Installers around the world are doing a great job of helping their clients stay safe in corporate, educational, and so many other environments by utilizing intelligently-designed technology solutions. But is AV technician safety at risk when they’re physically on the job site?
I wanted to get a read on how safe technicians feel when they show up to a job site right now, so I sent out this Twitter poll:
Hey #AVTweeps – if you’re going to work right now, do you feel safe on job sites given the spread of COVID-19?#ProAV
— Commercial Integrator (@commintegrator) August 20, 2020
As you can see, we’re not working with a large sample size here: 20 people responded in total, so that’s never going to be enough to make broad assumptions about where AV technicians stand on their relative safety during the COVID-19 pandemic.
But what do the results we have suggest?
It is tempting to see this poll as a largely-positive thing. After all, the majority of respondents did not say they were experiencing acute stress over their safety in the workplace.
Related: Coronavirus Safety Checklist: 4 Considerations Before Sending Out Your Technicians
However, I think a more realistic stance on these results would be to respect the fact that over half of the respondents are, in fact, worried to whatever degree about their safety.
Stress is relative. The United States’ response to the COVID-19 pandemic has been extremely sporadic and severely lacking in unification. As a result, we all have differing opinions on what we see as “safe” behavior.
It’s been difficult to firmly qualify our habits as appropriate/safe versus irresponsible/unsafe — never mind the fact that a significant portion of the population doesn’t even seem to think there is a threat at all.
The takeaway here should be for integration firm leaders to lend a sympathetic, responsible ear to their employees.
After all, if this little poll reflects any larger trends, 2/3rds of your entire workforce could be worried. If that many people have an issue — no matter how small — with the way their company operates, there’s likely a problem with how it is operating.
So, leaders: is there a problem? Could you do anything else to keep your employees safe?
How do you feel about AV technicians’ safety right now? Let me know in the comments, or email me at: [email protected].
