I’m Tresnae Ramsey and I’m the Program Leader for Employee Experience on our Community Operations team. My ride started back in 2015 when Uber was building its first Center of Excellence (COE) in Phoenix, Arizona. At the time, my experience consisted of supporting startup companies through office and event management and I hadn’t yet discovered my niche in the tech industry. With a love for human connection, problem-solving, and creating a fun inclusive environment, I knew Uber would be a great place for me to grow in my career. Though, I would have never imagined where this ride would bring me today.
During my first week at Uber, I remember asking my manager where they wanted me to begin. I had opened numerous offices for other startup companies and was waiting for someone to tell me how they wanted things to be done or a playbook they wanted me to follow. To my surprise, I didn’t get that and I loved it!
This was my first taste of true autonomy within a company; they trusted me. I was able to make decisions that would shape the culture of our office and work environment of our team. At the time, being a 20-something, African-American female in the predominantly caucasian state of Arizona, this gave me the confidence and validation I didn’t know I needed. I fully embraced it and hit the ground running.
I was given space to share my ideas and welcomed the opportunity to create employee programs and initiatives where I saw a need. Most importantly, the team at Uber was receptive and supportive of my vision as I brought it to life. This led me to create the Community Operations team’s first Employee Experience program team for the US and Canada, supporting an organization of 1300+ employees and has since provided a framework for similar teams to be scaled globally.
Along my journey, I had to overcome several challenges but in each instance, growth and change occurred. Uber fostered an environment to speak up and challenge situations that questioned our cultural norms or didn’t seem right overall. I learned to help garner inclusion by not only using my voice but actively listening to the needs of the people around me. In addition, I was able to build a sense of community and belonging at Uber through our Employee Resource Groups. They gave me the incredible opportunity to not only receive mentorship but also provide it for those seeking to find their voice at Uber as a minority and/or woman.
Today, some of my closest friends started out as colleagues at Uber who became friends, then eventually family—even when they decided to part ways with Uber and seek new opportunities. We encourage each other to be our authentic selves in a world where code-switching is the norm. We commit to uplifting the people around us as we rise in our careers. We see value in the community versus the individual. This is how I’ve grown in my career at Uber.
I invite you to be a part of this community with me. At Uber, you’ll work beside a team who listens and supports even the most elaborate ideas, who acknowledges you can’t move within a box, who encourages you to create your own path, and sees the value in being authentically you.
Uber put me in the driver’s seat of my career.
Publicado por Philip Graumann
