Tartan Spotlight: Rachel Laugle takes a people-first approach in custodial services

Rachel Laugle is an administrative assistant for HES, the custodial company contracted by Sinclair College.

Her daily responsibilities include overseeing the more than 60-person staff, HR duties, payroll questions, coordinating custodial needs for the main campus and satellite campuses, and much more.

Someone with this much to do would be expected to be rushed or stressed. However, Laugle spoke with infectious enthusiasm for her coworkers and her job, smiling when she called herself the “office therapist.”

She believes that its important to not lose sight of the individual when managing a large group of people.

“It’s important to be somebody that’s there for them, especially when you have such a large staff. Management or anybody can lose track of the fact that everybody’s an individual person,” Laugle said. “But just remembering that they all need somebody, you know?”

Custodial services is often done behind the scenes. According to Laugle, they want to be seen and not heard.

It’s important to be somebody that’s there for them, especially when you have such a large staff.
RACHEL LAUGLE

“We want to be present, but always in the background; taking care of things without bothering and or upsetting any of the things that are going on,” she said.

However, this can sometimes feel thankless. HES makes sure to show appreciation and keep workers motivated by pointing out good work and hosting staff events.

“So anytime that we do hear a compliment from a staff member, we make sure to announce it in our meetings, letting people know that somebody is acknowledging that they’re hard working,” Laugle said. “We also have an uplifting board for our own staff with post it notes, where they can put post it notes up on the board complimenting a fellow team member.”

Their commitment to supporting their staff goes even further, providing a food pantry for any worker that may be in need.

One of Laugle’s big talking points was that the people that work at HES all have different goals, pointing out that many are even students at Sinclair.

“Some of our crew are really trying to better themselves. They’re students too. If not at Sinclair itself, then in other facilities or tech schools or other kinds of programs that they’re currently in,” Laugle said.

She also noted that HES is on campus nearly 24 hours a day, even on weekends.

There is always more work to be done, but students can help support the people that keep the school clean and functioning for them with little to no effort.

“If you see a spill or something, just let a teacher nearby know, and then they can call us and let us know so we can get to it as fast as possible. If you happen to notice that as you’re grabbing your gloves and a piece of trash falls out of your pocket, just pick it up,” Laugle said.

When she is not at work, Laugle likes to spend her free time with her husband.

She is not a native Daytonian but has been in Dayton since moving from New York City shortly after September 11, 2001, when she was 15 years old.

She maintained that they were planning to move before the tragedy took place, citing that her mother and stepfather wanted land and better schooling for her.

Now, Laugle and her husband are experiencing the aches and pains of first-time homeownership. She credits her husband with keeping her sane throughout the day.

“My poor husband, who has to hear at the end of the day all the things that happen or occur,” Laugle said.

“I try to tell myself that, I have my own place to vent, that this is really my place to just keep my ears open and to try to be as supportive and or problem solving as I possibly can. And then later, when I get home, to lay it all out. It’s only fair, right?”

The HES team may operate in the background, but their impact at Sinclair is far reaching. Without the quiet dedication of Laugle and her team, the school would be unable to function like usual.

Noah Schlarman, executive editor

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