Last week, my work life was a dream. The company responsible for my glee is Workhuman, the maker of impactful cloud-based employee recognition software.  I had the pleasure of being the main stage emcee for their annual flagship event, Workhuman Live. This conference is a multi-day gathering of HR professionals connected by a desire to bring more humanity into the workplace. Isn’t that an incredible idea to rally around!?

Thousands of attendees assembled at the San Diego Convention Center with their focus on gratitude and employee wellbeing. I was honored to be at the center of that kind of energy and to share the same stage as powerhouses like Eric Mosley, Ester Perel & Luvvie Ajayi Jones. I also got to lead conversations about the multi-generational workforce, the current squeeze on DEI budgets, and I interviewed Ed Catmull about his career and leadership at Pixar and Disney Animation. The whole time, I was surrounded by attendees who generously affirmed the value I brought to the event. I don’t think I’ve ever been poured into at such a high volume. My gratitude cup is still overflowing!

Many people posted event recaps that I think are well worth checking out. To dig into some of the session takeaways and the attendee experience, take a look at these posts from Elizabeth Sandler, Simon Alexander Ong, and a series of posts from Sarah Morgan. In this post, however, I want to marinate on the importance of an event like this for me and share a quick story.

Humanity at work matters…a lot.

 A major part of my life’s work is about reminding people of their humanity and the fullness of who they can be. This is the impetus behind my self-discovery podcast YOU Better!  (Season 2 launches on April 29th! Subscribe and join me!). But our experiences related to work often teach us to deny our truth, shrink our true selves and send us into survival mode.  We learn to tolerate poor treatment and “just be grateful you have a job.” I imagine most people can relate to the experience of feeling like an unappreciated cog in a machine while trying to make a living. I will share one particularly stinging moment from early in my career.

I was working at a popular consumer brand, striving to be excellent.  A critical part of my role was pulling together our product sales forecasts and budget comparison documents. Every month I would present these results to our divisional leader. His appetite for increasing sales seemed unquenchable and, frankly, unreasonable.  

The days leading up to those budget review meetings were dreadful. The numbers presented had to be precise to the nickel and we always had to be winning exponentially.  I recall our team preparing like anxious number-crunching gladiators approaching the coliseum to perform for the royals.  Leaving those meetings, I often felt like I could vomit from the intensity of the interrogations and the insatiable nature of the expectations on our small team. But we kept grinding.  Our team’s hard work helped the brand to break sales records and I was proud of the results.

Two humans walked onto an elevator

One day as I entered an elevator in our building to head to lunch, I looked up and saw that one other person was already on for the ride. Turns out, I was now alone on the elevator with this same leader to whom I had been delivering these monthly presentations. I’ve always been a relationship person, so I was excited at the chance to talk outside of the high-pressure meetings and build some rapport. I smiled and said hello. And he said…nothing. I had assumed that because of these monthly meetings, there was some familiarity between us. But, as I searched his face for recognition, I found none. He seemed to look right through me and then turned away, signaling the end of an interaction that he didn’t care to begin.

In that moment I thought about all I had sacrificed to meet his demands. The late nights eating dinner with my colleagues in conference rooms instead of with my fiancé.  The times I slept in my office because the commute would have cut too much into meeting prep time.   This leader’s lack of the most basic recognition was loud. I needed my existence to matter to anyone who relied on my time and talent as much as he did. Yet in that elevator, where I had somehow become invisible, I felt like a disposable minion. I started interviewing for another position immediately.

Getting a paycheck is cool. But if the paycheck isn’t coupled with values like kindness and humane treatment, I prefer to find a new one. I know I am not alone in this. People want to feel seen, heard, appreciated, and respected at work. In Workhuman’s research, when they asked the question: “If you could change one thing about your organization’s culture, what would it be?” The top response was “Foster a culture of appreciation and mutual respect.”  Leaders who don’t want to lose great employees would be wise to take note of this.

If you are with an organization that creates space for education, conversation, and connection along these important lines, let’s talk. I would love to partner with you as an emcee or speaker. Contact me today. 

Special P.S. – By request…the outfits!

For everyone who requested a rundown of my Workhuman Live emcee outfits, I have included a look book below with links where you can find these items I wore.  If I missed something you loved, just send me a note on social media (LinkedIn or Instagram) and I can add it!

ABOUT KIESHA GARRISON
Kiesha Garrison is a Seattle, WA based professional emcee and public speaker. She leads high-impact events & conversations that spark positive personal, professional, and cultural shifts.