When we posted Carrie’s origination story back in January, we had no idea she would earn Employee of the Month the following November! But Carrie doesn’t hold this accolade as her own sole accomplishment: In her eyes, constructive employee feedback and servant leadership have greatly contributed to her growth.
Constructive employee feedback makes a difference
“It’s a nice feeling, knowing that things still don’t go unnoticed,” said the Customer Care Support Specialist. “We had weekly coaching back when I started in customer service. It can be a scary thing if you’ve never had that before, but while they’re sharing where you can improve, they’re also showing where you’ve already improved, and encouraging you in areas you’re doing well. Kellie [Carrie’s supervisor] does the same thing here in Customer Care Support, so you never have to question whether you’re doing a good job or understanding things correctly.”
Upper management regularly makes a point to check in with folks out on the floor as well, Carrie added. “It’s always very encouraging when Mike [VP of Operations] or Phil [VP and General Counsel] comes to visit. They let everybody know what a good job they’re doing, and they take the time to ask each person individual questions about themselves. Plus, they send the Employee of the Month email out to everybody in the company, so you get emails back all day long with congratulations. That really means a lot,” she said.
How servant leadership makes APHW stronger
According to Forbes, “Servant leadership occurs when the leader's main goal … is to … ensure that the followers are growing in all areas — their profession, knowledge, autonomy, and even their health and physical development,” and Carrie was quick to recognize the visible concern and detailed planning employed by APHW’s leadership when COVID-19 struck the United States.
“They had clearly been paying attention to what was going on, wanting to make sure our people were safe,” Carrie recalled. “I remember them asking early on if I wanted to work from home, back before they sent everybody to work from home. They were concerned for me as a diabetic—I appreciated that, and they’re still working to be careful and keep us as safe as possible today.”
Beyond just safety measures, APHW’s leadership vowed from the beginning to avoid COVID layoffs at all costs—and they succeeded. “There were so many places laying people off, and I do know people who were told they had to work in their office or lose their job. But here, we kept busy and kept growing while working from home!”
This is nothing new at APHW, though. “It’s just par for the course: We were constantly training new customer service reps and growing even back when I first started. We were only in 38 states at the time, and now we’re in all except California!”
Come and join APHW’s positive work culture
Through all her experiences with the home warranty company, Carrie constantly recommends APHW’s work culture to prospective employees. “This is a company that takes care of its people. I mean, I have two kids that work here!” she said. “Kellie and LaKeia [another supervisor] been very encouraging in my training, and they’ve just created a great department to work for.”
Visit our Careers page or call 800.648.5006 ext. 236 today to see what job opportunities await you in the America’s Preferred Home Warranty family.
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