IFB Beat – Week of October 31, 2022

News to Know

Meet our New Hires!

Welcome New Employees Charlene McCoy, Sewing Machine Operator, Asheville Facility

Charlene McCoy started with IFB Solutions on October 11 2022as a sewing machine operator. She works under the direction of Becky Branch in the Fuel Handler Suits department at our Asheville location.

 

Welcome New Employees Jodi Mandeville In-Line Inspector, Asheville Facility

Jodi Mandeville started with IFB Solutions on October 26 2022 as an In-Line Inspector. She works under the direction of Becky Branch in the Fuel Handler Suits department at our Asheville location.

 

Welcome New Employees Rhonda Clark Sewing Machine Operator, Asheville Facility
Rhonda Clark started with IFB Solutions on October 26 2022 as a sewing machine operator. She works under the direction of Becky Branch in the Fuel Handler Suits department at our Asheville location.

 

Welcome New Employees Nekci Baker Machine Operator, Little Rock Facility

Nekci A. Baker became a permanent IFB Solutions employee on Monday, October 24 2022. She works in the T-Shirt department under the direction of Shawn Sims at our Little Rock location.

 

Welcome New Employees Emily J. Egle Machine Operator, Little Rock Facility

Emily J Egle became a permanent IFB Solutions employee on Monday, October 24 2022. She works in the EWOL department under the direction of Shawn Sims at our Little Rock location.

Retirement Announcement

Retirement Announcement - Maria Jimenez, Sewing Machine Operator, IWOL Department, Little Rock Facility

Maria D. Jimenez retired on October 27 2022. She worked as a sewing machine operator in the IWOL department. She will be missed as she embarks on her new chapter in life!

 

Winston-Salem Cafeteria Update

Read last week’s update here: https://ifbsolutions.org/ifb-beat-week-of-october-23-2022

This week, we anticipated being able to share a full menu with pricing and details surrounding the point of sale system for payments. Unfortunately, we are still gathering information and finalizing details. Once we have these, we will share them out here.

 

October is Breast Cancer Awareness Month!

Collage of employees wearing pink

Our employees wore pink to show their support!

Did you know? (Provided by the National Breast Cancer Foundation)
• 1 in 8 women in the United States will be diagnosed with breast cancer in her lifetime.
• On average, every 2 minutes a woman is diagnosed with breast cancer in the United States.
• There are over 3.8 million breast cancer survivors in the United States.

 

Winston-Salem Mobile Mammography Unit

On January 24th & 26th 2023 the Mobile Mammography Unit will be here for mammogram screenings. Please contact Benefits Administrator, Ciara Frenette at cfrenette@ifbsolutions.org or X5644 by Friday, December 23rd to sign up.

 

LAST CALL: Attention Veterans!

Please report your Veteran Status to our HR department by Monday, October 31. We would like to honor all of our Veterans on Veteran’s Day. If we don’t have your name marked as a Veteran we can’t honor you! Please let HR know your status.

 

Winston-Salem Facility Veteran’s Day Honors

We will be honoring our Veterans on Wednesday, November 9 at 5:00pm. The celebration will be held on the manufacturing floor with words from Dan Kelly followed by the singing of the national anthem by S.E.E. instructor Charity Hampton and the recognition of our veterans by Silas Martin. As we honor our veterans, all employees will remain at their workstations. Lunch will be provided for all veterans only in TADS Room from 11:30-12:30.

 

Annual Staff Fundraising Campaign

The annual Staff Campaign 2023 presented by Salem Benefits Group kicks off on November 1, 2022. Here are some details about the upcoming Campaign.

All IFB email users will receive 2 calendar invites – one for November 29 at 10 a.m. and another one for November 30 at 3:30 p.m. inviting you to attend a Zoom session dedicated to Staff Campaign. Please accept only one calendar invitation for the session you want to attend. Please decline the other invitation. As always, everyone is invited to participate in staff campaign sessions, but giving is not mandatory.

• On November 9, all Winston-Salem employees who will be on-site are invited to attend a general assembly session on the production floor. The meeting will last 15-20 minutes.

• On November 17, all Little Rock employees who will be on-site are invited to attend a general assembly session on the production floor and learn more about the Staff Campaign.

• On December 1, all Asheville employees who will be on-site are invited to attend a general assembly session on the production floor.

All donors, who donate $20 or more will receive a water bottle sponsored by Salem Benefits Group (IFB’s benefits broker.)

o Supervisors: you will receive a separate email about help needed with filling out staff campaign donation forms.

• If you would like to support today, here’s how you can do that:
– Fill out and sign a payroll deduction form before December 5, 2022.
– Donate with cash or check.
– Donate online at https://ifbsolutions.org/donate/

Questions? Contact Tatiana Russell at trussell@ifbsolutions.org.

Thank you for supporting job training, employment, transportation, support groups, and programs for IFB employees and communities throughout North Carolina, Arkansas, and beyond!

 

Programs and Services

Winston-Salem Employees – AAA Committee Update

The AAA Committee is excited to announce that the Executive Team will be participating in the BEEP (Blind Employment Engagement Project) starting November 1 and rotating through all departments by the end of August. BEEP is designed to promote further interaction and communication among all levels of employment in the WS location. This will be accomplished by executive and support staff performing tasks side-by-side with coworkers on IFB’s diverse manufacturing floor as well as involvement in services supported by programs. BEEP also promotes a better awareness of requirements of a special population and their understanding of the responsibilities of the executive and support staff.

To help raise the level of awareness, executives will be assigned to an operation while blindfolded or wearing eye disease simulator glasses. All operation and services related activities have been preselected with little or no learning curve involved. The Executive Team will start this program with Tina Jolly in the Vinyl department. Let us take this opportunity to engage with the Executive Team and help make this experience one to remember!

 

See what S.E.E. is Doing!

Stuffed seal craft

S.E.E. After School Winston learned about seals. This cute little guy is Sammy the seal made from a child’s sock stuffed with fluff, sewn closed at the heel, felt flippers, and a sweet face of pompom nose, google eyes, and yarn whiskers. Each seal we made was given a good home with a S.E.E. kid.

 

Adult Support Group Meetings:

  • Tuesday, November 1 VIPS Club meeting from 12:00-1:00 in TADS Room.
  • Wednesday, November 2 RP support group meeting from 12:00-12:45 in TADS Room.
  • Thursday, November 3 Sight Adjustment support group meeting from 12:00-12:45 in TADS Room.

Community Low Vision Center

CLVC Item of the Week:

Marco Polo Blind Power Company T-shirts for $20.00
These T-Shirts represent The Blind Community as a whole, with Marco written across the front and Polo across the back in white lettering. Exclusively sold at the CLVC by the BPC. Available colors are Black, Red and Water Blue. Sizes in stock are Medium, Large, X-Large, and 2X-Large. If we don’t have what you need, we can order it! Purchase/Preorder your shirts today.

 

CLVC October Item of the Month:

Omni-Sense Push-On White Cane Tip Attachment

Omni-Sense Push-On White Cane Tip Attachment for $49.99 | Great features, including technology allowing fluid, 360-degree movement across a range of surfaces. Tough, durable polymer construction for extended wear, resting stand, non-corrosive, and easy to clean.

If you are interested in purchasing Low Vision Equipment through our Loan Program (3rd Party), please contact a Low Vision Coordinator for assistance.

 

Insider Corner

Have a story, new article, app, or interesting fact you want to share? Email Faith Harding at FHarding@ifbsolutions.org and we will post it.

 

HR & Opportunities

Update on Paycom Review Process

On October 24, 2022, your review process was made available through your Paycom Employee Self-Serve portal. Please log into your portal and complete your employee self-assessment as soon as possible. **NOTE: Self review will close out on November 11th and cannot be reopened.

Once you log into the review, you will notice that the process flow is the same as it was last year. When completing the review, comments are required to support ratings. Please refer to your easy-to-use instructions for more details.

Upon finishing your review, please be sure to type your name on the signature line and date the review and click “Final Approve” so your manager/supervisor can complete their portion of the review.

Brenda Livingston, Laura True and Mary Hunter will be working with managers and supervisors directly on completing hourly performance reviews and wage adjustments at their respective locations.

Thank you in advance for your assistance and feel free to contact Brenda Livingston or Laura True if you have any questions!

Zoom Meeting Links

Adult Support Groups Zoom

https://ifbsolutions.zoom.us/j/99498078576?pwd=ODJzK0sxcXZrME9yN25YRTdiNXBSQT09
Meeting ID: 994 9807 8576
PASSWORD: 92638
One tap mobile
+13017158592,99498078576# US (Germantown)

13126266799,99498078576# US
+(Chicago)

Dial by your location.
877 853 5257 US Toll-free
888 475 4499 US Toll-free
Meeting ID: 994 9807 8576

 

Assistive Technology Support Group Zoom

https://ifbsolutions.zoom.us/j/94434630872?pwd=aXFYSHYyWkh1SE1tWDNOdDIwVURwUT09

Meeting ID: 944 3463 0872
Passcode: 924496

+13017158592, 99434630872, #, # US (Germantown)

+13126266799, 99434630872, #, # US (Chicago)