Page 25 - MC Top Work 2021

Robbins West rehabilitation from Ithaca College, knowingasmuchaboutanemployee OraSure
astheyarewillingtoreveal.
realizedadistinctmanagementstyle
from Page 19 wasneededtonurturethatgrowth. Havingemployeeswhocanhandle from Page 18
What he set in place was a prac- this management style does not
wanted to take piano lessons,’ they tice of having employees personally happenbyluck.Heilsaiditstartswith meetthischallenge.Atthesametime,
wouldgetme10pianolessons.Iknow engagedinthecompany,withtheabil- an extensive interview process that we hadtodothiswitha portionof our
theywould,”shesaid. itytoviewallcompanydata—includ- includestheapplicantmakingavideo staffnowworkingfromhome.
Godownsaidshewasmiserableat ingeveryotheremployee’ssalary. telling why they are right for the job, “That has resulted in many innova-
her previous job, but now after two “We can all agree that we have to aswellasgoingoutforcoffee,where tive approaches to solving problems,”
years at Robbins, her life and sense workandmaybewe’dratherbesome- theinterviewernoteshowtheperson he said. “One example in my area is
of well-being are at a level she never where else than work,” he said, but engageswithothersinpublic. how we have hosted several compli-
thoughtpossible. by actively engaging employees and “It is a very nontraditional inter- ance audits with different regulatory
She says there are frequent staff knowing their goals, likes, dislikes view that takes about a month. This bodiesfromaroundtheworldviavideo
meetings,whereanythingthatneeds and injecting trust, the workplace processisveryimportantbecauseour conferences,ratherthaninperson.The
attention is freely expressed and becomesanextensionorintegralpart culturehereisimportant,”shesaid. team has become very successful in
accompaniedbysolutions,oratleast ofaperson’slife. ClinicdirectorandtherapistEmily showing our regulators how we meet
apathtothem. There’salsothenatureofthework. Moatz, 27, worked at another physi- and exceed their requirements using
Asforpayandbenefits,the51-year- Physicaltherapistshaveahighburn- calrehabilitationcenterafterearning remoteaccesstechnology.”
old said she needed to make at least outrate,hesaid,adding,“Ihavenever her doctorate from Lebanon Valley “I am very proud of OraSure,”
thesameasshedidatthepreviousjob beentoaretirementpartyforaphysi- CollegeandsaysthemovetoRobbins CustomerCareSupervisorRubyOsorio
alongwithafairbenefitspackage.She caltherapist.” wassomewhatjarringbecauseowner said. “As we face the coronavirus chal-
gotboth. New therapists can come to the Travis Robbins “thinks all our opin- lengestogether,abigthankyougoesto
Godown’s positive view of the jobwith$200,000incollegedebt,he ionsmatter.” our executives, scientists, regulatory,
company is widely shared — and the said,aproductofhavingtocompletea “Ihaveasayinpatientcare,inhow clinical, QA, planning, manufacturing,
components that make it that way doctoraldegreeandaboutsevenyears we operate … and from the patient purchasing, shipping, sales, customer
started with company owner Travis ofschooling. standpoint, an opportunity to give care, maintenance, etc., for being so
Robbins. That debt can be overwhelming, bettercare,”shesaid. brave and working tirelessly and self-
The 42-year-old Robbins opened and amplifies the problem of burn- When Godown spoke of her lesslytobeabletoprovideourcustom-
the practice 18 years ago in a small out, Robbins said, so fair compen- employment, it prompted what she ers and consumers with the at-home
office on 19th Street in Allentown as sation is important. The company calledtearsofjoyathavingcometoa test kit for COVID-19 infection. My
asole practitioner. Later,hisbrother, provides a base salary along with place where she could grow profes- colleagues truly set an extraordinary
Todd Robbins, joined the company, incentives realized when the sionallyandmaintainahealthyhome example of commitment and profes-
butthebrothersdividedtheorganiza- companyseeshigherprofits. life. sionalism during the coronavirus
tionintoseparateoperationsin2018. Chief Operating Officer Lind- “I don’t hate Sunday nights outbreak.”
Travis Robbins grew Robbins sey Heil, 31, has a bachelor’s degree anymore. I love my job. I would do OraSureemployeessaydoingmean-
West to include four locations and from LaSalle University, and shares whatever it takes to get thejob done. ingful work is important for everyone.
41 employees, treating about 450 Godown’ssentimentsaboutworking …IplantostayhereuntilIretire,”she Knowing exactly what the company
patientsaweek. at Robbins. She said the first thing said. stands for, what its core values are,
Robbins,whogrewuponhisfami- she had to do when hired was retool and knowing their work is helping a
ly’sdairyfarmnearUtica,NewYork, fromthecoldcorporateapproachshe Charles Malinchak isafreelance greatergoodconnectsemployeestothe
andhasamaster’sdegreeinphysical acquiredatherpreviousjobtooneof writer forTheMorning Call. company and its mission. Each team
also feels a strong sense of urgency
to work together to accomplish their
goals.
Robbins East atmosphere is worlds apart from said, is rooted in the work culture tive culture, with individuals across
“OraSure has a very collabora-
previousjobs.
Robbinsinjectsintothecompany.
from Page 20 “Workdoesn’tfeellikework,”she “Todd just genuinely cares about departments supporting each other to
said. his employees and even their fami- successfully do what needs to be done
toanyone.Everyonehelpseveryone. In describing the work atmo- lies,”shesaid. to complete projects,” said Michele
It’sreallyisabigfamily,”shesaid. sphere, Frederick said, “All of The Robbins method of manage- Roehler, director of clinical trials.
When 42-year-old Todd Robbins Robbins staff are genuine, passion- ment was a welcome change for “Wherethereisapushtomeetadead-
started the company 17 years ago atepeopledoingwhattheylovetodo. Marketing Director Ed Risi, who’d line,everyonerollsuptheirsleevesand
along with his brother Travis, he The management team are people sufferedablowtohiswell-being. pitchesintogettheworkdone.”
saysdevelopingamanagementstyle whoarelikedandadmired.” Risi,60,hasworkedatRobbinsfor Rosadoagreed.
came from trial and error, but one RobbinsRehabilitationEastsepa- eight months. He said he worked 32 “I have been with OraSure for the
partheldfast:“Imadeacommitment rated from Robbins Rehabilitation yearsatanothercompany,butwaslet pastsevenyears,andinthattimeIhave
earlyontoputpeopleoverprofits.” West to become two companies in go by a manager with nine months been a part of the continued evolution
Robbins earned a master’s degree 2018. Robbins says it was a result of onthejob. of this great company,” he said. “Even
in physical therapy from Ithaca heandhisbrotherdecidingitwould He said he watched the work- aswehavegrown,wehavemaintained
College, and also has an array of be better to focus on their relation- placebecomea“toxicenvironment” a culture that fosters a high-perform-
experience from jobs such as work- shipasfamilyratherthanasbusiness where the end of his employment ing organization without sacrificing
ingthefamily’sdairyfarminupstate partners. stemmedfromanactofnature. thingsthatareimportanttoemployees,
NewYork,Kmart,Walmart,Subway Since then, East has grown to 31 “In January 2020, there was a such as work/life balance. As a leader
and as a power lifting coach at employees who treat about 400 lightning strike that knocked out
RutgersUniversity. patientsperweekatthreeofficeloca- power to the data center. He [the be surrounded by the best team I have
He admitted he has no natural tions: Easton, and Phillipsburg and manager] blamed me for the hard- ever worked with, highly competent
talentforbusiness,buthisapproach LebanoninwesternNewJersey.The ware failure because I couldn’t andverysupportiveofeachother.”
isthatofnotquittinguntiltheprob- company is projected to bring in $2 bring the 21-year-old system up in in this organization, I am fortunate to The Morning Call
The company looks for employ-
lemissolved. millionthisyear. minutes,”hesays. ees who are not only aligned with the
“My superpower is that I will A native of Asbury, New Jersey, Soon after, Risi spoke with organization’s core values,butwant to
outwork my competitors until I 35-year-oldBurnsearnedadoctoral Robbins,whoofferedhimaposition learn and grow with the company and
figure it out. … I just keep swinging degree in physical therapy from inmarketing—eventhoughRisihad beopentoopportunities. |
theaxeuntilthetreefalls,”hesaid. Widener University. She’s worked noexperience. “IwouldnotbewhereIamattoday
When choosing employees, he at Robbins East for eight years, and “Toddisanunderstandingperson if it wasn’t for the help of the people I Thursday,
said he favors athletes who played like other employees, describes the and wants to see people succeed at work withat OraSure.In my17 years I
team sports because, “It isn’t about environmentasall-inclusive—akey what they do … I had to learn a new
individual accomplishments with reasonitwasvotedatopworkplace. skill set since I never worked in Theyhavehelpedmeachieveallmyset
them.” “Robbins employees are truly marketing. But Todd took a chance goals and have helped me advance to
Sincebeinghirednearlytwoyears treated like family. … You’d be hard onme,”hesaid. whereIamtoday,”Osoriosaid.
ago, Robbins Chief Operating Offi- pressed to find any employee that
cer Leanne Frederick, 39, said, the feelslikethey’releftout,”shesaid. Charles Malinchak is a freelance Shannon Sigafoos is a freelance writer
management style and workplace Theinclusiveenvironment,Burns writer for The Morning Call. for The Morning Call.
havebeensurroundedbygoodmentors. June 24, 2021
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