167: Ray Johnson

Distribution Designer, Met Ed Electric

Electrical power is something we always need. But during this time none of us wanted to be without it. That could mean losing the only contact we had with others, causing more anxiety. Ray is a person at Met Ed that fields incoming requests from customers about their electric power: running new lines to a home, installing electric poles, repair to damaged lines. Additionally, he helps handle after storm clean up, repair of down line, and getting service up and running as quickly as possible.

When COVID hit, his department was divided into pods. They worked a lot from home or separately in the building. The immediate interaction that got things done quickly was changed drastically. Calls would come in as emails, get reviewed, then returned. Meetings were all virtual. Even in the field, house calls had to be done via photos and personal visits handled very carefully. Meetings with contractors were virtual or held in open fields for distancing. All of this made the process time consuming. But they were always there to help…and did.

Ray said additional challenges for him were when people he met with didn’t believe COVID was real and insisted on not distancing. He would tell them, “I understand your feelings, but I have parents to care for. I have a family to look after.” Most of the time they would respect his position and accommodate.

He says he did see, “A lot of very good people who went above and beyond to help one and other.” “Neighbors became familiar with each other. Our neighborhood became stronger.” He hopes that goodwill will continue and that, “People are nicer.”