Cochlear Customer Experience Supervisor presented with Patriot Award

Customer Experience Supervisor, Jessie Fast, was recently awarded a Patriot Award after being nominated by Lieutenant Dane Barnes, Chaplain Candidate and Cochlear Associate Customer Order Insurance Specialist. The Patriot Award reflects the efforts made to support citizen warriors through a wide range of measures including flexible schedules, time off prior to and after deployment, caring for families and granting leaves of absence if needed.

Lt. Barnes recently presented the award to his manager at a recent Cochlear America’s Town Hall meeting in front of all his peers.

“Jessie became the most outstanding supervisor I’ve ever had in terms of supporting my schedule – not just in granting all the needed time off, but in following up on my progress in the military to ensure that I was well. This included measures such as additional PTO being granted when she realized I might be working 12 days or more consecutively between Cochlear and weekend drill, or when she would schedule one-on-one meetings just to inquire about how training was going,” Lt. Barnes said.

“She went well above and beyond any expectations of an employer. She not only ensured I would have the time available for soldiery, but personally went the extra mile to help me meet all my readiness requirements. In that sense, I’ve regarded Jessie not just as an employer, but as a supporter of our national military’s missions.”

Fast was moved by Lt. Barnes’ nomination and proud to have him on her team.

“It has been such an honor to be nominated, let alone presented with such a noble award - an experience I will forever treasure. Dane is an exceptional addition to both our Orders and Insurance team as well as Cochlear as a whole,” Jessie said.

“His kind heart and diligent passion for patient advocacy has created quite a movement within our operations teams so much so, we have coined the term ‘providing the Dane treatment.’  It seems every day I find new reasons to be humbled and grateful for Dane and the wonderful minds at Cochlear that I have the privilege to work with. I look forward to further supporting our team, our nation and the greater Cochlear community within our journey together.”

Lt. Barnes is hoping to continue to nominate Cochlear for Employer Support of the Guard and Reserve and show what a supportive company can do for those who continue to serve.