As
classes resume and many Freshmen students begin their college careers, one HudsonAlpha employee’s family is thankful to be celebrating this milestone with their daughter.
In August 2015, Amy Mata, Executive Assistant at HudsonAlpha Institute for Biotechnology, got a call that no parent wants to receive. Her daughter had been in an accident. Amy drove to where her daughter was only to discover that she had fallen approximately 25 feet – more than two stories.
The paramedics arrived quickly. Amy’s daughter was unable to move, but was alert when Amy arrived. The paramedics assessed the situation and stabilized her for transport to the hospital. Once there, the medical team determined that she had many broken bones.
One of the first people Amy called after the accident was her supervisor at HudsonAlpha. She let him know what had happened and he told her not to worry about work, but to please let him know what she needed. Her team members sent flowers and candy to Amy’s daughter and co-workers provided meals and support.
Throughout this time, Amy kept in touch with her supervisor. Working together and considering her daughter’s progression to recovery, Amy was afforded the opportunity to work from home, work non-regular business hours (when a family member could be with her daughter in her absence) and gradually work more in the office as her daughter progressed.
“The community here was super helpful,” said Amy. “I wouldn’t have been happy with myself if I couldn’t have been home. I couldn’t have lived with myself without my job either, so the fact that HudsonAlpha gave me the opportunity to do both at my daughter’s pace was incredible and something that I don’t think most companies would consider. I feel like that flexibility directly contributed to my daughter’s recovery. I will be forever grateful.”
In addition to working from home, Amy was able to supplement her time at home helping with her daughter’s recovery with paid time off (PTO) from the HudsonAlpha donation program. This program allows eligible employees who have a medical emergency to continue to receive income by requesting donations from the PTO bank.
“There is a sense of community here – not just at HudsonAlpha, but in Huntsville in general – the people here and the sense of community is amazing,” shared Amy. “We may have our disagreements, but in the end it is like a work family.”