Utah’s Best Leaders and Staffing Professionals Work at Your Employment Solutions!
This month’s Employee Spotlight is a valued member of the YES executive leadership team – Pon Vorasane!
Thank You Pon Vorasane | YES February 2023 Spotlight
Pon joined our team a little over a year ago and dove right into the waters of information technology at a staffing agency. Managing IT at a staffing agency can be busy and chaotic sometimes, but Pon has handled all of it with grace and a smile. Her attitude is contagious, and she always has a positive mindset about her job. She’s one of the newest to our executive team and has brought valuable insight and amazing ideas to our company as a whole.
We asked Pon to answer 11 questions about work and life. Here’s what she had to say:
1. Five things you enjoy.
- The gym/being active, I actually look forward to going every day and it is one of my favorite parts of my day, daily. I grew up with a big background in physical activity, so even a rest day still involves a lot of physical activity; from rock climbing, hot yoga, tennis, and running.
- Food! This is a basic answer however, my last thought every night and first one every morning is what am I going to eat next. It’s gotten to the point that being able to sit down, eat, in a nice and quiet setting is actually a form of pleasure and luxury, hahaha. My favorite place to do this is at a nice and quaint restaurant in SLC called, Tappo.
- Reading! I think there is a lot of comfort in being able to get lost in a book. We tend to find and achieve a state of solitude by organizing our thoughts and their processes. Sometimes a book can help with that.
- I may………. or may not be…… A Shopping Addict/ MATERIAL GURRRL! I may or may not have prioritized finishing my education and having a good career to fund this lifestyle, hahaha. Sometimes I don’t even need to buy anything, I just find a lot of joy being able to walk around a shopping center or store and seeing how I would make a certain article of clothing work. But let’s be honest, it’s fun when we can all be that girl walking around the mall with multiple bags in her hand and not having to worry about a budget here and there.
2. Three things you don’t.
- Anything lavender flavored – I’ve come to the personal conclusion that this is a scent, a very pretty color and a very ok flavor. Send all the candles my way, however.
- Glitter Gel Pens – Yes, they’re cute. Yes, there are a ton of colors we don’t have access to with standard pens. No, you can’t ever read what you just wrote because it is so faint.
- The amount of times you have to fall down a hill for your body to finally understand the concept of snowboarding.
3. What do you like most about working at YES?
The people. Every individual has a very bright, positive and wholesome personality. The camaraderie that the employees have with each other makes coming to work a lot more enjoyable. We’re here not only for our roles, but to help push each other too.
4. What do you think would make YES better?
Maybe like a taco truck or more team activities that involve some type of personal development in or outside of work. Maybe a plant night or execution board night.
5. If you could meet anyone, who?
I think the idea of there being different universes and timelines are interesting. I am actually super intrigued by the idea of meeting another version of myself and what life I made for myself; are my strengths and weaknesses the same? Do I still have the same friends? How does my sense of self in this timeline differ from my current one? And how different would my life be due to those tiny changes? This could sound really superficial and in my own head, but I truly 100% believe that we hold ourselves back the most. So, what would happen if we trusted ourselves, endlessly?
If it needs to be an actual person, I actually never got to meet either of my grandfathers. I hear a lot about them, but being able to talk and meet them for once sounds nice.
6. Your favorite place in the world.
There is a park in the heart of SLC, it’s on a hill that overlooks the whole city. The top of the hill has 6 tennis courts and 6 pickleball courts. There is a tiny park, and also a little rim to run around. It doesn’t matter what time of day you come, it’s just nice. It’s peaceful, you get a view overlooking the city. All you can hear is the breeze, people talking and laughing. In the summer there are cricket games. It’s just the perfect spot.
This is my favorite spot because it’s somewhere I can come alone to think and chill. But’s also a place I wouldn’t mind sharing with those who are close and special to me. I also am connected to it due to a sense of nostalgia. I actually watched most of my older cousins take State tennis championships here, and this is where I started learning how to play tennis!
7. We’ve watched you train and compete in a couple competitions in the last year, what do you feel has been the best lesson you’ve learned from this process and how do you feel you can apply those lessons to your position?
YOU GOTTA HAVE A LOT OF GRACE FOR YOURSELF. Everyone is their own worst critic and a lot of times we tend to knock ourselves down for not performing at level we wanted or thought we were achieving. There are a ton of things we keep on our radar day-to-day–from work life, personal, goals, parenting, social life. Keeping all of that stuff afloat, while wanting to pursue something more for yourself is a lot of work. You’re going to fail, you’re not going to make every deadline, you’re going to be tired. Give yourself a break! You’re doing amazing, and we just aren’t choosing to look at that. Look at how far you got, look at what you’ve done! I think it’s okay to miss the mark from time to time to make sure you’re okay and give yourself the grace you know you deserve and work so hard for.
8. What is the number one challenge you face in your job?
One of my favorite things and challenges about my job is the pace and pressure that comes with it. Tech is a part of almost every aspect of a company, so learning how to move with big or small changes, and shifting priorities is a big skill that’s been imperative to my role here.
9. What do you think is the best way to meet that challenge?
Let yourself slow down. Yes, there is a lot of fast pace and pressure in the role, but taking a couple minutes to myself, before making a decision or entering a meeting has helped me be able to better attend to the needs of individuals and our organization.
The more the merrier! It’s a super vulnerable position to say you don’t know, but I’ve noticed that using more brainpower amongst my teammates, rather than just relying on myself, has allowed for better, smoother and efficient troubleshooting. Another plus to this, is just knowing that I do have team that supports me and my success, so accountability will follow
10. What would you tell someone looking into working with YES?
YES. Just, yes. Just make sure you watch Tommy Boy and Dumb and Dumber first, the references matter.
11. You have an awesome sense of style. If you, YES CEO Reed Laws, and President Kerry Westenskow were in a supermarket sweep type competition to put together an outfit from a mall (no cost restrictions ), where do you think your first stop would be to create a style?
Wow, that sounds like a dream come true!! Well, if there are no cost-restrictions, I would go to a mall in either New York, California or Vegas. I like having choices from both large and small scale brands; a girl has to have options.
I would probably start at Artizia or Abercrombie to get more time-capsule/basic pieces- plain tanks/tees, bodysuits, jeans, shorts. These are needed for every outfit. Then roll over to a luxury brand for more statement pieces like standout coats, tops, bottoms, bags, jewelry, hats and accessories, Off White, Prada, Chanel. These are what would make my outfit “pop”, or give that eye-catching look. Especially bags/wallets, we love bags and purses ❤.
And lastly, everyone knows the shoes tie in the outfit. Depending on if I went for a more old-money look, chic or streetwear, would determine what shoes I would wear. I like sneakers for a more “work” or laid back look and fun boots, booties, sandals and heels for a more chic, girly and dressed up looks.
Reed and Kerry are really good guys, so maybe they would start at Scheels? We all know that Kerry would take the show, especially if a runway is involved!
Thank you for everything you do Pon! We are so happy to have you on our team here at YES!!!!
Anna Gailey
HR Generalist, PHR
Your Employment Solutions
