NTCA member companies in partnership with GHP Wellness Connections continue to engage employees despite the struggles that different office routines or working from home have posed. When asked what our members are doing to stay well, our members responded with inspiring stories and tips to share. Here are three of these stories:
Shawnee Communications
The customer service department representatives at Shawnee Communications (Equality, Ill.) are on the move from their home offices. The customer service representatives (CSRSs) have a virtual team chat and exercise program to stay connected and sane. A different person posts a team chat message with an exercise move each hour, such as 25 jumping jacks. They get moving together virtually for a minute—clearing their heads and staying connected with each other.
“This activity has really helped to keep each other moving and was good for everyone’s mental accountability too. The virtual exercise kept everyone going through all of this,” said Amanda Dutten, a CSR at Shawnee.
Chariton Valley
Trisha Stevens, wellness coordinator for Chariton Valley Telephone Company (Macon, Miss.), developed a catchy COVID-19 acronym to help keep wellness top of mind for employees working from home. Stevens refers to this as the “COVID Challenge.”
Connected – Remember to stay connected with friends and family. Laughter is great medicine and helps reduce stress.
On the clock – If you are working on a computer, do not forget to take 20 seconds every 20 minutes to look at something at least 20 feet away.
Vegetables and fruit – Be sure you are eating healthy. Remember getting the right nutrients helps your body fight off illnesses.
Intervals – Remember to take breaks and take at least five minutes to stretch every day. Stretching has many health benefits and is sure to improve tight muscles.
Dance – or just get up and move around throughout the day. Try to get outside and enjoy some fresh air. Go for a walk if you can.
“As part of this challenge I asked our employees to share their stories and photos while participating in one or more of these activities,” she said. “Overall, it has been a fun way to get our staff involved virtually while remembering to stay active.”
Garden Valley Telephone Company
Lisa Stuhaug, HR Generalist and wellness coordinator for Garden Valley Telephone (GVTC)(Erskine, Minn.), offered some insight on why Garden Valley’s transition to working from home because of the pandemic went particularly smooth.
“The biggest thing was the complete transparency. Our CEO/GM immediately arranged an all-employee conference call to let everyone know at the same time what the plan was and how it would be executed,” she said. “Afterward, everyone just jumped in and did their part. Within a week’s time, we had all the people who would be working from home completely set up and ready to go. Our CEO/GM and the management team have continued staying in touch with the employees, especially making a point to give our installers, who are still out in the field, the ability to share their opinions and stories, etc., taking that information into consideration when putting processes and procedures into place, and adjusting accordingly.”
As a company, GVTC diligently follows COVID-19 protocols set forth by the CDC and the Minnesota Department of Health on things like social distancing and PPE to ensure employees and customers are safe. The company has also implemented new laws that have come into effect during the pandemic, such as emergency paid sick leave and emergency family medical leave, to make sure employees know they can use these programs to lessen the burden of getting the virus or caring for someone who has the virus. GVTC has also spent a good amount of time rounding up resources needed to keep employees safe, such as masks, hand sanitizer and cleaning wipes. Thanks to strong relationships with industry peers, GVTC has been able to secure resources locally.
NTCA and its benefits programs are committed to helping members through this tough time, and the association is proud to partner with such dedicated member companies. If you have a story you would like to share, please contact your Member Relations Manager.