Archive for category: Uncategorized

Written by: RSI Human Resources

 

We’re excited to announce that as of 2.01.23 RSI’s Board of Directors has approved a $2.00/hour increase to all Direct Support Positions at RSI.

 

This effects many different positions at RSI, including: Direct Support Professional (DSP), Team Supervisor, Behavioral Support Supervisor, In-Home Services positions, Employment positions, and Program Coordinator positions.

 

We hope this gesture by RSI’s Board relays our gratitude to everyone who is doing so much to staff RSI programs and keep the people we support safe and cared for. Thank you, RSI employees!

 

 

Written by: Jon Nelson, RSI Executive Director

 

We lost a long-time member of the RSI family when Jim Houle passed away on August 20, 2022. Jim was currently serving on the RSI board as Vice President. This was his 19th year on our board.

Jim spent many of his years with RSI as the President of our Board of Directors. He was passionate about RSI’s mission, and he loved to be engaged and see the impact RSI had on the lives of the people we support. Over the years, he had visited every RSI home. He enjoyed visiting and seeing how the decisions the board made affected RSI employees and the people living in the homes. These visits helped strengthen Jim’s advocacy for our services.

It is not by chance the RSI board is so strongly driven by mission and focused on the employees who provide RSI services. Jim’s leadership over the past two decades helped create this focus. Part of his legacy is the board practice of providing year-end bonuses to staff whenever possible. Jim always wanted RSI employees to know the board appreciates their work and understands the challenges of our work.

Jim was also key to starting the practice of having people RSI supports speak at the annual board meeting each year. He loved to hear their stories about the impact RSI had on their lives. He was very proud of all of us, the RSI employees, and thankful to be part of carrying out RSI’s mission.

Jim’s leadership and support on the board was a critical part of RSI’s growth over the past 20 years. He was part of expanding the mission to serving people with mental illness and expanding RSI services beyond St. Louis County. During his tenure, RSI more than tripled in size. This growth in services and people served is another big part of the legacy Jim leaves behind at RSI.

Jim did not want to have a funeral service. His family is honoring his wish. There may be a celebration of his life event planned for the near future. Please keep Jim’s family in your thoughts as they grieve his loss.

Title:	Equal Employment Opportunity (EEO) Policy
Business Name:	Residential   Services of   Northeastern   MN, Inc. (RSI)	Date	03/25/2022
EEO Official   Name	Julie Kichak	EEO Official   Title	HR Director
EEO Official   Phone   Number	218-740-7604	EEO Official   Email   Address	[email protected]

  

This is to affirm our policy of providing equal employment opportunities to all employees and applicants for employment in accordance with all applicable laws, directives, and regulations of federal, state, and local governing bodies or agencies.  

Our organization will not discriminate against or harass any employee or applicant for employment because of race, color, creed, religion, national origin, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, disability, age, marital status, familial status, membership or activity in a local human rights commission, or status regarding public assistance. We will take affirmative steps to ensure that all our employment practices are free of discrimination. Such employment practices include, but are not limited to, the following: hiring, upgrading, demotion, transfer, recruitment or recruitment advertising, selection, layoff, disciplinary action, termination, rates of pay or other forms of compensation, and selection for training, including apprenticeship. We will provide reasonable accommodation to applicants and employees with disabilities whenever possible.    

We will evaluate the performance of management and supervisory personnel based on their involvement in achieving these Affirmative Action objectives as well as other established criteria. In addition, all employees are expected to perform their job responsibilities in a manner that supports equal employment opportunities.  I have appointed the above-named EEO Official to manage the Equal Employment  

Opportunity (EEO) program. This person’s responsibilities include monitoring all EEO activities and reporting the effectiveness of the business’ Affirmative Action program as required by law. I will receive and review reports on the progress of the program.  Any employee or applicant may inspect our Affirmative Action Plan and information related to our EEO program during normal business hours. Please contact the EEO Official for further information.  

Any employee or applicant for employment who believes they have been treated in a way that violates this policy should contact either the EEO Official or any other management representative, including me. We will take immediate action to investigate and address allegations of discrimination or harassment confidentially and promptly.     

Jon Nelson, RSI Executive Director

“What we once enjoyed and deeply loved we can never lose, for all that we love deeply becomes a part of us.”  -Helen Keller

 

I realized early in life that I am not at my best in the morning hours. I rise most mornings at 5:30 to the sound of birdsong and distant train rumblings far away. It’s a peaceful awakening. I definitely don’t bounce out of bed with a spring in my step, but I do get out of bed with purpose. It’s a time that I find solace and peace, a deliberate act that is now part of my routine.

Experts say that almost 80 % of our day is driven by routine and habit, and when we are forced to change our routine, it results in chaos to our system. Our brain, wired for response and cue, is now at a loss of direction and guidance. I recently experienced this situation first hand, and it totally disrupted my morning routine, one that I had spent years perfecting.

One of the steps of my morning routine is to enjoy my first cup of coffee and retrieve the newspaper from the front steps. There is just something so peaceful about the aroma and tang of a good cup of coffee, coupled with the news the paper provides. The paper also serves to connect me to the community, providing snippets of events, functions, and tidbits that I would otherwise not be aware of. I knew that this pandemic was having a devastating effect on the newsprint industry and that our local paper would not be spared of cutbacks. They even warned the readers how and when it would take place, but somehow I resisted the inevitable. 

Yes, my morning routine was disrupted this month when the Duluth News Tribune was reduced to only delivering a real paper twice weekly. Though they offered readers the option of online membership, things were just not the same. I noticed this some time ago. Holding a Kindle or smartphone is NOT the same as holding a book with a spine and pages. Now, before you accuse me of whining into my coffee, hear me out, please. I am grieving! It’s not just the fact that I don’t have my paper in my study with my coffee, but that this change signifies the end of an era. I either have to change my routine or replace it with something else. 

This pandemic crisis has meant that many of our routines have changed on a global scale. Sometimes grief is the result. It hurts when something important has been taken from us. The result is always the same, we feel bereft and confused. Routine helps us cope with change, and more importantly, it helps to reduce stress levels. When your life is organized and set in a routine, you know exactly what to expect.  This takes the guessing out of the equation, alleviating the symptoms of anxiety. Our brain craves routine, and so does our entire limbic system.

It appears that we will most likely continue to see change and disruption to our routines in the coming days and months. Knowing that, how do we prepare our mindset for the uncertainty ahead? I have shared in some of my past writings that my new routine is meditation and mindfulness. It has replaced my morning newspaper. So how do we replace those lost routines?       

Here are but a few suggestions to consider:                                                                                                                 

1) Find humor in the situation. Try not to take yourself or the situation so seriously. This mindset can provide some degree of levity and lightness to your heavy load. What’s interesting about humor is that it can be a shared experience and it helps in the healing process.  

 2) Talk about the problems more than the feelings. We all have feelings and have been taught to “suck it up,” but research has shown that continually talking about our negative emotions can actually hinder our healing process. I’m not saying to dismiss your feelings, but consider spending more time actively identifying the problem and zero in on the solution.                                                           

3) Focus on your values instead of your fears. Reminding ourselves of what’s important to us; family, friends, faith, achievements, great music, artistic expression, connectedness, and so on can create a surprisingly effective buffer against whatever troubles may be ailing us.

I’ve heard it said that our post-pandemic world will not look nearly like our pre-pandemic world, and I wonder if many of us remain paralyzed by this thought. The first stage of grief is paralysis, a sudden lack of options, and the confusion of disruption. However, the important thing in dealing with grief is understanding your emotions and your capacity to overcome and even flourish in the days ahead.

 

Learn more about Jeff’s work at RSI on our Community Connections page.