Safety coordinator Alyssa Morgan loves supporting her drivers.
When Alyssa Morgan, the safety coordinator at Transportation Office 6821 in Porterville, California, arrives at work each morning—bright and early at 6:30 a.m.—it’s not unusual to have drivers already waiting at her desk.
Alyssa’s known for her caring attitude and her ever-present smile. She goes out of her way to make drivers feel comfortable coming to her with questions.
“A simple conversation goes a long way.”
How does she make the drivers feel comfortable coming to her? “It’s kind of just being there for them, making sure they know they can come and talk to me. Even if they don't know if it's something I do, they'll know I'll point them in the right direction,” she says. “A simple conversation goes a long way.”
Her connection with the drivers starts during their orientation. Alyssa makes sure to schedule an hour during each driver’s first week to introduce herself and go over safety issues.
“That is my time. I take advantage of it to go in and say ‘Hey, I'm Alyssa, and I'm your safety coordinator’ and try to start building that relationship from day one,” she explains. “They feel more comfortable coming to me, because I established that connection from the start.”
Alyssa started at Walmart as a driver coordinator in 2017, working the night shift. In 2018, she was promoted to safety coordinator. She always found the safety side of the business interesting. She considers the safety coordinator the “frontline” in keeping the TO’s 250-plus drivers in compliance.
“There’s always something going on,” Alyssa says with her trademark smile.
The transition between jobs was made easier because Alyssa already knew the drivers.
“Being the transportation coordinator definitely helped a lot because I've had the interaction with the drivers and built the relationship with them,” she shares.
“I just stepped up and handled it.”
As safety coordinator, Alyssa helps drivers with anything that supports safety regulations—whether it’s getting them a pair of gloves or assisting them with their driving logs, making sure their medical cards are up to date or that they’ve taken all required trainings.
To stay on top of requirements and make sure her team stays safe, Alyssa has pursued training on her own. She’s taken two North American Transportation Management Institute (NATMI) courses to get more in-depth knowledge on different safety processes.
Alyssa was also instrumental in making sure a new compliance system gives California safety coordinators the information they need to meet state requirements, as she served on a committee with associates from the home office and programmers who were creating the system.
The supportive environment in her office has helped her thrive and given her the confidence to make decisions. “For example, there was an accident weeks ago, and the trailer needed to be inspected,” she explains.
“My safety manager was on vacation and out of the country. I already know the process, so I was like, ‘Hey, escort these guys, then I'll take them up to the trailer.’ I just stepped up and handled it.”
“We have Walmart babies.”
Alyssa, who is proud to be a member of the Tule River Indian Tribe, loves her job at Walmart but considers it “part-time” to her full-time job of being a mom to a 5-year-old daughter and 7-year-old son. Her husband, who was her high school sweetheart, works at DC 6021, as a general technician.
“We have Walmart babies,” she says, laughing.
Both she and her husband are happy to be growing their careers at Walmart. “I just see myself going far from here,” Alyssa says. “I feel like, this is good!”
Keep on growing and going far, Alyssa!
