A Kindred Conversation with Daisy Auger-Domínguez, Part II | VICE’s Chief People Officer on reimagining the workplace

This article is a transcript of Daisy and Nina’s exclusive conversation for Kindred members. Kindred is the membership built to support leaders building socially responsible businesses. Kindred membership provides organizations and leaders with access to the education, leadership development, and community of peers they need to confidently navigate increasingly complex environmental, social, and governance (ESG) decisions. 

Nina: In Part I of our conversation, we talked about the evolution of the Chief People Officer role from a talent machine to a culture engine. I’d love to kick off Part II of our conversation by getting your take on what’s been called the Great Resignation—or the large number of people who have quit their jobs throughout the pandemic. 

Daisy: You know, it's hard not to feel doom and gloom about the Great Resignation, especially because for HR folks, it's just so much work. When entire teams are decimated almost at once, recruitment functions can barely keep up with the volume. It’s true that our organizations changed very quickly as we went online when the pandemic first hit. But the fact of the matter is that even in a remote working environment, we're still leaning on a lot of our old muscles for how we did things. 

The Great Resignation is happening in part because humans have reoriented themselves and organizations haven’t fundamentally done the same. It takes time to drive that kind of sustainable change at the organizational level. It’s tough. But what energizes me is remembering that moments like the ones we’re living through with such dramatic changes always open up room for reinvention and re-imagination. I’ve been particularly excited about the reinvention possible around concepts that have eluded us for so long— like psychological safety, belonging, and inclusion. Now's the time to really double down on these critical aspects of work.

But while there is great reimagining potential, there is also a new set of operational constraints. The Great Resignation has also resulted in a talent market that is completely askew, so what we could afford before we simply can't now. This created for us an opportunity to rethink our pay philosophy and rethink the way that we are workforce planning versus traditional headcount management. Workforce planning requires partnering with your HR teams, your finance teams, your IT teams, your operations teams, and really thinking about what organization we want to be in the future. And asking what new muscles we need to reach that vision and to work better. This kind of workforce planning requires leaders to be deeply reflective, but making space for these kinds of reflection moments is well worth it. I’ve seen us yield the best answers when we do.

Nina: As you're speaking, I can't help but think your team must be exhausted. On the one hand, you're trying to do the creative work of reimagining and on the other, you’re troubleshooting operational challenges in real time. Alongside the Great Resignation, you must also be experiencing something like a Great Burnout.

Daisy: Yes—I joke that we're burnt crispy! But it’s not just our people team, every single human that has been impacted by this pandemic is for the most part just exhausted. And that exhaustion, as I'm sure you’ve seen, can lead to just the worst behaviors in people. One of the biggest leadership challenges is managing against that and continuing to allow for grace to be part of the equation. 

But it’s not easy. A week ago, I hit my wall. I did not like who I was that week. I was responding to things in ways that I knew I shouldn't be responding. At the end of the week, I actually got into a bike accident (it wasn't terrible, just a few scrapes). But it was completely avoidable. I was frustrated by something, my head was not clear, and I was having trouble paying attention. So I hit the curb and went flying.  

I told my team this story in the weekly reflection note I write. I talked about how I was not showing up as my best. I hoped that example could help humanize where we all are. We’re all distracted and frustrated and trying our best. But we’re all feeling moments of burnout. 

Nina: When you squint at, let’s say, 10 years from now, what does the reimagined organization and employee experience look like? Can you bring it to life a little bit?

Daisy: Your questions are giving me life, Nina! This is a question that I love to be pondering. In ten years, there's no such thing as a five day workweek anymore. We are working and creating and collaborating in hubs, not office spaces. We'll still call them offices, but they will really be hubs of creativity and innovation. The future of work is one where the hierarchies that we've known and the rule books that we've been leaning on for so long are no longer the norm. We will have new rule books for how we can be both performance-driven and human-driven. There will be no bifurcation between the two.

People will be choosing organizations based on culture, not just discipline or industry, which is what a lot of us did historically. And I believe that the workplace that my 13-year old daughter will inherit will be far more dynamic, far more creative, and far more joyful. 

Nina: We’ve touched on many of the big themes people are talking about right now—the Great Resignation, the Great Burnout, and the Great Reimagining of the future of work. Besides these themes, is there anything that you feel isn't getting enough air time? 

Daisy: I love that. For one, we've been talking about wellness for a long time, but it's not baked into most organization's DNA yet. So wellness and psychological safety is a big space I hope we turn more attention to—this kind of burn out we’re seeing cannot be our new normal.  

Another is one I've been vocal about and written about to our VICE employees throughout the pandemic. I firmly believe that we can build a radically inclusive and equity-minded workplace. We talk about those words as if they're these elusive ideas that will never exist. But to me, these ideas can and must exist. They mean that all of your leaders and team members are anti-racist. Companies never used words like that in the workplace, but we used them a lot last year.  Being anti-racist is about actively dismantling racism in our organizations. We need diverse workplaces, which means equitable representation at all levels. And we need workplaces that are safe, fair, and where work is dignified. This is so foundational for all organizations, but especially for those building workplaces where creativity and innovation come first. 

Nina: I love your choice of the word ‘dignified.’ The last few years, I’ve mostly seen leaders talking about ‘purpose’ and the workplace. But I think you’re talking about something quite different as a philosophical foundation for what work is when you elevate ‘dignity’ rather than ‘purpose’ — the workplace must be inclusive, equitable, and fair, and not simply a place for personal self-actualization. I think we all have a lot  to learn from what you're working on, thanks again for joining us Daisy.

Daisy: Likewise, thank you for thank you for the work you're doing! I'm excited to learn more from you as well and appreciate this opportunity.

Daisy Auger-Domínguez has made it her mission to make workplaces more equitable and inclusive. As the Chief People Officer at VICE Media Group, Daisy leads a global team responsible for people operations, diversity, equity and inclusion initiatives and corporate social responsibility practices. Her TEDx talk Inclusion Revolution and upcoming book with Seal Press by the same title calls on everyone to take on the work of dismantling inequity in the workplace.

Auger-Domínguez has designed, led, and scaled organizational transformations at Moody's Investors Service, The Walt Disney Company, Google, and Viacom, and founded Auger-Domínguez Ventures, a workplace culture consultancy. A dynamic speaker, writer and advisor, Daisy serves on the boards of Planned Parenthood Federation of America, Brooklyn Children’s Museum, Robert Sterling Clark Foundation, and St. Ann’s Warehouse.