Public Gaming International November/December 2021

38 PUBLIC GAMING INTERNATIONAL • NOVEMBER/DECEMBER 2021 THE FUTURE OF WORK PART I A LOOK INSIDE THREE LOTTERIES No Lottery was spared the impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic on its workforce and customers. And as we all look to the future for work and business, PGRI asked the New Jersey, Florida and Virginia Lotteries to reflect on the past almost two years and look to the future. WHAT ARE THE BIGGEST CHANGES YOU’VE MADE TO YOUR WORKPLACE POLICIES SINCE THE PANDEMIC? NEW JERSEY LOTTERY The New Jersey Lottery has 74 permanent employees as well as consultants and hourly staff. While focusing on keeping our staff, vendors, retailers and the public safe, we still needed to maintain operations to meet our responsibility to protect the retirement benefits of those who serve our communi- ties, including New Jersey’s teachers, police officers, firefighters, and other public employees. Also, close attention had to be paid to our facilities to avoid contamina- tion and protect the draw studios. While the Lottery never closed, the building was closed to the public. The most impactful change made to our workplace, since the pandemic, was the ability to telecommute. The majority of staff worked from home utilizing remote technology. Those unable to work from home included the draw team and Valida- tions Unit. The entire staff will be required to come back to the office later this year. A number of important changes were in- stituted in response to the pandemic, some of which will continue to be embraced post-pandemic because they have proved beneficial to overall operations. Those changes include: • All in-person events were transferred online, including the Lottery’s 50th Anniversary December 2020 event. We discovered that our players loved