This year’s International Women’s Day is March 8, and the theme is #EmbraceEquity! The campaign is designed to help create a focus on gender equity as part of every society’s DNA.

TRSA members’ concern for employees, communities and the environment will be highlighted March 22 in Washington, DC, with the presentation at the TRSA Legislative Conference of the association’s 2023 honors for Diversity Recognition, Safety and Clean Green Sustainability.

It’s widely reported that today’s laundry operators face challenges in recruiting mid- or higher-level managers. The resulting dearth of supervisory help can affect both operations and staff morale – not to mention customer satisfaction. The answer, says Emeka Okeani, president of Shared Hospital Corp., Nashville, TN, a surgical supply co-op, is to seek talent in your own organization. But to do that in today’s workplaces often requires a sense of “cultural intelligence” that can allow an employer to see rising leaders that others might overlook.

Employees often bring emotional issues to work … Examples range from having political views that lead to arguments on the plant floor to concerns about hate crimes/discrimination. Other times it’s personal … worries about a broken relationship or a family illness can generate stress – and undermine staff morale. Employers can help tackle these problems by providing staff with a “safe space” to work through their stress – and if necessary get them outside help. The issue of stress management was the focus of a Nov. 3 webinar facilitated by Kortney Overzet, chair of TRSA’s Diversity, Equity & Inclusion (DEI) Committee. This hour-long discussion drew 20-plus attendees to look at steps that employers can take to help reduce workplace stress.

If you treat your employees with dignity and respect, then a “zero tolerance” stance on harassment or discriminatory behavior at work follows naturally, said Melanie Shong Helm, an HR expert who addressed the second session of the three-part “Safe Space Series” on Oct. 4 sponsored by TRSA’s Diversity, Equity & Inclusion (DEI) Committee.

Due to power outages as a result of Hurricane Ian, TRSA rescheduled its Workplace Harassment Interactive Virtual Workshop to Oct. 4 at 1:30 p.m. EDT. The workshop is the second offering in TRSA’s Diversity, Equity & Inclusion Safe Space Series sponsored by Strategic In/Sight Partners.

We’ve all been on flights where the flight attendant tells you that if there’s a loss of air pressure, oxygen masks will drop and you’re supposed to put your mask on first before assisting anyone else.

Specialists in either safety/health or human resources, or generalists responsible for both, found abundant common ground May 17 at TRSA’s HR, Health & Safety Summit in Chicago. All benefited from practical, hands-on analysis of trends, issues and techniques they could use to improve their corporate cultures. They went home with numerous ideas thanks to presentations specific to the industry or covering best practices from other industries, as well as peer-to-peer sharing.

More than 30 individuals representing TRSA supplier partner member companies responded positively to an email appeal to complete a checklist attesting to their companies’ adherence to principles of the United Nations (UN) Global Compact. This supports linen, uniform and facility services operators in presenting their customers with evidence of their suppliers’ commitments to corporate social responsibility (CSR).

The Roscoe Co., a Chicago-based independent industrial launderer, formally marked its centennial on April 16 with a dinner program at the Drake Hotel downtown. The celebration – delayed by COVID-19 concerns – highlighted the family-owned company’s roots in the North Lawndale community on the city’s west side, which has faced social and economic challenges in recent decades.