I’m the First Woman Troubleman at My Company: Here’s How I Excel in This Physically Demanding Job

Tammy Pease has worn a number of hats. She was a personal trainer and part owner at USA Kung Fu Academy, a bartender, a call center employee and a service technician — a position in which she learned to climb telephone poles and developed the skills she needed to land her job at Eversource as a qualified apprentice. 

Pease recently passed the test to become a troubleman or construction inspector at Eversource. In fact, she was the first woman to take the test and, therefore, became the first woman to become a troubleman at Eversource. Now, she assists in the trouble room, where her team is first to be called out when there is an outage so they can isolate problems and get power restored as quickly and safely as possible.

Here, she paints a picture of her day-to-day life, shares her keys to achieving balance in a mentally and physically demanding job and offers advice for other women who want to follow in her footsteps. 

Paint a picture of a typical day for me.

 I work from 11 p.m. to 7 a.m. (usually later when we are involved with trouble restoring power). This means that my day starts in the afternoon, when I wake up, have coffee, meditate, work out and stretch. Then, I make dinner and sometimes take a nap, before getting up to make my lunch for work. I leave around 10 p.m. to get to work and meet my team in the trouble room to see what our assignments are for the evening.

We do anything from repairing street lights to isolating a problem on a circuit. Then, we head out, usually as a team of two consisting of a troubleman and an apprentice or helper, to work. At the end of day, we fill out our trouble report. Then, I shower and go home at 7 a.m. or later. I try to get back to sleep right away.

Pease at work. Photo courtesy of Eversource.

What does balance mean to you? And what ways do you feel like you achieve it?

Balance is a strong body and strong mind. You need to treat your body like a temple; you only have one. Personally, I try to make sure I get enough rest and eat extremely healthy (I eat organic and clean). I also meditate, work out and do yoga, tai chi and qigong.

My job is demanding and can be very dangerous, I can sometimes work overtime, too. So, I need to be healthy and strong mentally and physically. I need to be mindful and present while I am doing my job because there is no room for errors. Others depend on me to do my job right because their safety can depend on that.

What’s one misconception you think exists around work-life balance?

It may not always be easy, but it is worth it. You need to be mindful of your mental and physical health so you can do a job well and have a good quality of life.

Attaining work-life balance can’t be done solo. What people, resources and tools do you rely on to get it all done?

I find I have been very blessed with an awesome husband and great children. This wasn’t always the case. I raised my children by myself, and being a single mom with three kids and working 80-90 hours a week was tough.

Now, my family picks up home responsibilities when things get crazy at work (like when I am on storm duty working 18-hour shifts with six-hour breaks, all while doing storm restoration). We have a great team at work to get us what we need, places to stay and meals while working out of the area.

Let us talk more about your company’s culture. What’s your favorite aspect of it,  and how does Eversource aid you in achieving balance?

My favorite aspect of my company is the people I work with who are like my second family. We work in a very dangerous environment, and we have each others’ backs to make sure we are all safe and go home to our families. When the systems are at their worst, we are at our best. Storms can happen around the clock, and we all work together as a team (including management) to get the light back on and keep the public safe.

Pease with coworkers. Photo courtesy of Eversource.

What’s something you think most people perhaps (even current employees) don’t know about Eversource that you think they should?

We have amazing benefits. If you have things going on in your life, the company has people you can talk to for help. We have stock options, a 401(k), school benefits, an employee club that offers discounts for different events for you and your family, a discounted cell bill and more. 

What’s the #1 piece of advice you would give to other women who want to excel professionally and personally?

Like I have told my children: anything is possible. You need to set a goal and make a plan. Each day you do things to work toward what you want.

And dream big; if you want something bad enough, you can make it happen. Do the right thing, be respectful, have integrity, have a good work ethic and work hard. If it were all easy, everyone would be doing it. In the end, it will all be worth it, so don’t ever give up.

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