Businesses in Mt. Pleasant adapt to new working environments

MT. PLEASANT - As businesses in Mt. Pleasant have adjusted to social distancing recommendations in response to the coronavirus outbreak, many have closed their doors to the public but are plowing ahead with work, either from home or at their offices.

Jen Schwartz, the branch manager for Temp Associates, explained there was an order from their corporate offices to limit face-to-face contact by closing their doors and meeting with clients by appointment only.

Schwartz added she asks clients a series of questions about travel, symptoms and whether they have had a fever recently, before allowing them into their downtown office.

'I feel OK, I'm not too concerned. I feel like if there was a reason to panic, the governor would put a shelter-in-place order or shut down,” Schwartz explained. The branch manager also noted her office consists of only two people, well under the ten person limit for gatherings.

'We're support staff for essential business,” Schwartz added. As a job placement agency, Schwartz is often helping local manufacturing companies continue to fill positions and keep operations going through the pandemic.

'We're still doing well. The minimum, in the last month, we've hired is five people in one week. Some places have openings. Other places have put a hiring freeze but for companies that make safety materials, they have to keep hiring,” Schwartz explained.

Schwartz added the extra time has allowed for her office to do some general housekeeping, purge old things and clean house.

'It's been business as usual so far. We've been able to keep busy,” she said.

Though working home could potentially be an option for her, the branch manager said working from the office is about the same as working from home, now that their doors are closed to the public.

'We have the capability to work from home but I don't see a difference working from home or [at the office]. There's no downfall to coming in, at home there are a couple more distractions,” Schwartz added.

At Steffes Group, Inc., office doors have also been closed to the public and various departments have made a move to working from home.

Cassie Jo Kasdorf, who does graphic design and marketing for the company, and continues to go into her office, said what usually is a 16-person office has shrunk down to just two or three people in at a time.

'It's quiet. The phones are still busy because we're still having auctions online. With all of the auctions online now, the phones are actually busier because people are calling in to pay,” Kasdorf said of how the company has adjusted.

Stephanie Palmer, a real estate closing agent for Steffes, who has been working from home for a month, said the company was pretty prepared for the sudden change and the transition has been smooth from a technological and logistical standpoint.

'We've always been mobile. We're on the road a lot for real estate auctions so we have laptops and capabilities to get onto our network from remote locations,” Palmer explained.

But even with a smooth transition, Palmer said some changes have still been a hurdle. As a real estate closing agent, she's used to gathering at a conference room with a banker, seller and buyer for closings, during which legal documents are signed. Without being able to gather, Palmer noted there's been 'more running around as far as getting documents signed.” This has included gathering documents from each party and dropping them off at banks.

'It's been OK, it's not as bad as I thought it would be, but I can't want to get back to my Steffes family,” Palmer said, 'This is a busy season for us and being busy helps keep you focused but it's just different not seeing your people everyday.”

'Everyone has been so great and understanding. This affects everybody and every aspect of business,” she added.