- How to Add the Intranet as the Homepage for Your Web Browser
- The New Communications Section is Here!
- What’s Your Vision?
- POLAR’s Research Support Application Process
- Personnel Action Request Form (PARF)
- Overtime Policy and Related Forms
- POLAR’s Social Committees
- Cambridge Bay’s 50/50
- Ottawa’s Skating Fridays
- POLAR Chocograms
- IQ Drum and Singing Event
- Key Outcomes from Senior Management Committee
- POLAR Events Calendar
- CHARS Training Online Videos
- Inuinnaqtun Word of the Week
- Are you ready to “Talk the Talk”?
- POLAR IT and Computer Support
FROM THE TOP:
How to Add the Intranet as the Homepage for Your Web Browser
Stay connected to POLAR news, tools and resources anytime!
By setting the POLAR intranet as your web browser homepage, it’s easy to check in daily and keep up to date on any new announcements or activities occurring within the organization. It also allows you to quickly and easily access key tools and documents.
To make POLAR intranet your homepage, simply follow these instructions.
The New Communications Section is Here!
Check out our internal photo albums, communications tools and much more!
The new Communications section on POLAR’s intranet site will be sure to spark your interest! You will find resources regarding external communications, such as social media guidelines and photo release forms, and internal communications, including POLAR XPRESS newsletters and internal photo albums. You will also have access to communications tools and be able to learn more about translation services at POLAR.
Click here to access the new Communications tab on the menu bar!
What’s Your Vision?
Cambridge Bay Vision and Values Workshop
It’s all about the ‘big picture’! The Cambridge Bay team was hard at work last week defining elements of POLAR’s vision and core values. Facilitated by Maggie and Melissa, the visioning and values identification exercises will help define our work and aspirations, as well as describe the type of organization that we wish to become. Once completed, POLAR’s Strategic Plan will help us make decisions and allocate resources towards achieving our organizations’ long-term goals.
A great way to discuss thoughtful insights, new perspectives and ideas for POLAR’s 2020-2025 Strategic Plan!
POLAR’s Research Support Application Process
Click here to learn more about POLAR’s Research Support
POLAR’s Research Support Committee approved 15 Research Support Requests in mid-January, for projects with operations January to June 2019 in and around the CHARS campus. Each request is scored according to our assessment criteria (available on our website) and discussed as a group in these four categories:
- Accommodation feasibility
- Logistics feasibility
- Contribution, mandate, engagement
- Overall project score (from assessment criteria)
Click here to see the list of successful applicants.
The deadline to submit a request for that period was January 4. The next deadline for Research Support Requests is March 8, 2019, for projects with operations July to October, 2019.
The request process is open to any applicant (researcher or project leader) who would like to do work based out of the CHARS campus. The type of support successful applicants receive is in the form of in-kind support. The cost of the accommodations, as well as any logistical support we provide during their work at the CHARS campus is covered as part of the approval. Funding is not provided; however applicants can apply to seek project funding from POLAR’s upcoming Competitive Funding Process run by our Grants and Contributions team.
Research Support also accepts Research Support Requests from POLAR researchers. While these requests are not reviewed to be accepted or denied, we review them to be sure we have resources allocated for these projects. We have received three of these requests for the 2019 field season.
In addition to these requests, Research Support is handling ongoing accommodation requests from POLAR staff, inquiries from groups interested in running college level courses at least partly based out of the CHARS campus, and a few requests from researchers who have been invited by POLAR to the CHARS campus to discuss future research project possibilities.
For more information, you can contact the Research Support team at
ResearchSupport@polar.gc.ca.
Personnel Action Request Form (PARF)
A new and easier form for POLAR Managers and Directors
The Personnel Action Request Form (PARF) is a mandatory form that must be filled out by managers and/ or directors when completing a classification action or staffing action. This newly updated form now contains additional information fields, descriptive instructions and is overall user-friendly. Download it here.
For questions on how to fill out the newly updated PARF, please contact HR at
HR_RH@polar.gc.ca.
POLAR PEOPLE:
Overtime Policy and Related Forms
Planning to do overtime? Don’t forget to fill out these forms and seek your manager’s approval before the work begins!
POLAR promotes and encourages a healthy work/life balance for its employees. Although overtime (OT) is sometimes necessary to respond to particular conditions or activities, it shouldn’t be a regular occurrence.
To get pre-approval for any OT, please complete the Overtime Pre-Approval Form. The form needs to be approved and signed-off by your Director and POLAR’s President & CEO.
Once you have completed the overtime, you’ll have to fill out the POLAR Duty Pay Shiftwork and Authorization Form to report your hours. That form needs to be signed by your Director and then sent to the HR inbox: HR_RH@polar.gc.ca.
For more information, please review the POLAR Overtime Directive or contact HR by email.
POLAR’s Social Committees
See you at our upcoming activities!
Cambridge Bay’s 50/50
Don’t miss CB’s 50/50 draw every pay day Wednesday! 50% goes to the winner and 50% goes to the coffee fund, which pays for staff’s coffee every day! See Tetra for more information.
Ottawa’s Skating Fridays
Every Friday in February during lunch, join us for a skate on the Rideau canal. Meet us at noon in the reception area. Skating tips included! For more information, stop by Marie-Eve’s cubicle.
POLAR Chocograms
Want to recognize your colleagues’ hard work and let them know how appreciated they are? Send them a chocogram! It comprises a chocolate and a personal message from you.
How does it work?
- 1- Download the chocogram message template here, write a personal message to your colleague(s), and bring it to Tetra (CB) or Jihan (Ottawa).
- 2- To send a chocogram to a colleague at the other office (Ottawa or CB), send your scanned message to Tetra and Jihan. Your colleagues aren’t in the CB or Ottawa offices? No worries! We’ll send them a personal message by email!
- 3- Purchase a chocogram at $2 (or 3 for $5) starting February 4th from Tetra or Jihan.
- 4- On February 14, the Social Committees will deliver the surprise chocogram to employees!
A yummy gift for all chocolate lovers and your amazing colleagues! For more information, contact Tetra or Jihan.
IQ Drum and Singing Event
Check out photos from CB’s Return of the Sun activities
On January 18, the Cambridge Bay team went for a walk around town and took part in POLAR’s IQ drum and singing event to celebrate the return of the sun. A great turnout from the CB staff!
Below are the Inuktitut song translations. Courtesy of Candice Pedersen and her mother.
Qaumatilugusuli: when it is still bright out
Qamuma= light (outside, from the sun) suli= still (currently)
Sinilaurivugu: When we were still sleeping
Sini= sleep lau= past tense rivugu= we were (action of doing, plural)
Uluksulitauva: When the day light is still visible
uluk= day suli= still tauva= over there
Alianatuqakpu: Joyous time or joyous event
Aliana= joyous, joy tuqakpu= is it very (joyous)
Inunialirama: I will be alive again or I will live again
Inu= living nia= future tense lirama= I will be
Agutujut: our men (hunters)
Agutivu: our men
Anguti= men vu= our
Quviasuliqpunga: I am happy now
Quviasu= happy liq= currently punga= I (as in I am)
Ijajajajaa aija ijajaja: a common melody in Inuit songs
UPDATES:
Key Outcomes from Senior Management Committee
Learn about the latest outcomes from the Jan 23 SMC meeting
Here are the key outcomes and decisions deriving from the January 23 Senior Management Committee meeting:
Senior Management was briefed on key outcomes from recent meetings of POLAR Occupational Health and Safety Workplace Committees. POLAR staff who are members of these committees will be required to complete all mandatory training no later than the end of January 2019.
POLAR Events Calendar
Check out the latest version of the POLAR Events Calendar
You will find below the latest version of the POLAR events calendar, including upcoming events and conferences for your information.
Note: The calendar is subject to change. Any travel has to be pre-approved by Directors (and above for international destinations).
POLAR events calendar: January 30, 2019
LEARNING AND PERFORMANCE
CHARS Training Online Videos
CHARS campus training by qualified equipment operators
Between May and November 2018, videos of training at the CHARS campus were made to allow POLAR employees to view the training sessions again at a later date and to walk new workers through the appropriate use of various technical equipment. The videos include training on Multimedia (11 videos), Security (2 videos), C-Cure 9000 Admin (5 videos), Building Maintenance (25 videos), and Operations (4 videos).
The CHARS training videos are available online (password-protected, by “album”) and the links are contained in this document.
Inuinnaqtun Word of the Week
Quana
The Inuinnaqtun word of the week is quana. It means thank you. It is pronounced: kwa-na.
Are you ready to “Talk the Talk”?
Check out this fun and informative series of linguistic expressions
“Talk the Talk” is a series of linguistic expressions that was created by Innovation, Science and Economic Development Canada (ISED). This series is available to all Government of Canada Departments through the Council of the Network of Official Languages Champions (NOCL).
Get ready to talk the talk!
WORKPLACE NOTICES:
POLAR IT and Computer Support
Have any IT issues? Click here to learn more about IT support
ALT Consulting provides ongoing IT and computer support to employees in Cambridge Bay and Ottawa. If you require any support, send your question to the IT help desk at helpdesk@alt-consulting.ca. The ALT Consulting team can provide support remotely or in person in Ottawa.
Please note that going forward, Tony from ALT will be at the Ottawa office on Wednesdays instead of Thursdays.
