As the coronavirus pandemic upends normal operations for numerous organizations, Business Insurance is running daily profiles of risk managers who are adapting to the crisis.
Bill Plisga, director of risk management at Addison, Texas-based Jani-King International Inc., a cleaning chain franchisor, is finding his biggest challenge these days is doing “the normal risk management work that is going on” while also dealing with issues raised by the pandemic, which include determining how to deal with customers and human resource issues.
An eight-hour day “is probably now a 12-hour day, just because you have so much COVID-19 and task force work to hit,” he said.
Mr. Plisga said he works from home most days, and on others goes to the office “to meet face to face with operational folks.” He said he expects that to continue. “I think we’re in an industry where we’re needed at the sites so we’ll probably continue to have operations at the office for the foreseeable future,” he said.
Less traffic when he does go into work “is the best part,” said Mr. Plisga. “A 45-minute commute is 20 minutes now.”
“Fortunately, I think working from home has helped a little bit,” permitting him to “roll out of bed” and go to work, Mr. Plisga said. “You can work earlier, and later, so I don’t miss as much family time,” he said. “I can work after all the kids go to bed.”
Mr. Plisga said the current situation has “forced us to go more electronic-based a lot more.”
“I think that the biggest change is that we’re lacking the human side of it, because everything is done over the phone, and a little more cold.” The insurance industry “is one of the last” to focus on people interaction, he said. “We’re missing that right now. The insurance industry used to be a much more relationship-driven business.” It is one of the last businesses to “do more meetings in person, and lunches and dinners.”
But Mr. Plisga also said there may be a long-term benefit to the current situation. “We’re going to be much more efficient with the ability to work remotely going forward,” he said. “This will, I think, make a difference going forward with the way that we look at the things we used to do.”
More Risk Management During a Crisis profiles here.
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