Pure religion: Organizing work
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When you are 68 years old, have only an eighth-grade education, and suffer some memory loss because of injuries sustained in a car crash, it's pretty hard to find a job. This was the situation in which Dave Simmons found himself. No matter that his work ethic was stellar and he tackled his tasks like the "Energizer Bunny," the lack of a high school diploma stopped him every time.
He was accepted into a training program at the Logan Deseret Industries, where he learned custodial work. He did so well that Deseret Industries arranged a business partnership for him where he worked for a company while his wages were paid by Deseret Industries. There he learned additional skills, such as cleaning carpets with appropriate chemicals.
The development specialist at Deseret Industries continued working with Brother Simmons and told him of a job lead with the University Inn, a conference, alumni, and visitors' center at Utah State University in Logan. He was eventually placed with the University Inn. He had five stories to clean, including windows, bathrooms and floors, and was given a seven-page booklet of detailed instructions.
After two weeks, however, his supervisor contacted Todd Shaffer at the Deseret Industries. He was concerned that while Brother Simmons worked steadily, he wasn't finishing all his tasks on time.
Brother Shaffer called Elder James Langford and Sister Yvonne Langford, a missionary couple serving as employment outreach specialists. He asked them to "shadow" Brother Simmons and offer suggestions. Noticing a lot of time was spent running between floors, they made a set of cards detailing what needed to be done on each floor. This worked much better, and Brother Simmons finished 15 minutes early.
That night during prayer, Sister Langford received an impression to arrange the cards by tasks to be done each day rather than by floor. She made two sets — Monday, Wednesday, Friday and Tuesday, Thursday. This proved an even better method, as Brother Simmons finished 30 minutes early. His employer was pleased, and the next week Brother Simmons was named "Employee of the Month." — Sharon Jarvis, Welfare Services
