Behind the Scenes

    At first, you would not expect much from the quiet office in the small town of Mount Carmel, Pennsylvania, that smells of sugar cookie air freshener. However, Sentry Services and Supports seems like a calm, ordinary workplace, but behind all of that is a supervisor trying to balance paperwork, phone calls, employees, and the people's needs. During my observation with Belle Parker, I learned that being a supervisor and being responsible for your staff who work with people who have physical and mental disabilities requires many important skills such as communication, patience, organization, and the ability to handle unexpected situations. 

    Sentry Services and Supports office is in a red- brick building with several large windows; on the outside, there is a large white sign with the company's name and logo, which is rainbow- colored hands placed together making a circle. A black railing with three concrete steps leads to a large white door; on the door is a Ring Doorbell camera that makes a light ding as someone approaches.  

Outside of Sentry building

Inside the office, it's so quiet at first you can hear a pin drop. The main meeting room that is the first thing you see when you walk in, has a lived-in and warm feeling. There is a small desk that holds folders and paperwork for employees, while a large dark reddish-brown conference table with multiple black rolling chairs surrounding the table is placed somewhat disorganized. Basic work items on the table, such as folders, water bottles, and binders. The tall windows provide a nice, calming natural sunlight for this meeting room, with a big flat-screen television mounted on the wall used for PowerPoint presentations. 

Main meeting room

    Down the darker hallway that is in the office leads to two conference rooms and two filing rooms. The filing rooms are crowded with mismatched colored filing cabinets, sticky notes, labeled drawers, plastic containers full of paperwork, cardboard boxes, and office supplies. These filing rooms show how much organization and paperwork play a part in making a company work. One of the conference rooms has a large black table with wood patterning in the middle and 8 padded black chairs. This room is used for their every Wednesday meeting at 10 a.m., where the supervisors come together and discuss any common problems they have been having. The other conference room looks and feels more like a private office with an orange honey-colored wooden desk. That room contains a computer, paperwork, cardboard boxes, and sticky notes. This room is mainly used if any staff are having an issue completing their monthly online training; a supervisor can provide help and support for them to complete it. 

   

Filing room 

During my observation, Belle worked from her pink Apple MacBook laptop in the main meeting room. Belle is the CEO's daughter, has medium-length blonde hair, and was dressed very casually in jeans and a plain black T-shirt; she is very tall, about 5'8 with a very slim build. At just 23 years old, she is in charge of the office Wednesday through Friday and has 8 staff members to supervise. "A typical day for me, I have to answer and send out emails regarding my staff, answer phone calls, and make sure my clients have staff with them during their designated hours. I also print and file staff documents from their outings with their clients. Once a week, I also have to complete payroll and billing." Belle told me in a calm monotone voice when I asked her what she does from day to day. 

    The office door opens. A staff member, Heather, walks in with her client wearing jeans and a T-shirt. Next to her is her client, Danielle, a younger woman with blonde hair and Down syndrome. Danielle uses a red walker to support her mobility due to a disability affecting her leg; her walker has a pouch on the front to hold her belongings.

"Good morning, Belle! We just need to grab some paperwork quick before we start our day," Heather said with a smile as she walked into the office with Danielle

"Good morning, Heather and Danielle! Belle replied happily, "How are you two doing"

"We are doing great, going to go grab some lunch! Have a good day!" Heather enthusiastically replied, with Danielle standing next to her with a big smile on her face. 

    A situation that showed me how quickly Belle's Day can change. A staff member called off last minute for a shift with a client with a disability. Belle suddenly had to contact multiple employees to find someone available to cover the shift. All the while, she still had to attend to the paperwork and other phone calls. A single call-off can show how much it shakes up a supervisor's day and create additional workload for them to deal with. Supervisors also handle difficult situations involving their employees "The other day I had to deal with an employee bringing their child to work when they knew that was not allowed, I had to take disciplinary action by writing them up and readdressing the policies and explain their violation to them." Belle stated in a disappointed tone. 

    By the end of my observation the office I once thought was quiet, I now have an entirely different perspective of. The paperwork, ringing phones, filling cabinets, and people coming in and out showed me the responsibilities happening behind the scenes. Observing Belle taught me being a supervisor at Sentry Services and Supports means being able to handle unexpected problems and being prepared while making sure staff and clients receive the care they need and deserve.