Usually when you start out working for a company, you move step by step into roles that have more responsibility - but not Erik Bekke. His career path at Accent has skyrocketed since the day he first started out as a Help Desk Engineer in 2016.
Erik’s journey to becoming a Team Service Manager included a couple short stops along the way. As he was working on the Help Desk, management noticed that he was closing most of his tickets with minimal escalations, so he moved to a position where he could tackle more difficult issues. The same thing happened again, and he became a Systems Administrator. Then the team that he was on needed a leader.
“When a team service manager opportunity came up, I applied and went through the whole interview process and they offered me the position,” said Erik. “I had already stepped into that role a little bit to help out, so I was familiar with taking charge and taking the initiative.”
There’s No Problem That Can’t Be Fixed
Taking the initiative comes naturally to Erik. In fact, that’s how he came to love working with technology in the first place. He got his first computer in junior high and figured out how to fix it himself when his parents told him they couldn’t afford every repair and upgrade that he wanted to do.
“I’ve always been fascinated with learning the ins and outs of computers. I treat every issue with a computer as a problem that needs to be solved,” explained Erik. “There’s no problem that you can’t fix with a computer. We might not know what the solution is at first, just that we know there is one.”
Erik definitely has a problem-solving mindset, and he also has the ability to evaluate situations and make decisions quickly. These traits are essential in the fast-paced world of IT where each day brings different problems to solve.
“This is Erik’s first time being a manager and he’s taking to it really, really well,” said Ray Chavez, Support Services Manager. “He’s surprised me on several different occasions by taking the initiative. He encourages his team to ask questions and that’s helped him to develop a rapport and trust with the team.”
Company Uses Feedback to Make Improvements
Teamwork and collaboration are how Accent serves their clients and Erik has found that when management asks for employee input, they intend to use it to make improvements. This was especially evident when the company wanted to improve the way that they respond to client needs after hours.
“Our On-Call system is drastically better now than it was three years ago,” Erik explained. “Management took steps to improve specifically because of my feedback and the feedback of other people on the team.”
Experiencing the way that Accent values their employees, both as individuals and as a source of ideas for improvement, has been a refreshing surprise to Erik. Prior to his experience here, he had never worked for a company that had such a strong employee-first mentality. This was evident before he even started his first day of work.
At the time that Erik accepted a position at Accent, he had plans to get married. He expected that his first day of work would be when he returned from his honeymoon, but management told him it would be no problem to start right away then take a week off.
“That completely blew my mind with just how open and accommodating they were. Other places where I’ve worked weren’t like that. I thought, ‘This is going to be a different place than I’ve ever worked at.’” he said.
Consistently Extraordinary Every Day
According to his supervisor, Ray Chavez, Erik is plenty accommodating back to the company and to his team, consistently exemplifying the core value to “Be Extraordinary”. He’s the first one to volunteer to lend a helping hand and provide support to others when needed. When Erik provides input, his fleshed-out ideas show that he’s put a lot of thought into what he’s proposing.
Being an IT professional is a stressful occupation, but Erik has found that at Accent, he can face his daily challenges without bringing issues home with him every night. Not only that, he’s found a community that provides him with a thriving environment of mutual respect and appreciation.
“This is the best company I’ve ever worked at. They keep treating me well. They appreciate my input and feedback,” said Erik. “As long as they keep doing that, they’ve got my loyalty.”
