During her four years at Accent Computer Solutions, Sarah Crofutt has seen many changes, both in her role and in the company as a whole. The job she’s doing today as Resource Coordination Specialist is very different from where she began four years ago as a Dispatcher, and the company has undergone a major shift in its organization. This reorganization was so dramatic that it’s referred to internally as “Evolution”. Sarah has never been as involved in company change as she has at Accent, nor has she ever had an employer that requests and welcomes employee input like Accent does.
Inspired to Take on a New Challenge
Sarah knew from her first interactions with Accent, that this company was different. Her previous employer was a large corporation where she not only felt like a number, she was pushed into a job role that didn’t suit her. When she interviewed for a dispatch position at Accent, she learned that there would probably be changes along the way, but she sensed that this was a company that valued employee opinions and had good communication. It inspired her to take on a new challenge.
“I had never done dispatching before, but I felt supported going into an area that was unknown to me,” said Sarah. “During my training I wanted to know all of the information right away, but I was reassured at every step that I was doing fine and soon I was able to start offering my own input.”
Management is Keen on Getting Employee Input
Sarah feels that the people at Accent communicate better than any company that she’s worked for. When she was a Dispatcher, there was a period of time when her workload was becoming unmanageable. She felt comfortable letting her supervisor know that she was overwhelmed and needed help. Management’s response was to figure out how they could make adjustments to get a better balance, and identify what the team could do to help.
“Management is keen on getting employee input and making sure they understand what it feels like in each position,” said Sarah. “We’re all connected to each other, and not one of us would be able to operate as we do without involvement from the rest of the team.”
Recognition for Taking the Initiative
As Sarah’s duties within her Resource Coordinator position have shifted, she has been able to take on responsibilities in other areas of the company that have allowed her to grow and develop a new skill set. She’s now in charge of onboarding new employees and is involved with the recruiting process where her ideas have contributed to improvements in the HR function. Her work to create a training agenda for new employees was called out at a monthly “All Hands” employee meeting. She not only received recognition for her initiative in front of her colleagues, she received a bonus $500 when she had a turn to spin the Accent prize wheel.
Owner Models and Supports Work-Life Balance
Continuous improvement, employee support and transparent communication are all due to the culture that permeates the organization; a culture built on family values. Sarah says that the owner, Marty Kaufman, is a unique person to work for.
“Marty is very inspirational. He has diverse interests, from being in an Ironman competition to being a pilot. He shares his stories and is very much in support of people’s interests outside of work, and having a balance between work and personal life,” said Sarah.
Same Philosophy Guides Client Results and Internal Improvement
IT was new to Sarah when she first started working at Accent back in 2015. She’s come to realize that IT isn’t just about technology. It’s about being the solution to peoples’ frustration. It’s about solving problems and putting in place processes and best practices that allow companies to move forward. This is the same philosophy that guides internal improvement.
At Accent Sarah says, “Progress is always possible!”
