By Lori Murray
Doctors, nurses, truck drivers, police officers, grocery store workers, postal service employees, delivery people… these are the home town heroes that have kept our country running… and we are so very grateful for all that you do!
Often forgotten but no less important, is the manufacturing industry. Manufacturing is noble work. And more now than ever we have an appreciation for those men and women who proudly make the products we need and use right here in the US. From the operators in our manufacturing plants who make the countless products you use and eat daily, to the line workers who assemble automotive parts that keep our deliveries of the goods that remain in plentiful supply, we say “thank you.”
They’ve continued to show up to work every single day – right from the first tentative “non-essential staff can work from home” announcements a few weeks ago, and continuing on through the now nearly universal lockdown orders. They’re specifically exempted from those “shelter-in-place” directives, being deemed by all states and locales, as well as the U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS), as critical workers. Heroes. That’s because they truly are and they deserve our gratitude too.
As a critical business who also happens to be a manufacturer, working from home doesn’t work for us. One thing that makes us stronger, better and more resilient as a company is relying on the Great Game of Business (GGOB) and open book management. Keeping our team informed and together (while social distancing) means we are better able to handle any obstacle.
And while the new rules may heavily effect our daily routine, they are forcing us to get more creative and technological savy. Take our “virtual Huddles” for example. In our dedication to GGOB, we now host our Huddles from various locations within our factory, allowing us to get our team together while keeping everyone safe. And along the way, we’ve become smarter (learning what goals need to be accomplished and the financials of the business), more tech savy (most Huddles we can see and hear all team members, even those sheltering in place across the country) and definitely more of a team. We are all in this together.
