Imagine you’ve just had your house painted.
The painters have come and gone. You’re embracing the vibrant new color and opening the windows to air out the paint fumes. And then, a few days later, you get a surprise knock on your front door. You open the door and to see a representative from the painting company. This employee asks you about your experience, gets your feedback on the painters who serviced your home and even performs an inspection to ensure that you are 100 percent satisfied.
That, in a nutshell, is Anthony Crocker’s job. And he loves it.
We’re not talking about painting houses in Anthony’s case, of course. We’re talking about his role as a senior quality assurance support technician at Cox Communications in Warwick, RI. Of the many responsibilities of his job, the primary one is performing inspections of work completed by Cox’s field technicians to ensure that customers’ experience isn’t just to their satisfaction, but far exceeds their expectations. It's a role that requires attention to detail and commitment to excellence.
In his 23 years at the company, Anthony has experienced many career moves, shifting up and around Cox’s organization in a journey that included positions as a call center representative, field dispatcher, sales representative, solutions store representative, field technician and his current role in quality assurance.
“It still amazes me that I started when I was 18 and am now 42, which means I have spent over half my life working for such an amazing company,” Anthony said. “What has kept me here at Cox is the culture and the people. I have met some amazing people who have become great friends and part of my extended family.”
In fact, Anthony’s network of friends at Cox played a crucial part in supporting him on an important journey. The decision to come out is a deeply personal one for LGBTQ+ individuals; and when Anthony decided to tell his team that he was gay, he felt embraced and supported.
“When I got the courage to come out to my team, they accepted me with open arms,” Anthony shared. “I never feared that someone would find out I was gay and judge me based on that. I can come to work and be open. There are many things I love about working at Cox – such as the amazing opportunities I have had to learn all aspects for customer delivery – but my favorite part is being able to be ‘me’ at work.”
Anthony supports other LGBTQ+ employees and allies at Cox by being an active member of the Pride employee resource group (ERG). He also is active in his community. He’s volunteered at the Boys & Girls Club, provided warm meals to displaced individuals in Newport and regularly completes yard work for a neighbor who has a disability. During the lockdown of the COVID-19 pandemic, Anthony spent most of his free time volunteering for a local non-profit that was focused running errands for elderly and homebound individuals.
Whether he’s ensuring quality work for our customers, celebrating his fellow employees or strengthening his community through volunteerism, Anthony's authentic, giving spirit is the perfect example of what life at Cox is all about.
