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(Editor’s note: This is the 11th installment in a weekly series on how Cooley Group is managing the COVID-19 pandemic, from the perspective of its CEO and president. See part 1, part 2, part 3, part 4, part 5, part 6, part 7, part 8, part 9 and part 10 here.) No matter how hard
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The longevity of COVID-19-related protections has been exhausting.Weariness extends to the Manufacture Team on the factory floor. Despite mixed messaging nationally on whether wearing masks in public should be mandatory, at Cooley, there is no mixed message. Wearing a mask at work is mandatory when social distancing is not possible. However, wearing a mask in the summer heat while overseeing a polymer extruder operating at 450 degrees is uncomfortable. Protecting the team from becoming overheated while breathing through a mask, risking possible dehydration, is a challenge for our operations team. We have provided the operators two options: launderable masks along with breakaway lanyards or face shields. The lanyards allow the operator to hang the mask around the neck for easy access but break away for safety while operating the extrusion line. The face shields wrap around the employee’s entire face but can feel suffocating in the summer heat. We are sympathetic to the extreme discomforts of mask-wearing in summer but hypervigilant about demanding safety first. The Facilitate Team oversees financial, human and technology resources. For this team, the myriad of challenges include ensuring the company has access to raw materials from suppliers who have been less reliable during the pandemic, finding the right tools to keep the workforce safe, and implementing the technology and communication resources necessary to support employees working from home every other day. Despite a universal weariness, the efforts of the Develop, Sell, Manufacture and Facilitate teams have never been more important. The frustration that comes along with the workplace and home-life sacrifices is mitigated when we refocus our teams around teamwork, empathy and support. It is tough now, but the effort is worth it for the reward of employee health and safety and Cooley’s long-term future. Daniel Dwight is CEO and president of Pawtucket-based Cooley Group.
