JEMClips November 2020 by Jackson EMC

NOV

2020

• Tropical Storm Zeta • Remote Workshops • Flu vs. COVID-19

EMPLOYEE NEWS

life of a

POWER POLE

WE VALUE

Jackson EMC is committed to supplying reliable electric service to our members and

this would not be possible without the 134,000 wooden power poles that support the

PERFORMANCE

distribution system. These poles have unique lifecycles and typically last an average of 40 years. During that time, our pole population undergoes multiple rounds of testing to verify each pole’s structural integrity. Assessments are completed by Osmose Utilities Services and give our engineers a report of the condition of our wooden poles,

Power poles that do not pass this inspection are deemed to be at the end of their life and are rejected.

especially at the ground level where decay is common. The overall process allows our poles to reach their intended age; thereby, extending their lifecycles and reducing the pole failure rate. Power poles that do not pass this inspection are deemed to be at the end of their life and are rejected. Once rejected, overhead line crews replace the pole, and the new pole lifecycle begins.

134,000

total wooden poles

16–17k

average number of poles to be inspected by Osmose yearly

40 YEARS 14,184

average lifetime of a pole

poles inspected 2020 YTD

3,142

poles rejected 2020 YTD

TROPICAL STORM ZETA HITS NORTH GEORGIA Tropical Storm Zeta barreled through Jackson EMC’s service area in the early morning hours of Thursday, Oct. 29. Wind speeds of 35–45 mph caused a significant number of trees and limbs to fall on power lines. Once the sun came up and high winds faded, Jackson EMC linemen and contract crews began to restore power to more than 77,000 members. Sustained winds caused outage numbers to climb into Friday morning, which resulted in an additional 5,000 outages. As storm restoration efforts pressed on, 98 broken poles and 78 damaged transformers were discovered.

Employees from across the co-op came together to support restoration efforts with many working through the night. Contact center representatives were available to take calls from members all night on Thursday and Friday. Members of the Residential Marketing and Business Development departments along with district and department administrators helped serve and deliver meals to our linemen crews in each district.

Reinforcements from Flint Energies, Ocmulgee EMC, Colquitt EMC and Satilla REMC along with additional Pike contract crews were brought in to help with storm restoration.

“As one large functioning team, we were able to overcome huge hurdles and restore service to over 70,000 members in less than 60 hours,” said Tommy Parker, Director of Operation Services. “Employees’ efforts are very much appreciated by the Storm Team, our Leadership Team and our Board of Directors.”

98 500

MESSAGES RECEIVED ON SOCIAL MEDIA

BROKEN POLES

9,791 CALLS RECEIVED

WE VALUE

COOPERATION

2 1. Ben Adams, Lineman, reconnects lines that were down from a tree falling on them. 2. Keith Camp, District Operations Superintendent, and Craig Roberts, District Director of Engineering and Operations, assess outages in the Gwinnett district. 3. Flint Energies Linemen help restore power to Jackson EMC members.

LINEMEN FROM OTHER CO-OPS ASSISTED IN STORM RESTORATION

DAMAGED TRANSFORMERS

DEPARTMENTAL STRA annual workshops held remotely

Each year, Strategic Planning and Analytics hosts Departmental Strategic Planning Workshops to guide departmental teams through a series of exercises to help them create a comprehensive, focused Departmental Strategic Plan for the next year. However, due to our COVID-19 pandemic response, the Departmental Strategic Planning Workshops looked a little different this year. Instead of multiple departments coming together for in-person gatherings, Strategic Planning and Analytics held individual virtual workshops for each department throughout August and September. “While the format of the workshops changed this year to respond to COVID-19 pandemic, what didn’t change was the hard work of employees across the company bringing together the best and most innovative ideas for strategic planning,” said Brittany Caison, Vice President of Strategic Planning and Analytics. To support the virtual format departments were provided a preliminary workbook containing support information and individual exercises. Additionally, each department completed a survey to collect the team’s feedback on their strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and threats.

“The remote format changes, including the preliminary survey, created an opportunity to streamline the workshop’s interactive exercises while still providing teams time to discuss and reach consensus on ideas,” said Briane Schwab, Strategic Planning Analyst.

FOCUS ON KPI PAIRS – LAGGING AND LEADING “Each year, we make enhancements to the Strategic Planning process so it is cohesive with the changes and improvements at Jackson EMC. This year, we modified our processes to better support the development of Key Performance Indicators (KPIs) and to place greater emphasis on the prioritization of future initiatives,” explained Brittany. To support KPI development, Strategic Planning and Analytics helped teams build on their prior success by using their existing KPIs in ClearPoint as a starting point during the workshops. According to Dylan Munn, Business Intelligence Analyst, the goal for KPI development was to identify pairs of lagging KPIs, which track a department’s performance in their critical areas and leading KPIs, which define measurable actions departments can take to ensure they achieve their desired performance.

18 135 54 WORKSHOPS

EMPLOYEES PARTICIPATED

KPI PAIRS DEVELOPED

ATEGIC PLANNING To reflect a more purposeful prioritization process, the 2021 Departmental Strategic Plan template was updated to intentionally put a greater focus on top priority initiatives for the coming year and future years. This change was made to emphasize our resource limitations and encourage departments to prioritize one or two initiatives that would have the greatest impact for 2021.

WHAT HAPPENS NEXT Following the workshops, the proposed Departmental Strategic Plans go through an approval process, allowing the work of all teams to come together as an input source for the Corporate Strategic Planning process. This input source, along with the employee engagement survey results, small group meeting feedback, member feedback, and board of director input, plays a part in the development of next year’s Corporate Strategic Plan. After the Corporate and Departmental Strategic Plans are approved and finalized, each plan will be built into ClearPoint and will be visible across the organization. With ClearPoint in place, departments will be able to track initiatives and KPIs in a dynamic environment, allowing plans to remain up to date with details like current KPI data and initiative status. Strategic Planning and Analytics is working with directors to train all employees in ClearPoint in early 2021. The 2021 Departmental Strategic Plans and the Corporate Strategic Plan will be shared on JToday in January.

All departmental team photos can be viewed by visiting jacksonemc.canto.com/b/TEJ3N

“Each year, we make enhancements to the Strategic Planning process so it is cohesive with the changes and improvements at Jackson EMC.” —Brittany Caison, Vice President of Strategic Planning and Analytics

WE VALUE

EMPLOYEES

KNOW THE SIGNS:

FLU

VS.

COVID-19

Do you know the difference between Influenza (flu) and COVID-19? According to the Centers for Disease Control, both are contagious respiratory illnesses, but they are caused by different viruses. COVID-19 is caused by infection with a new coronavirus (called SARS-CoV-2) and flu is caused by infection with influenza viruses. Because some of the symptoms of flu and COVID-19 are similar, it may be hard to tell the difference between them based on symptoms alone, and testing may be needed to help confirm a diagnosis. Flu and COVID-19 share many characteristics, but there are some key differences between the two. Both COVID-19 and flu can spread from person-to-person, between people who are in close contact with one another (within about 6 feet). Both are spread mainly by droplets made when people with the illness (COVID-19 or flu) cough, sneeze, or talk. These droplets can land in the mouths or noses of people who are nearby or possibly be inhaled into the lungs.

FLU

• Can be spread for at least one

day before experiencing any symptoms.

• Can be contagious for seven

days. • Prescription influenza

antiviral drugs are FDA-approved to treat flu.

It may be possible that a person can get infected by physical human contact (e.g. shaking hands) or by touching a surface or object that has a virus on it and then touching his or her own mouth, nose, or possibly their eyes. As we enter flu season, be sure to know the difference between the flu and COVID-19. It’s important to contact your doctor if you experience any symptoms of COVID-19 or the flu. Be sure to get your flu shot this year. Flu shots are available at most pharmacies for little to no cost.

SIGNS AND SYMPTOMS Both COVID-19 and flu can have varying degrees of signs and symptoms, ranging from no symptoms (asymptomatic) to severe symptoms. Common symptoms that COVID-19 and flu share include: • Fever or feeling feverish/chills • Cough • Shortness of breath or difficulty

breathing • Fatigue • Sore throat • Runny or stuffy nose • Muscle pain or body aches

COVID-19 •

Can be spread for at least two days before experiencing any symptoms.

• Contagious for at least 10 days. • Other signs and symptoms of

COVID-19, different from flu, may include change in or loss of taste or smell. • There are currently no drugs or

other therapeutics approved by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to prevent or treat COVID-19. Studies are in progress to learn more.

• Headache • Some people may have

vomiting and diarrhea

For more information, visit

cdc.gov.

COCONUT CUSTARD PIE INGREDIENTS

1 unbaked deep-dish pie shell (homemade or store-bought)

Employee

recipe

3 large eggs 1 ¼ cups sugar ¼ cup buttermilk 1 stick butter, melted

of the month

DIRECTIONS

Submitted by Karen Ewing, Community Relations Representative

If using store-bought frozen pie shell, thaw 15 minutes. Beat eggs and sugar with hand-held mixer until blended. Add remaining ingredients and mix well. Pour into unbaked pie shell. Bake at 325 degrees for 35–40 minutes or until set. Enjoy warm or cold.

“This pie is a Thanksgiving tradition in my family,” said Karen.

1 ½ tsp lemon extract 1 ½ cups shredded coconut

Pet

OF THE month

>> Submit your favorite recipes to pr@jacksonemc.com.

Ben Campbell, Journeyman Lineman in the Neese district, has quite a few animals on his farm. The Campbell family has cows, goats, chickens, a mule and German Shepherds. Pictured is Ben's son, Branson, making friends with a bull calf that joined the family farm last summer.

>> Do you have an amazing or unique pet? For a chance to be featured in an upcoming JEMClips, email pr@jacksonemc.com.

WE VALUE

EMPLOYEES

welcome & congrats

JOAB BOWEN joined Jackson EMC as a Lineman Apprentice I with the Oakwood office.

AUSTIN GRAGG has been selected for the Lineman position with the Corporate crew.

JACKSON MURRAY joined Jackson EMC as a Lineman Apprentice I with the Oakwood office.

CLAY PHILLIPS has been selected for the Line Foreman position with the Corporate crew.

jacksonemc.com