Rapper, actor, author and activist Common talks about Black excellence during Black History Month

In celebration of Black History Month, the rapper, actor, author and activist shared his insights and experiences to help promote diverse narratives and find deeper purpose.

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“Gratitude is one of the things that can keep you positive. If you think about the things that you do have and just stay in that att … I was about to say ‘attitude,’ but I didn’t want to rhyme. But, to be honest, your gratitude will change your attitude!”

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Common laughed when he tried to stop himself from doing what he does best. But even when the rapper tries to downplay his talents, it seems his creative spark can’t be dimmed. Speaking via livestream to T-Mobile’s Executive Vice President of Customer Care Callie Field, as well as almost five thousand employee audience members, during the company’s virtual Talking with Trailblazers event in recognition of Black History Month, the hip-hop heavyweight’s excitement over the topic at hand was palpable through the computer screen.

“I love the thought and the mantra of ‘excellence in action,’” he said. “The more I’ve trained myself to think about keeping my mind on good things and recognizing that everything that we’ve experienced is actually there for us to be better. Excellence! In action!”

As the winner of an Academy Award and a Golden Globe in 2015 for Best Original Song in a Motion Picture for Glory, as well as numerous Grammys, the author of two memoirs admittedly knows what excellence feels like, and has dedicated himself to helping others understand its power through his social justice and advocacy work, focusing on mass incarceration, mental health and voting rights.

This Talking with Trailblazers installment is the latest in a <a href="https://es.t-mobile.com/brand/celebrating-diversity/black-history">series of companywide initiatives</a> to celebrate Black History Month and was organized with the help of the company’s Multicultural Alliance and Black Empowerment Network employee resource groups. T-Mobile also kicked off February with a <a href="https://es.t-mobile.com/news/community/black-history-month-2021">$2 million investment</a> in new scholarship, recruiting and business education programs meant to continue its commitment to Diversity, Equity and Inclusion. The donations focus on programs that serve students at Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs), aspiring diverse workers in the tech and telecom industries and Black small business owners.

Common had plenty of gems of wisdom to share during the hour-long conversation, topics ranging from the importance of mental and physical health while investing in your purpose to celebrating the incredible contributions of Black writers, musicians and artists and the meaning behind the Black Lives Matter movement, and the recent work of his own nonprofit organizations the Common Ground Foundation and Imagine Justice, dedicated to leveraging the power of art to advocate for communities and fight for justice and equality.

So put on your favorite soundtrack to set the mood — May we suggest starting with the first track on this <a href="https://open.spotify.com/playlist/66cWCIdzOlFhVSTOf5oNyC?si=5a0052157e794367">Black History Month-inspired playlist</a> created by the T-Mobile internal communications team? — and enjoy some invaluable takeaways from this important chat.

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1. Gratitude will change your attitude. “Gratitude is one of the things that can keep you positive. It’s better to think about the things that you are grateful for instead of worrying about the future or living in the past. It changes your mentality, so that’s how I keep a positive outlook and surround myself with positive people and positive energy. I try not to take in things — whether it's news, food, music — that darken my energy and my spirit.”

2. Self-care is a discipline, one that trains you to maintain discipline in all areas of life. “As a young man, I really didn’t have any health awareness besides exercise. But, at a certain point, I realized that certain things weren’t good for my life. I started caring more and focusing more towards taking care of myself from a diet perspective. Applying discipline to one area of my life helped me feel more powerful. I felt like I had more control of myself. ‘Oh, I have the power to not do these things. Instead, I can use that power to create these other things.’ I recognized that going into the studio after I stopped eating certain things, my voice was clearer. Now I eat a healthier diet. I drink water. I work out. I go into the booth and make sure I do vocal exercises. I pay attention. I strive for a lifestyle of wanting to love myself and a lifestyle of wellness. If you take care of yourself, it shows up in every other aspect of your life, no matter what you’re doing.”

3. The head holds the secret to what the heart wants — mental health is as vital as physical health. “We all go through some stuff. Everybody. I don’t care how divine, how great, talented, successful, whatever attributes you have that are blessings and incredible. You still go through things. You still go through what we feel as human beings. It shows up in fears, shows up as ways that we are afraid to get close to the other individuals, or ways that we actually channel our own pain on to other individuals or even onto ourselves. Ways that we are not able to love ourselves as much. Sometimes we just don't know the reason why some of these things are happening. Sometimes we know we are doing it and still don’t know why we want to do it. My goal is to be the best human being, the best child of God, I can be, every day. That entails not only the physical things, but the mental and emotional. In fact, I don't care how physically well you are. If you’re not nurturing your mental wellness, you will never live to your full capacity and live a full, happy life. So, I made a decision when I saw myself repeating certain things. After all the great books that I’ve read, and the self-help books, and still continuing to build in my spirituality, I felt like one of the avenues to explore was therapy. If you have something going on physically, you go to the doctor. So why not have that type of support for your mental well-being? It’s proven to be one of the greatest gifts for me in this lifetime.”

4. Live a life of purpose, each and every day. "I asked myself this question the other day: If I never had to worry about money again, what things would I still do? I would still create music. I would act. I would be doing activism work. Some things within your purpose will end up being your profession, and you can express your purpose through your profession — and some won't. But things that you love to do are still in your purpose, your life’s work. The great Kahlil Gibran wrote in the book The Prophet, “Work is love made visible.” Work is love made visible. You want to make sure that you’re doing things that are aligned in that purpose. And it takes us time to discover what those things are. Write it down, think about it. What you’re doing every day, is that falling under your purpose in some way? How are you putting some time in your day towards your purpose? It’s okay if you don’t know it at this moment, but it is important to put attention and focus into finding it.”

5. Celebrate Black culture by continuing to grow its areas of prominence and influence. “Yes. I'm a Black artist and I love Black artists. I love celebrating Black art, whether it’s Amanda Gorman, or whether it’s this bass player and singer named <a rel="noreferrer noopener" href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Thundercat_(musician)" target="_blank">Thundercat</a>. Whether it’s <a rel="noreferrer noopener" href="http://www.isaiahsharkey.com/" target="_blank">Isaiah Sharkey</a> or <a rel="noreferrer noopener" href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/SZA_(singer)" target="_blank">SZA</a>. It could be <a rel="noreferrer noopener" href="https://lsimpsonstudio.com/" target="_blank">Lorna Simpson</a>, who’s a visual artist, or <a rel="noreferrer noopener" href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mahershala_Ali" target="_blank">Mahershala Ali</a> or <a rel="noreferrer noopener" href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Erykah_Badu" target="_blank">Erykah Badu</a>. I celebrate Black art, and it’s not a labor to celebrate it, because it’s such beautiful work and incredible work, and work that has changed the world. It has influenced the world and it continues to evolve. Celebrating Black excellence doesn’t downgrade or diss anyone else. It’s not a slight to anyone, it's not putting any other nationality or culture down. It’s just celebrating our culture and who we’ve been in this world. It’s important that we do that. It’s important that we celebrate ourselves as individuals and celebrate where we come from. It’s very important to acknowledge those things. And not only from the artist perspective, let’s make sure we continue to have Black people and other minority groups in places of decision-making in the corporate world, too.”

T-Mobile Newsroom

In celebration of Black History Month, rapper, actor, author and activist Common shared his insights on excellence in action.

5 Tips To a “Common” Sense Approach | T-Mobile Newsroom

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5 Tips To a “Common” Sense Approach

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It goes without saying that 2020 was a year unlike others in recent memory for so many reasons, not least of which is the sheer number of severe weather and natural events that have impacted — and at times devastated — communities across the U.S. The 2020 hurricane season alone shattered records, producing 31 named storms (a typical season produces around 12 named storms). During those times, it's critical that people maintain connectivity to friends and loved ones, and equally important that governments, emergency management workers and first responders have ready access to communications so they can continue to serve communities in the aftermath of an incident. That’s where T-Mobile’s Emergency Response Team (ERT) comes into play to provide temporary connectivity solutions when other critical connectivity is lost due to an emergency situation.

Part of T-Mobile’s Technology Service Delivery & Operations organization, the ERT addresses needs of specific types of customers when an incident occurs that affects connectivity, working closely with the Emergency Management Team (EMT) and <a href="https://es.t-mobile.com/news/community/dealing-with-disaster-season-2020" data-type="URL">Community Response Team</a> (CRT). While EMT serves T-Mobile’s consumer customers after a natural event, ERT’s customers range from government and public safety entities to humanitarian organizations and local school districts, in addition to law enforcement and fire rescue; the team’s work is integral and felt far beyond the immediate community they’re stationed in.

In 2020, an incredibly active disaster season and COVID-19 response meant the T-Mobile ERT was deployed over 50 times in response to wildfires, tornadoes and hurricanes. And though disaster response is hard work, members of the team wouldn’t have it any other way. “When you’re in the field and you see damage, destruction, loss of life and loss of property and you’re able to witness the resources that you bring to bear affect people’s lives — that’s what is the most motivating and rewarding thing being a part of the Emergency Response Team,” says T-Mobile Business Development Manager Rodney Cooper.

Cooper began his career in the telecommunications industry in 2001 with Nextel Partners, which was later acquired by Sprint. Along with Business Development Manager Casey Muilenburg who started at Sprint in 2004 after 16 years serving in the Armed Forces, they are now both a part of the newly combined T-Mobile, and their core mission and responsibilities remain the same. “T-Mobile’s Emergency Response Team is responsible for providing deployable equipment and infrastructure to make sure the responders and businesses impacted by or supporting an event have communication support for their mission and community support,” says Muilenburg.

Cooper credits his nearly 20-year career in the telecommunications industry and experience developing relationships and understanding local and state public safety communications for preparing him for his role on ERT. “I joined the telecom industry just three months prior to 9/11,” says Cooper. “I found my passion working with government, and more particularly public safety.”

For Muilenburg, it’s his years he spent in the military — four years in the Marine Corps, 12 years in the Air Force Reserves and two combat deployments to Iraq — and prior account management experience that he says has had the most instrumental impact in preparing him for this important work and understanding the needs of government and business.

And despite a combined 35 years of telecoms experience and history between them, 2020 was one for the books. “This was one of the busiest years we have ever had,” Cooper says. “It was non-stop since March.”

In August, after <a href="https://es.t-mobile.com/news/community/hurricane-marco-and-tropical-storm-laura">Hurricane Laura</a> struck the Louisiana Gulf Coast, causing some of the worst devastation the U.S. saw during this past year’s hurricane season, the ERT was in regular communication with local government entities and organizations leading public safety initiatives, and coordinating efforts to get <a href="https://es.t-mobile.com/news/community/emergency-response-equipment">Cells on Light Trucks (COLTs) and Cells on Wheels (COWs)</a> with temporary cellular service solutions and satellite data to impacted areas. This included partnering with a nonprofit organization to help three rural schools in Lake Charles, LA that had to pause classes after they lost connectivity in the wake of Hurricane Laura. The ERT also provided loaner mobile phone devices and hotspots to the school district’s administrative staff.

Cooper recalls when a derecho (a storm akin to a tornado that moves in a straight line; the word means “straight ahead” in Spanish) swept across Iowa in August 2020, causing devastation and loss of communications due to downed infrastructure; three Des Moines area Disaster Recovery Centers — natural disaster community resource centers that provide essentials — in particular were in need of connectivity in order to support residents impacted by the storm.

Cooper arranged for a SatCOLT (Cells on Light Truck with a satellite built into the vehicle) and routers to be brought in that would provide LTE connectivity and access to the T-Mobile network. “Because of how closely we work with our Emergency Management Team partners, we were able to direct equipment they already had in the area to support those three Disaster Recovery Centers for two to three weeks to provide the community much-needed connectivity,” says Cooper. “Once people had access to communications, they were able to talk to loved ones, file insurance claims, request assistance from FEMA, request assistance from the state or do their online banking.”

During 2020’s West Coast wildfires, including the summer CZU Lightning Complex Fires in San Mateo and Santa Cruz counties, the team delivered connectivity to hundreds of displaced evacuees who were transported in RVs to a local church in Soquel, CA with a SatCOLT, and were able to put up another cellular bubble of coverage around the building itself. “They also didn’t have any wireline services there, so we brought in a flyaway satellite kit and put up another WiFi network so that not only T-Mobile customers had a way to communicate, but anyone with a device regardless of carrier could communicate out,” says Muilenburg.

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In September, when the Holiday Farm Fire was blazing in McKenzie Bridge, OR, the blaze burned through the local fiber, causing loss of all service for miles. After an area government agency reached out to T-Mobile requesting internet and cellular service support, Muilenburg worked to deploy a SatCOLT — particularly critical for a nearby medical facility — and coordinated 30 pre-lit devices be dropped off at the community grade school.

Because of these efforts, “the medical facility was able to start triaging and processing patients in the area and the kids were able to go back to school to start learning and get back to some normalcy,” says Muilenburg. “We also supported first responders in the area who would stop by so they could communicate out. That's the true benefit of what we do. We provide them a way to communicate so that they can go out there and do what they need to do to save lives, save assets, save a house, put somebody back in a better spot than they currently are. And that's why I do it, because I know it makes an impact."

In a year that was anything but predictable, the ERT’s mission never ebbed or waned. “One of the things that Cooper and I always focus on is trying to make the process easy for our customers because they are not only worried about communications, but also multiple other things,” says Muilenburg. “We make the process simple, but our solutions are robust so we can expand and be able to support them as necessary during an event.”

“When we talk about the mission of T-Mobile’s ERT, that’s what it’s all about,” says Cooper. “Making a difference.”

For more about how T-Mobile prepares to respond to natural disasters to help keep our customers connected, click <a href="https://es.t-mobile.com/news/network/tracking-historic-weather-conditions-with-stormgeo">here</a> to learn how the company tracks weather conditions.

T-Mobile’s Emergency Response Team (ERT) provides temporary connectivity solutions when other critical connectivity is lost due to an emergency situation, as seen during the brutal 2020 disaster season.

In a Challenging Year, T-Mobile’s Emergency Response Team Focused on Making a Difference When It Mattered Most | T-Mobile Newsroom

In a Challenging Year, T-Mobile’s Emergency Response Team Focused on Making a Difference When It Mattered Most

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The popular TV fitness guru joined T-Mobile for its Talking with Trailblazers guest-speaker series to offer his expert advice on keeping mentally and physically healthy during the pandemic.

As we prepare to turn a page on an incredibly eventful year, we could all use a little extra self-care along with our 2020 reflection. In that spirit, T-Mobile’s EVP and Chief Communications Officer Janice V. Kapner greeted health and fitness guru Bob Harper to discuss everything from healthy eating habits to achieving a balanced lifestyle. Well known for his many years starring on “<a href="https://www.usanetwork.com/the-biggest-loser">The Biggest Loser</a>” — which found a new home on the USA Network this year — the longtime trainer is also a three-time New York Times best-selling author.

The conversation was part of the company’s <a href="https://es.t-mobile.com/news/community/trailblazer-takeaways-ibram-x-kendi-on-being-an-antiracist" data-type="story" data-id="31675">Talking with Trailblazers</a> guest-speaker series, in which T-Mobile’s executive leaders invite the country’s best and brightest to join them and employees (Harper drew more than 3,100!) to discuss topics that matter. For Harper, helping people stay mentally and physically fit as the pandemic stretches on was top priority, and shared a major event that threatened not only his health, but his life.

“It was the scariest time of my life,” he said of the 2017 incident. “In my mind I was the picture of health. I worked out every single day. I took care of myself. I did all the things that I was supposed to do, and what I preach to people. So, imagine my shock when I woke up in a hospital two days later, being told that I not only had a heart attack, but I had gone into cardiac arrest. They had put me in a coma in the hospital to try to protect my brain because they did not know exactly how long I was without oxygen.”

His recovery was an inspiration to many, and his redoubled commitment to not only his own wellness but that of others includes his work with <a href="https://www.survivorshaveheart.com/">Survivors Have Heart</a>. Here we share some of Bob’s insights on how to live a happy and healthy life — poignant and perfect advice as we look toward the new year.

The best workouts are the ones that make you happy. “In this time of COVID, where a lot of gyms are not open and there’s social distancing, I feel like there are so many great ways to work out with all these apps that are out there that you can work out successfully in the privacy of your own home. There is no one way to work out. There is no one perfect way of working out as long as you are in some way getting up and moving around and working up a little bit of a sweat.”

It’s important to be honest — and open — about your feelings. “Like many, I have been dealing with depression during this pandemic. But being able to reach out to the people in my life and being able to look at them on my phone or on my computer and make that connection when I cannot be around them as much as I would like to has been very helpful for me. I’m a big believer in expressing what you’re feeling, and I don’t put on a happy face. I’m not the person that is going to just be like, ‘Everything is great, everything is rosy!’ If I’m having a really crappy day, I am going to allow myself to feel that and push through those emotions as opposed to pushing down those emotions.”

Use your better days to pay it forward. “We are with ourselves so much right now, and we have very little control over our external world. But it’s important to remember and engage with those things outside ourselves we do still have control over, like making connections with my friends to help break up their isolation as well. I think that is really super important, and whatever it is that you can do to just put a smile on somebody’s face, it will make you feel better, too. It’s that ripple effect that I try to think about all the time.”

Surround yourselves with people who encourage you. “You have to surround yourself with people that share your same goals, because they’re going to be your support group. We live in a world of social media, and you can find different outlets to reach out to people like you, whether you’re trying to lose weight or trying to not eat sugar or drink alcohol. Whatever it is, I think it’s important to find like-minded people to keep your motivation up. You have to find your tribe. Whether it’s weight loss, fighting addiction, beating back depression, it is so hard to do it on your own. When you have someone to lean on — and they can lean on you — you’re going to come out ahead.”

At the end of the day, don’t forget to just take care of yourself. “I try to eat as cleanly as possible now, because I know that it’s going to make me feel better, and I really do believe that if you eat cleaner and more sensibly during this time, you’re going to feel better overall. I used to think for the longest time that I could work out on a bad diet, and I learned that’s not the case. I’m also a big believer in sleep. That’s the fountain of youth, and I really try to get my eight hours every night. You put your diet and your exercise along with sleep and stress management, and when you put those pieces together, you’re going to be the best you that you can possibly be.”

Fitness guru and "The Biggest Loser" host Bob Harper shares his insights on how to live a happy and healthy life as part of the company’s Talking with Trailblazers guest-speaker series.

New Year, New You: “Biggest Loser” Star Bob Harper’s Tips for Fighting Fatigue and Prioritizing Wellness | T-Mobile Newsroom

Año nuevo, vida nueva: sugerencias de la estrella de "Biggest Loser", Bob Harper, para combatir la fatiga y darle prioridad a tu bienestar

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T-Mobile addresses the challenges women are facing in a COVID-19 remote world with a nationwide virtual panel discussion of employees.

“We are seeing it in the chat, people saying ‘I’m drowning, I’m struggling, I’m overwhelmed.’ I’m sure we have all used that language in one way or another.”

Maxie McCoy, <a href="https://es.t-mobile.com/news/community/expert-maxie-mccoy-on-how-work-will-never-be-the-same">a women’s leadership expert</a> and author of the book You’re Not Lost, took a moment to address the comments flooding in from more than one thousand people logged into T-Mobile’s new “Intersections” speaker series that was held recently. The virtual program was created by the company’s Women’s & Allies Network (WAN) as part of its latest renewed Diversity, Equity and Inclusion efforts after its merger with Sprint earlier this year, which skyrocketed the WAN group’s membership to over 17,600.

El objetivo del evento era explorar de qué manera las identidades de los empleados (y las realidades actuales) determinan sus experiencias laborales. And the premiere topic, “Women and Working from Home: How to Prevent Downshifting,” clearly struck a chord with the audience. While the network had previously been focusing on creating career development opportunities for hundreds of employees through dozens of events nationwide, the term “downshifting” suddenly became a common obstacle after the COVID-19 pandemic forced many employees to work from home. Suddenly, it became less about being aware of available opportunities and more that they felt unable to take them.

Women have been forced to pull unsustainable double shifts since March, and it's reflected in labor numbers this year. Since February, women’s participation in the labor force <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2020/11/17/business/economy/women-jobs-economy-recession.html?action=click&module=Spotlight&pgtype=Homepage">has been falling</a>, with <a rel="noreferrer noopener" href="https://www.bls.gov/news.release/empsit.t01.htm" target="_blank">4.5 million fewer women </a>employed in October than a year ago, compared with 4.1 million men. And with mothers being <a href="https://www.mckinsey.com/featured-insights/diversity-and-inclusion/women-in-the-workplace">three times more likely</a> to stay home than fathers, businesses being shuttered by the pandemic isn’t the only reason for those unemployment numbers.

“These circumstances are taking an unprecedented toll on women,” said McCoy, who referenced other staggering statistics from a recent report created by McKinsey & Company called <a href="https://www.mckinsey.com/featured-insights/diversity-and-inclusion/women-in-the-workplace">“Women In The Workplace 2020”</a> that are hard to ignore.

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Downshifting can be characterized by an employee’s decision to stay in a lower-paying job, accept less prominent roles or leave their employment altogether. Historically for women it’s been the natural result of a lack of affordable childcare solutions. That reality was <a href="https://www.theatlantic.com/business/archive/2015/11/daycare-world-war-rosie-riveter/415650/">noticeably paused during World War II</a> when women were needed to replace jobs left by men fighting overseas and a federally subsidized network of childcare facilities was established. It’s been a long time since that aid ended, and <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2020/11/17/business/economy/women-jobs-economy-recession.html?action=click&module=Spotlight&pgtype=Homepage">recent post-pandemic labor numbers</a> show the risk of downshifting now weighing most heavily on low-income and minority women, especially in the service industry.

And for many of those women who aren’t dropping out in other fields, like the panelists in T-Mobile’s virtual event, that downshift is revealing itself in the way they and their female colleagues show up to work — not raising their hands nor actively taking a seat at the table as a means of survival until this pandemic passes.

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“There is an opportunity for those unofficial mentorship spaces,” said Nathasha Smith, a Customer Care Closed Loop Manager who moved from a call center in Virginia to working from home with a teenage son in remote school, when asked how she’s leveraging the perks of a virtual work environment to combat the risk of isolation. “There’s an opportunity to have a conversation with new people or get support from someone even if they don’t realize they’re helping me in a space I might need – that’s the allyship I see.”

“Inclusion relies on allyship and success partners in the workplace,” added Shwetha Kamala, an IT Vendor Manager. “We have regular check ins to ask how we can help each other with our own unique challenges. It helps to ask for help. It helps to say I am overwhelmed.”

The panel discussed how leaders, teammates and allies can specifically support women within T-Mobile by sharing their tactics to solve the problems they face:

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If there were a motto that rang true for all the women on the panel, employees of diverse backgrounds and roles within the company, it would be that work-life balance during the pandemic is a fallacy at this point.

Many women commonly reference an <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2020/11/17/business/economy/women-jobs-economy-recession.html?action=click&module=Spotlight&pgtype=Homepage">inequality in the household and childcare responsibilities</a>, which, when faced with the closing of childcare centers and a move to remote schooling, begets an inequality in the workplace.

Mothers are more than <a href="https://www.mckinsey.com/featured-insights/diversity-and-inclusion/women-in-the-workplace">three times</a> as likely as fathers to be responsible for housework and caregiving during the pandemic. It’s required women to create arduous individual solutions to solve structural problems. According to the Census Bureau, a <a rel="noreferrer noopener" href="https://www.census.gov/library/stories/2020/08/parents-juggle-work-and-child-care-during-pandemic.html" target="_blank">third of working women</a> suddenly unemployed in 2020 said they downshifted because of child care demands. As schools shuttered earlier in the year in an effort to flatten the curve, most families were saddled with finding affordable care for kids glued to their school’s e-learning schedules at home. When that couldn’t happen, far fewer men cited having to make the difficult decision to choose family over career. Only 12 percent of unemployed men in the same age bracket to be exact.

And the divide isn't just being widened between the genders. <a rel="noreferrer noopener" href="https://www.fastcompany.com/90581275/why-flexibility-may-be-the-least-helpful-thing-a-company-could-offer-a-working-parent-right-now" target="_blank">Since June</a>, job growth for married women has decreased by 0.3 percent, while job growth for single women has increased by 7.6 percent.

“We as a country typically think that for some reason, individual caregiving is just a personal issue because someone decided to have a family or decided to have kids, but that is just absurd,” said McCoy. “It’s a social problem. And the health of our families and health of us directly impacts the health of an entire society.”

The panelists, who agreed that leaving their jobs would not even be a viable economic option for them, admitted the only way they feel they could maintain their lead roles in the home and the home office was to normalize the daily mixture of the personal and professional with their entire teams. There’s no hiding one from the other during neatly separated hours. They had to exist in parallels during the day.

“Interestingly, when my kindergartener was in another room when I was in a meeting or if my infant was being handled by my husband, my mind was constantly wondering what was happening,” said Kamala. “What I’ve observed is having them in the same room as me while I was working put me more at ease than having them outside. I think it’s about setting this expectation with my team that, ‘Hey, this has got to happen. These two lives are going to blend for me.’”

And if a work-life balance doesn’t exist anymore, it means things will feel off-kilter at any given moment without warning, and that can be incredibly vulnerable for anyone. The number of hours that <a rel="noreferrer noopener" href="https://www.fastcompany.com/90581275/why-flexibility-may-be-the-least-helpful-thing-a-company-could-offer-a-working-parent-right-now" target="_blank">parents lose each work day</a> due to stress, anxiety and caregiving is estimated at 3.1.

“It’s like a rubber band, and sometimes we need to focus more on work and sometimes more on life,” echoed Nelly Pitocco, VP of Solution Engineering and Innovation at T-Mobile for Business. “The key is not to break that rubber band.”

Not breaking the rubber band takes a lot of effort and is having a palpable toll on the mental health of other women still trudging on. All panelists agreed that if you can’t establish boundaries between work and life right now, you’ll need to find a way to create a new space that you can still control. Often that space comes in the form of practicing self-care.

“It’s taking moments for yourself and creating those new lines of separation to find a moment to breathe, like by taking a walk,” said Pitocco.

Many of the panelists admitted this was difficult for them as it might feel counterproductive to completing an already overloaded day.

“I would say that with all of this change happening, the thing I had to change was self-care,” said Smith. “It has to be intentional. Things that were just for me that I could enjoy and allowed me space to be by myself.”

One particularly concerning part of the <a href="https://www.mckinsey.com/featured-insights/diversity-and-inclusion/women-in-the-workplace">McKinsey Report</a>, McCoy pointed out, warns that the COVID-19 crisis could set women back half a decade if companies aren’t addressing the likely underlying causes of stress and burnout.

It’s something that Pitocco says she takes very seriously. As a VP, she believes it has to start with leaders acknowledging that employees may want to follow through with their professional trajectory, but at this moment in time would be doing so at the risk of their mental and emotional wellbeing.

“I had a situation recently where I’m integrating two teams, I have the solution engineering and architect team … and with integration efforts underway, I launched a field advisory council. We sent out the call, ‘Hey, we need some volunteers to do this. It’s a stretch assignment. It’s a good opportunity to give visibility.’ And I hate to report that I didn’t have any women volunteer.”

Pitocco says she was immediately concerned. As a VP with two teenage sons in remote school under the same roof, she knew that the burnout she experienced was being felt by her female reports. Announcing a council of all men was foreboding of the risks at play in this new normal.

“I did not go back and ask them directly because I didn’t want to exert that pressure, but I checked on them,” she explained. “Every now and then I’ll just send an email or a call to one of the women on the team … just so they know that they have support and I can’t expect more from them right now because, honestly, maybe they just don’t have it to give.”

It’s a tactic that Debby Roseman, a Senior Planning Manager in Customer Care, said can make all the difference in how many women wind up leaving their jobs. It's an example of how women business leaders, many of them working mothers, <a rel="noreferrer noopener" href="https://www.fastcompany.com/90581275/why-flexibility-may-be-the-least-helpful-thing-a-company-could-offer-a-working-parent-right-now" target="_blank">are leading the way</a> by recognizing there is no true "return to work" for women whose children are still at home. As someone who also cares for her two special needs children and octogenarian parents, Roseman says burnout is always at the doorstep.

“I’m going to be really honest,” said Roseman, “there are times when I’m just like, ‘I don't want to get out of bed today.’ I just want to stay there … but on my team I know when one person doesn’t have the strength, there are other people filling in to kind of lift them up. So, when you’re talking about reaching out to your teammates, the women on your team who might be struggling, there is nothing more important that a leader can do than to provide that understanding and the space needed and the resources needed in that moment.” 

It’s an observation supported by the hundred-plus comments that flooded the chatbox during the panel discussion, many of which pinpointed a need for support systems women say are necessary in order to navigate a difficult new normal without putting their professional roles on the back-burner.

“I am a single mother working from home with two elementary students working virtually and really struggling with the blur of work and life.”

“I am the only woman on my team, and sometimes I also feel a sense of guilt because I am the only one on my team that is obviously experiencing ‘burn out.’”

“I am so grateful for these panelists. I literally felt alone.”

“I’ve been in this meeting for like 10 minutes and I’m getting teared up.”

“Thank you all for your transparency. It helps us to know that we are not alone.”

Last year T-Mobile signed a groundbreaking, multi-year, $25 million investment and partnership with civil rights organizations to deepen its diversity, equity and inclusion efforts in every aspect of its business. As part of the agreement, T-Mobile formed an external Diversity and Inclusion Council comprised of business and civil rights leaders to advise the company in their DE&I efforts. Of the more than 80,000 employees at the post-merger T-Mobile, 30,000 participate in the company’s DE&I Employee Resource Groups which focus on building inclusive and allied spaces for all employees.

And the company’s inclusion efforts are charting a path forward with panel events like this one.

“Knowing we are not alone in how we feel can be cathartic and, in this case, opened the door to supporting each other by sharing tips and strategies beyond the hour-long virtual panel and onto Slack,” said Pitocco after the event. “I hope we will continue the conversation. Sometimes lending an ear can make all the difference.”

By actively exploring ways to open up the dialogue towards understanding differences, a clearer light is shined on the ways T-Mobile says it can support people experiencing a disproportionally negative affect from this pandemic. In fact, 24 percent of the company’s Women & Allies Network are men. Take a closer look at that chatbox for the event and you’ll find them reacting as well.

“Thanks for letting me listen. I learned a lot today.”

“It’s so beneficial for me to hear and learn from everyone’s perspectives. Helps me be the best support for an equitable and inclusive environment. Thank you to this entire panel for sharing your experiences and stories. This has been so valuable.”

“I’ve learned so much from listening to this discussion!”

“This is so powerful, thank you!”

McCoy says though the realities of how this pandemic is affecting people differently based on their unique backgrounds can feel insurmountable, there are lessons to be learned here on <a rel="noreferrer noopener" href="https://nam02.safelinks.protection.outlook.com/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fdocs.google.com%2Fdocument%2Fd%2F1KoQIrlePawyi12-vfzTy_vC6017AIsxfU6yYl_G4jB4%2Fedit%3Fusp%3Dsharing&data=04%7C01%7CShawna.Ryan16%40t-mobile.com%7Cd0885d7c5e824932544608d88b8072d7%7Cbe0f980bdd994b19bd7bbc71a09b026c%7C0%7C0%7C637412731084256408%7CUnknown%7CTWFpbGZsb3d8eyJWIjoiMC4wLjAwMDAiLCJQIjoiV2luMzIiLCJBTiI6Ik1haWwiLCJXVCI6Mn0%3D%7C1000&sdata=IlFDTRG%2FqbZ46Gz5faKrmQ0nqDVoiPHdn6%2B7hPeE42w%3D&reserved=0" target="_blank">h</a><a href="https://maxiemccoy.com/2020/12/4-lessons-for-how-to-keep-going-tmobile-downshifting/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">ow to keep going</a> in the face of these obstacles. While the pandemic has exposed a weakness in this country concerning how we support women — especially caretakers — it’s companies like T-Mobile that are taking intentional actions to open the dialogues to expose and then address those inequities that are setting themselves apart from the pack. By shedding light on those differences for others to learn how they can be better allies helps remove the stigma felt by those who are hiding their burnout — a burnout they can’t solve alone.

“Intentional employers are filling the void as best they can,” said McCoy after the event. “Ones who see their employees as more than employees — as humans — and have made the choice at every turn to open up hard conversations, provide resources and see these challenges for what they are: really, really, really, challenging."

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T-Mobile's new "Intersections" speaker series is a program created by the company's Women's & Allies Network (WAN) as part of its latest renewed Diversity, Equity and Inclusion efforts after its merger with Sprint earlier this year. El objetivo del evento era explorar de qué manera las identidades de los empleados (y las realidades actuales) determinan sus experiencias laborales. El tema principal, "La mujer y el trabajo desde casa: cómo evitar bajar la marcha", realmente se hizo eco en la audiencia.

Women and Working from Home: How To Prevent Downshifting | T-Mobile Newsroom

La mujer y el trabajo desde casa: cómo evitar bajar la marcha

T-Mobile’s new “Intersections” speaker series is a program created by the company’s Women’s & Allies Network (WAN) as part of its latest renewed Diversity, Equity and Inclusion efforts after its merger with Sprint earlier this year. El objetivo del evento era explorar de qué manera las identidades de los empleados (y las realidades actuales) determinan sus experiencias laborales. El tema principal, "La mujer y el trabajo desde casa: cómo evitar bajar la marcha", realmente se hizo eco en la audiencia.

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With your help, on this Giving Tuesday T-Mobile can give back more than ever and feed 15 million hungry people in need.

However you may have celebrated Thanksgiving this year, I hope you were able to spend the holiday with some degree of positivity and hope for brighter days in the future. Let’s face it — 2020 has been a beast… and we are not through it yet, so looking forward is critical! This year’s holiday season already feels different for everyone, with pared-down gatherings or no gatherings at all, plus feelings of isolation, significant economic strain, and even heavy hearts for ill or lost family and friends. Frankly, this year millions across the country may struggle to celebrate at all.

Even before this extraordinary year, as many as 34.5 million Americans didn’t know where their next meal would come from. Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, that figure has skyrocketed, and as many as 50 million people could face food insecurity by the start of 2021 — including 17 million children. I’ll say it again, because it deserves to be reiterated: 17 million children and as many as 50 million people across the country face the prospect of no reliable access to food. Imagine navigating this global pandemic and not knowing where your next meal is coming from! Or how to feed your children! Pile that into the holiday season and it’s not a surprise that so many are struggling to find any holiday spirit this year. Plus, people facing hunger often struggle with other basic needs as well, things like housing, employment and health care. Those gaps, even without a pandemic, often lead to generations of food insecurity for families. It can create a vicious cycle.

So… more than one in five Americans at risk. Our neighbors. Our friends. Our family. It could be any of us at almost any moment. Our fellow citizens need our help, and I’m proud to work for a company that is stepping up to help.

T-Mobile une fuerzas una vez más con Feeding America® para ayudar a los bancos de alimentos de todo el país que están trabajando incansablemente para satisfacer las crecientes necesidades de esta temporada festiva. On Nov. 13 we launched the #CaptureKindess campaign, which included our biggest donation goal to date — we aspire to give up to 15 million meals to support Feeding America’s® mission to end hunger this year. And we’re inviting customers, friends and employees to join us in helping to conquering hunger. I promise you, it’s easy!

For every act of kindness shared on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram now through Dec. 4 with the hashtag #CaptureKindness, T-Mobile will donate $10 to Feeding America®, with a minimum donation of $100,000 — and a maximum of up to $1 million dollars. What sort of act of kindness? You’ll know it when you see it, but it can be big or small, planned or spontaneous… it really doesn’t matter. Just take a minute and be kind (or capture someone else being kind and inspiring you)! We are already seeing charitable donations, folks checking on elderly neighbors, paying for a stranger’s coffee… every good deed counts! With every dollar donated helping secure and distribute 10 meals, we can give up to 10 million meals supplied by Feeding America®.

And TODAY, on Giving Tuesday, we are taking things a step further! For every T-Mobile customer who clicks on the Feeding America® donation option in the T-Mobile Tuesdays app, we will donate $1, up to $500,000. It’s another chance to donate up to 5 million more meals!

And the goodness doesn’t stop there. Because T-Mobile employees are passionate about giving back to their communities, the T-Mobile Foundation is giving each of our fulltime employees $20 to contribute to the charity of their choice. AND T-Mobile Foundation will match employee donations 2:1 (up to $750,000) today through Dec. 31, 2020.

I understand people think that just one person can’t be the difference when it comes to deep and complex issues like hunger, especially when you stare at a number like 50 million. But that couldn’t be further from the truth!

I’m a movie lover, and during the holiday season I tend to pull out the classics… including It’s A Wonderful Life. Some themes run true throughout the years… and this movie captures the ripple effect we can each have in life… and that we can create in the world around us. Just as George Bailey’s guardian angel reminds him in the film, “Strange, isn't it? Each man's life touches so many other lives.”  It really is the little things that so often matter!

That’s what #CaptureKindness is all about. So, I hope you’ll get involved! The campaign runs through Dec. 4, 2020, which means there are only a few more days to help T-Mobile and Feeding America® deliver 15 million meals to Americans who need them most.

This year is like nothing we’ve seen in our lifetimes… so please take a moment to consider how you can help others this holiday season. I don’t want to sound cliché but believe it or not each of us really can make a difference. It just takes a few minutes of kindness from each of us — and maybe some encouragement to our family, friends and coworkers too. Let’s #CaptureKindness together!

T-Mobile une fuerzas una vez más con Feeding America® para ayudar a los bancos de alimentos de todo el país que están trabajando incansablemente para satisfacer las crecientes necesidades de esta temporada festiva.

From Gratitude to Generosity | T-Mobile Newsroom

Gratitud y generosidad

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As Veterans & Military Families Month comes to a close, a new T-Mobile employee shares her experience being married to the military, and how she found a support system inside the company.

Last year, I got married in a library three weeks after I got engaged. Before you think this was a choice to be eclectic and hip, let me explain.

My husband is an active-duty Special Operations soldier in the Army. Planning the big wedding we wanted around his shifting responsibilities of team training and permanent change of station (PCS) date was impossible. We tried again for this coming summer — hoped, really — but found out he would be deployed through the following fall.

We have been together since graduating college in 2017. I supported him when he enlisted in the military and embarked on the daunting journey of basic training, followed by an extensive two-year training course, the first year of which we were only able to speak sixteen weeks out of the twelve months.

I’ve learned that many partners who have married into the military endure challenges that may be hard for other spouses to relate to. My husband’s commanders recommended he not get into a serious relationship when entering his training course — oops, he was a little too late! — due to the time commitment and lack of communication, but no one can truly prepare you as the spouse for the obstacles that will become normalized in your everyday life at home.

It’s why many people often say, “Military spouses serve too!” In almost every practical sense, I’ve committed myself to the military life as well.

My husband is away right now, in fact, and I’m not allowed to know the details of what he’s doing because it’s confidential. Our first anniversary is this month, and we won’t be able to spend that milestone moment together.

My biggest worry when entering a military relationship was that I was no longer going to be able to keep my independence, especially career-wise. I worked so hard to earn my master’s degree and chase my own career goals, but with the military, you never know where you are going to end up. My husband is set to be stationed every four to five years, and that could be anywhere.

According to the <a href="https://www.defense.gov/Newsroom/Releases/Release/Article/2091431/dod-releases-military-spouse-licensure-report/#:~:text=Military%20spouses%20face%20a%2024%25%20unemployment%20rate%2C%20much,in%20large%20part%20by%20the%20mobile%20military%20life.">U.S. Department of Defense</a>, military spouses have faced an unemployment rate of 24%, much higher than the general population, due to the many obstacles of constantly relocating a career. Add in COVID-19, and that number continues to rise.

We recently relocated from the East Coast to Washington state for my husband’s first post, and I quickly learned that employers are wary of hiring someone who isn’t “local” or “reliable” and some military spouses recommended I not disclose my husband’s occupation. But something changed when I happened to find a job opening with T-Mobile and applied. Instead of skepticism, I was greeted with gratitude and a willingness to accommodate remote working. Thankfully, I got the gig and even received an email from our CEO Mike Sievert thanking my husband and me for our service.

During my application process, I found out that T-Mobile pledged to hire over 10,000 veterans and military spouses by 2023, offering excellent benefits made specifically for the military, plus child-care assistance and health care.

I was lucky to find such an accommodating employer and colleagues, but I also learned that the <a href="https://es.t-mobile.com/responsibility/community/military?icid=MGPO_TMO_U_20MILAPRMO_705AZU6Z07OZUXK8K20563">T-Mobile Military & Diversity Sourcing team</a> accelerates military hiring efforts and provides additional support, going above and beyond to steer veterans and spouses in the right direction when looking for their next career moves. T-Mobile también está involucrada con más de 100 comunidades militares de todo el país y, antes del COVID, asistía a más de 100 eventos de contratación en todo el país cada año.

Keeping up with the changes in the world and adjusting to our current virtual reality, T-Mobile partnered with <a href="https://www.hiringourheroes.org/">Hiring Our Heroes</a> (HOH), which finds meaningful employment opportunities for service members, as well as the <a href="https://www.hiringourheroes.org/military-spouses/amplify-military-spouse-career-intensives/">AMPLIFY</a> military spouse hiring program. HOH also provides a platform for military spouses to connect nationally through the <a href="https://www.hiringourheroes.org/military-spouse-professional-network/">Military Spouse Employment Network.</a>

Other partnerships include the <a href="https://www.usa.gov/federal-agencies/u-s-department-of-veterans-affairs">U.S. Department of Veteran Affairs</a>, to enable real-time healthcare via a video chat, and <a href="https://fourblock.org/">Four Block Online</a> to provide service members and spouses online access to career readiness programs.

On my first day at the company, I was added to the Slack channel “Veterans & Allies Network,” which is a community of over 12,000 T-Mobile employees who seek to increase awareness around veteran culture and encourage veterans and spouses to lend their perspectives.

It’s been almost four years since we became part of the military, one year that we’ve been married, nine months since we arrived in Washington and forty days since he’s been away on his latest assignment.

Are there difficult days when I wish that my husband was home safe and focused on our family consistently? Of course. But it is also an amazing feeling to know that my husband is working with his unit, training with allied countries to help those in need around the world. Both of these things can be true and coexist in my life.

And when I need someone to lean on while my husband is away, I know that I have my new and ever-growing military spouse community and allies at work. That’s a first anniversary gift I never could have imagined.

El equipo de Contrataciones para la Diversidad y las Fuerzas Armadas de T-Mobile aumenta los esfuerzos para contratar personal militar y ofrece apoyo adicional para guiar a veteranos y cónyuges en la dirección correcta para realizar sus próximas elecciones profesionales. T-Mobile también está involucrada con más de 100 comunidades militares de todo el país y, antes del COVID, asistía a más de 100 eventos de contratación en todo el país cada año.

Navigating Life as a New Military Spouse | T-Mobile Newsroom

La vida como cónyuge de un miembro de las fuerzas armadas

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What’s the news: In coordination with Nevada Attorney General Aaron D. Ford and his office, T-Mobile has launched its new Apprenticeship Program. The Un-carrier has hired its first 10 participants for roles on the Care team at its Las Vegas Customer Experience Center and virtually on the Technology team—and is already making plans to expand the program into more states and areas within the company.

Why it matters: T-Mobile’s Apprenticeship Program is creating amazing career opportunities for diverse talent to learn new skills through hands-on experiences. Participants earn while they learn, gain skills and experience that open up amazing career opportunities and get access to the Un-carrier’s world class benefits.

Who it’s for: Anyone with a passion to learn new skills and be a part of the Un-carrier’s workforce of the future.

Bellevue, Wash. — November 19, 2020 — Today, T-Mobile announced that it has successfully launched its new six-year Apprenticeship Program in the state of Nevada. Created in coordination with the Nevada Attorney General's Office and the Nevada Governor's Office of Workforce Innovation and the Nevada State Apprenticeship Council, the program has already filled ten paid apprenticeship roles on its Care and Technology teams, including seven at its Customer Experience Center in Las Vegas. By the fourth year of the program, T-Mobile will select 15 apprentices annually for Nevada-based opportunities and intends to use the Nevada program as a model to expand the apprenticeship program in other states as it builds a workforce that is best positioned to serve consumers and expand the company’s leadership in the 5G era.

The apprenticeship program, an example of the real benefits T-Mobile’s merger with Sprint has created for consumers across the country, resulted from discussions with Attorney General Ford, and his Nevada Bureau of Consumer Protection. For 12 months, T-Mobile apprentices learn new skills through 144 hours of hands-on experience, performing important work at T-Mobile in highly skilled roles. The apprentices receive nationally recognized training and classroom instruction credentialed through the U.S. Department of Labor, and partner with mentors and receive step-by-step coaching from their manager.

“T-Mobile has always made it a priority to grow and develop a diverse workforce because there are tremendous benefits all around! This new Apprenticeship Program that we’re kicking off in Nevada will be the model for our future nationwide program, creating meaningful opportunities for diverse talent who will play a critical role in driving our Un-carrier success,” said Deeanne King, T-Mobile’s Chief Human Resources Officer. “Nevadans have everything we’re looking for to kick off this program - diverse backgrounds and perspectives, a passion for creating a great customer experience, and an eagerness to learn new skills. We thank Attorney General Ford and his team for their leadership, and we’re excited to see the positive outcomes from this program!”

“I couldn’t be prouder of the efforts of my office that have resulted in opportunities for Nevadans and other states around the country to obtain jobs and learn valuable skills through a structured apprenticeship program,” said Attorney General Aaron D. Ford. “T-Mobile has demonstrated a commitment to Nevada consumers that extends beyond just lower prices for products and services. When my office presented the idea of an apprenticeship program, T-Mobile embraced the opportunity and I am pleased to see its early and long-term success.”

T-Mobile Apprentices join a company that has consistently been featured on national, regional and state “Best Place to Work” lists year after year—more than 70 national and local workplace awards in 2019, including recognition as a great employer for parents, diversity, women, Hispanics, LGBTQ and more. In addition to great pay, T-Mobile employees are eligible to receive the company’s outstanding benefits, including health coverage, college tuition assistance, a childcare subsidy benefit, paid parental leave and adoption/surrogacy benefits. They will also have opportunities for career development and management preparation.

Find out more about T-Mobile’s career opportunities on the T-Mobile Careers <a href="https://es.t-mobile.com/careers">site</a>.

About T-Mobile T-Mobile U.S. Inc. (NASDAQ: TMUS) is America’s supercharged Un-carrier, delivering an advanced 4G LTE and transformative nationwide 5G network that will offer reliable connectivity for all. Los clientes de T‑Mobile reciben una calidad inigualable por su dinero, una firme obsesión por ofrecerles la mejor experiencia de servicio posible y un dinamismo indiscutible para disrumpir el mercado y así crear competencia e innovación más allá del ámbito del servicio móvil. Con sede en Bellevue, Washington, T‑Mobile presta servicios a través de sus subsidiarias y opera sus marcas emblemáticas, T‑Mobile, Metro by T‑Mobile y Sprint. Para obtener más información, visita: <a href="https://cts.businesswire.com/ct/CT?id=smartlink&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.t-mobile.com%2F&esheet=52321646&newsitemid=20201106005342&lan=en-US&anchor=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.t-mobile.com&index=7&md5=69f49b59c279f5e231e1966f993f5cda">https://es.t-mobile.com</a>.

In coordination with Nevada Attorney General Aaron D. Ford and his office, T-Mobile has launched its new Apprenticeship Program.

T-Mobile Rolls Out Apprenticeship Program Offering Industry-Leading Career Opportunities to Nevadans–and Beyond | T-Mobile Newsroom

T-Mobile Rolls Out Apprenticeship Program Offering Industry-Leading Career Opportunities to Nevadans–and Beyond

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As National Disability Employment Awareness Month draws to a close, I want to talk about how important it is to acknowledge and celebrate — all year long — the countless contributions of America’s workers with disabilities. And with a son who was physically impacted a few years ago by a severe skiing accident, along with a cousin who is Deaf, I have a personal connection to disability. Through them and others, I recognize the challenges that exist for these individuals and the incredible value that they can add to any company’s team.

I read a really compelling stat that underscored how untapped the disabled workforce is: If just 1 percent of the <a href="https://www.accenture.com/_acnmedia/PDF-89/Accenture-Disability-Inclusion-Research-Report.pdf#zoom=50">10.7 million working-age people with disabilities in the U.S.</a> who are available to join the workforce started jobs, the influx would boost America’s GDP by a massive $25 billion! Here’s why: Disability drives innovation.

Think about it. People with disabilities conquer hurdles every day that other folks might never consider. Transitan por un mundo que no está necesariamente diseñado para ellos y para hacerlo, utilizan una combinación de creatividad, agilidad, resiliencia, perseverancia y voluntad de experimentar. That makes them natural, intuitive innovators who companies like Microsoft, IBM, Salesforce, Dell and many others have attracted through dedicated “ability hiring” initiatives. In fact, companies that qualify as “champions” on the <a href="https://nam02.safelinks.protection.outlook.com/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fdisabilityin.org%2Fwhat-we-do%2Fdisability-equality-index%2F2020companies%2F&data=04%7C01%7CJonathan.Zwickel1%40T-Mobile.com%7C15a4c4c59669456da10708d87170db81%7Cbe0f980bdd994b19bd7bbc71a09b026c%7C0%7C0%7C637384076822331550%7CUnknown%7CTWFpbGZsb3d8eyJWIjoiMC4wLjAwMDAiLCJQIjoiV2luMzIiLCJBTiI6Ik1haWwiLCJXVCI6Mn0%3D%7C1000&sdata=0PoxnXmSfpkbcpE23GsWDNC59ZFKMJxB0nwb4HkpzWI%3D&reserved=0">Disability Equality Index</a> — meaning they are committed to strengthening the bridge between business and the disability communities — achieved on average 28% higher revenue over a four-year period, double the net income and 30% higher economic profit margins.

T-Mobile is one of those Diversity, Equity and Inclusion champions because we encourage our employees to bring their unique differences to work every day. And, by the way, this makes good business sense. Those differences make us collectively smarter, stronger and more customer-centric. As persons with disabilities are <a href="https://nam02.safelinks.protection.outlook.com/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.dol.gov%2Fagencies%2Fodep%2Fpublications%2Fstatistics&data=04%7C01%7CJonathan.Zwickel1%40T-Mobile.com%7C15a4c4c59669456da10708d87170db81%7Cbe0f980bdd994b19bd7bbc71a09b026c%7C0%7C0%7C637384076822321598%7CUnknown%7CTWFpbGZsb3d8eyJWIjoiMC4wLjAwMDAiLCJQIjoiV2luMzIiLCJBTiI6Ik1haWwiLCJXVCI6Mn0%3D%7C1000&sdata=hLbnxPNB8s2POmoRpfHFMs4LTe3HO7aW1XlUvxb1ck8%3D&reserved=0">the third-largest market segment</a> in the U.S. after Hispanics and African Americans, we need to have a workforce that understands, reflects and support their needs. This is where our amazing group of 11,000 employees who are part of our <a href="https://es.t-mobile.com/careers/culture-and-benefits/diversity">Accessibility Community at T-Mobile, or ACT</a>, comes in. These employees — some with disabilities, others who are friends, family or allies of those with disabilities — remind us of the doors that open when we’re inclusive.

This is foundational to our culture at T-Mobile, just as it was at Sprint for many, many years. In fact, this year Sprint Accessibility, a team that develops, markets and distributes communication products and services for customers who are Deaf, DeafBlind (Deaf and Blind), have hearing or vision loss or cognitive, speech or mobility disabilities, celebrated its 30-year anniversary! Impressive, especially when you consider that the Americans with Disabilities Act — the landmark decision that mandated that states provide reasonable services and accommodations for people with disabilities — is the same age.

Many employees of what is now the <a href="https://es.t-mobile.com/responsibility/consumer-info/accessibility-policy">T-Mobile Accessibility</a> team following our merger are themselves people with disabilities — employees like Ken Arcia, a customer relations manager for T-Mobile. Ken, who is Deaf/Hard of Hearing, provides accessibility solutions to customers and state agencies in Arizona, Nevada and North Dakota. He also showcases T-Mobile’s products for those who are Deaf/Hard of Hearing at trade shows around the country. And Hannah Defelice, a Blind/Low-Vision customer relationship manager who herself is DeafBlind. They are proud to share their stories with the wider world, Ken as a frequent guest speaker at schools and colleges and Hannah as a paratriathlete.

Empleados

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