By Joe Murphy

Joe Murphy (joemurphyccep@gmail.com) is a Senior Advisor at Compliance Strategists, SCCE’s Director of Public Policy, and Editor-in-Chief of CEP Magazine.

Earlier in my career I did compliance work in a company—part of the old Bell System. Of the memories I have from that time, none is clearer than the company’s requirement that new lawyers spend time in the field with the workers.

I spent a day with an installer, going to residences back in the days when all phones were installed by the telco. I sat on position with an operator and a service rep. I got to spend time with a construction crew. Despite the decades that have passed, I still have clear memories of that time. And it informed the things I did in my compliance work. Whenever someone talked about the service reps or the field people, I could connect with real people and real experiences. I knew firsthand that the installers had flexibility in what they did, whereas the service reps had to ask permission for a restroom break. I also had the opportunity to do reviews in remote sales offices and find out what their daily lives were like.