At our recent One Quest team meeting, we had the privilege of hearing from guest speaker Ayanna Anis, whose story of relocating from Atlanta to Los Angeles and finding a home was both enlightening and thought-provoking. Ayanna shared her personal experiences and some of the challenges she faced as a woman of color navigating a new city. She emphasized how her Quest program manager Claudia Castillo not only understood her family’s unique needs but also went above and beyond to ensure they found a neighborhood that aligned with their cultural and lifestyle preferences.
Ayanna’s testimonial resonated deeply with everyone in attendance, highlighting the importance of cultural sensitivity and representation. Ayanna’s positive experience with Quest underscores an important aspect of providing support, paying attention to not only what is said but also what is unspoken. This requires Quest to provide a higher level of care and emotional intelligence (EQ) when supporting relocating employees and families. It was also interesting to discover that some relocating employees may hesitate to share their needs with full transparency, for fear of being perceived as difficult or overly demanding. This is often due to the assumption that the destination services company has been hired to act on the employer’s behalf.
Following Ayanna’s presentation, our team engaged in deep discussions on how we must ensure we truly understand the needs of the diverse employees and families we support. This meeting was not only a testament to Ayanna’s experience but also a call to action for our team to continue striving for excellence. This discussion was a milestone on our team’s journey toward providing meaningful inclusive relocation support. We will always have learning to do, but thanks to Ayanna we are well on our way…