From Startup Hustle to Workhuman: My Journey, Passions, and Lessons Learned
Rich’s colleagues describe him as dedicated, innovated and reliable. We caught up with him recently to find out a little bit more about his life and career!
Not Your Average Bio: Fun Facts You Didn’t Know
Let’s start with the fun stuff. If you’re looking for someone with a unique mix of interests, you’ve come to the right place!
- Major League Ballpark Bucket List: I’m a huge MLB fan (go Red Sox!), and I’ve checked off 18 out of 30 ballparks so far. Almost there!
- Four Wheels? Try Two: I’m an avid motorcycle rider and regularly attend events at Sturgis, S.D, Laconia, N.H., and Lake George, N.Y.. I currently have four motorcycles – each one a different kind of ride.
- Shredding the Slopes: When the snow falls, you’ll find me at Loon Mountain in New Hampshire, my favorite East Coast snowboarding spot.
The Road to Here: Family, Life & Lessons Learned
I’ve been married to my high school sweetheart since 2001, and we have two boys together, Ryan (19) and Evan (15), plus our cat Ace. Next June, we’re planning to celebrate our 25th anniversary in Hawaii—because, let’s be honest, that’s a milestone worth marking! I grew up in Revere, Mass. with my two younger brothers. I lived in Northern Virginia for a short year, before moving back to Massachusetts and getting married. We now live in Tewksbury, Mass. and have lived there for just over 20 years. I learned at an early stage in my career that a job worth doing is worth doing well. Always put your best into a job, whether it be cleaning your room, or setting up complex solutions for Fortune 500 companies. Working at a startup, I quickly understood no matter the size of the work, the work must get done.
From Tech Startups to Workhuman: A Career Evolution
My career journey started after graduating from Salem State University, where I took on an account manager role for a tech company I had worked for part-time. Soon after, I found myself at a startup, where I had the chance to wear multiple hats. In a company of just three people, you do everything – including running software implementation for companies in the transport industry. This was before Uber and “the cloud,” so I travelled A LOT. Fifteen years later, the company had grown to 35 people, but I wanted something else. I love the implementation process, so I started job hunting and found out Workhuman (at the time called Globoforce) was just building out a launch team. I didn’t know what “strategic recognition” was, but as I read up on it, this was a concept that really resonated with me. The opportunity felt right; it was at an organization with a great mission, that had been in business for 15 years as well, but with a team that felt like a bit of a startup. Ten years later, the rest is history! The 2015 “Snowmegadon” was during my onboarding, so I was able to read Eric’s “The Power of Thanks” book a number of times!
Building Something Bigger: Career Growth & Achievements
When I joined Workhuman in early 2015, the “Launch Success” function was brand new. Before that, Customer Success Managers were responsible for both onboarding new customers and ongoing account management. By creating a dedicated Launch Success team, we have streamlined the implementation process, delivering a best-in-class experience for our customers. Back in 2015, I was one of four people on the team. As the team grew, so did new operations. By layering new successful launches between 2015- 2019 I was able to earn a promotion to Senior Launch Manager. I then continued to launch more and more new customers before stepping into leadership as a manager in 2021. Because the team was growing so quickly, I was promoted to Director. Over the years, I’ve worn many hats, and at every step, I’ve drawn on my past experience to learn, grow, and progress. I’ve also had the support of my manager and HX, who worked with me to define my career goals and helped me achieve them. Today, I’m the Director of Launch Success, and I truly appreciate the career growth opportunities Workhuman provides. The company empowers individuals to advocate for themselves, and I’ve seen so many colleagues both from within Launch Success and other areas that have grown into new roles as well as within other areas of the business.
Recently, I celebrated my 10-year anniversary with Workhuman. Not only did I receive a thoughtful award with messages from my fellow Humans, but the company also recognized the milestone in an all-hands meeting. These moments remind me that I work for a company that genuinely cares – not just about what we do, but about the people doing it.
How My Team & I Are Helping Workhuman Grow
As we grow as a company, I always look forward to the growing synergy between departments, as we think and act differently. Workhuman has always encouraged new ideas and questioning the status quo. I enjoy seeing that encouragement in action throughout my work.
The Launch Team is at the heart of bringing new customers into the Workhuman family and I am looking forward to seeing what new customers we bring onboard. As we know, Workhuman is #1 in recognition and I take great pride that myself, the Launch Team, as well as everyone at Workhuman are the ones who have direct impact on that endeavor. You can have the best solution, and you need to have the best people to create, message and deliver on that solution to be #1. We have that at Workhuman, our people are the best and with all of them we will continue to show the world that.
Advice for Future Workhumans
As part of onboarding new hires to Workhuman, I have the privilege to talk to new joiners about the Launch Team. During that presentation, I always give the same advice: Be yourself, question the status quo, become an expert in your area, and be on the lookout for new opportunities where you be part of something great.
Workhuman continues to grow and evolve, what we did not yet yesterday, could be a critical need tomorrow. Everyone at Workhuman has always been approachable, always feel encouraged to ask questions, provide insights and most importantly be helpful in any way that you can.
Without our humans, it’s just work.Opens in a new tab
About the author
Rich Sorrentino
Rich Sorrentino is a Director of Launch Success.