Administration

Admin Employees Commended for Contacting Quarantining Residents Since April By: Lynn Araki-Regan

Mother Teresa once said, “Together, we can do great things.”

We are grateful that, together, employees from Hawai’i Department of Transportation (HDOT) Administration Division, went over and beyond their job duties over the past 4 months to do great things.

Two dozen employees from the administration division of HDOT, along with one employee from the Dept. of Agriculture, received training from staff from the Hawai’i Tourism Authority and Hawai’i Visitors & Convention Bureau and immediately thereafter made calls and texted residents who were subjected to the 14-day quarantine. Understanding the importance of keeping our community safe during the COVID-19 pandemic, they, including Director Jade Butay, made calls, answered incoming calls, and sent texts -- even during most evenings and weekends.

“We saw the various needs arise in our communities and we stepped up to the plate to help,” said Melanie Martin, coordinator of the resident calling mission. Neither Martin nor cocoordinator Juli Chun expected how much time and effort this assignnment would consume until they were well into the “thick of things.” The team was challenged by the ever-changing rules and the sheer volume of returning residents; yet, they persevered without complaint and much challenge.

Since the team started on April 13, 2020 until its mission concluded due to the state launching its new all-digital platform, rough estimates of their contacts are as follows:

# of Residents Successfully Contacted: 44,861 # of Escalations to Law Enforcement: 158

Mahalo to the following employees for making the resident contacting mission a success:

Melanie Martin Juli Chun

Natasha Torres Jazelle Aolahiko

Karen Awana Hanna Edwards

Melanie Martin, Co-Chair Juli Chun, Co-Chair Ryan Aguilar Jazelle Aolahiko Lynn Araki-Regan Karen Awana

Administration

RESIDENT CALLERS continued from page 8

Jade Butay Darren Cantrill Craig Dela Cruz Hanna Edwards Donna Honda Grace Ichikawa Candi Jefferson Shelly Kunishige Debbie Kuwaye Randall Landry Dawn Lee Curtis Motoyama David Rodriguez Michelle Saito Janelle Saneishi Paula Sasaki Natasha Torres Zachariah Wadsack Patricia Wong

“I am proud of and inspired by our team’s commitment and dedication to ensuring that our returning residents were in compliance,” said Butay.

Randall Landry Shelly Kunishige Candi Jefferson David Rodriguez

Debbie Kuwaye Donna Honda

Lynn Araki-Regan Grace Ichikawa

Administration

Workstation Wellness: Work From Home Edition

Are you working from home?

While the commute may be more pleasant, spending hours with a makeshift workstation and a disrupted routine might be wearing you down.

If certain precautions aren’t taken, it could lead to increased risk of repetitive motion disorders, poor posture, eyestrain, and perhaps most dangerous—a sedentary lifestyle. Learn how to stay healthy while working from home.

By: Melanie Martin

Note: Work From Office Edition workshop also available. Please message me if you are interested and if there is enough interest, I will arrange it.

Date: Thursday, September 10, 2020 Time: 12 noon to 1 pm Place: WebEx – link to be sent upon registering at signup.com/go/cysHRkh.

PPE continued from page 7

once empty, they can be taken to the security guard in Punchbowl Bldg. lobby, where they can be refilled via hand pump from one of the 5-gallon containers. The security guard has already refilled several bottles for employees, and one of the 5-gallon containers has likewise been refilled from one of the large totes set up at the HIEMA central warehouse facility in Diamond Head crater, and returned to storage at the Punchbowl Building.

With this project now started, and with ongoing HIEMA support, these bottles are meant to provide an “endless supply” for the use of individual employees in the workplace, for the duration of the pandemic.