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Change is inevitable, Change can be good, and yet Change can be scary
By Mike Hyland
Executive Director, NEPPA
When I lived in New Hampshire working for the utility back in 1989 – a friend told me that he looked for the Rock Maple to change colors each late August/early September. It was a sign to him that the summer was over, and autumn was on its way. To this day I look for Rock Maples wherever I go, wherever I am when late August rolls around. Like most things, people use different names to describe the same item. For some – it’s a Hard Maple, to others, it’s a Sugar Maple. Regardless of name – it’s a great indicator for how well the foliage will look that fall, as Maples present us with some of the best colors during this time of change.
Another indicator is the start of school. It’s inevitable for children through the United States, and it’s a good reminder for us to be alert on dark mornings, pay attention to school busses, and simply accept the change in our daily commutes. For the students, it’s an exciting time of the year. New classmates, new grade, new teachers, and in many cases – an entirely new school. The change is good, but it sure can be scary to many kids. I was one of them. I had the ‘Sunday Scaries’ and largely hated the idea of changing my routine at the end of summer.
Well, I can’t say I’m much different now – I still get the Sunday Scaries. In fact, some surveys indicate that 60% of working professionals have the Sunday Scaries, and many estimate it to be as high as 80% in Gen Z and Millennial age workers. It’s based on lots of factors, but it stems from a feeling of pressure and anxiety for the upcoming week. It does not mean that a person doesn’t love their job, but it could be a sign of lack of preparedness, workload, items on one’s plate, interaction with others, a change in our routine, and tens of other reasons. But let’s think about this. If it is as high as 80% - that means 4 out of 5 of the people on your team are feeling anxious about Monday morning.
So, what can we do? If simple things like Monday mornings present problems, how do we get folks to embrace change…. bigger change…like reorganizing the company's organizational chart, updating an old billing system, or installing AMI meters? Change can be hard, and each person needs to find a way to cope and accept things that are out of their control – life goes on and it is important to stay engaged.
I’m from a background where I was usually told to “Suck it up Buttercup!”, “Embrace the suck” or “Beatings will continue until morale improves.” Obviously, these are fun to say, and even may help when they are repeated inside one’s head. However, these did not work well for me. I genuinely needed to learn that change could be great. It helped when I was part of the decision-making process, or at minimum was kept abreast of the benefits of the change. Simply changing things on me, without my input or knowledge, felt like I was being blindsided and that I was unimportant.
So how do we deal with change? Well, let’s take two different Sundays. One is the normal run of the mill Sunday night and the second is the Sunday before a big vacation. Both present change to our routines the next day – but for the second Sunday, it’s obvious that the change is for the good, and I probably had some insight into the planning process. Flights, hotels, location were all discussed and now I’m excited to be a part of the event. My attitude is “Vacation here I come!” versus the standard “ugh, Monday….” attitude. Even though I will be more tired and possibly stressed getting to my vacation spot – I’m excited, ready to roll and get moving. The Scaries have been replaced with anticipation.
A public power colleague, from Easton Utilities in Maryland, and I were discussing this concept, and the slight depression one can feel when the much-anticipated vacation is over. It’s back to the ‘old routine, and the Sunday Scaries can set in. His solution was simple: always schedule the next vacation prior to going on the first vacation. He explained to me that the minute he returned to work – he would be energized with the thought of the next trip on his calendar, even though it may be months away.
Well, we can’t take vacations every week – so that strategy just won’t work long-term. But how about changing small things that make you anticipate going in on Monday? Maybe schedule a coffee or lunch break with someone different, someone you need to catch up with and haven’t found the time. I learned to call mine – ‘PB&J Lunches with Mike’. Being a huge fan of peanut butter and jelly sandwiches, I would schedule an in-person brown bag lunch or a conference call with a friend or colleague at lunch time. I ate my PB&J and benefitted from stimulating conversation.
Change is inevitable, change can be good, and yet change can be scary.
September is National Suicide Awareness Month. In the year 2000, we had less than 30,000 suicides in the United States. This past year – we hit 50,000. It’s hitting those in the younger age class at a terrible rate - one reference claims it’s the second leading cause of death for those under 35 years of age. Experts cite all sorts of reasons, but rather than focusing on the reason – how do we cope?
North Carolina State experienced a series of suicides in a recent semester and introduced a system called "QPR: Question, Persuade, Refer". QPR involves training faculty, staff and students on how to recognize the warning signs of someone in crisis, how to offer them hope and persuade them to get help. You may ask someone how they are doing, and they can provide the stereotypical “Okay” and keep quiet and unenergetic. Is Okay - really ‘OK”? Many times, it’s not. We work beside our colleagues five days a week and in many cases even more. If you sense that ‘Okay...’ doesn’t always mean ‘OK!', I suggest asking more questions, discussing the project they are working on, having a conversation that delves deeper. If it's obvious that things seem off, and they are not themselves - persuade. Offer them support up to and including seeking assistance. Don't be afraid of that last step, refer them to get help.
Even the National Football League has realized that a person can be great at their job yet suffer quietly on the inside. The NFL has put millions into changing the conversation around mental health and produced a campaign called ‘It Takes All Of Us’ in order to de-stigmatize seeking help for mental health struggles. Sunday Scaries, suicidal thoughts, quiet quitting, etc. are all signs that can indicate a friend, co-worker or teammate might need to talk to someone.
Remember - Take Care of Your Crew.
-Mike
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Upcoming Training & Events | |
Nominations Due by September 27, 2024 | |
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It's Time to Recognize Outstanding Employees in Customer Service
The Carol A. Tracey Customer Service Award is open to all employees of NEPPA member utilities.
It is meant to recognize employees who deliver outstanding service to their customers, either through sustained, exceptional performance in serving their customers, or the development of new and/or innovative programs to meet customer needs.
We invite you to submit your nominations now. Winners will be recognized during NEPPA’s Energy Connect Conference.
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Metering II
September 24-26, 2024
8:00 am - 2:30 pm
NEPPA Training Center
Littleton, MA
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Tactical Tuesday
October 8, 2024
2:00 pm - 3:00 pm
Held Virtually
Topic: Physical Security:
Ballistic Perimeter Security
Presenter: Dominic Dillon, President/CEO, 3B Protection
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Underground Residential Distribution Program
October 8-10, 2024
8:00 am - 2:00 pm
NEPPA Training Center
Littleton, MA
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Hoisting 1B-1D
October 15, 2024
8:00 am - 12:00 pm
Hoisting 1A-2C
October 21, 2024
8:00 am - 12:00 pm
NEPPA Training Center
Littleton, MA
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Crew Leadership
October 16-17, 2024
8:00 am - 2:00 pm
NEPPA Training Center
Littleton, MA
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IT Roundtable
October 22, 2024
1:00 pm - 4:00 pm
(Held on Day 1 of the ECC)
AC Marriott
125 Front Street
Worcester, MA
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Underground Residential Distribution Program
October 8 - 10, 2024
8:00 am - 2:00 pm
Littleton, MA
Hoisting 1B - 1A
October 15, 2024
8:00 am - 12:00 pm
Littleton, MA
Hoisting 2A - 2C
October 16, 2024
8:00 am - 12:00 pm
Littleton, MA
Crew Leadership
October 16 - 17, 2024
8:00 am - 2:00 pm
Littleton, MA
2024 Energy Connect Conference
October 22 - 24, 2024
Worcester, MA
IT Roundtable
October 22, 2024
1:00 pm - 4:00 pm
Worcester, MA
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Substation II - Session III
October 22 - 25, 2024
8:00 am - end time varies
Littleton, MA
Public Utility Management Program (PUMP) - Session II
October 29 - 31, 2024
8:00am - 4:00 pm
Littleton, MA
OSHA-10 Plus T&D
November 6 - 7, 2024
8:00 am - 4:00 pm
Littleton, MA
Tactical Tuesday (Virtual)
November 12, 2024
2:00 pm - 3:00 pm (EST)
Substation II - Session IV
November 19 - 22, 2024
8:00 am - end time varies
Littleton, MA
Tactical Tuesday (Virtual)
December 10, 2024
2:00 pm - 3:00 pm (EST)
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Energy Policy: Podesta suggests permitting reform could come together during Congress’ lame duck session… | |
Tax Policy: Republican lawmakers express support for IRA energy tax credits; Treasury releases a NPRM to expand the Clean Electricity Low-Income Communities Bonus Credit Program… | |
NERC: NERC and NEMA sign an MOU aimed at enhancing bulk power system reliability… | |
Newly elected NEPPA President, John Tzimorangas at this year's Annual Meeting Awards dinner. | |
Board Changes at NEPPA Annual Meeting
At last month's Annual Meeting at the Omni Mount Washington in Bretton Woods, NH, longtime NEPPA President Nick Lawler (General Manager for Littleton Electric Light & Water Department) passed the gavel to the newly elected NEPPA President, John Tzimorangas (President and CEO of ENE - Energy New England). We are appreciative of Nick's time and dedication over the years and look forward to John's leadership going forward.
Other Board changes include:
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First Vice President: Ken Nolan, General Manager of VPPSA – Vermont Public Power supply Authority, Waterbury Center, VT.
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Second Vice President: Michael Jennings, VP of Energy Delivery, New Hampshire Electric Cooperative, Inc., Plymouth, NH.
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Director: William J. Guertin, General Manager, Pascoag Utility District, Pascoag, RI
Click here to see a list of all NEPPA Board Members
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Burlington Electric Department Awarded $4.89 Million Grant by U.S. Department of Transportation to Deploy Publicly Accessible Electric Vehicle Chargers throughout Burlington
Project Will Expand City’s Existing Public EV Charging Network by Six Times, including in Locations that Will Serve High Numbers of Renters, New Americans, Refugees, and BIPOC.
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Burlington, VT – August 29, 2024 – Burlington Electric Department (BED) was awarded a $4,890,821 Charging and Fueling Infrastructure (CFI) Program grant by the U.S. Department of Transportation Federal Highway Administration to deploy electric vehicle (EV) chargers throughout the City of Burlington. In implementing its “Charging to Net Zero Energy” project, BED plans to use the grant funds to install 153 Level 2 and 47 Level 3 fast chargers at approximately 85 publicly accessible sites. The project will expand by six times BED’s existing public charging network, encourage EV adoption, promote accessibility of EVs by including locations that will serve high numbers of renters, New Americans, Refugees, and Black, Indigenous, and People of Color (BIPOC), and help the City meet its Net Zero Energy (NZE) climate goal. BED was the only Vermont recipient of federal grant funds in this latest funding announcement.
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Belmont Light Awarded a Gold EV Adoption Leadership Certification by Forth | |
Belmont, MA - August 28, 2024 – “This honor acknowledges Belmont Light’s efforts to promote electric vehicle (EV) adoption both in the community and the workplace,” Belmont Light said on Aug. 26. To make it more affordable for residents to drive electric, Belmont Light has provided 264 EV charger rebates and incentivized 80 customers to charge during off-peak hours.
This initiative is part of Belmont Light’s broader strategy to facilitate the widespread adoption of electric vehicles and reduce greenhouse gas emissions. Belmont Light has also installed twelve level 2 and two level 3 public EV charging ports throughout the town with plans to expand this network significantly in the near future.
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Groton Utilities held their 4th Annual Groton City Brew Run at Eastern Point Beach | |
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Groton, CT - September 7, 2024 - The Greater Mystic Chamber of Commerce and Groton Utilities held the 4th Annual Groton City Brew Run at Eastern Point Beach in the City of Groton this past Saturday. The event was a combination 5K race/local brewfest that has grown in popularity every year, with nearly 600 people registered in 2024.
The weather could not have been better for an outdoor event such as this, and the attendees seemed to enjoy the 70 degree, breezy day at the beach. Live music was provided by Acoustic Marshpit while beverages were provided by seventeen local breweries. As times have changed since our initial brew run back in 2021 we had a number of “breweries” who specialize in hard seltzers as well as non-alcoholic offerings. 482 runners and walkers finished the race this year, surpassing last year's total by over 70. Total participants for the day including walkers, runners and brewfest attendees was nearly 600 – outpacing our previous highs from last year by close to 100. Our event is still growing.
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MMWEC Promotes Agrivoltaics, Brings Sheep to Solar Project
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Ludlow, MA - September 12, 2024 - When driving past MMWEC’s seven-megawatt solar project this summer and fall, drivers may see more than just solar panels. MMWEC has partnered with Solar Shepard, a Mansfield-based solar farming company, to bring sheep to the MMWEC/Master Sergeant Alexander Cotton Memorial Solar to help trim vegetation around the solar panels.
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Keeping You Connected...
Events & Opportunities | | |
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Burlington Electric's Net Zero Energy Festival
Learn How To Reduce Fossil Fuel Use & Save Money!
Saturday, September 21, 2024
10 AM - 2 PM
585 Pine Street, Burlington, Vermont
(Free Admission)
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Burlington Electric Department is hosting a day of outdoor fun for the whole family to share Burlington’s Net Zero Energy vision. There will be... DJ, Live Music, Ice Cream, Food Trucks, Energy Expert Advice, EV Test Drives, E-bike Test Rides, Interactive Educational Booths, Heat Pump, Solar Power, Lawn Care Demos.
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Beneficial Electrification League's
New England Electrification Leadership Summit
Tuesday, October 22, 2024
9 AM - 4 PM
AC Hotel by Marriot Worcester
125 Front Street, Worcester, MA 01608
($45 Admission Fee)
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Advances in end-use technology and low-carbon electric generation, coupled with improvements in grid connectivity and consumer awareness and acceptance, have increased the value of beneficial electrification. This event will convene leaders from New England to discuss opportunities and challenges around further electrification of our economy.
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| | NEPPA's Young Professionals Group hosted a "Sparks and Spooks" Bonfire Bash at this year's Annual Conference in NH. | |
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Setting Up the Work Zone
Setting up a bucket truck or digger derrick safely in a work zone involves thorough preparation, consistent communication, and adherence to safety protocols. We have put together a simple guide with steps to help minimize the risk of accidents and ensure a safe working environment.
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