Portable Sanitation Association International

ASSOCIATIONINSIGHT Portable Sanitation Association International News BIWEEKLY EDITION SEPTEMBER 30, 2020 Page 7 Fostering Mental Health in Your Company…continued from page 6 Valerie's overall message to every FusionSite employee is: "YOUR SAFETY MATTERS." With these simple words, FusionSite has established a healthy culture for all members of the company. She says, "Employees know that their safety during these times is the number one priority." "There has been added stress during these times for both the office and driver teams in that our designation as an 'essential industry' has kept us working almost constantly," she adds. There are more multiple services per week and military bases have increased service requests as well. The company is staggering driver arrival times to lessen the chance of contact, but it does make them "feel less like a team." She continues, "Working from home is in place and is working well and may be a model for the long term." In the office, employees always wear masks except when they are alone and in their own offices. Route service technicians also wear masks. Valerie has a similar policy statement that employees can relate to and to feel comfortable with:"Your health and safety matter most." She related a case where an employee repeatedly came to work without wearing a mask. Management had to terminate that employee. Valerie said that action sent a clear message to the rest of the company. It wasn't the negative message of "wear a mask or else;" it was presented as "You matter so much that we can't let others get away with unsafe practices." Unlike the companies whose employees were quoted at the beginning of this article concerning the lack of company mental health benefits, FusionSite has an additional insurance offering for mental health in an Employee Assistance Plan (EAP). "Don't come to work sick" is the new policy according to Valerie. If a person does not feel good, they are requested to get a note from the doctor. If someone has a common cold, they can take a PTO (personal time off) day. If COVID is diagnosed, they immediately go on "COVID leave" and that does not go against their PTO allotment of days. Team appreciation from management is a definite boost to morale. Better still, according to Valerie, is an increase in "atta-boys" from customers that has been special and motivational for the entire team. With locations in Tennessee, Arkansas, and North Carolina, FusionSite is extremely fortunate to have Valerie Leonard managing human resources during these uncertain and stressful times. Amanda Roques—Pit Stop Sanitation Amanda brings a wealth of knowledge about logistics, employee performance, and business organization to her company. In the three years that she and her husband Brett have owned Pit Stop Sanitation, they have made great strides in sales and marketing, routing technology, and business organization. These three years of organizational and technological enhancements put their company in good position when COVID-19 hit this year. Amanda has some very sound advice in terms of ensuring employee comfort and safety during this pandemic. "We must come from a place of appreciation and understanding," she states. In addition, "speaking to your employees in a more gentle, soft tone" has helped to reduce stress. Amanda believes, "We also engage our employees in a more compassionate way." To help promote safety for the route service technicians, start times are staggered so multiple people are not in the same area. Pit Stop provides all the PPE (personal protective equipment) that field personnel need including face masks, multiple pairs of gloves, hand sanitizer, protective eye wear, and face shields. Valerie Leonard Amanda Roques Continued on page 14

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