Most of you already know that Sam Boak of Boak & Sons has decided to lay of the majority of our employees and focus on emergency and essential work after Governor Mike Dewine put out the Ohio Stay at Home Order. We also know that being a contracting and construction company, we had the option of staying open and continuing work. However, this is completely uncharted territory for everyone, not just our company and the safety of everyone here and all of the people we work with is our top priority. That being said, Sam Boak and all of the employees at Boak & Sons want to help our customers understand that just because we CAN work, doesn’t mean we SHOULD.
Sam’s decision to lay off a majority of our employees was difficult to make. However, it was a decision based on the recommendations made by our state’s government. Lt. Governor Jon Husted emphasized Section 13 of the Stay at Home Order which reads businesses should conduct “the minimum necessary activities to maintain the value of the businesses’ inventory, preserve the condition of the business’s physical plant and equipment, ensure security, process payroll and employee benefits, or related functions (View the full order here).” He focused on the need for essential businesses to conduct only the vital needs. As an employer, Sam Boak knew he was making the right decision to send home a majority of his workforce for their own safety and the safety of others and to only allow the bare minimum of employees to come in and maintain those necessary responsibilities.
Lt. Governor Husted has been an essential asset to our company by keeping us fully informed on what we can, cannot and should or should not be doing during this time. We cannot thank him enough for being such an incredible force of leadership for businesses like us. Sam’s decision to lay off employees was strongly due to Lt. Governor Husted’s recommendations. We’ve received an incredible response from our friends, families, customers and other businesses in the area who know that this decision was the right one to make not only for our own safety, but to do our part to flatten the curve.
Boak & Sons is still conducting emergency repair jobs for those who need it. We appreciate the patience of anyone who needs our help and fully understand that businesses are hurting right now. However, we also know that business owners have a huge responsibility during this time to do what is right for the people, not just the business, and right now the right thing to do is to stay home. We hope that all business owners and our customers can understand our position and will treat their employees with the same consideration.
You all know our number one rule: Safety is always first!
To stay up to date on the latest changes in the COVID-19 situation, we strongly encourage everyone to visit www.coronavirus.ohio.gov or www.cdc.gov/coronavirus. You can also view Sam’s video message explaining the decision made to lay off his employees here. Please be safe, smart, and take care of yourselves and your loved ones!
