Case Studies

The Challenge

Headquartered in Basking Ridge, New Jersey, Verizon Wireless, a joint venture of Verizon Communications and Vodafone, has a workforce of 69,000 employees. When Kevin Russell was initially brought on as Training Manager he wanted to take a proactive approach to communicating policy and messages about appropriate business conduct and workplace behavior to all employees. He also wanted to improve employee relations issues and related challenges. After having already experienced the success of Civil Treatment® for Employees from implementation with his previous employer, he felt that it was the “logical choice” at Verizon Wireless.

The Approach

Verizon Wireless has worked with ELI® on a number of initiatives and training implementations since 1997. Initially the Civil Treatment for Employees program was delivered in only one region, which then became a champion for the program, fueling positive word-of-mouth testimony to the program’s effectiveness. As a result, the program was ultimately rolled out to all regions, and the company has been able to deliver a consistent message about expectations and training objectives rather than have multiple, potentially disjointed interpretations and perspectives at the regional level. Because Civil Treatment for Employees has been so successful, Verizon Wireless partnered with ELI to create a customized refresher course to reinforce key concepts and learning points about appropriate workplace behavior standards.

How the Learning Has Made a Difference in Appropriate Workplace Behavior Training & Standards

Having hands-on experience facilitating Civil Treatment for Employees, Russell shared his experiences with the program: “I personally train CTE and find that it is fast-paced without overwhelming people. There is a clear, concise, and practical approach to the training…the course applies to multiple settings and facilitation allows for flexibility in how it is trained.” In terms of results, Russell reports that his department receives “a lot of positive feedback from participants and those responsible for rolling the course out (e.g., HR and trainers). Key principles from the program have trickled into the culture, as you hear people referring to the Conduct Guidelines or general course concepts in the workplace.” Having one region serve as initial champion for the course also helped the initiative gain footing in the company and make a difference across multiple locations: “By showing that CTE works, you can use it to communicate a consistent message about behavioral standards throughout the whole company.”