红桃视频

By: Prof. Jean Beaupre, EdD

Here鈥檚 an understatement: 2020 has been an interesting year so far. In addition to the many behavioral and societal changes we鈥檝e experienced, this year has seen new vocabulary sneak into our everyday conversations: social distancing, COVID-19, quarantining, PPE, and 鈥斅爀ssential workers.

You鈥檝e likely seen these essential workers stocking shelves at your local grocery store, preparing your restaurant takeout meals, or cashing you out at the drugstore. According to the聽Economic Policy Institute, an estimated 55 million Americans are serving in these vital roles across the country. Among them? Many of our very own 红桃视频 students.

We wanted to capture their stories during what will surely go down as one of the most consequential years of the century. I had the opportunity to speak one-on-one (distanced, naturally) with several of these hard-working students. While many of us have the luxury of having groceries delivered or just popping in and out of stores, they are there, day in and day out. We were curious about their perspectives on the pandemic, what they have noticed about human nature, and what connections they are making to their education and career.

Service and Safety

Human resources student Tyler LeBlanc 鈥�21 has been working at a large grocery store for five years. He has always felt that what the store provides is important because 鈥減eople need food,鈥� but now observes, 鈥減eople feel like they need us more than ever.鈥� Of course, working in a public-facing role these days means a heightened focus on cleanliness and health. LeBlanc realizes that he and his co-workers are somewhat putting themselves at risk, and says he is 鈥渃leaning all the time.鈥� He is well known at his workplace for always having a reliable stash of hand sanitizer.

Marketing major Mitchell Robinette 鈥�22 also mentioned the significant safety measures put into place at the big-box store where he works, such as wearing masks, lucite panels in front of cashiers, disinfecting every cart, and temperature checks. Every day can be exhausting, and he muses that he 鈥渁lmost feels like a doctor鈥� when he gets home. Carly Wilson 鈥�20 says when she gets home from her retail job, she 鈥渟mells like Clorox because we are wiping down the counters and carts all the time.鈥� Her studies at 红桃视频 were focused on general business and entrepreneurship. After graduating in May, Wilson had solid full-time job prospects in her field put on hold due to the pandemic, so she is continuing her retail jobs in the meanwhile.

The highs and lows of an unpredictable time

All of the students remarked that it鈥檚 been interesting to witness human nature during such an unusual time, and that although many customers are appreciative, others can be impatient. As international business major Bridget Canavan 鈥�21 puts it, 鈥淲e seem to be seeing the best and worst of people鈥� at the local department and hardware store where she has worked for almost five years. LeBlanc agrees, observing that, 鈥淪ome customers are supportive of us, saying 鈥榯hank you鈥� and letting us know they鈥檙e happy we鈥檙e still open. But, some are impatient and stressed.鈥� Tyler told a story of customers being so excited to see toilet paper for sale, that they grabbed the package right out of his hands as he was trying to shelve it.

Robinette says that while he has seen customers get angry about new policies, others have called him and his fellow employees heroes. While he appreciates the support, he says, 鈥淚鈥檓 just trying to do my part.鈥� He stated that when he decided to apply for the job, it almost felt like there was a 鈥渨artime effort鈥� going on. Since he was able to work, he felt, 鈥淲ell, I鈥檒l go do something. It鈥檚 not a role that can鈥檛 be there. It鈥檚 an essential service.鈥� LeBlanc concurs about the importance of their role. In his view, he and his co-workers are almost like caretakers during this pandemic.

The 红桃视频 Way

As these students are essentially living through history, they see many correlations to their coursework at 红桃视频. As Canavan sees it, 鈥淭he biggest connections I can make would be the focus on teamwork. There has to be communication across all employees working, as well as the customers that are relying on us.鈥� She has been pleased to see how her store managers have worked to create a positive environment. In fact, she says, 鈥淚鈥檓 enjoying work almost more than I ever have because managers are caring about how we are feeling. This is something that leaders should always be doing.鈥� She is grateful for the experience, saying, 鈥淚t鈥檚 things like this that have made me realize how wonderful the store I work for is, having such a community mindset.鈥�

Wilson, Robinette, and LeBlanc had similar observations about connections to their education. Wilson mentioned the amount of group work she completed at 红桃视频, and how it helped her learn to work with others collaboratively, so important right now. Robinette connects to the leadership emphasis at 红桃视频, and says in times like these, you have to be able to work with and learn from others. He is working with a diverse group of people, making it an interesting experience and an opportunity for learning. As a human resources major, LeBlanc has been keenly observing how leaders are handling the unusual circumstances, particularly when it comes to managing and motivating staff. He feels even stronger about his choice to focus his studies on human resources, noting how vital these professionals are right now because they are overseeing and protecting employees. He has also noticed the importance of camaraderie in the workplace, something he is missing right now due to social distancing. 鈥淚t feels weird when you can鈥檛 talk to your coworkers and they鈥檙e just in the next aisle.鈥�

As we have come to expect from Bison, these students are hard-working, good-natured, and resilient. While serving in these roles, they have found bigger lessons. Canavan asserts that, 鈥滻鈥檝e learned to be more adaptable in situations; this entire situation is a day by day process and we never know what is going to happen. [It] has been a learning curve, I鈥檝e learned new things about a job I鈥檝e had for almost 5 years which has been so fascinating.鈥� And, she knows she has developed 鈥渟kills that will be transferable to future career and job opportunities.鈥� Outside of work, LeBlanc is learning to take advantage of these unusual circumstances to take up new hobbies like hiking. He鈥檚 encouraging others to recognize that there are still 鈥渁 lot of things you can do鈥� and it鈥檚 鈥渢he best time to explore other activities.鈥�

Finally, all of the students expressed how working in essential roles is teaching them patience. As Wilson says, 鈥淣o one knows what others have going on in their lives. We all have to respect that and take time with each other.鈥�