Friday morning was supposed to be just another monthly safety meeting for Guilford College housekeepers, a chance to talk about safety on the job. That’s when John Wilkinson, the College’s VicePresident of Finance & Administration and CFO, entered the room with a an unexpected agenda.

Four years after having their jobs outsourced and benefits stripped away, John told the housekeepers they will soon be Guilford employees again.

The announcement, weeks in the making, caught Guilford’s 20 housekeepers by surprise. Some teared up. Some clapped with delight. Others closed their eyes and smiled. Liddie Hust did all three, waving her hands in the air for good measure. “Oh, thank you, thank you so much!” she said. “This is going to change my life and probably a lot of other people’s lives in this room.”

The transition back to Guilford comes with more than just a new name on the paycheck. Erickia Elbert, the College’s Director of Human Resources, told housekeepers they would return to being part of theCollege’s compensation plan, which includes 15 paid holidays, vacation, tuition remission and access to Guilford’s health care and other benefits, including retirement.

With every benefit Erickia announced, the smiles in the room grew. Many housekeepers said they couldn't afford the health care offered by their new employer so they went without. During the pandemic, housekeepers who got sick had to use vacation days when they couldn't work.

Friday’s announcement reverses a decision by Guilford leaders in May 2018 to outsource housekeeping to a national custodial firm to save costs. That decision was widely criticized at the time by faculty, students and alumni, who claimed the outsourcing denied housekeepers of possible raises they were only weeks away from being eligible for. Critics also said the decision was made without input from the Guilford community.

On Monday, President Kyle Farmbry met with housekeepers to welcome them back to Guilford. He said he was made aware of the decision to outsource the housekeeping crew two months ago and asked John to look into the College’s housekeeping expenses for the new fiscal year which begins June 1.

“I wasn’t here four years ago when this took place,” Kyle told the housekeepers. “I wasn’t here when so many people protested and came to your defense, but I’m here today and I want to personally welcome you back to the Guilford family.”

For Liddie and other housekeepers, the announcement was a reward for their faith. Many said they turned down better-paying positions at other schools or hospitals because of the relationships they’d built through the years with students. Kyle acknowledged those relationships in announcing the change.

"If your experience as a college student was anything like mine, you know the profound ways staff, along with faculty, contribute to a student’s educational experience,” he said. “This is especially true for housekeepers, dining service workers, public safety officers and groundskeepers, who students in residence encounter on a daily basis. As we learn from alumni, these are important relationships forged on campus that last a lifetime.”

Kyle said the decision to return housekeeping to Guilford had nothing to do with money – school officials say expenses will remain the same – and everything to do with family. “It’s the right thing todo,” said Kyle. “It’s about bringing our Guilford family back together.”

Liddie moved from Florida to Greensboro and took a job at Guilford in 2005 after her son, Travis Boyd'04, graduated from the College. “I knew this day would come, “ she said. “A lot of us kept waiting forGuilford to do the right thing and they did.”

Rolanda Johnson was another housekeeper who remembered being told the College was outsourcing custodial duties. “I hated that day they told us,” says Rolanda. “But I knew it wouldn’t last. I prayed it wouldn’t, and now we’re family again. What a blessing.”