'Answering the call to serve': One advisor's experiences on the pandemic's front line
Learn how one PwC advisor is taking advantage of the company's COVID-19 Emergency Volunteer Healthcare Worker Leave benefit to make a difference.
“All around us, there are people who are answering the call to serve, doing their part, no matter how big or small, to keep people safer and remind us that we are in this together and will walk through this together — preferably with a mask and some physical distance.”
Successful businesses recognize and reward the contributions their employees make in the workplace. Some companies are taking the next step by also encouraging them to use their talents to serve those in need.
Janelle Mirabeau, an advisory senior associate for PwC in Washington, D.C., has a strong background in health care and a passion for service.
“Growing up, I had three familiar places — home, school and doctors’ offices,” she said. “I often tagged along to medical visits of family members managing chronic conditions. These experiences grew in me a fascination and familiarity with health care. Ironically, my nursing career began in the very unit where my grandmother had once been a patient.”
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During her career as a clinician, Mirabeau became involved in medical missions, including extended trips to Nigeria, Trinidad, Kenya and Guatemala, where she tended to the medical and surgical needs of underserved communities of color. When the COVID-19 pandemic struck last spring, she wanted to help make a difference. An innovative program at PwC gave her the freedom to become involved.
“The COVID-19 Emergency Volunteer Healthcare Worker Leave benefit gives U.S. staff and partners who are emergency health-care volunteers the option to return to the frontlines to help fight the disease,” said Mike Fenlon, the company’s chief people officer. “Eligible staff are entitled to paid leave at 100% of salary when in service as a way for them to give back to their local communities. Employees who have taken advantage of this benefit truly jumped at the opportunity and were eager to contribute to their communities.”
Mirabeau immediately signed up for the Maryland Responds Medical Reserve Corps, applied for the additional nursing licensure required and has been serving the Prince George’s County and Maryland Departments of Health.
“Thanks to the generous PwC policy and support of my colleagues, I was able to coordinate with my engagement team to work a compressed work schedule, allowing me to volunteer my entire Friday each week at testing sites,” she said. “My duties range from administering COVID-19 tests at drive-thru clinics and providing patient counseling and education to managing PPE supply levels and ensuring we can safely administer tests. Most recently, the Medical Reserve Corps has asked for my support with COVID-19 vaccine administration, so I expect to add that to my list of duties soon.”
She has been encouraged by how the community has rallied to meet the challenge, even at the potential risk of their own health.
“My years of working in a health-care setting, which included practicing and teaching others infection prevention techniques like proper hand hygiene and wearing the proper mask, gives me the confidence in routine procedure and protocol so that I can just show up and serve people well,” Mirabeau said. “One of the encouraging aspects of the pandemic has been seeing how people from all over are doing their part to support these safety efforts. One of my friends sews masks, and another shared extra N95 masks when they were extremely difficult to find.
“As I’ve borne witness to thousands of people who have come to my drive-thru for testing, I’ve come to accept how quick I am to forget their names, but I know that years from now I will remember their faces.”
“All around us, there are people who are answering the call to serve, doing their part, no matter how big or small, to keep people safer and remind us that we are in this together and will walk through this together — preferably with a mask and some physical distance.”
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She is grateful not only for the opportunity to serve but also the support of her employer. “It is only because of thoughtful and swift action on behalf of the firm that individuals like me have been empowered to give the necessary time to have a meaningful impact in our communities,” Mirabeau said. “I am enormously grateful to our PwC leadership and my immediate colleagues for encouraging and supporting me as I balanced the demands of our important client work with the urgency of serving in my community during this pandemic. This has been an experience like none other and speaks volumes about the firm’s values.”
Mirabeau, like many volunteers, believes she has gotten as much out of her service as she has given. Serving on the frontlines has put a human face on the pandemic.
“For me, the pandemic has further demonstrated the interconnectedness of our health and communities,” she said. “As I’ve borne witness to thousands of people who have come to my drive-thru for testing, I’ve come to accept how quick I am to forget their names, but I know that years from now I will remember their faces. I’ll remember the face of fear, the face of gratitude and mostly the face of hope, that shared look in the eyes that says, `It’s all going to be OK.”
“I also acknowledge with each passing day, the volume of individuals passing through my line who represent the marginalized of our society, the impoverished and the people who could use a bit more encouragement, if not a bit more financial support, during this season of enormous challenge. I don’t have a purse of limitless bills to hand out, but I am so grateful that I’ve been gifted with the talents as a nurse to share with my neighbors, particularly during this pandemic.”
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“Employers must consider how they are investing in their people as the world evolves and how that investment is rooted in their purpose and values,” Chief People Office Mike Fenlon said.
“You don’t need clinical training or a medical background to volunteer and make a meaningful contribution. No matter who you are, whether you have a degree or not, you have unique gifts and talents to share with this world.”
As 2020 (finally) winds down, employers are finalizing their business plans for the coming year. Like PwC, they may want to consider innovative ways to encourage employees to give back to their communities.
“Overall, each company should consider what their people need and what they are able to offer to best meet those needs, all while being driven by purpose.”
Doing the right thing also can be good for business. Mirabeau cited a recent “Harvard Business Review” article that said: “…potential hires, especially younger workers, increasingly want to work at companies that pursue equity, diversity and community. Research has shown when corporate volunteer programs are integrated into corporate strategies, it can “increase employee satisfaction, foster employee engagement and boost retention.
Regardless of whether their company has a formal program, she encourages employees to look for ways to use their skills not only from 9 to 5 but also from 5 to 9.
“There are thousands of non-profit organizations, large and small, nationally and locally, in need of volunteers year-round,” Mirabeau said. “There are opportunities for in-person volunteering with proper precautions or online. You don’t need clinical training or a medical background to volunteer and make a meaningful contribution. No matter who you are, whether you have a degree or not, you have unique gifts and talents to share with this world, even during this pandemic. Or better yet, especially during this pandemic.
“Consider a cause that is meaningful to you or the work that you do and Google non-profit organizations that are working to advance that cause. Start by learning about an organization, read the mission statement and see what connects with you. You don’t have to hop on a plane or look far beyond your own front door to find someone in need. I encourage you to venture down your street, or perhaps just through your own social media network, to find someone who could use your encouragement, your special gifts and talents, and share your most valuable resource — time. You’ll soon find that your impact will give dividends of gratitude.”
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