Business Critical Workers Take Care of Each Other — at Work and at Home
In Bayer labs and manufacturing sites around the U.S., business critical colleagues have been working onsite throughout the pandemic to make sure our products reach the patients who need them. They have also come up with novel ideas to make sure their teams are taken care of as the necessary work gets done. In honor of Employee Appreciation Day on March 5, we asked two of them to tell their stories.
Kristi Pabros-Cooper, Associate Director-Packaging in Finished Product Manufacturing
At our Berkeley site, Bayer develops and manufactures medicines for people with hemophilia. People need these drugs so they can lead more normal, active lives. Bayer has continued to operate here throughout the pandemic to make these lifesaving drugs. But like a lot of people, some of our colleagues were also dealing with new and different home situations, including children who were remote learning during the day and needed supervision.
To meet demand, I had asked my team to adjust their schedules to do extended packaging runs during the day shift. When a few team members told me they needed flexibility in their work schedules to help children at home with remote learning, I had an idea.
If we could extend the hours that the packaging line runs over the next few months, we could support our employees in meeting their family needs and keep our operation going.
So for the next for three months, parents with kids at home are working an abbreviated swing shift. They come in at the end of the regular day to inspect and clean the production line. With this added shift, my team members who need to be home during school hours can make sure their kids have a successful remote learning experience.
Todd Goulart, Senior Manager, Warehouse Materials Management, Shipping
Here at our Berkeley campus, we’ve seen our “One Team” mindset really put into action during the pandemic. Everyone is pitching in to make sure the work gets done, our great products continue to reach the patients who need them, and our colleagues are taken care of.
Lots of people in the warehouse have had to take time away from work to self-quarantine or care for family. Other colleagues who were able to work have stepped up to fill their positions so those who needed to be home could be. We were even able to have people who work in other functions in the larger manufacturing group pitch in. In fact, someone who had transferred to another area but was still certified in shipping procedures came back to help keep goods flowing.
Stop and Thank
Thanks to Kristi, Todd, and all the other Bayer employees who have kept operations on track during difficult circumstances. Kristi and Todd are the kind of leaders who find solutions that ensure our operations stay on schedule while addressing pandemic-related challenges to employee work-life balance.
At Bayer, we are taking the time to “stop and thank” our team members on Employee Appreciation Day — and every day. We encourage you to do the same!
Sidebar:
Employee Appreciation Day was started in 1995, when Bob Nelson, a publisher and founding Board member of Recognition Professionals International, created it to encourage companies to focus on employee appreciation. Today it has become an opportunity for managers and company leadership to remember the importance of recognition and appreciation. Studies show that these are important drivers of employee wellbeing, engagement and happiness, and that expressing gratitude positively impacts the receiver and the sender. A growing body of research indicates that recognition also impacts physical and mental health.
