The Extraordinary Teamwork at Envision
The unforgettable COVID-19 Pandemic of 2020 has highlighted the value of expanding our versatility for the mission of Envision when duty calls. Our sewing team is currently making 1,250 quality masks each week. The face garments are being given to several hospitals and others in need.
On March 23rd, the Envision leadership team took immediate action to follow the Coronavirus Guidelines to keep our team healthy and safe. Since Envision is officially an essential supply company that supports the men and women of the United States Military, all business operations have been continued. Our employees were relieved to learn that workforce hours would not be reduced.
We also became familiar with the terms “essential” and “nonessential workers.” Essential refers to the workers required to be onsite to do their duties, and nonessential workers are those who are authorized to perform their various assignments from home or remote locations.
Our Leadership expanded their support by offering two proposals for the team. First, the full time workforce was accommodated with two additional weeks of Personal Time Off (PTO) if desired. Since these are novel circumstances for our generation, there were colleagues who took advantage of this offer, feeling safer during this pandemic to remain home. The immediate solution for the temporary shortage in manufacturing staffing was a unique opportunity for nonessential workers, like me, to help fill a few gaps in the factories. I’m the Communications and Outreach manager, and my friends Al and Amando both teach Assistive Technology, such as computer competencies including IOS products, like the Apple iPhone’s voice-over feature. All three of us were asked if we would be willing to help in the manufacturing areas, and we gave an un-hesitant, unanimous “yes.”
Getting to work in manufacturing was a valuable experience I’ll never forget. I thoroughly enjoyed learning to accomplish something different than anything I have ever done on my day-to-day service over all these years. This occasion enabled me to become even more familiar with the important work of our manufacturers. My temporary supervisor, Armando Chavez, who is production manager, and the rest of the manufacturing team were patient in teaching me the new ropes, which I sure needed that first day. I was the slow dude on the team for the first few hours. As the team started to recognize my increased efficiency and accuracy, I was inspired to work ever harder day after day. Thank you, Armando, for saying, “We appreciate you three employees, eager to keep us caught up on making our products to be delivered on time.” And I say, thank you Envision leadership for counting on us to take on brand-new assignments, and for maintaining your super support through these abnormal circumstances.