The challenges of the past 12 months have reminded us (quite dramatically!) to take the time to celebrate the people, places, and experiences for which we are the most grateful. At Monument, the constant dedication of our team members to keeping our communities, our industry, and each other safe – particularly through the challenges of the pandemic – tops our list.

We are also incredibly grateful to the Society of Chemical Manufacturers & Affiliates® (SOCMA) for recognizing these efforts with a series of 2020 Performance Improvement Awards, which honor companies leading in the areas of environmental, health, safety and security (EHS&S). Monument recognitions included:

• Gold Performance Improvement: Monument Houston
• Educational Outreach Award – Monument Kentucky
• Bronze Stakeholder Communications Award – Monument Baytown & Bayport (Pasadena)
• Bronze Employee Training – Monument Baytown & Bayport (Pasadena)

A big part of our success last year was a commitment to open dialogue and sharing best practices, not only among our Monument team, but also with our peers, our customers, and the industry as a whole. In the spirit of that ongoing sharing – and as part of our efforts to celebrate these fantastic wins – we sat down as an EHS&S team to identify the biggest contributors to our success and improvements through 2020’s challenges.

And we’re happy to share them here…

1. Communicate. Communicate. Communicate.

Communication was both our biggest challenge and the biggest key to our success. Good communication is challenging in a normal environment, so when you add in all the uncertainties of the pandemic and a shifting communications landscape (including team members working virtually) – a solid communications plan is even more essential for keeping employees connected and safe.

We’d need much more room than we have in this article to detail all of our communication efforts, but here are some basic principles that built transparency and alignment:

• Err on the side of overcommunicating. We used every communication vehicle in our tool shed (as well as some new ones) to get information out to people. There was quite a bit of repetition – especially of the most important information – but we wanted to ensure that those key messages were delivered and absorbed.
• But…when it comes to the message itself, less is more. We kept our communications simple, clear, and relevant to punch through the clutter.
• Share empathy and recognize wins. We acknowledged both our heavy challenges and our wins, of which there were many. We were (and are!) in this together, and it’s critical to act and communicate as one Monument family.
• Spotlight leader support. Our leaders have been highly visible through the challenges – from video messages to more frequent touchpoints with team members – and have actively sought feedback to keep 2-way dialogue active.
• Think outside the box. With the drastic shift to more virtual communications, we quickly explored and shifted tactics to maintain (and often, improve!) how we connect. As an example, we shifted our annual contractor safety training certification to an online process vs. paperwork kept in a file cabinet – which made the process much easier for both our contractors and the Monument team.

1. Act Proactively

“We began working on our updated protocols and procedures at the beginning of March – right after the first case in the Houston area was discovered,” said Narayan Dave, Global Environmental Leader. “Because of this, we were able to maintain uninterrupted operations – as well as keep our team members working as safely as possible – even through the biggest surges of the pandemic.”

“As far back in January, we started ordering things like masks, sanitizer, and thermometers for our teams,” added Stacy Johnson, Houston Area EHS&S Manager. “Sure, there were times that our closets were jam-packed, but that proactivity came in handy when we needed supplies quickly.”

This proactivity meant fewer “fire drills,” lower levels of stress, and ultimately, safer operations.

1. Continuous Evaluation and Training

“There was nothing ‘one-and-done’ about our COVID response,” said Jody Caines, Global Compliance Manager. “Just because we proactively updated our protocols early didn’t mean that we could rest our laurels. Our COVID task force met regularly to make any updates needed to our plans based on the latest information available.”

Employee training was also key. As an example, before the pandemic hit, several Monument EHS&S leaders went through Root Cause Analysis (RCI) training – to gain new skills in effectively solving operations issues and preventing recurrence. We continued to train employees in this methodology, as it has been more important than ever to permanently tackle any hurdles in our way.

1. Focus on Employee Wellness

“The safety and wellness of our employees does not stop at the gate,” said Stacy. “We provided a range of COVID resources to employees, such wellness kits that were mailed to employee homes, including snacks, sanitizer, wipes, and a building kit for children.”

Employees dealing with COVID were sent prepared meals, digital thermometers, disposable masks, and other items to aid in their recovery.

“In addition to physical wellness and safety, we’ve also focused on mental wellness,” said Narayan. “These past twelve months have been the hardest many of us have ever experienced, so we are continually sharing resources and testing out new engagement activities to remind our team members to take care of themselves. As an example, we recently invited employees to share pictures of the people, places, and experiences that they are grateful for, so that we can create a Monument ‘Silver Linings’ video to remind us all that we still have much to celebrate.”

1. Share Learnings

In April, several Monument leaders participated on a virtual SOCMA panel to share best practices related to COVID-19 with colleagues from throughout the chemical manufacturing sector. Soon after, SOCMA also suggested the Monument team as a resource for OSHA as they were preparing guidelines for other companies in updating their emergency response protocols.

“We are thrilled by any opportunity to share our best practices, as well as a chance to learn from others,” said Narayan. “Close collaboration – across Monument teams, with our customers, and with our industry stakeholders – allowed us to tackle any challenge that came our way, from Monument’s speedy ramp up of isopropyl alcohol for our customers to our daily efforts to keep each other safe.”

At Monument, we’ve always believed in the power of working as a team, but these last twelve months have truly shown us what you can accomplish when you come together with different viewpoints and expertise.

A heartfelt thank you to…

…Our customers for placing their trust in us, especially through these challenging times!

…SOCMA for the incredible recognition of our 2020 efforts.

…And to every single one of our Monument team members for their steadfast commitments to operating safely and with the highest integrity – no matter what challenges we face.