We celebrate the differences that make us unique all year long, but we’re taking this time to highlight coworkers who are members and allies of the LGBTQ+ community. Adam S., Assistant Branch Manager in Rincon, Georgia, wants new employees and candidates to know that you will be supported personally and professionally at Enterprise, “no matter your piece of the diversity puzzle.”
What initially attracted you to a career at Enterprise?
I was interested in Enterprise because I always had a passion for cars. Even from a young age I could identify features on cars, so I was excited to work in an industry with vehicles. I started with Enterprise as a service agent/car prep while I was still in college. It gave me good visibility into what the Management Training Program looked like because I worked with Management Trainees every day. When I spoke with them, I liked how they described the fast environment and upward mobility. Also, coming from a region that wasn’t very diverse, I was attracted to the diversity of the Enterprise employee population, and that everyone had the same opportunities for success.
Why do you enjoy working for Enterprise?
I thrive in a competitive environment. I graduated from college in August 2019 and joined the Management Training Program. Six months later I was promoted to Assistant Branch Manager.
Also, I appreciate the community that I’ve built with my colleagues and coworkers, and peers from other branches in the area. Just from working at Enterprise, I have friends all over that I wouldn’t have had an opportunity to meet any other way.
What has surprised you most about working at Enterprise?
How much support there is, both professionally and personally. When people ask me if I was nervous about my coworkers finding out I was gay, the truth is I was. I definitely asked a lot of questions of friends in the Management Training program before I applied. I wanted to make sure that my sexual orientation wasn’t going to hinder my career, and everyone assured me I had nothing to worry about.
When did you come out at work, early or late in your Enterprise career? Why is it important for you to be out at work?
I came out a little later in my career. I didn’t call a meeting or anything, it just seemed like everyone figured it out. For a while I made sure to speak in subtle tones about a significant other. One day, something came up and I had to take a few days off to support my boyfriend. When it came up at work no one even flinched.
At the beginning of my career I was so nervous, because I wasn’t sure how my being gay would be received. But as I progressed in my career, I wanted new employees and potential candidates to know that everyone is welcome – no matter your piece of the diversity puzzle. Everyone is given the same ability to progress and be supported at work.
Do you have any LGBTQ+ role models at work?
I do. I met McKinsey W., a Branch Manager in our downtown Savannah location, for the first time at a golf outing for top performers – we were paired in the golf cart. That was my first month with the company, and she and I have been great friends ever since. She has excelled in her career and I look up to her and how she interacts with others.
How does Enterprise support LGBTQ+ employees and allies?
I really think it’s just that they don’t treat you any differently. There’s no negative connotation to being gay whatsoever. Recently the Supreme Court passed a federal protection for LGBTQ+ workers, which is great. But it’s never anything I worried about with Enterprise, because Enterprise wants to make sure you’re doing your job, taking care of customers, staying profitable and taking care of employees. I have always felt supported in and out of the office.
How have your perceptions of Enterprise changed since COVID-19?
I definitely think Enterprise stuck as firmly as they could to our Founding Values and wanted to make sure they took care of us. Now that business is coming back, we have been bringing employees back as quickly as possible. I still have the same faith and belief in the company as when I first started.
What didn’t we ask that you’d like us to know?
As cheesy as it sounds, just be yourself. There’s no reason to hide any part of you, your orientation or how you live your life. Everyone is welcome. For new employees and future candidates, I want them to know not to be afraid, and to just be you. Also, you’re going to make great friends at Enterprise. Some of my best friends are people I currently work with or have worked with in the past.
