Joey Rodriguez

I come from a very Christian religious family and grew up in San Miguelito. With this been said, it was very tough for me to come out of the closet to family and friends, especially at work. When I came to Foundever, I was about to come as hidden (gay oculto) but as soon as I read the contract of this, I read the part that says ”You will not bother, attack or show any harassment to employees for their race, religion, or sexual orientation.” I felt amazing knowing that the company was behind me and protecting me. As time passed, I was succeeded in my metrics and in hitting the bonuses. I even won the “never miss” bonus that you get for not being absent for 6 months. I received wonderful kudos and always made my customers from the evening shift proud. I opened up about my sexuality with my staff and never ever felt hatred. My supervisor asked me how I am doing. My manager always tells me ”Joey, if there is anything we can do for you, let us know.” I am known for being a hugger, from our receptionist at the front door to the project manager to supervisors and agents, I always hug them. I spray my Victoria’s Secret and Bath and Body lotion and Britney Spears perfume and no matter men or women, they always tell me ”Joey, you smell so good ” and I hug them leaving that scent of happiness and positive energy.

In late 2016, they detected cancer in my father and my manager approved a part-time schedule since he was living in Chorrera. Many times I cried and I had the shoulder and kind words from the people at work that I call family. The manager even asked to come to the funeral when he passed away. The manager, Teo, told me, ”Joey, how many days you need?” I have received the biggest support from this company and my loyalty is reflected in my surveys, in my attendance and in my performance. I shared my kudos and numbers, I earned the respect of my supervisor of letting me take care of shift when he is not around. He held a cheesecake contest, which I won several times, he had to split metrics in order that a second person has cake. I feel very honored to work with my supervisor, Vicente Drummond asking me how my boyfriend is, how I am feeling and every time he does side by side he is pushing me to do better. When I slack or I start being lazy he can see it right away and he coaches me and I get back on track.

I am really blessed to be working with the best supervisor from Foundever 2018, a title he earned at the Foundever Christmas party. I even took a picture when he won that, he was so happy to add it on Facebook. I’ve proved that being gay does not make me less than anybody. That I am still capable of being a top performer of this team, getting kudos, doing the metrics and following procedures. I am competitive and very thankful for the opportunity that Foundever has given me. I am proud of being gay.

My gratitude, these 4 years I have been in this company, this second family and my other home has shown me love and I love them back. I have never been disrespected, judged since I believe in respect and manners. I believe in the power of the words “Please and thank you”. They opened doors for me. I came into this company with a bad credit report (in APC) and I was able to fix it with all of the bonuses I earned here. I paid off my loan with Financiera el Sol. I also had amazing birthday parties here. My supervisor gave me flowers on Valentine’s Day 2018 and my co-worker in 2019.

Finally, thanks for allowing expressing my experience with Foundever and management for having such a great team that treats you as an equal. Again, I never felt down here. I know calls are stressful, but at the end of the month, my sup and Manager know and will tell me that I did an amazing job. I know with a smile, positive energy, a hug and manners you can change the world.

At Foundever, we don’t just promote diversity, we embrace it! In honor of International Pride Month, we’re celebrating our uniqueness by sharing stories of pride, inclusiveness and daring to be different.