This week in my weekly internal message to our teams I’ve posed a question. We are experiencing extraordinary times where heroes are emerging. So, who should we call a ‘hero’?
The Webster's dictionary defines the hero as "a mythical mythological figure, often with extraordinary qualities, with extraordinary powers and abilities, an invincible fighter with rare nobility and courage."
Whether real or fictitious, heroes are those who expand your sense of what’s possible. Heroes help us become a truer, better version of ourselves. They demonstrate inspirational qualities and help motivate those around them. Heroes respond to adversity with generosity and selflessness.
Heroes like Lucie Pavlíková (photo), from TP in Czech Republic, who has been sewing masks for her elderly neighbors, health care professionals and colleagues at Teleperformance. She recognized a need for help and became a hero to those in need.
Marieke Smidt, our Work-at-Home Chief Operations Officer, personifies the heroic challenge faced by many new moms in our organization now learning how to care for an infant during a global pandemic, when it’s customary to have help from family and friends.
Nonetheless she rose to meet the challenge, working countless hours, day and night plus weekends, to help achieve our global goal of 150,000+ work-at-home employees by the end of April. This is 66% of our workforce and plays a critical role for keeping our entire employee community safe.
We could talk also about our own ‘Avengers’, because often times heroes come in groups. Our IT team at TP in Kosovo, for instance, worked for fourteen consecutive days, with no rest, just to ensure our employees could work from the safety of their homes.
They demanded more of themselves than others would expect, defying difficult times to do what they believed to be right by moving more than 550 people to work-at-home in record time.
Heroes are people like our colleague Pavlína Mojdlová, partnering with her boyfriend to build shield masks with their 3D printer, and distributing them to their community for free. In less than a week, they provided more than 80 masks to local medical professionals. And, with the support of friends and Teleperformance colleagues, production runs continuously, without interruption, so they can continue to help even more people!
This list goes on, and on. We’ve seen countless examples of ordinary people doing extraordinary things to help others during these unprecedented times.
These people are not heroes because of celebrity status, social position or job title. They are heroes by example - through their actions and the positive, selfless way they’re choosing to live their lives. They are heroes because they recognize this is a time when investing extra effort, and going the extra mile, can help others.
In all modesty, we are very fortunate at Teleperformance. We feel it is both our privilege and our duty to make contributions like those I’ve shared. And I’m humbled by many other, similar examples of this where our Teleperformance family can make a difference for those around them.
So, along those lines, I would also like to take this opportunity to specifically recognize our front-line heroes helping to deliver essential services. Your commitment, dedication, and discipline have played a critical role in maintaining business continuity, -- a shared priority with far-reaching economic consequences. It is our duty to support you in this important endeavor and we’ll keep following the directions of global health guidelines and local governments in an intensive effort to keep YOU safe. We all feel honored to support you, and those you continue to help each and every day. You are making a real difference in people’s lives when they need it most.
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