The VTS team consists of folks with a diverse set of personalities, talents, and perspectives, and we want you to meet them! That’s why we’ve created this #WeAreVTS blog series to highlight some of the many outstanding people we have at VTS, get a closer look at the dynamic lives they have, and continue to create an environment where each VTSer can be their authentic self.
For our next employee Q&A in the series, we’re introducing you to Miranda Francois, our Workplace Experience, Events Coordinator. Miranda has been with VTS for over two years now, and we can’t wait for you to get to know her!
VTS: In a sentence or two, can you explain what you do here at VTS?
I’m the Workplace Experience, Events Coordinator. I mostly plan events, ranging from wellness activities to speaker series, happy hours to workshops and also our annual Kickoff events — activities that keep the team connected and engaged with one another. After planning hundreds of virtual events over the last two years I’m getting to plan more in-person events, which is very exciting!
VTS: Where are you based right now?
I’m based in Queens! I’ve wanted to live in New York since I was nine years old. I first visited with my family as a child, and I remember eating at four places before noon. I thought to myself, “this is so great. All New Yorkers do is eat, walk around, and people watch,” which is exactly what I wanted. So I moved here four years ago and every day since has been a little bit of a dream come true.
VTS: Describe your professional journey and how it led you to VTS.
I had just graduated from Penn State in 2018, and one of my best friends needed a roommate in New York. I didn’t have a job at the time, but I still took the opportunity. I interviewed at a few places before getting a job in TV production, where I worked for a year and a half. I absolutely loved it, but I really didn’t love the schedule. It didn’t take me long to see that I couldn’t see my future in television.
So I left and joined a temp agency, which is how VTS first came to my inbox. They had a temp position for an office coordinator role, so I took the interview and truthfully, it was one of the best interviews of my life - it was so fun! So I got the temp job and two weeks later, was taken on full-time. Then, a month later the world shut down. So, I’ve been working remotely at VTS ever since, and it’s been about two years now.
VTS: What did a typical weekend used to look like for you? And what does it look like for you now?
In the midst of COVID, I definitely spent a lot of time catching up on sleep. Now that things are getting better, I’ve been going out more and it’s been really cool.
By Thursday, I’m usually planning what I’m going to eat over the weekend. Where am I going to eat, what am I going to make at home, who am I seeing? I like to keep my weekends very social and food-focused! There are so many amazing spots to eat, so I’m just trying to hit them all up.
VTS: What’s a moment that made you proud to work at VTS?
There are honestly so many moments, though one does stand out. During my third week at VTS, I had a one-on-one where I first learned about our values at VTS: Be Customer-Obsessed, Strive for Excellence, and Take Ownership. As the company was growing, Nick wanted to add a few more values for us to embrace at VTS. Rather than going to the leadership team and just coming up with one, he went to Dr. Jena Booher, our company psychologist, who’s still with us today. Jena hosted nearly 20 small-group meetings, talking to everyone at the company to get their input. At the end of the day, the team came up with Move as One, Be Curious, and Appreciate the Difference as our additional values.
I love this story because it didn’t matter if you had just started that week or if you’ve been with the company since day one — you were still a part of this process. And I think this inclusive spirit is something that we continue to embody to this day.
And if you go to our New York office and go to our game room, you’ll see the post-it notes from those initial brainstorm meetings. I love that this history is still a part of our office.
VTS: What was your dream job growing up?
I really wanted to be an author. I was a Creative English minor, so writing has been a part of my life for a really long time. I also wanted to be an artist. I also wanted to be an actor. I called it triple-A: author, artist, actor.
But I will say, I also wanted to be a baker! Had the easy-bake oven and everything. Dessert has always been a really important bonding activity for me and my family — we grew up on dessert, and would have cake for breakfast all the time, which is amazing.
VTS: What excites you about what you do at VTS?
So many things, but the main thing is definitely the people. I get to work with a lot of awesome people within VTS and also from different ERGs and working groups — DEI groups as well. It’s so rewarding. I get my energy from being surrounded by people, so it’s always exciting when I get to meet someone new.
VTS: What’s one thing you have loved about working from home? What’s been a challenge?
It’s a little bit of a double-edged sword. It’s very quiet, so I can get a lot done. I don’t have kids or pets, and my apartment faces an alley, so even for New York, it’s really quiet. While it’s really easy to get heads-down work done, I get a lot of energy from people, as I mentioned, so it can be challenging to be alone without seeing another face all day, to even just say hi to your colleagues throughout the office.
But now that our office is open, I do try to go in a couple of times a week. So I’m excited to continue to embrace this hybrid environment because it really is the best of both worlds.
VTS: What is your advice for someone who wants to be in a role similar to yours?
Don’t be afraid to break the mold. In these past two years, with everything going on in the world, we’ve broken the mold with what employee engagement looks like, from going virtual to now utilizing a hybrid model.
We’re not going back to 2019. We’re moving into a new world, and that invites us to look at new ways to do things. So much has changed, and that can be a good thing.
I would tell anyone who wants to work on a People team to not be afraid to break what has already been written in order to bring new ideas to the table, to embrace this change. We’ve tried a lot of cool things — some things have stuck, and others, not so much, which is completely okay. How do we learn if we don’t try?
It’s never been a more exciting time to try something new.
