Watson Story – Sabrina Lindsay

Get your tissue box out, as we get sentimental in this Watson Story! Sabrina Lindsay, our Inventory Manager, started her journey at Watson Gloves 18 years ago. Before settling into her current position, she juggled between three roles… at the same time! Read more about Sabrina’s Watson Story below.

Tell us about your Watson Story.

Wow, that was quite the journey you’ve gone through. Why were you drawn to Inventory?

It’s not a static role and things are always changing. There’s always something different going on and new problems to solve.

In what ways did Watson Gloves allow you to excel and grow in your career here?

I was given opportunities that I would have never imagined before entering Watson Gloves. When I started, we were a much smaller company, so you really had to do a little bit of everything. I remember for a few years, whenever the phone was ringing and if no one at the front was there to take it, you answered it, and you had to be able to take an order and explain to the customer what a 370R is or answer whatever inquiry they had.

You had to have enough experience in multiple areas to handle what was being thrown at you. I can think of countless times where a Sales Rep would call for something, and it didn’t matter who answered, you had to be able to help them out. Doing all of this gave me the ability to see other areas of the business and allowed me to know where I wanted to end up.

In every sense of the word then, you really had to be a hand protection expert! Along with that, what are some other personal strengths you have that allow you to flourish in your job?

Right now, we have another generation coming on board, so with the knowledge I have from my years of experience working here, I’ve been able to pass that on and just become someone that people will come to.

Also, I feel like everybody knows that they can always rely on me. I’m always willing to help – doesn’t matter what it is. If it’s going to disrupt my day a bit but it will help someone else, I will step up and help.

I think in the long-run, it pays off. That’s how you really forge those connections and relationships.

Oh, for sure. And that’s just it. I have these connections, not just in Burnaby, but also in Calgary, and out east too. And it all leads up to when we all get together at AGM, which is like no other experience, and it feels so good to see everybody in person. I’m just thinking about it right now… *Sabrina begins to tear up*

Are you getting emotional right now because of your memories of AGM or the bonds you’ve made with everyone in the company?

Can you speak to the value of passing down knowledge?

There’s such great value in not only knowing just how things are right now, but how things were in the past. It’s such an eye-opener to know where we came from and see the whole evolution of the company and the experiences we’ve gone through.

Just listening to other long-time team members talk about the past and the times we overcame adversities is so insightful and humbling. For instance, with this pandemic, this is what we’ll probably be talking about 10-15 years from now. We’ll be passing down that knowledge to the future generation of the company and share with them our experiences on how we got through this time and what we did to overcome these challenges.

On that note, how was work like during the pandemic? It must’ve been crazy on the Inventory side of things.

The first month was absolutely crazy. It felt almost like old times – all hands on deck, everybody had to come together, and this is what needed to happen. It was a test like no other for us. Kasey said we had to pivot and be nimble and we had to be all those things and more. Once it calmed down a bit, it was just trying to work through each new challenge that came up… and there were many haha.

I can imagine managing the supply and inventory of disposable gloves being one of those challenges?

We were constantly changing how we handled that situation. There was a lot of learning as we went along. It also made us change some processes we had for the better. We definitely can’t look at the pandemic as a bad thing in terms of how we functioned as a business. Through all the challenges the pandemic threw at us, we kept on adapting and bettering ourselves, and I’m completely proud of that.

I’d like to dive back into the bonds and relationships you’ve made here at Watson Gloves. How is it like working with your peers?

What does the future look like for you?

The past year has been a year of continuous improvement – from how we had to adapt to things to all the training and professional development I’ve received through Watson Gloves. Moving forward, I’m excited to work on more processes in our system and find ways to make them better, especially as our company continues to grow.

Any last thoughts?

Find your next career at Watson Gloves

Return to Watson Stories >>