Alisha Raynor was wrapping up a six-month contract role at Cox Automotive when the company offered her a position to stay on full-time. The timing couldn’t have been better.
“I became a full-time employee in March of 2020, so it was really good timing — finding a job when many people around the world were getting laid off in the middle of [the COVID-19 pandemic],” Alisha explained.
Five years later, she’s still loving her job as an HR operations coordinator at Manheim Atlanta, part of the Cox family of businesses.
Alisha said that in addition to getting a sense of job security amid the chaos of COVID, she’s also thankful for the many benefits Cox offers employees — especially comprehensive health insurance.
But just as significantly, Alisha also appreciates being part of a friendly, positive and caring culture, which was especially important when enduring such uncertain times.
“Management plays a huge part,” she said. “I love having the freedom to bring my ideas to the table, but also still feeling comfortable in reaching out to others for advice.”
The importance of diversity
One of Alisha’s lifelong passions has been learning about different groups and cultures, which is what led her to study sociology and anthropology in school.
“I’m big on diversity,” she explained, adding that Cox’s corporate programs for inclusion, diversity and equity have been a big draw for her.
For example, she’s joined several employee resource groups (ERGs), which bring together team members with similar interests. One of them, EmpowHER, offers a mentoring program for women, which Alisha recently joined.
Alisha was also recently accepted into Cox’s future leaders program, which takes a small number of applicants each term to help them develop business leadership skills. During the program, participants take a personality assessment, which helps them identify their working style, how to interact with each other and work together.
“It's really been beneficial to know that and better understand why I do things the way I do,” Alisha said.
Life beyond work
Alisha loves traveling and planning trips when she takes time off work.
One of her most recent international destinations was Greece. A little closer to home, Alisha really enjoyed visiting the state of Arizona.
“I went during probably the hottest time of the year, but it was beautiful in a way that you wouldn’t expect,” she said.
Not all her leave has been for fun adventures, though.
Last year, Alisha also took time off to care for a family member — she even had to leave work unexpectedly when an emergency arose.
“My supervisors were receptive and supportive; you don’t get that at a lot of places,” she said. “It's been nice to know you’re able to do what you need to do in life.”
That, Alisha said, exemplifies one of the things she appreciates about Cox as a company: its flexibility. It’s something she believes sets the company apart from the norm.
