This one got to me...

This one got to me. It’s not unusual for me to receive a call from a frantic client at 4:30PM requesting same day disinfection due to an active covid case on site. Over the past month such calls have nearly become a daily occurrence. We then adjust schedules and teams to fit the request into the schedule that day. In a case last week, a client’s entire campus of several buildings had been compromised that day due to a security guard unknowingly patrolling the entire facility several times all shift and interacting with teammates and almost all of the second shift guards at shift change. The client was desperate to have the facility professionally disinfected because they are an essential business. “No problem,” I said, “Let me move some things around and we will be there tonight.” Not only were they concerned about the safety of the necessary workers at the site, but business disruption is also very costly for them financially.

 When we arrived at the site later that evening, there was one solo security guard on their team who had not interacted with the positive person or the second shift. There the guard sat at the security desk when we arrived. We quickly realized the guard was more than concerned, and even through the person’s mask, we could perceive that the guard was very scared and anxiety-ridden to be at work amidst this situation. Without saying it to us directly, it quickly became clear that the guard was very nervous about contracting the virus. It was visually apparent that this guard had two or three of the highest co-morbidity indicators for the worst covid complications and prognosis in the event the guard caught the virus. The team and I felt the guard’s genuine fear as he/she was helping us sign in and receive our access badges. It was palpable.

 As the team got started on the campus a few of us remained to gently and calmly talk with the guard and explained what we were going to do to make the campus safe. We used some gentle humor and explained the science behind disinfection, the virus, what their company was doing with airflow and filtration, and the difference/infection rates between contracting the virus from surfaces vs. aerosol/droplets. We then explained that we would address the area where the guards sit with additional disinfection and invited the guard to watch us perform the disinfection process on the guards’ area. As the guard watched, we could feel his/her demeanor and the tenor of his/her voice begin to relax. This person was bravely coming into work as the only one of two viable people on the team, and with high co-morbidity issues. Front line people such as the guards and janitorial teams are not multi-millionaires, and they often must continue to work to earn income in spite of some of these risks.

 We really felt for this guard and throughout the rest of the evening, we would periodically stop by the security desk and see how the guard was doing. The guard went from being nearly terrified to comfortable and feeling safe. As we were packing up, the guard came out to us and gave us a very emotional thank you. The guard explained that we were the best vendors to work with because we treated him kindly, explained what we were doing, made people feel safe, and we did it with humor and a great attitude. We could hear in the guard’s voice that he/she felt like he/she dodged a bullet and was now comfortable sitting at the security desk and patrolling the facility. I am very proud my two teammates, Will Wright and Andrew King, who both dropped everything in the evening to oversee this project and crew with me and did a fantastic job of making the guard feel at ease.  

   As I made the two-and-a-half hour drive home late than night, I realized that, although I always put the safety of people first at client sites, I have never really felt the fear that some people genuinely have when faced with an active case in their workplace. These people do the math on their physical situation. They are well-aware of their own co-morbidity factors and know that contracting covid could amount to a death sentence for them. Through the guard’s emotional and physical vulnerability, I now have a stronger, visceral connection with our clients and an even deeper empathy for those whom the virus is most dangerous. It’s one thing to see our most defenseless people on a TV news segment about covid. It’s a far different experience to meet someone who is looking to you for help and reassurance in a situation where they are the most at risk among their peers.