Having a frank and open discussion about bathroom needs is likely to make anyone uncomfortable, but it’s up to employers to start the dialogue.
Navigating Bathroom Breaks in the Field By Millicent Skiles Why taking care of business is every company’s business
When nature calls, most arborists dis- creetly duck behind a tree or climb into the back of the chipper truck. This sounds easy enough, but it also begs the question: isn’t there a better way? For starters, this hardly sounds re- laxing. If anything, it sounds un- comfortable, unsanitary, and
time, it’s been status quo to figure it out on your own.” BATHROOM CONUNDRUMS Arborists aren’t the only ones who struggle to find relief on the job. It’s
something most mobile work crews, like delivery drivers, utility workers, and long-dis- tance truckers, must deal with at some point. When you gotta go, sometimes you have to get creative. Arborists tend to develop their own routines and techniques for taking care of business. This can include clearly an- nouncing the need to go “check on the wood chips,” suddenly referring to the chipper truck as a “dump truck,” or perching a hard hat over the ignition to pre- vent getting a face full of chips during a quiet moment.
even risky. What if you’re discovered by a coworker, a child or an irate client? These are the questions many tree services are trying to answer, especially as they seek to foster new cus- tomers, retain employees, and welcome more wom- en into the industry. "It’s the kind of thing that everyone wonders about but doesn’t talk about,” says Na- talie McNeill, a certified mas- ter arborist and operations manager for The Davey Tree Expert Company. “For a long
When you gotta go, sometimes you have to get creative.
32 | ArborTIMES Summer 2023
Made with FlippingBook - professional solution for displaying marketing and sales documents online