Take A Vacation. No, Really.
I spent the last two weeks in Iceland with my family.?
Back home, my team at Klaviyo was busy building return to work plans, creating new policies, working through promotion season, figuring out our back-to-work model, recruiting and hiring for over 100 open roles, and trying to build a truly best-in-class leadership and development program. In short, People Ops at Klaviyo is a busy place to work right now and it probably wasn’t the best time for the leader of the department to take a vacation. But I view my role as a Chief People Officer to set the tone for our organization. If I can’t take two weeks off, then who can? And if not now, when??
You’ve heard of the Great Resignation, where after a year of uncertainty during the pandemic, people are leaving employers in nearly every industry to find work that aligns with their need for flexibility or change. While many sectors are seeing wage sensitive workers leave to find better-paying careers, technology and healthcare are at the top of the list for burnout. Klaviyo’s a fast-paced tech company like so many others and I’m particularly sensitive to how vulnerable our workforce is to burnout due to the always-on nature of our work.
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We’ve rolled out vacation minimums, implemented longer parental leave, added more company wide vacation days to the calendar, and introduced meeting-free days throughout every month. Every one of those benefits was put in place to ensure people are getting the time they need to rest, recharge, and really enjoy their loved ones. But those benefits are all just words on paper if our leadership team isn’t using them, too. So, I spent the last two weeks in Iceland with my family.
I came back to a lot more emails that I would have liked and a few important announcements to prioritize, but in reality, the world turned without me and my team made the decisions they needed to make while I hiked, photographed, ate, toured, and enjoyed the beautiful country of Iceland with the people I love most.
Where are you off to this year?
Senior People Operations Business Partner
3 年As a people leader, I have always championed vacation initiatives and was a very early adopter of unlimited PTO, convincing leadership of the importance. However, leaders can be tone deaf when "setting the example" with lavish trips only they can afford and then telling their employees to take a trip like they did. I had a CEO stand in front of his warehouse workers and talk about going to Europe for a month and how they should too. The message got a bit lost, to say the least. Set an example, sure, but mind your audience and have some serious awareness.
Love this post Jenny Dearborn. Just got back to work today after taking 2 weeks off. 1 week to visit my family in California, and another week to spend with the kids in the Poconos. Although perhaps next year we should look into going to Iceland. I appreciate the leadership at Klaviyo providing its employees with unlimited PTO, and leading by example! Can't wait to hear about your trip!!
Associate Marriage and Family Therapist
3 年Wonderful Jenny!
Chief Executive Officer | MBA @ Connectus Business Solutions, NED, High Growth and Change Specialist
3 年Taking time out with your family to recharge and reconnect are important. Great bonding and memories are created along with the time to think and appreciate what it is important. I went on a 3 day level 3 military bush craft course with my 10yr old son , it was an amazing experience which brought us even closer together https://spartansurvival.co.uk/courses/
Vice President | Financial Advisor | Portfolio Manager | Alternative Investments Director | Financial Planning Specialist at Morgan Stanley
3 年I spent the last 10 days in Israel celebrating a brother-in-law's wedding - the time difference made it even easier to disconnect because the times were so off that it would've been too much to work US hours. I am a BIG believer in "be well, work well" and part of that is detaching for some time and letting your eyes and mind rest! Good on you, Jenny, for setting the tone at the top of your organization.