Local 292 Member Receives Special Call of Thanks from Lt. Governor
September 15, 2009
Most of Stephanie Hess' long and often hectic days at the Department of Workforce Development are filled with calls and email correspondence from people around the state who are desperately seeking answers about their unemployment insurance claims. In such a tough economic climate, emotions are raw, patience runs thin, and many of the unemployed are, understandably, looking for a person on whom they can vent their fear and frustrations.
So Hess was surprised when, one day a couple of weeks ago, she received a special call from a very pleasant and happy Massachusetts resident.
"When Lt. Governor Tim Murray called my cell phone—at work— I was stunned but felt very honored," said Hess. "He thanked me for the work that I do and for the attention I give to customers. It really felt great to have someone that high up acknowledge my efforts.
"In this job, you mostly hear about the bad, not the good. The Lt. Governor's call makes up for all the names I've been called by angry customers," Hess said good naturedly.
Local 292 President John Mann shared the Lt. Governor's good wishes.
"I'm very proud of Stephanie and know that she earned and deserved the personal call from Lt. Governor Murray. She works hard, she cares about people and about providing good customer service, and she's very dedicated to her job." he said. "We have so many great, hardworking members in this local, and it's nice to see when one of them gets recognition for their hard work."
The call from the Lt. Governor was prompted by a letter he had received in which the writer effusively praised the exceptional service Hess had provided to her. The writer was an elderly woman who had called Hess to inquire about a claim she had filed. She hadn't received any money and was starting to get very worried about how she would be able to pay her mortgage and bills and keep food on the table.
After investigating the issue, Hess made a special call to the woman to reassure her that the money was on its way and that she would be OK.
Hess didn't need to make the call or take the extra effort to calm the woman's fear. She went the extra mile because she really cares about people and understands how fearful tough financial times can make people.
"It's very stressful to not know how you're going to make your mortgage, and the call I made to this woman was just to put her mind at ease, to let her know that everything would be OK and that she didn't have to worry," said Hess.
Hess has been an adjuster with the state for eight years, although some days, she says, it feels like twenty-five. Her job is to resolve issues that arise when a claim is made after an atypical claim event, such as an employee quitting his or her job. In her department, each claim is given a careful review and decisions are made on a case-by-case basis.
The high number of claims resulting from the bottom falling out of the economy has meant backlogs, overtime and Saturday work.
"I work overtime and some Saturdays, not to make extra money, but to catch up on all the claims," said Hess. "We're dealing with money that people need in order to feed their kids and pay their mortgage, so we have to get these claims resolved as quickly as possible."
Every day Hess goes to work and deals with people during one of the most difficult stretches in their lives. She says there's a lot of yelling that comes through the phone to her and there's some name-calling that she won't repeat. She says she doesn't take it personally though, because sometimes people just need to vent and they have nowhere else to turn.
"I enjoy what I do for a living," said Hess. "But some days are just too heart-wrenching."