How to Create a Stress-Free Workplace
Scott Domann, Chief People Officer at Calm, discusses mental health at work, the evolving role of HR leaders, and practical strategies for integrating mental health support. He highlights the importance of storytelling, vulnerability, and the role of managers in creating a healthy workplace.
In today's episode of the HR Leaders Podcast, we welcome an inspiring guest: Scott Domann, Chief People Officer at Calm. Scott shares his journey from senior HR roles at Facebook and Netflix to his current position at Calm, where he combines his passion for mental health with his profession.
Scott delves into the importance of mental health at work, the evolving role of HR leaders, and the unique challenges faced by managers in fostering a mentally healthy workplace. He discusses practical strategies for integrating mental health support into organizational culture and the significance of authentic leadership.
🎓 In this episode, Scott discusses:
The importance of storytelling and vulnerability in leadership
The role of managers in creating a healthy work environment
Challenges and strategies in integrating mental health support at work
The journey from traditional HR roles to leading mental health initiatives at Calm
DISCOVER WHAT EMOTIONAL SALARY MEANS – AND HOW YOU CAN MOTIVATE EMPLOYEES BEYOND PAY.
Great recognition is more than just a thank you program. By leveraging frequent and meaningful recognition, Achievers drives business results that matter to organizations like retention, productivity, and engagement. Our platform makes it easy for employees to recognize each other anywhere, whether in-office, remote, or on-the-go.
The Achievers Workforce Institute reveals that two-thirds of employees have one foot out the door in 2024. The top reason for job hunting? Better compensation. But money isn’t the whole story. Employees are seeking not only monetary salary, but emotional salary too.
Scott Domann 0:00
You have to find those moments that are authentic to really not just tell, but show organizations and teams that hey, you're not just dispensing advice or giving, you know, suggestions, you yourself are taking them. And I find it's even more powerful when you have those examples that you can display to an organization versus just having some really nice things to say no matter how meaningful they are, when you can say, hey, I'm taking my own guidance
Chris Rainey 0:29
but welcome to the show. How are you my friend?
Scott Domann 0:31
I'm doing great.
Chris Rainey 0:32
Good to see you this morning. Yeah, love the energy man. If people could hear our conversation crazy conversations beforehand.
Scott Domann 0:41
That's the interesting part. We should let them do that.
Chris Rainey 0:42
Now. We still have shakes
Scott Domann 0:43
now what was like an outtake? Yeah,
Chris Rainey 0:45
well well if anyone is watching the show right now what we were saying is we just superimposed Scott a paddle so it looks like he's gonna canoe on the screen coming into the show. So let us know in the comments wherever you idea as well. Scott, before we jump in, tell everyone a little bit more about you personally, and your journey to the role now at comm
Scott Domann 1:05
Oh, fantastic. Well, thank you for having me, everybody. My name is Scott Dolman. I'm the Chief People Officer calm. And I've been a column for about four years and prior to that I've always been in HR roles. Started off in learning and org development went to places like Facebook and Netflix in more senior HR roles, and had been a column for the past four years. I live in Los Angeles. And I'm really thrilled to be here today talking about mental health in general and mental health at work is my passion is luckily my job and my passion so really thrilled to be talking about this today.
Chris Rainey 1:37
I love to to new top by the way, I feel like I need some calm much.
Scott Domann 1:42
I think I know who to call. This is our pride calm t shirt. Yeah, it's LGBTQ mental health is house we've got a lot of really great, calm, calm stuff and make sure these really cute, calm onesie. So if you have children in the future know anybody with these really cute little calm onesies that they can stay in and stuff like that. So big fan of big fan of all the branded stuff. Yeah.
Chris Rainey 2:02
Why am I not surprised? That calms got the best swag. Like I just I kind of I've only met you for 10 minutes. And I already know God's got great. As well, I could just tell I'm like, Yeah, okay, so you're gonna do this? Let's do it properly.
Scott Domann 2:15
Oh, yeah. Let's do a proper grid. Yeah.
Chris Rainey 2:18
What was it? Obviously, you mentioned some of the companies that you worked at before very different cultures. I'm sure what was it that attracted you to the role at comm?
Scott Domann 2:27
Yeah, you know, I, it's funny, I was looking at my career and thinking about what I've done. And I think about all of the places that I've worked in the people that we've worked with, and when I think about the things that have impacted people the most, and whether it be stress, anxiety, burnout, around product launches, or sales or things like that, it really comes down to the core of mental health. And so when I first met Alex, and Michael, who are our co founders, you know, talking to them about, you know, mental health as the crisis that we're facing in the world today. And the thing that we all want to solve it ranging from how you sleep better at night to the mental health challenges that are more from a clinical standpoint that people are faced with, a being able to make that something that I can talk about on a day in and day out basis, and try and really infuse in the workforce at calm. But then also think about the benefit that it provides to the place where we spend the most of our time and our brain space, which is at work, and where and how I could be part of the solution to the mental health crisis that's facing us today. And in my own small way, be able to talk to other organizations around how to create mentally healthy workforces, how you focus on an invest in managers. You know, I just felt like it was one of those things where you meet two amazing people like Alex and Michael, and really think about what they've built. And then think about, Gosh, I could do that all day long. Really just you know, it's been a magical four years. So it's just one of those things that I'm kind of continuously proud of. And that's what drew me here. And what keeps me here. Amazing.
Chris Rainey 3:56
When is something truly powerful, like you mentioned happens when you connect purpose, with your profession, and the impact, right, you're like, Well, I get to do this every day. And it's having a real meaningful because most people, and I did this for the first 10 years of my career, you kind of walk through life. And when you hear that question of, you know, what is your purpose you like? What is my purpose? We know, what is the impact that I'm have having on the world and at a certain point in your career? Then if you found obviously I feel like clearly you did find this that it's beyond the job title was beyond the money even. It's beyond really like, Hey, okay, now I'm at a point in my career. And don't get me wrong is a luxury for for many people that financially you can make that decision as well. But I actually want to focus on something that's really aligned with my values and my purpose. Yeah,
Scott Domann 4:46
totally agree. I grew up in a small town in the Midwest of the US and didn't know anyone who did this job. And so I feel really lucky that sort of, you know, as I got towards the final years of college, I was able to find this as it does deployed into grad school for it and didn't even know how much impact I could make or how much impact could be made with people in this profession. And so it's one of those things that I always feel really lucky that I was able to discover and find truly one of those things that from a passion of mine and like why, again, not just mental health, but I can pick it up and think about how you invest in people, how you build a business, and the interaction of the people with their organization and the sort of things that you can do to help it grow and thrive and the things you have to be able to spot so that you don't create toxicity or make the ecosystem sick. Those are things that I think about all day, and it's just really, really fun to be able to say CATIA, from going, not even realizing that this was a profession, I could be into something that I'm incredibly happy doing. Just feels I feel grateful every day. So it's one of those things, you've probably heard me talk a lot about leading with gratitude and just sort of like continuously pinching myself about how I get to do no
Chris Rainey 5:57
need to get to do it. But think about how far we've come and how much our professions have evolved. We were not talking about well being when I started in, you know, I've been doing this for 20 years and personal relations days, that long ago, wasn't talking about well being at work. Back then that wasn't really a high on the agenda. Not at
Scott Domann 6:21
all, I was Scott from personnel. I joke about that, where I was just like, Oh, that's interesting, okay. It's so different now. And really, it's just you know, how much the profession has grown. And, you know, see, your exact point is like wellbeing and mental health at work, you know, many of us were professionally raised, that you didn't necessarily touch on those topics at work, you know, you guide people towards benefits or encourage them to, you know, find the help they needed outside of work. But engaging in a mental health conversation. Even tangentially, it's not something many of us were raised to do professionally. So I think about that a lot when I'm working with some of our customers where it's like, hey, let's talk about the things that you've had an embedded in you over the years, and what it means to you and where even you're uncomfortable talking about mental health at work, and I can give you some of those things to help you as an HR leader individually, think about how you can really open up that conversation what that looks like. Because, yeah, this, this discipline and profession, and my 20 plus years as well has come a really long way. And now thinking about where we were sort of very early 2000. Gosh, it's pretty significant.
Chris Rainey 7:33
Yeah, any and even HR professionals themselves, not talking about our own mental health. So I know many that are listening. And we've had conversations in private, it's been a crazy few years, especially especially the last couple of years, like, you know, three or four years, right. And many of us, many HR leaders also practice what they preach. And we always was here sort of to put your own oxygen mask on first. Yeah. Because, you know, who does HR go to when they're struggling? Exactly.
Scott Domann 8:06
And it's a, you know, a very doctor, heal thyself type of profession as well, where it's, we can give a lot of advice, but I find myself every now and then being like, Okay, you need to take your own advice. And, you know, I'll just give an example. We had an employee passed away last week, and I have someone that I've been friends with and worked with the two companies and I was like, you know, I tell everyone, it's okay to not be okay. And I have to take that advice myself. So it was good that you know, to have that in the back of my head and be like, you can't just give this advice, you have to practice this advice yourself. And I found it really a good opportunity to just tell people that it's like, hey, not okay, now, I'm gonna cancel these couple of meetings, be back online tomorrow, but it's okay to feel these this way. And it's okay to do these things. And I find that like, not just in an HR profession, but also from a senior leadership standpoint, you have to find those moments that are authentic, to really not just tell, but show organizations and teams that, hey, you're not just dispensing advice or giving, you know, suggestions, you yourself are taking them. And I find it's even more powerful when you have those examples that you can display to an organization versus just having some really nice things to say no matter how meaningful they are, when you can say, hey, I'm taking my own guidance. There's something really powerful about that. And
Chris Rainey 9:24
the cool thing about that is it it the vulnerability is a strength. You know, a lot of people see that as a weakness, but you realize, actually, it's a superpower. Absolutely, you're closer to your team. But also I've got to the point where my team and I love them that they will just don't call me out on my bullshit as well and say, Chris, you keep telling us but you're not doing it right. You're not showing it you're showing up tired. You're showing up stressed and and I'm like, Okay, so we've got to the point where we can have that kind of conversation which is really nice. Yeah,
Scott Domann 10:00
mine does the same. Mine does the same. Now I encourage everyone to take time off and we take your vacation time, then when When's yours? I'm like, No, I'm fine. I gotta go on like one big, big vacation a year, I'm fine. I don't need to take little days off here and there. You know, it's just one of those things where you have to kind of pause and be like, I'm fortunate enough to sit in the seat. And I actually against the notion of like, shown on talent to show you that, like, I'm taking time off that I'm doing these things that I encourage everyone else to do. And it's, it's really wonderful to have people around you that I'd be like, All right, vs. Come on. And you're like, Yeah, you're right. Okay, thanks for calling me out. We all need that we all need that 100%
Chris Rainey 10:39
All the time. This leads us quite nicely to the your 2024 voice at a workplace report. Because part of that, one of the things that kind of struck me was one of the department said, managers aren't a problem. And the solution could delve into that a little bit. We kind of just touched on some of that. Just Oh,
Scott Domann 10:59
yeah, absolutely. I mean, and this is something that, you know, I believe Gallup had said, Gosh, 10 plus years ago, that all of us talk a lot about now, which is, you know, people will leave managers, they very rarely leave their team, the brand, company, etc. But they'll leave a manager, they'll also stay for a manager in terms of, I'm here for you, I love working with you, you invest in me. And so you see the pros and cons of real of management and the cause and solution of the issues that managers can both facilitate in terms of, here's how you create a really healthy environment, which I'll talk about here in a second. And the things that managers do, where if it's conscious or unconscious, that can really drag individuals and a team down. And I think about some of these things that I always encourage organizations to do, which is one, recognize that no one was born into managing like, I always when I talk to people who are managing for the first time, I always tell them, like, Hey, do you want to hear about all the stuff I have gotten right over the years? Do you wanna hear about the stuff I messed up early in my career? They're like, Oh, tell us about stuff. You messed up? Because I messed a lot of stuff up when I was a first time manager. Yeah. And, and I think, again, from like, your point on the vulnerability of just being able to say, Yeah, I missed all this stuff up, and I'd love it if I could help you. And even some small way avoid the magnitude or the issue that I stumbled into. And, you know, I think it's really powerful to do that, because some of those oh, gosh, you know, it's, I remember this, it was like, not realizing simple things like, cross cultural meaning us to other country, timezones, ways of working ways of communicating the power of just showing up and not just being on an email, or I don't even remember what the tool is, it wasn't zoom back then was called WebEx or something, you know, the, you know, how you actually recognize the power of the words you use. And when you engage different individuals in different environments, the space that you have to leave for people to answer to feel comfortable with you, and even offering what could be in their version, a really tough piece of feedback. But for people that are from the US, or from different cultural, you know, company cultures, Oh, that wasn't direct enough, I missed it, like listening for the cues and things like that, that men, if you don't listen for those simple things, or take the time to show up, or to take the time to really seek to understand you can miss so many things, and then build your operating model on that. And then realize how wildly divergent you are from what your team was actually saying what they actually needed, and things like that, like, just those examples of, you know, me really, really messing it up and going down paths that I was like, I'm definitely on the right path, and then finding out sort of the hardware, like, I'm definitely not on the right path. And luckily, having people around me to course correct. And, you know, it also say like, having mentors around me that some of those powerful things I've had from someone who's still my mentors, just stop it, you know, and I was just like, spinning on these things about teams and projects and work and stress and just like, just stop it. No one else is thinking about this, you are going wait into your own head down a rabbit hole, that if you're not careful, you will not be able to recover from pull back, you know, and it was one of those things that I always remind myself, and so that's where I tell people leaders and like, there's simple things you can do like being empathetic, all it all you have to do sometimes. And we talked about this a lot at column, which is how are you doing? know really, how are you doing? Because if I say Hey, Chris, how's it going? I'm like, I'm fine, man. A great man, and we just keep going. And you might not be fine. Yeah, you're like, I'm fine, man. I'm like, Oh, really? How are you doing? Like, you know, we started a little late today. You know, the, this, this, this, this, or you might just totally be fine. Like, I'm actually really good, but I really appreciate that you, you know asked me a little bit more than just the surface level. And that way you can build just in those simple tools. The ability to give someone the space to say like, Yeah, I'm actually not okay today, or, Hey, I actually am okay. But when I'm not, at least know, you're someone who will bother to ask, and then I can come to you with it. And then you sort of build on that with, like, how frequently you check in how you go about, you know, knowing the difference between checking in and micromanaging. You know, I'm always a fan of telling people, I'm like, listen, I won't be over your shoulder tapping and going, oh, I want it red, not blue. You know, I want to make sure I understand, like, where you need me where you don't need me where you say, Hey, Scott, I've got you to focus on that thing over there, move that rock, I've got this thing over here. And just knowing that as more frequently that you check in, and the more you learn how to, you know, have the, how you work together, it's really important to do that, like we talked about with like, you know, going on PTO and things like that, making sure that you're leading with that and saying, Hey, everybody, I'm taking this Friday off, I'm going to be offline, my husband and I are gonna go do this. And that way you're doing and saying like, Hey, I'm offline, to the expense of someone who's saying, like, Hey, I've got the same thing, or I'm gonna leave at three o'clock to go to the kids play, you recognize and respect that. So it's just like, hey, I'm gonna give you that space. And that time, because we're giving it to each other, you know, and then really just thinking about the way that the overall organization invests in managers. And again, like I said earlier, knowing that no one is born into managing no one knows automatically how to do it. And really the grace that new managers need, where it's like, Hey, I know you're excited. And I know, you want to prove to me that you're like, I got this. At some point, you won't got this. And it's okay. Come to me, as your boss, go to your HR partner, go to someone that you trust in the organization as a mentor, and say, I don't got it, and I need some extra help. And it's in that vulnerability and time and the coaching. Really, I'd like to think, you know, I'm at least a much, much better manager than I was 15 years ago, you know, and being able to say, Gosh, I'm really glad I had those stumbling blocks pretty early on, so that I could say, I stumbled and I fell down. And I had people pick me up and dust me off. And I learned a lot of stuff. And the tools and resources that companies provide, are really critical to and just more examples of that I think about a 360 I got when I first started managing, where I learned a lot about how I communicated and things that I needed to be conscious of, and when I validated it with friends, oh, my gosh, oh, my gosh, I would do a lot of things. I didn't realize that I validated it with friends. And I just remember going on a hike. And that's my friend, Tim. I was like, I got this feedback. And isn't that funny? And he's like, You do that all the time? Like, what are you talking about man? And it was just like, Oh, I've got a lot to work on. Yeah.
Chris Rainey 17:49
Some of the stats in the report were pretty shocking. No, I like the fact that only 50% of managers feel confident to have a well being conversation. And
Scott Domann 17:59
right. That's right. No most shocking. It's pretty shocking. And I would say honestly, it's probably less than that. When you think about to
Chris Rainey 18:06
be honest, I was surprised it was 50.
Scott Domann 18:10
Yeah, and this is all self report. So that's where I'll talk to other organizations is like less than 50% of managers told us they were comfortable with a wellbeing conversation. And think about the managers you have, do you think that 50% of them are actually even know? What's your boat? Well, being strategy is what wellbeing means in the organization, how to facilitate well being, how to create an environment of well being within their teams. And they're like, not a lot. And I'm like, great, well, that just gives you an indication that you know, the more you talk about what wellbeing means. And that's the repetition, repetition, the tools and resources, the ability to practice. And then I always look at this as the cohorts of managers that you put together so that they can support from and learn from each other. You've really got to be deliberate about it. Because not only are people not organically just sort of pop out and they're like ready to manage the first time. But as an organization, you can't just expect them to do it by osmosis. Oh, I heard about that manager training or performance management or well being once you really have to make it this reputation. Yeah, it's got to be woven into the culture. And it's one of those things that I always talk about whether it's well being or mental health as well, you've got to take the taboo out of talking about it, and make it okay to talk about well being work. And oftentimes when I talk to other organizations, it centers on things like sleep. Because if you ask a group of like 100 people in a room like, Hey, who's had a mental health challenge this month, maybe you have a couple of people who are confident if say I have, but if you say hey, who could have slept better this month, you probably have a lot of and I could have slept better this month. And then you use those things as an entry point for your organization to really say, Hey, here's tools that you can have. Here's the benefit of a good night's sleep. Here's how your more effective here's what your good night's sleep lends itself to the well being and mental health of both yourself, your team and the environment you create. You can find all of those avenues to do that. And so, you know, every company and every people leader really needs to think about really, truly how comfortable are managers talking about mental health and well being? And how you just need to assume that, hey, I've got to give everybody a baseline in some fundamental language to use. When talking about
Chris Rainey 20:24
these topics. I'll click on that is the fact that that I want to double click on that this is so important to have the language. Yeah, because so many people worried about can I say that? Yes, exactly. They need to say anything, because it's so exactly around, do I am I going to offend someone? Am I going to say the wrong thing, kind of also similar? You see a similar thing with the DI conversation. But we're just worried about saying the wrong thing, or you know, so they just say nothing. And that's the problem. One of the things that worked really well, I got invited to a company. I don't think I mentioned their name, but they're very large, global brand that you would all know. And one of their CFO reached out to me and said, Hey, Chris, I'm having a real problem with the stigma, internally talking about mental health any any ideas? And I said, Okay, well, firstly, I'm flattered that you called me. But so what we ended up doing is a little mini, kind of weekly series, where each week I interviewed one of the executive team about their mental health and wellbeing journey. And he was had like 10 minute videos that we recorded similar now in the TV studio, but virtually there in our own home. And we had a very diverse range of leaders luck, actually, thankfully, in that company. And it was a game changer. Like, you know, one of the executives was a single female mom, and she was talking about how she's really struggling to be able to show up as a mum and look after her own mental health or trying to be a part of the executive team and people that wow, okay, like, we never, we just saw you as a high flying super energy, no one could see the, you know, the challenge. And it was similar story throughout the entire executive. And we released it as a weekly series, and we put it on like, the intranet internally, etc. And they were like, The engagement was insane, because they heard from all of our executives. Oh, wow, we're not the only ones. Right? So you will make it sometimes it's simple things like that, like, you don't have to agree to communicate.
Scott Domann 22:16
Agreed. And that's one of the things at that exact point, I talked about the importance of storytelling, you know, the, like I said, like, tell the story of you as a first time manager. And, you know, I avoided some of the specifics, because I know a lot of people still at the company, you know, but it's, you know, those kinds of things. It's like, hell, the specifics of your story, make it okay to go like, gosh, that senior exec did I look up to or that, wow, it's just not a member of the C suite that I don't even know, is comfortable enough to talk about whatever challenge they've been facing. It's okay for me. And you know, particularly when we think about all of the issues that just as individuals, we face that just to have an example, modeled by your senior team, is incredibly powerful. And it's as simple as storytelling. And you know, this is where I also tell a lot of other CHR OHS. Be careful with the word vulnerability. Because as we all love Brene, brown and the studies of vulnerability and things like that, if you go to a group of execs that you know, are quite ready, they're like, I'm not going to be vulnerable,
Chris Rainey 23:19
and soft for me to find inaccuracies. Because I asked them and it wasn't coming from HR, they all said, yes. So we like because that was one of the problems that she had. She's I've asked her never heard no, but if we can position this as a series that Chris Rainey is doing around mental health and well being we changed the narrative a little bit. They were like, Yeah, sure. And I what I said is, are you happy to share your story? That's I lead with, and they were like, sure. Whereas if I said, Hey, can you share your specific, you know, what your challenges mental health, etc, they would have been like, No, we're not doing that. Exactly.
Scott Domann 23:55
Yeah, that's the words matter, my friend. And that's fair. It's just like, you know, creating that environment of storytelling of people to feel confident and comfortable. And, frankly, like, exactly what you did is, and this is true for execs, or managers or your earliest career people is meet people where they are. And you know, think about the cultural context of the company or the where they're from, have just like mental health as a topic may not even be things that are actively discussed, were in the sense of, you're well, or you're not well, and you know, things like that, and in ways that are quite negative. So it's the think about all of those things. For those of us in a people in HR function. We can have the fanciest words for things, but oftentimes, like an employee or an exec, it's just not in their vocabulary. And so we need to meet people where they are to make sure that these well being strategies or mental health topics are focused on these things are actually things that are used by the broadest sense of your organization. One of the ones
Chris Rainey 24:49
talk about as well, which I don't think is spoken about enough and it's becoming more and more of a challenge is the conversation around financial well being. Yes, because I think it's becoming more Over challenged, you know, the cost of living and versus inflation, you know, there, there's not matching up right now. We're seeing the increase of salaries not really getting flat out and the cost of living getting higher. And it's just, it's a challenge for many people out there. And I noticed something that comes up in trying to address as well. Yeah,
Scott Domann 25:21
absolutely. And, of course, the workplace report that was the number one stressor on people's financial well being. And thinking about, you know, from a financial well being standpoint, there are organizations that we partner with if, for instance, a company called Northstar money, this about financial wellbeing for the 100%. So that it's no matter what type of job you're in, or the environment you're in, or how much you make or don't make, that financial well being is for you, because of the stressors that are associated with inflation on cost of goods, you know, the, the value of the cost of eggs and milk and things like, yeah, all the way through to, you know, people I talk to the guy co Well, the kids are going to college here and X number of years. So here's what we have to start thinking of and doing now. And, wow, I can't believe I have to think about this are in environments like London, or like when I live in, where I live in LA, the cost of kindergarten, I don't children, but I'm just like, it's, it's unbelievable.
Chris Rainey 26:18
For me, and Tasha it was like a whole of our one of our salaries 50% of our income going on this tall cat. Yes.
Scott Domann 26:26
Unbelievable. And so it's just like, I think about those things. And I'm like, wow, I mean, the financial pressures facing everyone in every circumstance today is just, you know, the thing that every organization needs to think about, and how you actually pair that with mental health with mental wellness and mental health strategies.
Chris Rainey 26:43
Yeah, it's, it's, and again, this is going back to managers this a brand new thing. Yeah, this is another thing. On top of our managers that when I became a manager wasn't a conversation wasn't a part of a real responsibility, again, that we're putting on the shoulders of managers to have these conversations, right. Yeah,
Scott Domann 27:05
exactly. I mean, I mean, think about when I was first starting to work, I mean, I had a really great boss and my first company, but if I had a challenge, it was like, Well, I hope you get your stuff done. And wouldn't have talked about mental health challenges or financial challenges or things like that, that was all outside of, you know, the four walls of work. And that's, again, going back to the topic before I think about how people were professionally raised. And our discipline is like, Hey, you have to think about this things that you weren't afforded, but are expected now especially like, first of the workplace report, thinking about the generational requirements of people who are entering the workforce. Now, it's expected that you'll talk about mental health or financial wellness, or that you'll provide the tools and resources. And candidly, just because we are, you know, I didn't get them doesn't mean you can't learn about them. And it doesn't mean you shouldn't provide them because they're expected these days,
Chris Rainey 27:57
that they're no longer enough to happen. I think the number that shocked me was when I read that 52% of employees are looking for additional income outside of their job. That's right, 52% of our employees are looking for additional ways to make money outside of their jobs. So you can just imagine distress
Scott Domann 28:18
that's causing exactly, it's no longer as people would talk about their side hustle, it's sort of Yeah, you know, their full time role. And then the extra work that they do to make ends meet or to send the kids to school and or, you know, it really, it's very real for so many people.
Chris Rainey 28:35
Yeah. And then Devon was saying 59% Of those, I've linked that as their main source of anxiety and worry. Yeah, yeah. Well, that really puts it into context.
Scott Domann 28:46
Yeah. And particularly thinking about, you know, what companies are going through today from their financial hardships and stress and reductions in force or reorganizations. And everyone sort of, even if you haven't been impacted by that, continuously worrying that? Well, I'm next. And so you have to think about that. And I always tell, you know, our managers are calm every time we go through a change and coach other companies on this as well as you'd have to answer the what about me question? And you know, when you're going through those things, think about employees sitting behind their computer and and all hands going, like, I'm hearing what you're saying about this change or this product, or that, you know, reduction in force, but Well, I can think about what does this mean to me? How does this impact me? And this impact, my pay? And my next I'm in this discipline? Will you start turning your eye towards this now? And, you know, really thinking about as an organization? How do you lead from that particular? How do you lead from that place? Like as you're going through change how you think about that question? Start by answering that question. If you're like, Well, if I get this question from an employee that's really about them. You can't ignore it, and you've got to be able to answer it. And so the more time and effort you put into it, you know, really figuring out what the answers to those questions are, the more activ change will be, but at the same time, everyone's carrying that in spades these days, and really have to think about what that means.
Chris Rainey 30:08
One of the things that came out a report, which I don't think people talk about enough and was quite eye opening for me was around the need for women to have more mental health support during different life stages. And I just don't think that's something that many people think about. I didn't even know it was a new thing for me to be exposed to. And I think it's so important that we talk about that, could you share your thoughts?
Scott Domann 30:36
Oh, absolutely. I mean, women's health challenges are, you know, just a range of topics. And I'll give one example, it's very personal to me, my sister went through breast cancer treatment through most of 23. And so we spent a lot of time on I, you know, would cone drive her around, and things like that, but it was primarily about her mental health. And in terms of just as a woman going through breast cancer, getting some fantastic medical care, but really, the way she you know, as sick as she felt my mother was her primary caregiver at that time, you know, really, in terms of not wanting to hear things like, that may be very common that you and I have heard is like, you've got it, girl, you can do this. She was like, I don't want to hear that. I don't have this. And I don't want to anyone to say that to me. And so I was like, great. I want to know what you need, what you need to hear, are there no TV programs I can put in front of you that are, you know, bring you a little bit of joy. He was going in a clinical trial, at the hospital, she went to and having a bit of anxiety, it was like, ask for all the drugs. And she was like, Oh, I didn't know I couldn't I was like, You got to do that you are in a clinical trial, they will give you what you need for the anxiety that you have going through some of these tests. And so it just really made me not just from thinking about voice of the workplace report where we have to understand women's healthcare needs, but the advocacy that is required. And so you know, personally, I've just become a really strong, a stronger women's health advocate, just going through that with my sister. And then also thinking about from a company standpoint, everything ranging from, you know, family forming, to infertility, to loss of pregnancy, to menopause, to, you know, anything that women are facing, to be able, even as a man to be able to say, I may not personally be going through this, but I've taken the time to understand the range of topics and creating a space that you can come to me and say, here's what I'm facing. And then as an organization, or just as someone who's lending an ear to understand and truly go deeper in terms of being able to provide the support mentally in terms of like I'm here for you, I'm listening and or from a company standpoint, to see what you can do that actually provides more substantive support for the challenges that women are facing today.
Chris Rainey 32:49
I love that you brought that up because I did a podcast a few weeks ago with Theresa Proctor, She's the former Chief People Officer of Tesco. And she also went through breast cancer treatment. And she wanted, she literally reached out to me saying, Hey, I'd love to come on the show, I need to share my story. Because just people aren't doing and this is reflected in your report that the majority of women who are dealing with these issues, don't feel comfortable sharing these experiences with their manager with their workplace, they just keep it to themselves. And Teresa realized that and we did a podcast, about her journey and and many of them found, you know, solace in Facebook groups and other other avenues because it didn't feel comfortable talking about it in their own workplace. So that was quite shocking to hear that you know, that they don't feel comfortable to speak to their own manager or their or their company? Well, yeah, exactly. It's such a tough time, it's quite sad to hear that. As well as all of these things like menopause is another one that's come up a few times more recently on the show. So we're beginning to have more of these conversations that we didn't, before. And again, and again, it's also helping people, like you said earlier, have the language to have the conversations as well. And try again, it's such an important part of it. But through storytelling, there's nothing more powerful than people telling their stories, which is why Teresa was like, Hey, Chris, I really want to share my story. That's really amazing. If it can help even a few people. It's exactly what it's worth doing. Right?
Scott Domann 34:19
Exactly. And that's my sister and I were talking about, like the need for everyone, particularly with men to be women's health care advocates. You know, we can't just sit there and say, oh, gosh, that's a woman's problem for women to speak to, you know, she really pushed me on like, you have to talk to these you know about these topics at work. You have to talk to your benefits brokers in the us about how you can provide more proactive support at work from women's women's health care issues in general. And so it's just made me just a staunch advocate where I find myself apologizing but in some ways where I'm like, Hey, sorry, if I'm talking about something you're like, why is he talking about that? But here's the story. of what I went through with my sister and Marshall so passionately about this and in terms of wanting you to make sure you advocate for yourself, and that, you know, you've got an advocate in me. And it just takes one of us. And it just, you know, really one story away from understanding another human being or culture need, things like that. And the more you tell those stories, and the more we talk about all of these things, the more support and actual change we'll be able to see in terms of these topics.
Chris Rainey 35:26
Yeah, it's, and I could talk to you forever, but I know if I let you go at some point.
Scott Domann 35:31
Let's just keep going. I mean, a good time. So we're just gonna flip through it.
Chris Rainey 35:39
Know, what, when you think about the future, what what are you most excited about as you look forward? Because we spoke a lot about a lot of challenges. And, you know, but when you I want to end on a on a on a positive in terms of what you're most excited about moving forward what you're most passionate about? Yeah,
Scott Domann 35:57
absolutely. I mean, it goes back to you know, what I love about being a column, which I get most passionate about thinking about how we talk about mental health in general. And then how we talk about, you know, really much like, I think about all the diversity, equity, inclusion, belonging topics that early in my career, I was talking to someone about this the other night, I remember when we still taught tolerance. And you know, those kinds of things where it's like, I can't believe that we talked about those things. And how far you know, we've progressed in terms of what D IB truly means is an imperative. In our everyday life, and also at work, I think about mental health very similarly, where it's companies like calm are able to thrive and everything in the mental health space, because mental health is a primary topic that people are living with right now and actually discussing. And a lot of times I'll talk to one of its leaders or organizations around is this just something that came up during the pandemic, because we were all at home, and no, mental health is health and mental health has always been something that people have faced, and the pandemic just happened to, you know, pull the curtain open on a lot of these topics and say, there are a lot of things we have to see, there are a lot of things that may have been right in front of us that people were facing all along, and could have been as simple as anxiety and burnout, where you need to give someone the grace and space to you know, work on themselves or take time off to be able to rest, that, you know, these kinds of topics of mental health at work and taking the taboo out of talking about mental health at work is so important. I'm so excited about that, like, we look at our first voice of the workplace report and being able to talk about financial stress technology, women's health, Gen Z issues, you know, I'm just glad that those are things we're actively and proactively engaging in so that we're not waiting to crisis points, crisis points will come and organizations and individuals have the support ideally that they need for those crisis points. But it's in the proactive sort of always on or on talking about mental health and well being that I'm just really excited that we're in the middle of right now. And I only anticipate that it's going to get even more significant.
Chris Rainey 38:07
He made a really good point there as well. It's like many organizations, when I look at their support, it's always reactive. Not proactive. So and I'll highlight that, because we have to be way more proactive, absolutely, in what we're doing and the services that we provide. And as you mentioned, we only covered a tiny fraction of the report. So definitely sort of the always on technology, sort of burnout sides of people check that part out. There's also as you mentioned, around the Gen Z, which was Aereo, in terms of them struggling the most, but also leading the charge and change. As well, as you mentioned before, like this is no longer nice to have is is an expectation and are really leading the way on that side. So for everyone listening, you can wherever you're listening or watching right now, there'll be a link to the report below in the description. But Scott, I appreciate you coming on I love your energy. Clearly you're in the right space man in the right company. Appreciate it. Yeah, I aligned
Scott Domann 39:07
the sizing. So I'm happy. So I really thank you for having me on today. And thank you everyone for listening because these topics, take nothing else. It's like mental health is health and you know, whatever you're doing and thinking about in your personal life or the people around you. And at work, make sure that you create the space for people's mental health conversations and that you provide particularly for organizations, exactly, as you said, the proactive mechanisms that allow people to have what they need when they need it, and you're not just waiting till those crisis points to provide that support.
Chris Rainey 39:42
Amazing, man. Well, listen, I wish you all the best until next week. I appreciate you coming on you
Scott Domann 39:46
too, sir. Have a good one. I'll see you soon. See ya.
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Tony Buffum, VP of HR Client Strategy at Upwork.