Colleagues Rally to Coworker’s Aid

14 December, 2021

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Transparent BPO core value comes alive with selfless acts

By Rob Johnson, Senior Vice President of Belize Operations, Transparent BPO

My colleagues in Belize know how to breathe life into our core values.

Far too often, we read corporate statements that look great on a well-designed website accompanied by wonderful images. But rarely do these corporate values or mission statements come to life like they recently did for our colleague, Branson Rhaburn.

Branson’s house burnt down. The blaze consumed the entire structure, and nothing was left of his home. Faulty electrical was blamed for the spark that eventually led to the fire and there was nothing Branson could do – he was at work 50 miles south in Belize City as his home went up in flames in Carmelita.

News of Branson’s loss spread as quickly as the fire that destroyed his home. Soon, his colleagues in Belize City and Belmopan were talking about what they could do for him. This wasn’t surprising. In the past, they’ve come to the aid of colleagues who were facing mounting medical bills. When you’re fighting cancer or recovering from a tragic accident, paying bills is an unwanted distraction. They took that burden away and in Branson’s case, they went one step further.

They gave him a new house.

This is where our commitment to make a difference in the community came to life. Transparent BPO takes our four values – Clients, Quality, Transparency, and Community – to heart. We live them every day so it’s consistent with the attitude and attributes we look for when we recruit new members to join us. Our business decisions demonstrate a responsibility to consider the impact our actions have on our colleagues as well as taking steps that are in their interest – such as building a local transportation service providing our colleagues with a reliable option to commute to and from work. This way, they can save time and money by taking a Transparent BPO bus to work.

… when we help to lift a burden all of us can stand a little taller.

And this is how many of them met Branson.

He joined us in 2017 and has been primarily a bus driver for us. Anyone who rides one of our vehicles can expect to get a warm greeting from Branson, an offer of help, or a kind word from him. Management can always rely on him to step in to assist where extra hands are needed.

Shortly after the fire, an internal note circulated how to help Branson. A fund was initially established to help him buy some household items. Organizers didn’t expect to get enough to purchase a prefabricated house for Branson.

Management decided to match every dollar raised on a 2:1 ratio giving organizers almost $16,000 (Belize dollars) to work with. Our Accounting Manager, Wallace Usher worked with the government to get the sales tax waived. They understood the value of this cause. Once all the paperwork was completed, there was almost $2,000 remaining to help purchase fixtures for the kitchen and bathroom. And on a recent Saturday, Branson, his supervisor, Bert Manzanares, and Wallace waited patiently for delivery.

The house now sits on Branson’s property, not far from where his old home once stood.

A tragedy likes Branson’s fire illustrates the commitment we have to members of our community, whether it is the broad community where we live or the one we build for ourselves with friends, family and colleagues.

Our Transparent BPO family demonstrated that when one of us suffers, we all suffer. And when we help to lift a burden, all of us can stand a little taller.