14 THE QUEENS COURIER • DECEMBER 31, 2020 FOR BREAKING NEWS VISIT WWW.QNS.COM
Composters can remain at Queensbridge Park, for now
BY BILL PARRY
bparry@schnepsmedia.com
@QNS
Big Reuse, a nonprofi t organization
which operates a composting
facility beneath the
Queensboro Bridge just across
Vernon Boulevard from the
Queensbridge Houses, was
granted a six-month extension
on its lease with the city’s Parks
Department. Th e city added it is
committed to fi nding the operation
a new home on a non-
Parks site.
Big Reuse was supposed to
leave its current location at the
end of the year, but will be permitted
to stay until June 2021
to allow the group to continue
its work while the city’s
Department of Sanitation
works to secure a new site for
them to operate.
Additionally, NYC Parks
announced it will move forward
with its long-planned
$11 million capital project in
Queensbridge Baby Park that
will provide much-needed recreational
space to residents of
the Queensbridge Houses. Th at
project, funded by Mayor Bill de
Blasio, will kick off next month
with a community input meeting.
Th e Queensbridge Baby
Park restoration project requires
Big Reuse to vacate the site that
their composting operation currently
occupies.
“As the caretaker of our city’s
30,000 acres of parks, of which
10,000 are natural areas, has long
been a regular part of our sustainable
management practices,”
NYC Parks Commissioner
Mitchell J. Silver said. “In an
eff ort to help Big Reuse continue
their composting operations
QNS fi le photo
without interruption while they
relocate, Parks will grant a sixmonth
extension of their use of
Queensbridge Park.”
Th e Department of Sanitation’s
Acting Commissioner Edward
Grayson was pleased with the
extension as it meant that the site
would not be shut down immediately.
Plus, the extension will
allow composting to continue at
a time when DSNY was forced to
suspend its curbside composting
collections due to the COVID-
19 budget cuts.
“Composting is a critical part
of achieving our zero waste
goals, and it helps build healthier
communities,” Grayson said.
“Despite our budget cuts, DSNY
remains deeply committed to its
expansion and the environmental
justice it brings. Communities
also need and deserve quality
public space. I want to thank
Parks for their partnership as we
work to fi nd a solution that balances
all of the Queensbridge
community’s needs.”
NYC Parks was set to
begin redesign planning of
Queensbridge Baby Park in
spring 2020 but that was postponed
by the COVID-19 pandemic.
Th e future park amenities
will extend along Vernon
Boulevard in space currently
used for Parks operations,
which will move under the
Queensborough Bridge currently
occupied by Big Reuse.
Five ways employer recognition helps your organization stand out
BY ENERGAGE
Creating a culture where employees feel
engaged, appreciated, and fulfi lled is really
hard. But Top Workplaces do it exceptionally
well. It’s an achievement they earn
and a distinction that gives them a sustainable
competitive advantage in a fi ercely
competitive market.
Here are just some of the powerful ways
Top Workplaces use the award to help
their organization stand out from the
competition, attract the right talent, win
deals – and maybe even make the competition
just a little jealous.
1. They boost employee trust,
confi dence, and pride.
Top Workplaces awards are powered
solely by feedback captured with a single
employee engagement survey. Giving
individuals this opportunity ensures they
feel heard and off ers proof their input
matters. It also builds trust and confi -
dence, and research shows this has a
direct impact on engagement. Plus, being
able to say, “I work for a Top Workplace!”
gives employees a great sense of pride and
boosts morale.
“Th e word is pride. Everybody’s just so
proud of having the Top Workplaces designation!
Being able to announce that we
are a Top Workplaces winner was a lot of
fun. Th e employees were so surprised!”
Samantha Green, HR Business Partner,
TEAM Schostak
2. They build their employer
brand to attract the right talent.
When it comes to recruiting the right
talent, employee referrals and traditional
ways of recruiting talent are no longer
enough. Culture is the most important
diff erentiator, and the Top Workplaces
award is third-party verifi cation of a leadership
team that prioritizes its employees.
Top Workplaces gain year-round employer
recognition through prominent media
channels. Th ey also feature the recognizable
gold badge on career pages and
sites to get the attention of job seekers.
Some take it a step further with Employer
Branding tools that enable them to promote
their hiring diff erentiators and show
candidates what it’s “really like” to work
for the organization.
A recent study revealed that companies
with a strong employer brand can reduce
their cost-per-hire by as much as 50 percent.
Source: LinkedIn
3. They promote a people
fi rst culture.
People want to do business with Top
Workplaces. Th e award is a mark of confi -
dence and an indication of superior quality
and service. Not to mention, it distinguishes
them from the competition. Top
Workplaces advertise the badge on their
marketing materials, website, packaging,
and social media to help their organization
stand out.
“While managers, recruiters, and advertising
can say a company is a great place to
work, third-party branding from an external
source sends a more credible signal.”
David G. Allen, HR Management Chair,
Rutgers School of Management and Labor
Relations
4. They network with
other Top Workplaces.
Leaders of Top Workplaces see value in
prioritizing workplace culture and use it
as a strategic competitive advantage. Th ey
also network with other award-winning
organizations that share the same passion,
whether celebrating at Top Workplaces
events or sharing best practices.
“When I think about the road ahead,
the questions I ask are: ‘Can we sustain
this? Can we keep that focus? Can
we sharpen it?’” Zac Jacobson, Senior
Director of Business Excellence and
Customer Insights, eBay
5. They keep their culture
in tip-top shape.
Top Workplaces don’t rest on their laurels
and they know standing still isn’t
an option. As a result, Top Workplaces
are committed to keeping their culture
in tip-top shape and they continue to
put in the hard work day aft er day to
help their organization stand out. Tapping
into their employee engagement survey
insights enables them to see their blind
spots (bright spots too) and know where
to focus their eff orts.
Nominate your company as a New York
City Top Workplace at amny.com/nominate.
Laura Brinton is content marketing
director at Energage, a Philadelphia-based
research and consulting fi rm that surveyed
more than 2 million employees at more
than 7,500 organizations in 2019. Energage
is the research partner for Top Workplaces.
Photo via Getty Images
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