Tale of homeless man hired by AT&T reinforces values, serves as employer branding

George Robey had fallen on hard times. Mistakes and bad judgment in his youth had led him to life on the streets. But Robey’s tale is one of redemption and determination, as described in an article in AT&T’s intranet magazine AT&T Insider—an article that’s taken first place in the “Best Feature Article (Digital)” category of Ragan’s 2016 Employee Communications Awards.

As explained in the piece, “George had scrounged a few coins together and had a little gas in the truck. He was driving along Highway 355 in Gaithersburg when he saw a bright orange sign that just seemed to call out to him. ‘I had long hair, scruffy beard—looking as rough as you could possibly imagine,’ George says. But he walked into that AT&T store in Gaithersburg Square, asked to speak to the manager, and uttered the three words that would change his life. ‘Are you hiring?’” 

The article recounts how hiring manager Yassir Querishe wound up impressed by Robey’s commitment. Eight years later, Robey still works in the store—he is now store manager after stints as assistant store manager and national account executive. Other parts of his life have turned around as well. 

Robey’s inspiring story is told with emotion and pride in AT&T Insider. It resonated with employees, earning 1,500 likes and 220 comments on the intranet. The story was also made shareable among the organization’s Social Circle, an employee engagement program through which AT&T employees share stories in their own social media channels. In just one week, external sharing resulted in 365 engagements and a reach of over 100,000. 

Congratulations to Matt Lawson for writing a compelling and motivational article.