Banding Together For Good During Uncertain Times

During this pandemic, every person has made adjustments to their typical routines in order to flow with the constantly evolving situation. Talk of the pandemic often focuses on staying home, wearing masks and preventing the spread of the virus. It’s also important to acknowledge those infected and those lost to this terrible disease. 2020 has brought darkness, but it’s important to also remember the bright spots and how quickly we have collectively evolved.

Banding Together During Uncertain Times

Emotions may be running strong, but inspiring actions have been taken by people to make the best out of these difficult times. At Security Public Storage, we wanted to highlight some of the ways people and businesses like ours have come together during an ever-changing societal landscape.

Health, Safety and Accessibility

At the beginning of the pandemic, grocery stores were strained and even today certain items have been difficult to locate. Many grocery stores across the country have made efforts to accommodate the most at-risk populations. “Senior Only” shopping hours allow shoppers over the age of 60 to get what they need without the threat of having to interact with crowds of people.

At SPS, we closed our offices to the public, while keeping them fully staffed. Closing our offices to the public allowed us to assist customers without face-to-face interaction. We immediately implemented eSign for all new tenant leases to minimize contact. We recently opened our offices with updated health and safety operations to protect our staff and customers.

We ceased all storage unit auctions for 90 days, as well as liens and late fees. SPS consistently leads the self-storage industry in speed, safety and responsiveness of our operations to whole-heartedly support our customers and team members. We continue to closely monitor changes to local laws, closures and reopening orders.

Daily Life Goes Virtual

As the country went into quarantine, businesses in many different industries transitioned operations to become fully remote. Together, businesses and their employees navigated the virtual landscape together to create a functional work environment. Zoom, and other video conferencing software, made remote working more accessible. At SPS, all of our corporate and support employees have been able to work remotely during the pandemic. On site, we offered virtual tours of each property and video calls for more personal interaction.

For children, virtual scout campouts and meetings are taking place all over the country. Scout leaders drop off crafts on the scout’s doorstep and lead the troop through the activity via Zoom. Virtual scout camps allow campers to interact with scouts from all over the country while learning new skills. Video conferencing allows for personal interaction without being in the same room from work to yoga classes to group activities for children.

Adapting to Group Projects Remotely

Many people with office jobs learned how to work remotely and have adapted to completing group projects from a distance. Stay-at-home orders over the last several months have changed the way we work, while still keeping us connected with Zoom.

In the past, a child walking into the frame of a video call or a dog barking in the background may have been frowned upon and seen as unprofessional. The pandemic has brought about a societal evolution in the way we work and has allowed businesses at every level to reevaluate priorities. Now, remote work gives everyone a peek into the struggles, joys and every day living of their coworkers. Seeing the CFO, for example, a little more vulnerable in their home environment has helped humanize the workplace.

Storage operations are largely remote. During the pandemic, we have been able to work together virtually in order to coordinate large sanitation supply orders and deliveries throughout California as well as at our Portland and DC metro area facilities.

Unemployment and Employee Retention During a Pandemic

Across the country, restaurants closed due to the pandemic have used their kitchens, talents and food to serve health care workers. Frontline workers have sacrificed to take care of others during this difficult time. Many companies and restaurants have donated free food and drinks to healthcare workers who show their ID or proof of employment. Other restaurants have donated food directly to hospitals, bring meals to frontline workers.

In Portland, Oregon, various food carts and restaurants responded to the massive layoffs in the industry by providing free meals to food service workers. JoJo Food Truck in Southeast Portland started by giving away free fried chicken sandwiches to restaurant workers and children. Later, the owner opened up the offer to all diners, no questions asked. Rather than throwing away food that wouldn’t be eaten due to closed dining rooms, many restaurants used it to feed those in need as well as over-worked frontline workers.

At SPS, we have been very fortunate to be able to keep our facilities open. We retained 100% of our employees during the pandemic. Even while closing our offices to the public, our site managers and staff were able to maintain regular hours and help customers over the phone and online. Thankfully, our team quickly adapted to new health and safety requirements.

Masks Readily Available

As the pandemic continues, face masks have become even more critical in preventing the spread of the virus. Making and selling fabric masks has helped people continue working during the pandemic and has also provided Americans with much-needed personal protective equipment (PPE).

At SPS, the health and safety of our customers and staff are paramount. We require masks at all of our locations and we provide masks to our customers who do not have one upon entering our offices.

Stay Safe, Stay Healthy

The pandemic forced all of us to look inward and to reevaluate our priorities. Processes have changed in every business making remote work more accessible. People have banded together to help the most vulnerable populations in our communities. Americans have found ways to come together virtually and at a safe distance.

Remember to wear a mask, keep your distance and minimize social gatherings in order to prevent the spread of Covid-19. We can beat this pandemic by working together.