What are the most interesting aspects of your job?
“Edge is comprised of a wonderfully-diverse mix of professionals. As such, they bring diverse perspectives to the workplace and have unique needs and questions in my area of specialty. During the past year, the Operations and Human Resources function has been asked to find solutions to challenging situations and I find myself extremely busy and also very satisfied when we can help solve challenges. Nearly a day does not go by in which I am faced with something that requires strategic thinking and technical research.”
How do you maintain workplace culture during the pandemic?
“Like every other company more than one year ago when things were turned upside down, we very quickly needed to solve for a way to remain operational and keep productivity high while working remotely. Our involvement in real estate, where people exited buildings seemingly overnight, added urgency to our plans. We’ve encountered ups and downs, but have remained resilient, rallied together and worked even harder than before. Our workplace culture has remained intact based on our strong leadership and our ability to remain in contact via Zoom meetings on a highly-regular basis. Maintaining high morale was mission number one because that impacts everything. And we also had a tremendously-successful year.”
What positives have emerged from the pandemic as it pertains to the workplace?
“Our team drew even closer than before because we had to depend on each other in so many ways. We made a conscious effort to communicate regularly on Zoom and have some fun by playing games to lighten the mood. People needed to forget all the challenges they were facing. The pandemic demonstrated that Edge had strong policies, and an even stronger structure that enabled the company to remain intact and highly productive during the most challenging of times. I am extremely grateful to be working for a firm that remains sensitive to people’s needs and makes sure its employees are taken care of.”
What compelled you to obtain this certification?
“After seeing an ad in HR Web Advisor for this certification, I realized this certification would help support our efforts to protect owners, tenants, engineers and buildings. The three-day seminar covered topics such as “Legal Privacy Issues Related to Monitoring Workplace Sanitization”, “OSHA & CDC Requirements” and “Keeping your Employees Safe in 2021.” As an Operations and Human Resource Manager, I want to do everything I can to protect our team and this training seemed to offer so much information in a relatively short timeframe.”
Describe the importance of earning your COVID-19 Safety Manager Certification.
“I have immediately put this information to use by passing on OSHA training information and CDC-mandated guidelines and this certification provides an additional layer of credibility for topics that include proper ventilation and PPE equipment. It also provided confirmation that what we were doing all along during the pandemic was correct, which was reassuring. No one will ever forget the impact COVID-19 had on our work and personal lives, but successfully maintaining high productivity will make us better prepared to face any future challenges.”
Edge is a commercial real estate firm providing a full complement of advisory, leasing, investment sales, management, construction, property management and engineering services to clients throughout the Washington, D.C., Maryland, Northern Virginia, and Pennsylvania marketplaces. Founded in 2007, the company currently leases and manages more than 8.5 million square feet of commercial office, flex/office, industrial/warehouse, retail and mixed-use space. Visit www.edgecre.com
