Welcome to The Vital Life, where we spotlight Vital Proteins employees. This week, customer advocate team lead Michael Hymen gives us a peek inside his day.
[Insert Law & Order: SVU opening sound effect here]. It’s 6 A.M. and it’s time to get my butt in gear for the day. Mornings are a constant loop of the same thing. I wake up and make up … my mind on which song I will be performing for my shampoo and conditioner bottles in the shower. The default has been a medley of heavy metal and hip hop, which some may say is a tough sell, but the audience doesn’t seem to mind. After completing the encore of my set, I begin the hardest task of my day: Picking which baseball hat (from my collection of hundreds) will complement my look that day. By the time I finally select one, it’s usually a bit too late to eat and I rush on over to the bus stop to make the long scenic route down Ashland to work.
My day at Vital Proteins starts off pretty much the same way every day. I get to work around 8:15 A.M. - 8:30 A.M. and scrounge around the kitchen for something to eat. The usual menu consists of different flavors of Greek yogurt and oatmeal. Both of which I mix with one of my favorite products, our Dark Chocolate Blackberry Collagen Peptides. It adds a nice flavoring to everything I eat. Now it’s time to work! As one of the customer advocate team leads, my day consists of a lot of problem solving, customer service, creating procedures for increased productivity, and making myself available to the rest of the company for any product education, systems training, or general help I can provide. One of my favorite parts about this role is the fact I am constantly communicating with our customer base. Our customers are so fascinating and their knowledge about not only our products, but also our industry is so vast that it pushes me to learn more.
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There is never a dull moment with my team. We’ve created such a community and family that promotes a positive and fun work environment for everyone to come into every day. We always seem to find some way to strengthen our bond, whether it’s listening to and ranking Ariana Grande’s new album or listing out our favorite movies. We constantly stay engaged with one another. I have worked in customer service for 12 years now, and I have never worked somewhere and had a team that’s been as amazing as the one here at Vital Proteins.
Lunchtime looks a little bit different for me than most of my team. For the most part, I use my lunch to get a nice workout in. Most of the time, I train with our corporate trainer Dan Caron, but when he can’t make it, I make sure I still hit the gym to give myself a break from the office life. My workouts are focused on full-body exercises and I am constantly setting personal goals to achieve so that I can push myself the extra little bit. When I get back to the office, I cap my workout with either my lunch that I meal prep for on Sundays, or a shake using our Dark Chocolate & Coconut Water Collagen Whey. I’m sure you’re noticing a trend, and I’m here to confirm that yes, I am a chocoholic.
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I usually spend the second half of my day taking the customer feedback we receive and looking for ways to enhance our process. Without our loyal customers, we wouldn’t have this wonderful place to work, so it’s our job to take what they have to say and find a solution to their suggestions. Around 5 P.M. is when I start my commute back home.
When I get back home, I’m usually greeted by Buddy, our Great Dane–Boxer mix. He’s such goofball, so playful, and fun. He’s basically a horse and there is no better way to be greeted when you get home than by a nice friendly dog mauling. After playing tug of war, I make sure to take my Cartilage Collagen Capsules. It has done wonders for my joint support. At this point, I am already hungry again and I start to cook a nice extravagant meal. My usual go-to meals are either something I had meal prepped earlier in the week or the finest of sandwiches: Two-ingredient PB&J sandwiches. You may ask yourself, “Will he share the recipe?” I wish I could but it’s a family secret. The rest of my night is usually a cycle of the following activities: Watching The Office for the millionth time, gaming with my friends, playing and writing music, and just relaxing overall. I wind down for the night around 11:30 P.M. and wake up and do it all again. If you’re wondering how to be just like me, just follow this blog and repeat daily.