)? As we roll out the IDI agency-wide, the MPCA is in need of more qualified administrators to host group and individual debriefs for staff. Minnesota Management and Budget is offering an online IDI qualifying seminar for individuals to be trained and licensed as IDI QAs.
The seminar runs April 3-6, 11 a.m.-3:30 p.m. The cost of the three half-day qualifying seminar will be paid for by the MPCA. Registration deadline: March 20.
During the seminar, participants will:
- Gain proficiency in using the IDI for increasing intercultural competence for individuals, teams, and organizations
- Learn how the IDI differs from traditional measures of intercultural competence
- Learn how to interpret individual and group IDI profiles of intercultural competence
- Practice giving IDI Profile Report debriefs in supportive role-play scenarios
- Receive introductory training to use the Intercultural Conflict Style Inventory®
For more information about the IDI QA Certification course, email here. Check out step-by-step instructions on how to enroll.
|
8 Hour HAZWOPER Refresher classes
This course is required for staff who respond to hazardous substances released in the environment. The course satisfies the OSHA requirements for uncontrolled hazardous waste operations, response, and management. The course will cover the levels of PPE, toxicology, chemical safety, and managing an incident. Sign up through ELM. A minimum of eight attendees is required to hold each class. Below are upcoming classes.
R32PCASAF002-092 In-person – St. Paul March 15
R32PCASAF002-093 In-person – St. Paul April 6
R32PCASAF002-090V Virtual May 31
In the news
The long, bitter fight over Minneapolis’ Roof Depot site, explained
An occupation-style protest against tearing down an East Phillips warehouse — and a judge’s last-minute order halting the demolition — were two new twists last week in a drama that’s lasted almost a decade. — MinnPost
We need to ban neonicotinoids if we want to avoid a 'Silent Spring'
In 2018, the European Union banned three common neonicotinoids, forbidding use in field crops because they threaten bees and pollinators. Judy Helgen is a retired research scientist from the Minnesota Pollution Control Agency. She worked on biological monitoring of wetlands water ... — MinnPost
|
Recently in social media at the MPCA!
Mercury exposure from household items is more common than you’d think, and it can be incredibly dangerous to your health.
Keep mercury containing products out of the garbage!  Learn more about how to safely discard them: https://bit.ly/3SwRRmy
|
|
