Family | A Commitment to Family
The following content is part of the Interstates Culture Series, a writing collection explaining how our core company values were uncovered and what they mean to us. These posts from our leaders spotlight the culture at Interstates and share what it’s like to work within our organization, focusing on our values of Dependability, Integrity, Trust, Quality, and Family.
What Is Family?
Family can mean different things to different people, but I believe a true family is trustworthy, loyal, selfless and shows love and genuine care and concern for each other. Interstates’ core value of family centers on building a strong sense of community both at work and home. Your work team could be considered a family – you learn and grow together, building strong relationships and a support network. At home, we encourage our team members to prioritize their families – making time for them and strengthening these relationships.
What Does the Family Core Value Look Like at Interstates?
Over the years I have worked with Interstates, I have seen many great examples of work-family and home-family, but this last year’s worldwide events have been particularly impactful. In the last year, COVID-19 has affected many families’ physical, mental, and financial health and continues to challenge people in a manner that has never been experienced in our lifetime. Having a family-centered environment to help team members manage these times is essential.
Like many others, my family experienced COVID-19 directly. My mother ended up in the ICU for 47 days fighting for her life. We are so thankful that she’s back home, and now she is improving more and more each day. Throughout her stay in the ICU, we received countless thoughts and prayers from the Interstates family, and I cannot put into words how much that meant to my family.
It gave us great joy and encouragement to receive such support. I know there are many examples of how Interstates has shown their commitment to family. Many other teammates going through hard times have experienced and benefited from the same support and encouragement we felt.
Treating others as family creates an environment where people feel wanted and respected. It creates unity and trust. It’s more than a commitment to the company; it’s supporting your team through high times and low. I encourage readers to take the time to get to know their coworkers’ families, hobbies, etc. When you deepen your relationships at work, you can show genuine care for others and receive it in turn.