By Grace Sailer
Monday September 6th 2021 marks yet another celebration of Labor Day: The American holiday that celebrates this nation’s workers. This holiday, usually accompanied by a whole weekend of celebration, either through barbeques, parades, or end-of-summer vacations, is a day for Americans to kick their feet up and escape from the real world, without much reflection about the day’s true implications.
The past year and a half, however, has added more significance to a day like Labor Day, and the appreciation of workers as a whole. In a year where many Americans turned from “average” to, “essential” “frontline” or even “hero”, recognition for the feats of these employees is of the utmost importance. At the start of the pandemic in March 2020, praise and support were ubiquitous: yard signs splayed across neighborhoods, socially distant “car parades” made their way through thousands of cities, donations of food, time, and money came from anyone and everyone. Not only did people come together in support, but in innovation. Teachers and school districts worked together to deliver education through unfamiliar technology and practices. In some cases, this even meant hand delivering work and instruction to individual students. Businesses such as 3M and Alibaba kicked into high gear in order to supply PPE and Test kits when the crisis first broke. Even companies like Bacardi redirected their resources into things that could be beneficial. In their case, by providing alcohol to hand sanitizer production, a quarter million gallons worth, to be exact.
The Covid-19 pandemic brought out from Americans what Labor Day seeks to celebrate annually, the American worker’s natural ability to step up and lead through innovation and hard work. As we celebrate this year’s Labor Day, in a pandemic that still continues, let’s remember the power of mutual support across industries. In addition, let’s encourage each other, to continue the national support for real-life super-heroes: working people everywhere. As for the average American, Labor Day can be a time to reflect upon the ways that you can become a hero within your own career, through the same type of innovation and hard work that arose in the midst of crisis.
Today, and every day, we at RHiiNO Corp would like to express the utmost gratitude and appreciation to all of our current and future team members. Our team continues to lead through collaboration, drive, and tenacity in the face of hardship or challenge. On this holiday, we take a hard-earned rest, and reflect on the ways we can continue to lead with the RHiiNO mentality throughout our careers.
Happy Labor Day!
source: Stebbins, Samuel, and Grant Suneson. “Amazon, Apple among the Companies That Are Helping Americans Fight COVID-19.” USA Today, Gannett Satellite Information Network, 21 Apr. 2020, www.usatoday.com/story/money/2020/04/21/companies-that-are-helping-americans-fight-covid-19/111565368/.
