Blog • • 3 minute read

Finding Strength and Support in My Workplace Community

As a parent of a son who is on active duty in the United States Navy, I share my experience about finding community in the WWT VETS Employee Resource Group, and how WWT's commitment to diversity & inclusion extends beyond the workplace, creating a supportive network for employees and families, like my own.

This month marks my 24th year of employment at World Wide Technology. Over the course of the last two and half decades I have seen our small company grow to a technology powerhouse, and I could not be prouder to be a part of the growth and the culture that makes WWT what it is today. 

Of course, with explosive growth comes some "growing pains," and in navigating these challenges our organization has remained steadfast on its people and culture. WWT's leadership has always prioritized our seven core values, known as THE PATH, which focus heavily on both of those elements. 

Growing from a few hundred employees in the late 1990s to over ten thousand today, I cannot overstate how constant and rigorous our organization has been about maintaining a world-class culture. The investment in diversity, equity and inclusion has certainly allowed our employees to maintain a sense of belonging and has provided a global means and investment into maintaining our culture as the foundation of our success. 

This morning, like many of us, I woke up to read the news about many ongoing conflicts around the world. One headline caught my attention in particular: "US Military Carries out airstrike…" To some, this is just another headline about a war that doesn't hit that close to home. For me, a conflicting sense of immense pride and anxious fear comes with knowing my son, Clayton, who is deployed in the Middle East supporting the US troops, could very well have taken part in that mission. Today and every Friday is most definitely a RED Friday for me, and I know the WWT VETS resource group is keeping all deployed men and women at the front of their thoughts and prayers as they serve their country at home and abroad.

Every waking day that passes while my son is away serving his country, I am reminded of the freedoms we get to enjoy. The freedoms that make WWT a great place to work. The freedoms that give WWT the ability to build world-class DEIB (Diversity, Equity, Inclusion & Belonging) programs that are the foundation for the creation of groups like WWT VETS, the weekly prayer calls and all the other resource groups that are available. 

We are "OneWWT," a global organization that impacts the lives of people with numerous backgrounds. I am just another father who never happened to be in the military. Now, having a son who is serving and being part of WWT VETs has opened my eyes and increased my utmost respect for all the folks who have served the many of whom are employed today at WWT. 

As we celebrate veterans and active-duty military in the United States, I am encouraged by the strength of community and the transformative power of inclusion and belonging at WWT, making it a Great Place to Work for ALL!