Small Actions Add Up to Big Results

By: Nicole Anderson, Director - Sustainability Activation

Nicole Anderson Director - Sustainability Activation

I have more than 240,000 coworkers at AT&T. There are a lot of us! Imagine how powerful it could be if all of us committed to doing one thing to improve ourselves, our communities or our company? That's the inspiration behind Do One Thing, or DOT.

With DOT, employees voluntarily commit to regular, measurable actions that are good for themselves, their communities and/or AT&T. These actions are encouraged to be simple from riding a bike to work to volunteering. My DOT, for example, is to bring my lunch from home in a reusable container three times per week. The idea is that such simple actions provide a starting point for a common understanding of what sustainability is and why it matters to both individual employees and to our business.

DOT is really catching on at AT&T, and results are starting to add up. For example, under the leadership of Steve Gray, our vice president and general manager in Oklahoma and Arkansas, DOTs helped AT&T save $700,000 annually by boosting the paperless billing rate for customers in the South Central region from 1 percent to 20 percent in a three month period! Internal operations are reducing paper use too thanks to DOTs.

Perhaps the most revealing numbers on DOT involve our employee volunteerism efforts to which many employees tied their DOTs. We saw a cumulative 17,800 hours volunteered in our communities as a result of Team DOTs. One retail store manager engaged store representatives to volunteer to teach seniors to use cell phones. The group built lasting community and customer relationships.

All of these DOT impacts make me proud to work at AT&T, but by far my favorite part of my job is recognizing Champions of DOT each year. These Champions stand out for their passion and leadership in making an impact in our company and community as a whole. We are so proud to honor the imaginative and innovative spirit shown by the winners. Our 2012 Champions of DOT were an inspiring group focused on recycling, public transportation, accessibility, and economic self-sufficiency.

• Kelah Krause, a logistics analyst with Supply Chain Operations, leads a Team DOT focused on recycling. They've generated big results! In 2012, her team diverted 250,574 pounds of loose cardboard and plastic from Dallas, TX's landfills. What is more, in addition to cutting their waste and carbon footprint, the team earned $5,312 from recyclable items and saved $43,554 in annual costs thanks to decreased trash pickups.
• Tomas Kyling, a lead product marketing manager in Business Marketing and public transit enthusiast, wanted to encourage his peers to take public transportation to and from work. He arranged a 40 percent group discount for downtown Dallas AT&T employees to use the Dallas Area Rapid Transit (DART) system. By the end of 2012, more than 280 employees have signed up. This DOT minimizes the employees' travel-related carbon footprint, avoids 140,000 gallons of gas and 3 million driven miles and saves $500,000 annually!
• Angelica Lambarri, a store manager in our Retail Sales and Services division, brought her store team to teach interested students how to use their mobile devices at a local senior center. In the last year, her team has helped more than 100 seniors learn how to use their mobile phones and tablets to text grandchildren and more. Angelica and her team ensure senior citizens feel comfortable and confident using technology to connect with their loved ones.
• Evie McGerr, a regional director of marketing, is committed to helping people recover from homelessness. How? She, along with AT&T employees in 10 cities, volunteer with Back on my Feet (BOMF). BOMF uses running as a platform for wellness to promote self-sufficiency and recovery from homelessness. Group runs are used a catalyst to help homeless men and women get "back on their feet."

The beauty of the Do One Thing concept is that employees all across our company are empowered to create their own DOT just like Kelah, Tomas, Angelica and Evie did. I can't wait to see how the program continues to evolve and make positive impacts in 2013.