Hello All,
It’s newsletter time again. Where does the time go? It seems like we just sent the newsletter and here we are again. Lone Star is still on track to have a record year and we have everyone to thank for that. We need everyone working and everyone to remain COVID free if Lone Star is going to have the kind of year we have projected. The booking of new business continues to come in thanks to our sales staff in all offices. It’s nice to be back in the building and it is exciting to see the new employees in the hallway. I and some of the other staff, HR, Talent development and others will be making our way into each office over the next few months to see everyone now that the rules have changed for travel and more and more of the employees have been vaccinated. Thank you for doing that, we want everyone safe. Some of this newsletter article is reprinted from my daily email this week and you’ve seen the mask policy. Thank you to those that have asked for clarification of our policies regarding masks and vaccines. It is our sincerest hope that we can get back to normal as soon as possible and all employees as well as your families remain COVID free…for the rest of our lives. We have done very well as a company keeping each other safe and we must continue the vigilance we have had throughout this pandemic.
H-F-S: Hands, continue to wash your hands, it has served us well this far and this is true even if you’ve been fully vaccinated. Face, continue to avoid touching your face and wear face coverings if appropriate, even if fully vaccinated, if you suspect people around you are sick, wear a mask and get away from them quickly. Space, continue to maintain your distance even though you are fully vaccinated.
I hope everyone had a safe and fun-filled weekend. It was nice to have a 3-day weekend, but I am ready for the rain to stop for a while. Where did the sun go, it’s June in Texas, shouldn’t it be 90 and sunny? Same in Arkansas, right? I was in a lot of places in the last few weeks, and I see more and more businesses opening without masks for both the workers and the patrons. Most places welcome you without a mask if you are fully vaccinated. Even the servers in restaurants are going mask-less if they have had their vaccinations. This is a welcome sight, and those that have not received their shots or those that intend not to get the vaccination need to keep wearing their mask in public for now. It’s for the safety of those around you. Lone Star is adopting this same policy in all of its offices. If you are FULLY vaccinated, you no longer need to wear your mask in the public areas in the offices. If you have had one or both shots, but have not completed the waiting period, please wear your mask in the public areas in our offices for a few more weeks until you are considered fully vaccinated. The CDC directs 2 full weeks after your second shot of Moderna or Pfizer and/or after the Johnson & Johnson one dose. Even though you are fully vaccinated, please continue to practice social distancing when possible and we encourage the continued use of hand sanitizers, sprays, and cleaning up commonly touched items after use to prevent the spread of COVID as well as other viruses and bacteria. This has virtually eliminated the flu season this year, let’s keep up the good practice.
This was written by Ron Kruse in Houston and we will adapt and use this in all offices:
“Clients and contractors have individual policies regarding Face Coverings in The Workplace. Some of our clients do have more stringent guidelines for face coverings that we must follow. Your supervisor should be familiar with the policy for your site.
Face Coverings in the Lone Star Offices: The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) recently relaxed many of its COVID-19 safety recommendations for people who are fully vaccinated. Based on the latest CDC guidance, fully vaccinated LSC employees will not need to wear a mask in the office beginning immediately.
The default will be mask on in common areas. However, if you wish to not wear a mask in the office, you will need to give a copy of your CDC vaccine record card to our HR department through the COO or other Executive Team member in your office. If you do not have a COVID-19 vaccine or are not yet fully effective, you will need to continue to wear a mask and practice social distancing until further notice. The HR will share the COVID record with COO and a copy will be placed in your file in the case you need to access a jobsite that needs proof of your vaccination. Proof will only be provided with your approval. Your privacy is of the utmost concern.
You need to meet the requirements for full effectiveness as advised at the time of your shot. “Fully vaccinated” means it has been two weeks since you received the second dose of Pfizer or Moderna or the single dose of Johnson & Johnson.” These shots are still readily available and are free. If you want one, you can get one at any CVS, Walgreens, and other locations. We are also returning to 100% occupancy in all offices on June 21st. This means you should coordinate with your supervisor as soon as possible if you would like to continue to work at home some days. Otherwise, you will be expected to report to our offices Monday by 8:00 am as normal. Some of you may be more productive working from home part of the time, and I encourage you to continue that practice. But, to do so you will need to meet the criteria of the LSC work from home policy and get the agreement in place.
As we come out of the pandemic, which is far from over worldwide but better here in the U S, we are discontinuing paying anyone while on “quarantine” or while sick from COVID unless you have been vaccinated. Yes, there is still a chance you can get COVID even after being vaccinated, especially with the number of new variants. If you have done everything you can do to avoid getting COVID, which includes being vaccinated, then Lone Star will still cover your pay in 2021. If you choose not to get vaccinated, without a valid medical reason, you are on your own. The company will give you every opportunity to keep yourself safe including requiring others that have not been vaccinated to continue to wear masks and allow you to get your COVID shot during company time. However, if you choose not to get vaccinated and you get sick, you will need to use PTO or take time off without pay. Please do not come into the office if you are sick. It is our sincere hope nobody gets sick, and this becomes a non-issue. Lone Star is not mandating you get vaccinated, but some customers are requiring that you are vaccinated before you are allowed on their sites and we will follow our customers rules.
Again, COVID shots are readily available and are free and that is the cheapest insurance you can get right now! If you want one, you can get one at any CVS, Walgreens, and other locations. You will have to show your insurance card, but there will be no cost to you or our insurance. Those without insurance just simply need to show they don’t have insurance and they, too, can get it for free. Tell all of your friends.
That’s it for now. I will be sending updates each week and will share any shout-outs I receive with everyone. Be safe and keep your families safe. H-F-S, Ray
-Ray Bailey, President