KEY TAKEAWAYS
[03:04] Jen starts out as an entrepreneur.
[04:12] The business reaches an inflection point and they have
to make a decision.
[04:40] Jen joins Nordstrom and gets moved in Learning &
Development.
[07:35] At Starbucks for five years, Jen benefits from many
different experiences.
[08:57] Leadership’s commitment to the employee makes a
difference—including transparency and openness.
[10:20] Jen hones her HR skills at Getty Images.
[11:30] Early understanding and observations about company
culture.
[13:01] An impactful learning moment when having to lay people
off after an acquisition.
[14:22] Jen’s lasting takeaway is the human-centric core.
[10:35] Despite not wanting to go, Jen moved to New York City to
pursue her career.
[15:20] After having three kids, Jen transitions organically to
freelancing, consulting, and coaching.
[17:42] Jen deliberately doubles down on her strengths.
[18:20] Why Jen wanted to go in-house at Justworks.
[20:20] The important focus on supporting small business.
[22:05] Jen delights about employees craving development
resources.
[23:36] Driving the Wellness Program, Jen plans out through
2025.
[25:10] Being proactive, not just reactionary.
[25:58] Becoming more data driven and integrating DEIB.
[27:38] How Justworks pivoted in March 2020 as they were
providing important support for their client companies.
[28:49] The core value is camaraderie.
[29:15] The tension about how best to build interpersonal
relationships with new work arrangements.
[31:36] Being intentional about learning how to optimize remote
working.
[32:31] Empowering teams to figure it out, working their way
along their own journeys.
[34:59] How Jen tactically acts and reacts to support employees’
well-being.
[36:32] The four pillars of Justworks’ Well-being Program.
[37:03] Creating meeting boundaries.
[37:24] Financial well-being is a key focus.
[38:18] Now Jen purposefully shows her commute on her
calendar.
[39:13] The importance of managers in creating a positive and
productive team environment.
[40:17] Partnerships for resources help develop managers.
[41:18] New interest in role playing and learn new skills.
[42:51] New efforts to understand individual talent and create
personalized career paths.
[43:48] Jen needs a pause button and intentionally to block time
for herself.
[45:54] IMMEDIATE ACTION TIP: Remember your why. In the hardest
times, it’s a pause to remember why you are doing this work. It’s
different for everybody. Get in touch with your why.
QUOTES
“It’s a privilege being at a company where our employees are at
the center of it all.”
“If you take care of the people and yes, there's a lot of
process and logistics and paperwork. But if at the end of the day,
these are just people. How can we help and support them?”
“What I realized more so for myself was that doubling down on my
strengths gave me more fuel, more energy. The more I did it, the
more confident I became. And then the more people wanted to hire
me.”
“We were able to pivot and get our stuff together essentially so
quickly because we had to. Because we, our customers, all those
little companies were now looking to us to help them keep the
lights on.”