Summary
Monthly or even quarterly well-being sessions on caring for your mental heath aren't enough to create inclusive and supporting workplace environments. In the teams that we cultivate and work with, there needs to be a foundation of care and autonomy that is integrated into the workflow. Equitable well-being should be at the core of creating an inclusive workplace and user experience for your customers and employees. In this interactive talk, we'll explore the themes of capitalism, hierarchy, classism, and other harmful realities of inequity that hinder true equitable well-being in the workplace to better the employee experience. We'll dive deep into how to reimagine a workplace framework and environment that is grounded in overall well-being and inclusion. Through this, you'll walk away with the knowledge and tools to push toward a dynamic of a more speculative and imaginative future that can be more freeing, and aligned with the well-being of people and all inhabitants, including the land, that can enable contribution to a healthier cyclical work environment.
Key Insights
-
•
Zaria reframes 'kickback'—a social gathering characterized by safety, flow, and energy—as a metaphor for healthy workplace culture.
-
•
Psychological safety without trust is insufficient; trust must be foundational for employee wellbeing.
-
•
Rest is a human right and an act of resistance, not a luxury or privilege.
-
•
Burnout results from rewarding hustle culture instead of sustainable self-care.
-
•
Workplaces should be task-oriented and flexible to accommodate different needs, such as neurodivergence.
-
•
Co-creation with employees is essential to design equitable and accessible work environments.
-
•
Play and curiosity are key components often neglected in adult work culture but crucial for creativity and healing.
-
•
Cultural differences affect wellbeing practices, e.g., bereavement leave needs vary and require flexible policies.
-
•
Toxic workplaces reward harmful behaviors explicitly or tacitly, isolating vulnerable employees.
-
•
Individual agency and rituals to self-regulate are critical when systemic change is slow or impossible.
Notable Quotes
"Share everything, own nothing but credit everyone."
"Your breath is the most powerful thing. It moves on its own, but it’s the one thing you can control."
"A kickback is a free flowing and life giving gathering that transforms and electrifies throughout the night."
"If you are silent about your pain, they will kill you and say you enjoyed it."
"Stop saying rest is a luxury or a privilege. It is not. It is a human right."
"Burnout really exists because we made rest a reward rather than a right."
"Jobs always ask for three references. I think I might start asking for three happy employees."
"If I don’t trust you, how can I feel safe with you?"
"Play invites curiosity, and curiosity allows us to imagine and create new worlds."
"Denying the body is not an antidote to the suffering of the world. When we protect our rest, we protect our dreaming."
Or choose a question:
More Videos
"Collaboration should include stakeholders often not traditionally represented, like marketing, sales, and customer support."
Angelos ArnisNavigating the Rapid Shifts in Tech's Turbulent Terrain
October 2, 2023
"We are writing the definitive guide because there is no single book dedicated entirely to design ops."
John Calhoun Rachel PosmanBring your DesignOps Story to Life! The Definitive DesignOps Book Jam
October 3, 2023
"If design is not viewed as a player moving the needle on business strategy, designers feel disempowered and frustrated."
Alfred KahnA Seat at the Table: Making Your Team a Strategic Partner
November 29, 2023
"Make an incredible experience credible — that was the organizational directive to UX."
Dan WillisEnterprise Storytelling Sessions
June 3, 2019
"If you feel like a doormat trying to earn your place in design, sometimes the best advice is to change jobs."
John Maeda Alison RandAbout Design Organizations (Videoconference)
May 13, 2019
"Our product managers look at UX as an opportunity for discovery, not as a stakeholder to question."
Anat Fintzi Rachel MinnicksDelivering at Scale: Making Traction with Resistant Partners
June 9, 2022
"Craft cultivates customer satisfaction, loyalty, and even forgiveness when functional issues arise."
Uday GajendarThe Wicked Craft of Enterprise UX
May 13, 2015
"The early sessions focused on definition: what is design ops, is it program management or strategy?"
Kristin SkinnerTheme 1 Intro
September 29, 2021
"Before stage in customer journey is so important—it sets customers up for success by making pages findable and clear through SEO and self-assessment tools."
Maish NichaniSparking a Service Excellence Mindset at a Government Agency
December 9, 2021
