Support Through Service: Alex Shares His Story
Support Through Service: Alex Shares His Story
At Panasonic, we are dedicated to supporting members of the military community and their families. Whether you are actively serving, a veteran, or a military spouse/partner, we recognize and thank you for the sacrifices you have made. During Veteran’s Month, we are reflecting on the contributions of our actively serving employees, who have to be ready for deployment and assignments at any given time.
Meet Panasonic’s Alex Janeiro, who joined the U.S. Air Force in 2016 to serve his country and community. His year not only consisted of basic training, but it was also his junior year of college, his first year of serving as a member of the Air National Guard, and coincidently the same year he joined us here at Panasonic as an intern.
Today, Alex is a member of our HR team and works as a Coordinator of Talent & Organizational Development. Below, he shares his experience as an active member of the New Jersey Air National Guard.
Having a military member, retired or active duty, on your team brings a new perspective and diverse lens to the table.
I found three similarities between my roles in the National Guard and at Panasonic: attention to detail, dealing with ambiguity, and collaboration. We are taught in the military to never leave someone behind and I bring that to Panasonic. Anytime I see a colleague or employee struggling, even if I do not know them, I try to show support in any way I can.
Whether it’s fighting the same mission during an active duty drill or working towards the same goal at Panasonic, collaboration and support are key to success. During the COVID-19 pandemic, I was assigned to a testing site for two months. My manager and team were quick to adjust to my workload and check in with me periodically while I was away. It made me very proud to be a part of this team and comforting knowing my work was not being stilted because of my commitment to my country.
As someone who is currently serving, I think there is oftentimes a fear that your managers or leadership team will not provide you with the flexibility needed or think that you’re stepping away from your job because it’s less important, but at Panasonic I was able to have those conversations to help my team understand more about what I do, why I do it and how I’ll find that balance.
For many people, their military identity is a big part of who they are as a person and allows for them to bring fresh perspectives and different experiences to the table in a professional setting.
Being in the military taught me to always put my best work forward, while being able to adapt to new and unfamiliar things. This can mean taking on additional responsibilities, mentoring a fellow military member or starting a new project. Especially when you are early on in your career, being able to experience as many new things as possible will only help you grow and develop new skills. Make that leap by building your network and get your feet wet in as many areas as possible. Be a lifelong learner.
Learn more about our Business Impact Groups and how our employees can champion diversity, equity and inclusion here.
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