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.

TRSA members and staff participated in International Women’s Day’s #BreakTheBias campaign on March 8. The campaign strives to create a world free of bias, stereotypes and discrimination where differences are valued and celebrated. Participants were encouraged to submit images striking the #BreakTheBias pose, with their arms crossed to form an “X.”

Ecolab has received a perfect score of 100% on the 2022 Corporate Equality Index (CEI), designating it as one of the “Best Places to Work for LGBTQ+ Equality.” The CEI is a national benchmarking survey and report on corporate policies and practices related to LGBTQ+ workplace equality, administered by the Human Rights Campaign Foundation. This is the 10th consecutive year that Ecolab has received a perfect score on the CEI, according to a news release.

Leading women executives in the linen, uniform and facility services industry recently gathered for a virtual discussion titled, “Women in Textile Services Roundtable: Stronger Together and Harnessing the ‘Power of Wishing Out Loud.’” The roundtable was led by Lisa Ong, an experienced diversity, equity and inclusion strategy consultant and executive coach.

TRSA recently partnered with several international linen, uniform and facility services industry associations to present a webinar on diversity, equity and inclusion issues in the industry. The 90-minute presentation, titled “Gender and Diversity in the Textile Care Industry: Let’s Have a Conversation,” featured TRSA Chair Noël Hammer Richardson.

Businesses lately are finding that success depends on more than a laser focus on the bottom line. The employee experience, what the Josh Bersin organization calls “EX,” is crucial to belonging, and the emphasis on diversity, equity and inclusion has become a priority in employee-engagement strategies to reduce the risk of what many are calling “the great resignation” or forecasted “turnover tsunami.”

As the owner’s daughter, she’d worked hard all her life. She had skills and ideas for growing the family business. She felt she’d earned a shot at the top job. Dad disagreed. He was convinced that a man – a son-in-law would do – should get the top job. Only when he passed away did the daughter get her chance to lead the company. She’s run the business successfully for years since then and never looked back. This was one of many stories that 25 female laundry operator and supplier partner executives shared during a two-hour TRSA Virtual Roundtable on May 19.