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(Editor’s note: This is the 15th installment in an occasional series on how Cooley Group is managing the COVID-19 pandemic, from the perspective of its CEO.See part 1, part 2, part 3, part 4, part 5, part 6, part 7, part 8, part 9, part 10, part 11, part 12, part 13 and part 14
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We need to receive the test results in a timely manner.The process of scheduling a COVID-19 test and waiting for the results forced Cooley to lose on average over 53 hours of work per employee tested. Comparing Cooley’s South Carolina operations to Rhode Island operations indicates Rhode Island experienced more downtime than South Carolina. Pawtucket and Cranston operations lost 42% more hours per employee than Lancaster, S.C. This is a result of the longer wait time for testing results in Rhode Island. The situation is getting worse, not better. Whether it is because employees and their family members are tired of social distancing or wearing masks, half of the Cooley employees tested for COVID-19 have done so in the last four weeks alone. The problem of lost hours is further compounded by production lines experiencing unplanned downtime because of worker shortages due to last-minute absenteeism on account of workers needing to get tested. To meet customer commitments, Cooley is forced to make up for downtime by working overtime on weekends, at an additional cost to the company. Cooley’s extrusion facility in Rhode Island operated last Saturday to make up for lost hours from COVID-19 testing. Paying employees to sit at home waiting for testing appointments and results, and for the subsequent overtime, is a financial burden imposed on Cooley by the country’s failure to have adequate testing capabilities. The burden of this failure is borne most heavily by the small- and middle-market companies that often lack the financial and human resources to support lost production hours. We need more testing, not less. And we need to receive the test results in a timely manner so that employees can return to work if the results are negative. Anyone who has been exposed to this virus needs to be tested, especially because the virus can be transmitted asymptomatically. Testing anyone with potential exposure to COVID-19 is the only way Cooley and other similar companies can mitigate their exposure to this highly infectious disease and ensure we effectively manage our No. 1 priority: employee health and safety. Daniel Dwight is CEO and president of Pawtucket-based Cooley Group.
