Let’s Do Everything We Can to Stop the COVID-19 Pandemic
by Karen Munkacy, M.D.

Karen Munkacy, M.D., Founder, President & CEO of Garden Remedies

The current pandemic has certainly uprooted lives all around the world. Our government is overburdened, healthcare and essential workers are on the frontlines facing a crisis, and supplies are strained. Now more than ever, it is important for businesses big and small to contribute to their local communities and help lift those who have supported them to get to where they are. It is a critical time to evaluate and change how we do business to accommodate the pandemic. We are not only facing a global virus, but we are all experiencing heightened anxiety during a time of great uncertainty. We can be a voice of comfort to our communities and show our empathy while adjusting to this new normal.

The pandemic is pushing us to be flexible and creative in finding solutions. Resourcefulness is key in overcoming obstacles and inventing new ideas and pushes us to think outside our normal thought process. Although I knew it all along, I learned how strong, resourceful, and creative my team is in how they have responded to this challenge. With sanitation supplies and masks running scarce, they did not hesitate to step up and explore their ideas to preserve resources all while keeping everyone safe.  Gene Ray, our VP of Laboratory Operations, and his team started the initiative of making sanitizing fluid to be used in our facilities to keep our customers and employees safe. Suzan Wentworth, a team member of our topical team, also jumped in to help by sewing face masks for our dispensary staff. Without the ideas experimented and brought to life by our team, our business would not have been able to operate as we are today. 

Every company must expend the effort to create a better world and a safer place. As a company that strongly believes in giving back, we sought out to provide these resources to those in need. We are proud to have donated over 300 gallons of sanitizer to the Massachusetts Hospital Association and to the first responders in the communities in which we operate. We also made substantial monetary donations to the communities we do business in, to help with Covid-19 relief.  Despite the obstacles we faced, our team worked hard to help our customers access legal cannabis products safely and support our local communities.  We will continue to put resources into keeping people safe and delivering products in a secure, safe way.  I got into this business solely to help people and it is our mission to find all the ways to do so. 

Once the pandemic subsides, the need for safety and health precautions will remain as we are forced to adapt to this new normal. Many of us, including Garden Remedies, had to modify business operations completely to protect our customers and employees. By leveraging technology, we have been able to operate safely and process our orders online, limiting the amount of human interaction during pickup. 

Unfortunately for retail, the pandemic prevents the customer interaction we value so much. Our goal as a company is driven on helping patients and providing our knowledge so we understood this aspect was too paramount to lose, especially during a time when they need our compassion the most.  We then utilized our technology capabilities and created more platforms for customer engagement such as our online chat and video consultations for our patients and customers with questions. 

The time for a re-envisioning your business plan is now. This is an opportunity to look at the scope of your business and see what needs to change, how consumer behavior has changed, and what you can do to help. It is essential to remember that the communities we live and work in are hurting and that we must not lose sight of the importance of giving back.

On Community Colleges
by The Honorable Stephen Brewer

Stephen Brewer, State Senator Ret., Mount Wachusett Community College

This is a time in our history of enormous economic and cultural transformation that will summon the most creative and compassionate qualities of our society. 

Throughout her history, our nation has answered the call to face great challenges. I am confident that we can utilize our great creative and collective spirit to address the challenges before us now. While we do, I am also hopeful that as Lincoln said, we can “summon the better angels of our nature” in the process. 

The best social program is having a job, and we all must obtain the skills necessary for a new economy that enables us to adapt as effectively and efficiently as possible. 

I have always been impressed with the mission of community colleges. The high cost of education has forced many people, especially those students who are economically disenfranchised, to either incur debt that will compromise their future, or to forgo a college education and training altogether. 

Community colleges are an accessible, valuable, and logical pathway to the job market, or continuing to a four-year degree. Compelling evidence shows us that Massachusetts community colleges offer high-quality educational opportunities that are affordable and won’t leave you combing gray hair while you make your final student loan payment!

When I retired from a long career in public service, I was thoughtful about what I wanted my ‘second act’ to include. After having helped procure funding for a $40 million science wing for Mount Wachusett Community College, I was inspired by the working happening for and by the residents of North Central Massachusetts. 

Working arm in arm with three Chambers of Commerce, Heywood Healthcare, dozens of private sector employees, as well as the municipal leaders of the communities in the region, the college operates in real-time to tailor its curriculum and training opportunities to each community’s specific needs. 

The three campuses of Mount Wachusett Community College in Gardner, Leominster, and Devens provide a diverse balance to the needs of each geography. I have witnessed faculty, staff, and administrative teams ground their work in student-centered philosophy. We are all here for the students. 

Most recently, the Covid-19 pandemic has unwittingly brought to light this team’s tireless work to push forth the college’s mission in a safe, creative, and technologically accessible manner. It has been an enormous undertaking with an incredibly tight turnaround time.

Everything from the 2020 Commencement Ceremony, the Food Insecurity Programs, the Civic Engagement Programs, Veterans Programs, and the over 120,000 hours of volunteerism in the region, make me proud to advocate on behalf of such an important beacon for the Commonwealth. 

It can not be understated how important it is that the institutions serving community college students respect the dignity and worth of those often neglected by our society. We must take action in our individual lives to reflect on how we can each be better, demand that the systems and structures of our society change to best serve the under-represented, and elevate the voices of the historically unheard. 

Of course, Mount Wachusett Community College may not have the budget for expensive and glamorous marketing and communications campaigns. Despite this, I hope you’ll take to heart my endorsement of this college. Mount Wachusett provides students with an opportunity- regardless of age, wealth, status, or background. I am so grateful to have found a purposeful encore to my time in public service and will continue to champion these opportunities to all who will listen. 

Returning to Work Amidst the COVID-19 Crisis: Steps Employers Are Taking To Prepare and Protect Their People

by Bruce Platzman

Bruce Platzman, President of AIS, Inc.

As states across the country are re-opening, AIS is hearing from hundreds of companies that are preparing their workplaces for the return of employees. With many concerns and challenges in front of them, customers are looking for AIS to help them modify their office furniture in an effort to keep teams and visitors safe. Whether it’s a small business or a large employer, there are many common concerns and needs to consider as all prepare to reopen during the COVID-19 pandemic. 

Here’s a summary the top activities AIS and many of our customers are doing:

Protocols for employee well-being and safety. Many leaders realize it’s essential to have their teams feel positive and secure within their work environments as all return to the factory or office. There are many activities leaders can do to support this.

• Good communications during this time is critical. Being very open and direct with employees about what your organization is doing to keep people safe is important. Whether you create a safety video (see AIS video here), regularly share your COVID-19 Response Plan, or send updates directly to employees via email or a company newsletter, it all matters. 
• Celebrating the return of employees to the office is a small gesture that can start the process off on a positive note. Many are making banners to hang in the office and creating care packages for all. Giving each person a few supplies to keep at their desk is thoughtful and appropriate. We’re providing each of our employees with a supply of disinfecting wipes to self-clean personal office areas, hand sanitizer, two washable/ reusable facemasks, and tissues. 
• Instill and enforce social distancing practices across your organization. It is important to create and share guidelines for how people enter the building; how many people should be in the cafeteria at one time; how many in the restroom at one time; etc.
• Be clear and consistent with temperature checks. Let employees know how and when temperature checks will occur each day and follow through.
• Scheduling teams of employees in/out of office on different days or staggered start times. Each manager may have the freedom to create the schedule and plan that works best for their department. It’s important that leaders be patient with everyone. This is new territory for the team and everyone has different levels of comfort, stress, and acceptance.
• Keep guests and suppliers safe. While employees must feel safe and secure returning to work, it’s critical to think about all your visitors, too. Constructing, implementing, and communicating good protocols is essential. 
• More frequent and deeper cleaning practices. While most see this as an obvious need, it’s one of the most important activities an employer can do. Be sure your cleaning crew is following through daily. Everyone will notice if they aren’t and the expectation here is high.  

Modifications to the workplace. Many employers are realizing the office layout we had in February won’t work for our needs today. What this translates to is modifications in big or small ways as we work to ensure the office can support the new needs during this pandemic.

• Retrofitting offices is a common practice.  Whether adding screens to desks, panels systems or tables, we’re seeing this is a popular solution. New or higher screens can often be retrofitted into a space, making them less costly than replacing workstations.  Some are using mobile screens to divide spaces and separate workers, while others are adding higher panels to their existing stations. 
• Return of the cubicle.  We can’t really determine if the high panel cubicles are coming back for good, but we can share that a resurgence of interest has occurred. New office projects often have panel systems at higher heights than we’ve seen in the recent past – and often with some glass panels, ensuring daylight can come through and users have views beyond their workstation.  
• Reorienting users in space. New projects are more sensitive to the layout of users. As employers work to prevent workers being face-to-face all day, furniture is being planned to keep users strategically separated.
• More concern for cleanable materials. It’s no surprise many clients are seeking materials on their furniture that can withstand high frequency cleaning. We’re seeing glass, laminate and more vinyl and polyurethanes being explored for this reason. Some want to ensure their seating upholstery can be bleach-cleanable and this need is growing. 
• More exploration of antimicrobial materials. Very often the screens, panels, and seating in workplaces can be specified with an antimicrobial material. There are different types of materials out there to support this need and we’re seeing great interest in specifications for this as employers further work to protect employees.

Work from home office furniture packages. Some employers are allowing workers to continue to work remotely for a period of time. Often, these employers understand the importance of ergonomic furniture for the health and productivity of their people. AIS has constructed many Work From Home packages for customers during this time as the need continues to grow.    

Setting guidelines for mask wearing. Many employers are requiring masks be worn with different guidelines for when and where to wear them. Employers are working to ID the balance where employees are protected while still being comfortable and productive. Mask wearing guidelines vary from wearing it all the time to wearing it when away from one’s desk – and everywhere in between. This is an area where individual companies will have to identify what works best for them – and then communicate and enforce it regularly. 

About the author:

Bruce Platzman is the President and CEO of AIS, a $220 million office furniture manufacturer located in Leominster, Massachusetts and a designated Essential Employer during the COVID-19 Pandemic.