IndustrialSage Logo
  • Shows
    • Bright Ideas by Acuity Brands
    • Executive Series
    • From the Floor: Trade Shows
    • Industries of the Future, Presented by Schneider Electric
    • Making Connections Presented by Brennan Industries
    • Sales & Marketing Insights
    • Sales & Marketing How To
    • Webinars
    • Create Custom Content
    • Sponsor A New Show!
  • News
    • Industry News
    • Submit a Story
  • Articles
  • Members
    • Login
    • Member Dashboard
    • Add Agency to Directory
    • Profile
    • Create Account
    • Press Submission
  • Services
  • About
    • About Our Team
    • About IndustrialSage
    • About the Studio
    • Reviews
    • Agency Directory
    • Our Sponsors
      • Optimum Productions
    • Careers
    • Subscribe
  • Contact
Menu
  • Shows
    • Bright Ideas by Acuity Brands
    • Executive Series
    • From the Floor: Trade Shows
    • Industries of the Future, Presented by Schneider Electric
    • Making Connections Presented by Brennan Industries
    • Sales & Marketing Insights
    • Sales & Marketing How To
    • Webinars
    • Create Custom Content
    • Sponsor A New Show!
  • News
    • Industry News
    • Submit a Story
  • Articles
  • Members
    • Login
    • Member Dashboard
    • Add Agency to Directory
    • Profile
    • Create Account
    • Press Submission
  • Services
  • About
    • About Our Team
    • About IndustrialSage
    • About the Studio
    • Reviews
    • Agency Directory
    • Our Sponsors
      • Optimum Productions
    • Careers
    • Subscribe
  • Contact
Search
Close
Home Bright Ideas by Acuity Brands

Adapting & Evolving: Executive Interview

Acuity Brands’ Bright Ideas Series, with Guest Ricky Reece

by Rica
March 2, 2021
in Bright Ideas by Acuity Brands, HR and Employees
5 min read
5
SHARES
Share on LinkedIn Share on FacebookShare on TwitterEmail this Article

This week on the Bright Ideas series presented by Acuity Brands® Catherine is joined by Ricky Reece, the Vice Chairman of Acuity Brands Lighting and Executive Vice President of Acuity Brands, to share the story of Acuity’s initial response from when the COVID-19 pandemic first started through the evolution of the last year.

RESPONDING TO A GLOBAL PANDEMIC

Back in March 2020, Acuity Brands’ new CEO Neil Ashe and new Chief Human Resources Officer Dianne Mills were confronted with their first major challenge: responding to a global pandemic. Like for so many companies, crucial decisions and fast action became paramount.

 



The leadership team started immediately meeting daily at noon. Their first priority was the health and safety of all their associates and their families, so regular updates on potential health risks and new CDC recommendations were vital.

One of the first crucial decisions that had to be made was simple: would they, both figuratively and literally, keep the lights on? Should the operations remain open, or would the company have to shut their doors at least temporarily for the safety of their employees and associates? 

After a considerable study and evaluation, the leadership team concluded that many Acuity Brands associates could work very effectively from home, and manufacturing operations could continue running with proper safety protocols in place because it was determined that Acuity’s business was considered essential in the midst of the nationwide shutdowns: to provide lighting to healthcare facilities, distribution centers, grocery stores, and other equally-vital buildings.

HOW TO KEEP ESSENTIAL EMPLOYEES SAFE

The next hurdle was determining how quickly teams could set up all the tools and technology they would need to work remotely. Within a single weekend, the company transitioned their campus in Conyers, GA to be fully virtual.

 In the company’s multiple production facilities and distribution centers located across North America, the company had to quickly implement new protocols such as social distancing, contact tracing, routine cleaning/disinfection, masks and other protective gear, work area shields and guards, and employee testing. 

The company’s Monterrey manufacturing facility, in fact, has since become a gold standard for health authorities throughout much of Mexico. Beyond just social distancing, testing, contact tracing and personal protective equipment, associates are also kept in “pod groups” for additional protection. Particular restrooms are used only by certain pods, and particular tables in the lunchroom are designated for only certain pods. This system keeps the different employee groups from “cross-pollinating” and spreading any potential infection.

Many of these successful tactics were then shared with aligned companies and suppliers of Acuity Brands that were struggling to remain open. As a result, those companies were able to resume operations more quickly and in many cases were able to supply Acuity Brands with much-needed materials and components.

INITIATIVES TO AID WORKING PARENTS, WOMEN, AND MINORITIES

Acuity Brands’ new business models from March and April 2020 continued to make small, incremental improvements as the company adjusted to new ways of operating. And new opportunities, coupled with ways to expand existing programs to improve associate work-life, presented themselves.

For example, after recognizing how difficult the pandemic situation has been for working parents, Acuity Brands made valuable aids available to many of their associates: not just childcare, but also personal computers for students whose school years have moved online. That was one initiative helmed by the company’s Women’s Network, which formed back in 2015 to oversee the unique needs and opportunities of women and families in the workplace.

The Women’s Network was just one of multiple inclusion and mentorship programs that Acuity Brands has been maintaining for years. The M.A.G.I.C. organization has been focused on amplifying the voice and the opportunities of minorities in the workplace as well, long before other companies started such programs in response to the spotlight that 2020 threw on injustice in the country.

THE PANDEMIC’S LONG-TERM IMPACT

Moving forward, many associates will probably continue to work remotely for a majority of the time. As a result the company has launched the Acuity Anywhere initiative, which will allow a large portion of their salaried organization to choose where they work.

It’s become clear even though in-person interaction is still highly valuable, Acuity Brands will likely be investing in far less travel expenses for employee training or product demos. Thanks to tools like artificial intelligence and 360º augmented or virtual reality, customers and new hires can examine many Acuity Brands creations from the comfort of their own homes. And company culture can still be supplemented with virtual events like live concerts and happy hours.

In truth, perhaps one of the most drastic areas where the pandemic will affect Acuity’s business model for the long-term is actually in the lighting industry’s applications for disinfection*. UV lights are already often utilized to disable viruses and bacteria on public transportation, but now schools and other private businesses may apply these tools in their own facilities as well. For example, grocery stores can keep UV lights beneath their conveyor belts to disinfect the belt as it is used in real time.

In the face of the year’s events, Acuity Brands set out to keep their operations up and running while implementing safe business practices for its associates. In the end, it has been a challenging but successful transition. In fact, the company launched approximately 100 new products over this same timeframe thanks to hard work and dedication of its associates. To learn more about Acuity’s response to the pandemic, visit acuitybrands.com/covid-19. Join us next week to hear how the events of 2020 impacted one electric distributor’s network, and what he did about it.

*All references to “disinfection” are referring generally to the reduction of pathogenic bioburden and are not intended to refer to any specific definition of the term as may be used for other purposes by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration or the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. The disinfection technology as incorporated in Acuity Brands products is not for use as or for medical devices. Reduction of the pathogenic bioburden is a function of fixture run time, distance to the UV light source and/or other factors, and the level of reduction will vary within a specific space.

 

Thanks for reading. Don’t forget to subscribe to our weekly newsletter to get every new episode, blog article, and content offer sent directly to your inbox.

Sponsored by Optimum Productions

Rica
Author: Rica

Since the inception of IndustrialSage back in 2017, Rica has been one of the driving forces building IndustrialSage. As Marketing Manager, she's dedicated to producing amazing content on the site. There's little she loves more than storytelling: helping to explain new ideas in order to aid others in solving their problems. Fortunately, that's what IndustrialSage is all about.

Tags: Acuity BrandsBright Ideas SeriesCOVID-19employeesequityexecutiveflexibilitylightingminoritiespandemicpresidentsafetyVice Presidentvlogvlogswomenworking parents
ShareShare2Tweet1Send
Previous Post

Earthlight

Next Post

Sercante: Andrea Tarrell, on Marketing Automation Gone Overboard

Related Posts

Applications Are Open Until November 20th for Third MassRobotics Jumpstart Fellowship Program
HR and Employees

Applications Are Open Until November 20th for Third MassRobotics Jumpstart Fellowship Program

November 2, 2022
Executive Series

Dematic: Deidre Cusack

October 22, 2022
Distributors

Adapting Present Tactics to Address Future Supply Chain Delays

October 15, 2022
Lattice Semiconductor and MassRobotics Announce Partnership to Accelerate Next-Gen Robotics
Robotics

Lattice Semiconductor and MassRobotics Announce Partnership to Accelerate Next-Gen Robotics

October 5, 2022
Blog

The Story of Enexor on Industries of the Future

September 26, 2022
Executive Series

ThruWave: Pieter Krynauw

September 24, 2022
Please login to join discussion
Industries of the Future, Presented by Schneider Electric: Watch the All New Monthly Series Now!
No Result
View All Result
We Create & Distribute Custom Branded Content for You

Want to reach more Industrial & Manufacturing Professionals? Learn More »

A dynamic, open platform, publishing compelling content for industrial professionals.

Shows

  • Sales & Marketing
  • Executive Series
  • Agency Success Podcast

Members

  • Login
  • Create Account
  • Member Dashboard
  • Press Submission
  • Be A Guest On A Show

Resources

  • Downloads & Video Guides
  • Partner Agency Directory
  • Become a Contributor

Grow

  • About Us
  • Advertise
  • Careers
  • Contact Us
  • Subscribe

© 2020 IndustrialSage, Inc. All rights reserved

  • Terms of Use
  • Privacy
  • UGC Terms
Linkedin Facebook-f Twitter Youtube Instagram