It’s About People

Jonathan, Ernest, and Damarcus were on their route in Baytown, Texas, when they encountered what could have been a tragic event. They spotted smoke billowing from a home on fire – in a neighborhood they had driven through dozens – if not hundreds – of times before.

They exited the truck and alerted the residents inside, who had no idea there was an emergency. As the fire continued to overcome the house, our three employees helped three children escape to safety and cared for them until emergency crews arrived. Luckily, no one was hurt, although the house was a total loss.

Fires like this don’t happen every day on our service routes. Thankfully, they’re incredibly rare. What isn’t rare or unusual, though, is alertness for the safety of others … care for our communities … and a desire to always do what’s right, even when no one is watching. Those qualities are an integral part of our company’s culture. They are what our employees stand for, and what we continually strive for.

Now, we’re not in the business of saving lives or putting out fires. We manage recycling and waste - something you might not think too much about, but something we think about a lot – every day, in fact.

And we do more than think about it. Our employees think about what others ignore and then do the work that others are happy to leave to others, providing innovative, individualized solutions to big challenges and routine needs. At our core, we protect our environmental resources and help ensure a healthy, sustainable future for generations to come.

Our employees tackle the hard stuff, do the hard work, and they don’t shy away from anything …. the heavy lifting … the dirty work … or the most difficult environmental challenges. And in the process, our people are transforming our world and our children’s future.

I’ve worked for different companies, in different sectors. And I honestly believe there is something uniquely defining about the Waste Management team. I’ve given it lots of thought and tried to figure out the ‘special sauce’ that makes our employees so committed, so connected to their communities and customers they serve. 

And I think it comes down to this: We are a company of people who care about community to such a degree that we do the tough jobs – the work that’s easy to overlook. And we do it safely and for the good of our neighbors. People like our Baytown heroes. People like the dedicated employees featured in the video below – men and women who are experts in their respective disciplines – who build relationships of trust with those they serve.

And because of that, I see it as our responsibility as a company to care for them, to put them in the lead position in our strategic objectives for the long term. Because if we do the right thing for our people they’ll, in turn, do the right thing for all our stakeholders – our customers, our communities, our investors and our environment.

Thanks, Jonathan, Ernest, and Damarcus for your alertness. Thanks to every worker who strives to make Waste Management feel like family. And thanks to our communities for giving us a place to do business and a place to call home.