Work from home, day one | The Grinnell Mutual Way

I must thank and congratulate our employees for the exceptional job that each of them did as we quickly transitioned to our work-from-home (WFH) status. It was truly remarkable to see their execution of this event. I am so proud of our entire staff. We demonstrated that we have the initiative, creativity, and resolve to deal with a very difficult situation.

It is the fabric of our culture to look out for each other. Going to WFH status protects our employees, their families, and our communities and it allows us to continue to serve our customers. It’s the way we operate at Grinnell Mutual.

Making a sacrifice for the greater good

Last Thursday I was able to get my last swim in before the Grinnell College pool closed. At 8:00 p.m. The lifeguards were a 22-year-old senior and a 20-year-old biology major. We discussed how unfortunate it was for the senior to miss his last two months of campus life. He was going to miss out on all of the fun he would have had with his college friends and his graduation ceremony.

The other student then made a remarkable statement. She told me that the students had to leave the community for the sake of all Grinnell residents. She told me that many of her college friends volunteer at nursing and assisted living facilities, like the Mayflower, and also at our local hospital. She said she knew that young adults could be non-symptomatic carriers of the coronavirus and that they could contribute to its spread without knowing it. In her opinion, students needed to go home for the greater good of the Grinnell Community. 

I was stunned by this. She was more than willing to make this sacrifice in order to help protect others. The first thing I thought was that this was so similar to our “Grinnell Mutual Way.” We care about each other and are willing to make sacrifices for our co-workers, our friends. As I watch our staff prepare and execute our coronavirus response plan, I think to myself that there are a lot of wonderful people in this world that truly get it. They care about others and are willing to sacrifice for them. Our future in this world will always be bright as long as there are people like this student and our Grinnell Mutual employees.