Support and resources for challenging times

 Courtesy of Washington Employee Assistance Program

The pandemic changed the way we live, work and play, reminding us we lack control over some aspects of life. Political, social and civil strife may leave us feeling uncertain about the future. Mass shootings impact our sense of safety and security. Wildfires disrupted the lives of many. 

The past year’s challenges and events have had a powerful impact on our emotional health and wellbeing. Current coping might not feel sufficient when times are this challenging. 

To support employees, the Washington State Employee Assistance Program (EAP) offers support and resources. 

Suggestions and Tips 

• Acknowledge your thoughts and feelings. It is common to experience a wide range of emotions following a violent event. Avoid self-talk about what you “should” be feeling. 
• Identify and attend to the things in your scope of influence. Focus on the things you can impact most directly and positively. 
• Take a break from – or at least minimize – social media and news consumption. Staying informed can be important, but avoid overexposure. 
• Minimize toxic interactions. Reduce the effect of negative, stress-inducing relationships. 
• Practice mindfulness. Be aware of what you sense and feel, while putting judgment aside. 
• Engage in healthy behaviors. Eat well. Get sleep. Be physically active to the best of your abilities. 
• Seek out and use supportive resources. Ask for support and help from the people, places and things that are helpful to you. 

Resources 

• Washington Recovery Helpline - For mental health, substance use or gambling challenges 
• County Crisis Lines - Available to anyone in Washington State, regardless of income or insurance
• Mass Violence Resources – From National Child Traumatic Stress Network 
• Coping With Grief After Community Violence – From Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration 
• National Suicide Prevention Lifeline – Call 800-273-8255 
• Crisis Text Line – To connect with a crisis counselor, text “Heal” to 741741 
• Alcohol and Substance Use – From the Centers for Disease Control (CDC)

In summary: The past year’s challenges and events have had a powerful impact on our emotional health and wellbeing. Current coping might not feel sufficient when times are this challenging. To support state employees, the Washington State Employee Assistance Program (EAP) offers suggestions and resources, reprinted in this Insider blog post.

Tips and etiquette for virtual meetings

Kathy Davis, Communications

Since WSDA got Microsoft Teams, holding online meetings has become even more common. More than a year into pandemic-era remote work and social distancing, we have had to get more comfortable with virtual meetings rather than gathering in person. 

The Insider offers some tips and etiquette advice to improve the virtual meeting experience.

Check your readiness

Spend a few minutes before the meeting start time making sure all systems are go. 

Check your internet speed. If your connection is slow, disconnect VPN and close out other programs. Be aware that others using your internet connection will slow your speed.

When you first join a meeting in Teams (before clicking “Join Now”), you can check your audio and video, including camera angle, lighting, backgrounds, etc. (See more tips below.)

If you will be sharing documents or your screen, have everything open and ready to share before the meeting. 

Mute and unmute

To reduce background noise, keep your audio on mute whenever you are not speaking. On the flip side – be sure to unmute when you do want to be heard! 

Practice being quick and agile with the mute/unmute button. Keep your curser poised and aim for a speedy, seamless reaction time. 

Video tips

Position your camera at eye level - not pointed too high or low - with your face framed in the center. 

Adjust lighting. Natural light from the side is best, but you can experiment by using floor lamps or ceiling lights so you don’t appear too dark or too bright. 

Notice what appears behind you. Make sure the background in your home is appropriate for work (e.g., clean and tidy). Teams allows you to blur your background, or add different backgrounds. You can find a set of WSDA-branded and agricultural themed backgrounds for your use here -  Z:\Logos\VideoConfBGs 

When using a background filter, be aware that body movement and hand gestures can cause distortion. Try to remain as still as you can. 

Avoid distracting, unprofessional background filters, including the non-work ones built in to Teams, such as cartoon settings and sci-fi landscapes. 

Personal appearance

You’re not being interviewed on national TV, but you are on the work clock. So dress and groom appropriately for work meetings. Stripes, loud prints and all white or black clothing can be distorted on video. 

Meeting etiquette

Virtual meetings rob us of the in-person cues that told us when we could jump in with a comment. To prevent talking over others:

• Follow a predetermined agenda and assign one meeting participant to present each item.
• As a host, maintain disciplined facilitation – call on participants to present, comment or ask questions.
• Use the raised-hand or chat feature to ask questions without interrupting. 
• Wait for an opening – when others have finished speaking – to unmute and speak. 
• Stay focused and engaged. Avoid doing other work, such as checking your phone or email during the meeting. Listen to the other participants.  

As much as possible, reduce at-home interruptions, such as children, pets and neighborhood noise. Prepare ahead of the meeting and be ready to mute audio and turn off your camera should the unexpected occur. And practice grace with other participants who may be juggling complex work and home situations. 

Finally, you may be hesitant or self-conscious about appearing on camera. There’s no agency policy or protocol that requires you to. 

But keep in mind, your coworkers know you and can relate to your situation. Seeing each other’s faces brings us closer together during this long period of separation. It also encourages participation. 

The more who use the Teams meeting features, the more natural and comfortable it will become for everyone. And the more you practice and experiment, the more confident you will feel. 

In summary: Since WSDA got Microsoft Teams, holding online meetings has become even more common. More than a year into pandemic-era remote work and social distancing, we have had to get more comfortable with virtual meetings rather than gathering in person. The Insider offers some tips and etiquette advice to improve the virtual meeting experience. 

Managing email in the new Outlook

 Kathy Davis, Communications

WSDA is in the process of adopting Microsoft 365, which is a set of cloud-based services and software such as Teams. 

As part of this change, WaTech moved our Outlook (or migrated, in IT language) to the 365 cloud environment. While your Outlook should mostly function the same, the biggest change affects how we manage our emails to meet public records retention requirements. 

Why this matters

We generate tens of thousands of new email public records every day. State law and agency policy requires that we keep (retain) public records for the correct period of time. While certain emails must be kept by law, others needn’t be and can be deleted. 

By keeping too much, we risk having to disclose more than necessary. When the agency receives a public records request, it must turn over all material associated with that request, including what we did not actually need to keep. Furthermore, all that unneeded clutter increases the agency’s costs for data storage and backup. 

By keeping too little, we risk violating public records law. You must comply with state and agency records retention schedules for your line of work. This is particularly important for inspections, investigations, licensing, rulemaking, legislation, personnel, policy, purchasing, contracting, budgeting, etc.

WSDA can be hit with monetary fines (as well as public embarrassment) when we cannot produce the records we should have kept. 

New tech, new process, new habits

All the email you create or receive in Outlook will be kept for seven years - WSDA’s default retention - unless you take action to assign a shorter retention period. 

To get rid of emails sooner, you must assign a different retention policy. Under “assign policy” in the top taskbar (or right-click on the message), you’ll find other retention policy options – one day, six months, one year, two years, and three years, as well as the default seven years. 

(The term “policy” is used by Microsoft 365 and not related to agency policies. It means the retention period, or how long an email is kept. You may also hear these referred to as retention labels or tags.) 

Lots of email messages are transitory, meaning they don’t support agency business or decisions. These include routine notices and reminders, informal conversations, voicemail, newsletters, listservs, and even all-staff messages. 

To delete an unneeded transitory email, you must assign a short-term retention, like the one-day delete. Hitting the X tab or the delete key will send it into your deleted items folder. 

You may not see them anymore when they move to the “recover deleted items” folder for 30 days. But even after they disappear from that folder, and your view, they are still available for disclosure and discovery for the seven-year default period – unless you’ve taken action to assign a shorter retention policy. 

Best practice

Pam Potwin, WSDA’s records manager, and our IT Office offer a pro tip for managing your emails. 

You can assign retention periods to folders you’ve created; but not to system folders, such as inbox, sent items, drafts, deleted items, etc. 

Create a folder for each of the retention periods and assign the matching retention policy to the whole folder. As you decide which retention period is appropriate for each message (based on the retention schedule), use the move-to-folder function (under the home tab or with a right click), or drag and drop into the appropriate folder. 

Emails in these folders are automatically assigned a retention policy and you’ll see the date they are set to expire, which means they are no longer retained.  

Note that the “expires by” date is based on the date of the email, but it may take another day or two from the date you move it to actually disappear. 

Vault vs. online archives

The Enterprise Vault is slated to go away, and emails no longer automatically vault after 30 days. 

WaTech has not yet moved all vault data. You may still see your “AGR 2 YR” and “AGR 6 MO” vault folders in your list of folders. Previously vaulted emails will automatically expire based on retention for the vault folders. Once those retention times are reached and migration is complete, these folders should go away.  

Both vault folders are also available under online archives, found near the bottom of the left column list. 

If you do not apply retention policies to individual emails, they will move to the online archive after two years. And, they will stay there for another five years to reach the seven-year default mark. 

A few more things 

You can assign a different, longer or shorter, retention period to any email as long as it has not yet expired (if it’s still showing, check the expires-by date at top). 

Subfolders act the same as the inbox. If you don’t assign a shorter retention period, emails moved into subfolders have a seven-year retention. 

Don’t forget your sent folder! Emails you send should be managed just like those you receive. Regularly assign retention periods to all sent messages, as well as those in drafts, junk and spam. 

Keep calm and 
happy spring!

Know the retention schedule for the work you do, and manage your email accordingly.

Finally, please practice patience as we all learn how to use these new functions. Our IT Office continues to work with WaTech and Microsoft through issues and changes as they emerge. 

In summary: WSDA is in the process of adopting Microsoft 365. As part of this change, WaTech moved our Outlook to the 365 cloud environment. While your Outlook should mostly function the same, the biggest change affects how we manage our email to meet public records retention requirements. Learn how to develop new email management habits and why it’s important. 

Human Resources Office announces staffing news

Lorna Mance, Human Resources Director

Like most of you, WSDA’s Human Resources Office has had a challenging year. Along with helping WSDA navigate COVID-19 requirements, furloughs and unemployment claims, and day-to-day personnel issues, a number of our staff have retired or left the agency to advance their careers. 

As a result, we’ve gotten the same crash course as other programs in covering vacant positions, and recruiting, hiring and onboarding new employees in a telework environment. We’re making progress, and I want to tell you about some HR staffing news. 

Welcome new staff

Jeremy Martin

Jeremy Martin, who started March 1, will support both the Plant Protection and Pesticide Management divisions as their HR consultant, His supervisor is Sam Young, labor relations and investigations manager, who has been with the agency since November 2020.

Jeremy has served as the HR business partner at the Department of Enterprise Services for the past two years. He previously spent six years as an HR generalist at Labor & Industries and Social and Health Services. In addition, he served for eight years in the U.S. Air Force. 

Jeremy is a diehard Seahawks fan. He also loves everything the great outdoors has to offer including camping, golfing, fishing, hunting, riding ATVs and snowboarding. Jeremy is also a dog person, and his best friend is Daisy, a golden lab. 

Nancy Jacobski also joined WSDA on March 1. She will support the Commodity Inspection Division as their HR consultant and Sam Young is also her supervisor..   

Nancy Jacobski

Nancy comes to us with 20 years of HR experience. That experience ranges from HR technician with the Alaska State Troopers, to class and compensation manager with the Washington Department of Children Youth and Families. She’s also worked for State Human Resources and the Personnel Resources Board. At The Evergreen State College, she handled recruitment, performance coaching, protected leave, and leave administration. 

She particularly enjoys performance coaching, training, rule and contract interpretation, and classification. And she loves researching HR gray areas until she finds solutions. This fall she’ll start pursuing a master’s degree in positive psychology, and she looks forward to applying what she learns to her work at WSDA. 

On the personal side, Nancy and her husband, Reggie, enjoy their two Rottweilers, Max and Maggie. She also loves writing, photography, videography, and playing her conga and bongo drums. 

Promoted to new role

Austin Miller, who has been with the agency’s HR Office since 2018, began in an HR consultant 3 (in-training) position on Feb. 16. He will support the Animal Services Division as their HR consultant. His supervisor is Leslie Louviere, classification and compensation manager. 

Austin Miller

Austin will also evolve and maintain our office’s data analytics and organizational charts, while he acquires the skills of a senior-level HR generalist.

As our processer and first point of contact for divisions, Austin has gained tremendous agency-specific historical knowledge. He has established positive working relationships with agency staff, and proven to be a hard worker and a valuable asset to our HR team. 

Austin is a native of Washington and he spends his free time with his fiancé, daughter and their two dogs. He loves the Miami Dolphins football team and all things Thor. 

Our goal as your Human Resources team is to provide the best service to WSDA. Please do not hesitate to contact us and offer feedback about your needs and how we can continually improve. 

In summary: Two new human resources consultants joined WSDA’s Human Resources Office this week, and one current staffer has been promoted to a consultant in-training position. As our HR fills vacancies and rounds out their team, learn more about these new consultants in this blog post by HR Director Lorna Mance.  

Tammy Best retiring from Yakima hop lab

 Chris Wiseman, Plant Protection

After more than 25 years of dedicated service to WSDA’s Chemical and Hop Laboratory, Tammy Best, laboratory technician 3, is setting her sights on a well-deserved retirement and spending more time with her partner Kristen and family. She retires at the end of this month.

Tammy began her career in August 1995 as a laboratory technician 1, supporting the Pesticide Data Program at the Yakima-based lab. In 1998, Tammy took on another task of analyzing all the state’s brewing values for the bitter acids in hops during harvest. She spent many hours, working six days a week during the harvest to support the needs of the agency and hop industry. 

Throughout her career with the laboratory, Tammy became the lead technician for the Pesticide Data Program and the main person to prepare standards for the entire lab. She also spent a couple years analyzing feeds and fertilizers for guaranteed analysis and served as the lab’s safety officer. She ensured all employees were safe along with anyone else who walked into the lab.

Tammy is leaving some big shoes to fill. Her coworkers will miss her laughter, jokes, stories, and willingness to help whenever asked. Tammy has built many close relationships over the years that will continue on into retirement. 

All of us thank Tammy for her contributions to the agency and say “Congratulations, you made it!”. Remember us when you’re out on that boat fishing or lounging up at the cabin. It’s time for you to put those test tubes and beakers down, and pick up your fishing pole and beer. 

In summary: After more than 25 years of dedicated service to WSDA’s Chemical and Hop Laboratory, Tammy Best, laboratory technician 3, is retiring on Feb. 28. Her coworkers will miss her laughter, jokes, stories, and willingness to help whenever asked. 

Planning begins for post-COVID modern workplace

Derek Sandison, Director, and Patrick Capper, Deputy Director

The "Woman Dancing" statue on the East Capitol
Campus in Olympia, with the Natural Resources
Building in the background. 

The COVID-19 pandemic caused an immediate and seismic shift in the way we work. Many essential WSDA employees continued their inspection and investigative work on jobsites with new safety procedures. Many others left office cubicles behind and have been primarily working from home for nearly a year now. 

Where and how will we work going forward? How can we apply what we’ve learned to a post-COVID future?

On Feb. 5, agency Leadership Team members and key support staff met to discuss questions like these and how “modern work environment” guidelines could be used to re-envision our workspace. 

The initial focus of this effort will be on the Natural Resources Building, the agency’s headquarters in Olympia where about one-quarter of our workforce is based. But the eventual plan is likely to affect all staff members to some degree and the agency as a whole. 

While unplanned and involuntary, our 2020 experience presents an opportunity for WSDA to explore and plan for new ways to work and use office space. 

This post-COVID workspace planning conversation has just begun. However, in some ways it’s a continuation of work that began in 2016, when the biggest challenge in the NRB was lack of space. 

To support a 2016 governor’s executive order, the Office of Financial Management began helping state agencies identify, experiment with and adopt innovative ways to support its business by modernizing physical environments, providing greater workplace flexibility, and enabling a more mobile workforce. 

A survey issued to all WSDA employees in October 2020 confirmed a significant shift to some level of telework status. 

Before COVID-19, about half of all agency staff worked fulltime in an agency facility, such as an office. Since pandemic restrictions took place, about one-third of all WSDA employees work fulltime from their homes, with another third spending some of their time teleworking. 

The same survey revealed that 94 percent of respondents preferred to continue some level of teleworking, either fulltime or at least more so than before COVID-19. More than 80 percent of teleworkers reported their work productivity was either the same or had improved.

Our current teleworking requirements remain in place – employees in positions that allow performing all or part of their jobs from home should continue teleworking at least through March. Leadership is assessing teleworking plans quarterly. 

As the state approves reopening phases and vaccines become more available, it becomes more likely that some level of return-to-work will occur this year. But how and where we work will likely look quite different than in 2019. 

Among the issues discussed in the initial WSDA planning meeting last week were how to:

• Leverage the advantages and preferences for teleworking while enhancing collaboration and connection among staff.
• Provide consistent and helpful guidance and policy while building in flexibility for individual situations.
• Design around work rather than individuals.

As this planning effort continues, a core group of staff representing facilities, project management, fiscal, human resources, and communications will incorporate direction from the Leadership Team and input from program managers. And they will provide opportunities for line staff to provide input as well.

The planning we do now will position WSDA to transition to the modern workplace environment of the future. 

Stay tuned to the Connect, this Insider blog, and watch for emails to learn about developments as we move forward. 

In summary: Where and how will we work going forward? How can we apply what we’ve learned to a post-COVID future? On Feb. 5, agency Leadership Team members and key support staff met to discuss questions like these and how “modern work environment” guidelines could be used to re-envision our workspace. As the state approves reopening phases and vaccines become more available, it becomes more likely that some level of return-to-work will occur this year. The planning we do now will position WSDA to transition to the modern workplace environment of the future. 

As COVID-19 vaccines roll out, how are WSDA employees affected?

Kathy Davis, Communications

An effective vaccine for the COVID-19 virus is now being administered across the country. While working for WSDA does not automatically make you eligible to receive the vaccine, updated planning by the Washington State Department of Health (DOH) has put some agricultural and food processing workers into an upcoming phase to receive the vaccine. 

What does this mean for WSDA employees?

A number of factors determine your place in line for vaccine eligibility. Along with occupation, these include: 

• Your age.
• Underlying health conditions.
• The type of contact you have with others.
• The number of people you interact with.
• The length of time you spend with them. 

Federal agencies have released guidance on vaccine prioritization, and our state is following DOH’s distribution plan. However, local governments like counties may follow their own timeline. Depending on where you live, your regional health district may provide the vaccine at a different pace, based on local needs and resources.  

We will do our best to keep current on vaccination plans that affect WSDA employees. However, plans may change due to vaccine availability, evolving science, or new federal guidance.  

This blog provides overview information only for WSDA employees. To stay informed of complete and current guidance, watch DOH’s online COVID-19 vaccine information and check your local public health agency. 

What’s happening now?

DOH has scheduled the vaccine rollout in phases (1A, 1B, etc.) and numbered tiers within those phases. See their visual timeline for an overview. 

As of January 18, 2021, these groups are currently eligible to receive the vaccine:

• Workers at risk of COVID-19 in health care settings.
• High-risk first responders. 
• Those who live or work in long-term care facilities.
• Age 65 and older.
• Age 50 and older who live in a multigenerational household. Specifically, an older adult who cannot live independently or an elder caring for a family member, such as a grandchild. 

What’s next?

Upcoming stages, scheduled for spring and summer 2021, include agricultural and food processing workers. 

The next eligible group includes workers age 50 and older who work in an enclosed (indoor) space within 6 feet of many others for more than 3 hours in a 24-hour period. (For more specific criteria, see the DOH guidance summary.) 

Later in the summer, workers under age 50 who meet the same criteria above become eligible.

Workers who are able to maintain social distance, telework, or do not work in a public or group setting are not included at this time.  

How will I know when it’s my turn?

DOH has created an online tool called Phase Finder. Answer a series of questions to find out if you are eligible for the vaccine, and if not, to be notified when it is your turn. If you are eligible now or at the time you become eligible, the tool will help you locate where you can get the vaccine near you. 

Am I required to be vaccinated?

No. However, COVID-19 vaccines represent our best hope for stemming the deadly destruction of this pandemic, getting our economy back on track, and returning to normal lives. The more people who get vaccinated when they are eligible, the sooner we will get past this crisis.

In summary: An effective vaccine for the COVID-19 virus is now available and rolling out in Washington State. While working for WSDA does not automatically make you eligible to receive the vaccine, updated state planning has put some agricultural and food processing workers into an upcoming phase to receive the vaccine. This blog provides overview information for WSDA employees and provides resource links to stay updated on specifics.