I have enjoyed writing and sharing my blog with you over the last three years. But, aside from the handful of replies or emails I receive in response to a post, this blog is a one-way dialogue. That’s why I was excited to host our first-ever Employee Town Hall this week.
I’m a big fan of town halls (in-person, tele, and virtual!) and hosted them quite a bit when I was in the Legislature. I welcome the chance to share updates, hear concerns and respond to questions. But I was a little reluctant to hold one at Pierce County since so many of you work out in the field and may not have access to listen in and participate. Well, the pandemic solved that issue with so many of you working remotely.
Reaching out and connecting with you is especially important during these troubling times – even if it is through Zoom. My thanks to the hundreds of you who took the time to participate. You asked some great questions – both in advance and during the town hall.
There were four main themes that you wanted to talk about:
- Protocols for safeguarding your health and safety in returning to work
- Questions about how flexible managers will be with extenuating circumstances (lack of childcare, existing medical issues, family member vulnerability)
- Concerns about potential budget cuts and impacts on jobs
- The level of commitment to allowing teleworking going forward
If you couldn’t join us live, I invite you to watch the replay here. We’ve gathered all the questions – including those we didn’t have time to answer on the Zoom call – and will post a Q/A as soon as we can.
I was impressed with and grateful for the depth of your questions and the honesty in your concerns. Even though I don’t know who submitted the questions, I truly appreciate your willingness to be candid and open. And, as is normally the case, I’ll bet many of those listening shared the concern or issue with each of the questioners.
I take my role and my responsibility to you very seriously. I realize and hear the anxiety and fear in your voices and to some extent I share it. The pandemic has thrown us all into a place none of us have ever been.
We have some tough days ahead as we recover from the many impacts of the pandemic and move forward. You have my commitment to be candid and transparent as we work through the challenges. And, as we do so, I look forward to more opportunities to hear directly from you.
Take care and stay safe,
Bruce