March 5, 2024 • 37 mins
Episode 36: Vanessa Zazueta Discusses How to Launch Successful Wellbeing Programs in the Workplace
3/5/2024
Vanessa Zazueta joins us to discuss how HR leaders can help employees thrive in their personal and professional lives by focusing on three wellbeing pillars: physical, mental, and financial health. As a director-level HR Generalist, Vanessa shares her experience launching successful wellness programs and fostering an open, inclusive work culture.
Vanessa also emphasizes the importance of navigating your own wellbeing journey — while also leading wellbeing initiatives for your team. Additionally, the conversation includes a fun anecdote about an office fish named Tugboat, which brought the team together and created a sense of community.
Noted in Podcast:
- HR HOTSAUCE “Favorite song to bring you out of a funk playlist”:
- What Vanessa is watching:
- How to Get Rich - Netflix
- For practical advice on improving your financial wellbeing
- How to Get Rich - Netflix
Our Sponsor: People Element
Understand, engage, inspire, and retain your people like never before. People Element's employee experience and engagement solution delivers powerful intelligence, giving you the confidence to act.
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Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
(00:00):
Welcome to All About HR, the podcast dedicated to unraveling the mysteries of
human resources and empowering you with the knowledge to navigate the modern
workplace successfully.
I'm your host, Laura Hundley, and I'm thrilled to embark on this HR journey with you. Let's go.
Welcome to All About HR, our first episode of 2024.
(00:25):
I'm really excited to be taking over as as host.
Today, I have a really amazing person to talk to, Vanessa Sosueta.
She is an HR professional.
She's been an HR professional in the hospitality industry for over 20 years. Welcome, Vanessa.
Thank you, Laura. It's a pleasure to be here. Thank you for joining us.
(00:47):
I'm really excited to talk to you and hear about what you do and some of the
experiences that you've had.
It would be my pleasure. Absolutely. I know you're an HR professional,
so you've probably seen quite a bit, like quite the range of things in your time.
So maybe I'll start with what would you like to share or start off with today?
(01:08):
Well, right now, I have a big focus and interest in employee wellness and overall wellness.
And I think that's a good topic to start on.
I chose a profession in the hospitality industry, industry, like the service
industry, and to be of service to others, whether it's a guest or an employee, it's serving, right?
(01:30):
And I'm very connected to wellness programs in the workplace and,
you know, taking a holistic approach of what's offered to employees.
And there's various aspects of what well-being is. And I can dive right in if
you'd like me to. Yeah, sure. Yeah. Yeah.
Maybe you share for those of us that maybe don't know exactly what well-being
(01:53):
is or maybe even how it's defined.
How would you how would you define that?
Having something, a successful program in place that looks at a person holistically
and offers different topics,
options to them to help them grow as a person, as an individual, employee,
(02:14):
outside of work, inside of work, overall in their life.
Oh, I love that. All right. Yeah. So, yeah, dive right in.
What do you want to share about the programs that you have experience with?
Well, I've seen great success when you structure a program and,
you know, address the individual as a whole.
Having programs or resources that connect to maybe three pillars,
(02:37):
we can call them physical well-being, mental well-being, even financial well-being,
and helping individuals grow in different ways.
You know, I'm a product of a wellness program that had, you know,
good intentions in an organization.
If I may share a story. Yeah. When I worked in training and development,
one of the courses that was facilitated to all of our employees was on the topic
(03:00):
of physical well-being.
We covered everything from, you know, building awareness around your sugar intake
to healthy foods and exercise routines.
And at that time, I didn't feel like I was specifically in the best,
you know, optimal level of health for me. Wait, and I'm sorry,
(03:20):
I don't want to interrupt.
But are you saying that you because you'd mentioned that you were you did training and development?
And were you you were you the person that was put in charge of facilitating the content?
Absolutely. And this is one of the first goes at the organization I work for
of let's train others on these topics.
(03:42):
And because I was a training person, here's the curriculum and partnered with
senior leaders to give the course.
But I had to be right up there doing it. Yes, I was one of the implementers.
Oh, wow. Okay. All right. Not the creator, but the facilitator. Yeah.
And I mean, like for an odd, you know, the audience that you're delivering it to.
(04:03):
So the the team members and the employees, they're they're kind of looking to
you then as, you know, intentionally or unintentionally, they're looking to you as the expert.
Right. They're looking to you. You're delivering the content.
They're looking to you as the person. Oh, you know, if they have questions about it. Right. Yeah.
Right. Right. It's it's it's the person. And yeah. And being in front of,
(04:23):
you know, one audience after another.
And this was all, you know, walks of life and employees from entry level to,
you know, see more senior leaders, managers, you know, of the organization.
And so it was everyone was mixed. It was a mixed audience, per se. Yeah.
And here I am standing up there as the subject matter expert because it's the teacher, right?
(04:44):
I'd studied my guide and I did not feel like I was in my tip top shape for me.
Oh, and so I want I want you to elaborate on that.
Like when you say you didn't feel like you were in tip top shape. What do you mean by that?
I could have had healthier eating habits and exercise, different lifestyle.
(05:05):
It wasn't, you know, on my radar at that time as much as maybe now.
But and everybody's health journey is very different. So, you know,
I'm cautious in how how I say things or approach things, because what's tip
top health for me may not be that for somebody else.
Oh, yeah. Yeah. Oh, yeah. And I mean, that's like, I think it's interesting,
(05:26):
too, that you bring that up.
Like, how do you how do you navigate that as an
organization where how do they choose
the content to deliver and you know it has to be
it has to be good information right but then
not so much so that you cross the line with
not everybody can maybe partake in certain things is there an approach that's
a best practice for that i think is it's finding a balance and setting the intention
(05:51):
of what the the the course is going to be about you know this one One was specifically
like a 35 to 40 minute class course session, whatever we want to call it.
And it was very broad and it targeted these different subjects or topics so
that maybe somebody wouldn't connect to all of them, but maybe something would stick.
(06:11):
So it was intended to be broad.
Awesome. So, okay. So you're up there, you're delivering content,
and you're feeling maybe as not the example, I think.
That's what I am trying to say. Okay. All right. Okay. Yes.
And so I, you know, I have to be the subject matter expert.
(06:32):
I said, what authority do I have standing up here when maybe physically I was,
for me, overweight or I felt like that.
And I'm now having to tell people to eat vegetables or to, you know, go out on a walk.
And because of that i i
(06:52):
that really kick-started a weight loss journey for me
and 120 pounds later here i
am today i i feel physically in a
completely different place well wellness for me and it's all because of an awareness
class that i had to teach and share with others and and to that i'm very grateful
(07:13):
and to this day in in in you know in passing when i see people that that I know from,
you know, that time in life,
they, they joke or they're like, oh, remember the class about sugar?
And, you know, it's still stuck for, for, for, for individuals.
So that was very impactful.
Yeah, that, that is really, that is really powerful. And, and.
(07:34):
And, and if you, if you felt like maybe you weren't the, the example before,
you have a great story to share with people and to talk about.
And if, I don't know, do you, do you still deliver this kind of coursework?
This one specifically, no. In my current role, I have stepped away from training
and facilitating, but I have seen these courses grow from topic to topic, right?
(07:59):
So at that time, this was a good eight years ago, probably, where this class started.
And then I've seen others along the way grow.
And so I know I was talking about the different pillars, per se,
of a wellness program, in my opinion, that physical well-being and the focus on it, very important.
(08:22):
And then mental health, it's a huge topic.
I think it's not discussed enough. And I really believe that implementing initiatives
that support mental health, offering resources from counseling services,
having them readily available, giving stress management workshops,
(08:42):
hosting mindfulness mindfulness sessions or yoga classes.
I've seen those be successful. And truly promoting a,
stigma-free work environment or environment where employees feel comfortable
seeking help when needed and be truly listened to and be given those resources.
(09:03):
And I, you know, I'm a storyteller, Laura. I have another story, if you'd like.
Oh, yes. Absolutely. Around this topic.
Yeah. You know, being in HR, you process leaves of absence and,
you know, they run the gamut.
And I've I've processed more lately.
I have done some around mental health and just burnout or I need a break and
(09:26):
I'm going to go work on changing some things.
And I love that I can do this now, that the stigma is starting to very slowly be removed.
It could still be there, but I like that it can work.
So you're saying that it's something too that the company and maybe maybe even
companies in general, I don't know if you're, if that's some, that,
(09:50):
is it a trend that you're starting to see more that organizations are saying,
okay, we understand burnout is a real, very real thing,
or it's okay to take a step back for mental health to say, okay,
I can't, you know, like I have to take a day, a day or 10 or a month,
whatever it is just for myself. So you are seeing that. I've seen it in practice.
(10:13):
I have seen it in practice. I have participated and helping individuals get
to where they need to go and giving them the resources.
And even for me, it's a small example, but it shows like the impact of connecting
with your people, knowing your people.
And there is a time kind of like, I think post pandemic ish,
(10:35):
but still, you know, freshly coming out of it.
That was a very hard time for everyone, obviously. Yeah.
And, you know, organizations face all kinds of challenges, especially in the hospitality industry.
Right. And there was a point where I was on a team and we were stressed out.
We were getting thrown things for left and right, trying to help.
(10:58):
And it was just it was a high, high stress time.
And there I'm not going to say people were melting down, but we were vocalizing like, oh, it's a lot.
Yeah. And I was on a call. We had our weekly team call.
And it's a smaller group. It wasn't that big of a group, less than 10.
(11:19):
But we're on the call. And our leaders knew that we were kind of being, we're leaders.
And then our leaders were being new. We were being kind of pushed.
And there was just so much going on. And we were screaming help in certain ways.
And that day, one of our leaders came on and said, enough.
We are, no job is worth this or feeling this way.
(11:42):
We are going to work this out. We're going to find ways to get through this moment.
But right now, in this moment, we're going to box breathe.
And somebody on the team happened to know or be certified in it.
And we sat there and did box breathing exercises.
What is box breathing?
(12:03):
I might have to start doing this.
Please google this box breathing is
it's okay so i am not an expert i don't know
i'll just share my experience yeah it's breathing
and holding your breath in certain patterns so like you take a deep breath count
to four and exhale okay and then you keep doing it over and over but there's
(12:24):
different patterns your facilitator teacher will do and it's supposed to bring
you know that sense of well-being or calmness.
I think it's done in combination with meditating or yoga in those practices.
And so, yeah, we sat there on a virtual call and box-breathed.
And then we were told, we're done with the meeting and we're done with the day.
(12:48):
You log off and you leave for the day. The rest of the day is mental health day.
So they said, take a walk, go out into to nature and just, we want you to be well.
That was very meaningful. It showed me that I was on the right team.
And then it gives me permission to do that for others if the time comes, right?
(13:15):
Or if I have to. Or advise others, hey, you can do this.
It's important. Yeah, I agree.
I'm wondering, or something that just occurred to me, and I'm curious if you
have experience with it.
So it's one thing to say, say, okay, team, go and take the rest of today,
like take care of yourself, go on a walk, do something for you,
(13:36):
right? Whatever that is, do something for you.
How hard or easy is it? Like think mild, medium, hot, nuclear.
How hard or easy is it to do that thing and not say like, take that time as
like, oh, I want to get caught up now.
I have this like free, quote unquote, quote, free time or extra time, whatever that is.
(13:59):
Maybe like, what would you say your experience is with that?
Well, you know, the pressure of do I really do this? Yes.
Yeah. Well, you know, sometimes this is going to sound silly,
but just getting permission.
Yeah. And being told you can go do this. We want you to go do this.
We're going to check to see that your light is not lit up in the platform that
(14:23):
you were truly disconnected, put your out of office on.
And I took it serious that specific day.
I'm going to do this. I'm just, I am going to disconnect. I've been asked to
do it. I've been given this gift of time back for me.
And I walked the dogs and I didn't come back to work that day because I knew I didn't have to.
(14:47):
And it felt good and it felt like I was cared for. And...
You know, that builds loyalty. Yeah. And yeah, that's awesome energy. Yeah, I love that.
All right. I'm going to ask you one more question before the break.
It's because you mentioned another pillar of well-being that I had not always
(15:08):
associated with maybe well-being and financial.
Did I hear that right? You said financial well-being. I said that.
What and What does that mean?
What is it? I have seen success when there is a focus on financial literacy.
And let me pause for a second. Yeah, yeah. Pause over again.
(15:32):
I need to find my place here. Okay. Okay. So I've seen great success when having
a focus on financial health or financial well-being, where you implement an
initiative that supports this topic,
offering resources like a counseling or a,
I would call it budgeting courses.
(15:53):
Like financial planning, that kind of thing?
Yes. Financial planning, making training sessions available for maybe investing
or bringing in an expert and having financial counseling services available.
I once took a course through our employee assistance program.
Some companies have those. It's just an added resource that you can go to and
(16:16):
there's a pick list of services you can tap into.
And I talked to a financial planner about writing a budget and they work for
free and they work with me and I gave them all my business. They gave it back
to me and they said, you know, this is where you're at.
This is where you should be. And this is how to get there.
And it was free through my employer.
(16:37):
And for me, that was valuable.
So, you know, I'm here walking a little walking example, but I love being able
to share an experience to show, hey, this does work.
And then from there, and I know not all companies can do this, but if you can,
you know, 401k match or stock purchase or anything that's going to grow that
(17:02):
that employee financially is going to be beneficial in one way or another. Oh, yeah.
I think, I mean, we can't, we can't try to pretend that that's not some fast,
it holds some importance in our lives, right?
And I think for everybody, it has to meet a threshold. old.
So I'm listening to this audio book by Dan Pink, or his new book,
(17:25):
but I'm listening to it on Audible.
It's The Power of Regret. And it kind of is reminding me a little bit about,
there's a vignette in there that he's talking about this individual who,
when he was a go-getter, really, you know.
You know, started off as kind of in sales at Best Buy and then worked his way
(17:47):
up to like sales leader, sales manager, district manager, and,
you know, up to the executive level.
And, and then that allowed him to work in other, at other organizations at like
the higher executive level.
And all throughout, he was, he was really concerned about his paycheck and how
much he was making and and that he hadn't really had money before. He grew up kind of poor.
(18:10):
And he eventually, so as he started to make more and more money,
he just kind of wanted to buy things with it to sort of show off.
He bought clothes, he bought a car. I mean, nothing really extravagant,
but things that could potentially, say, take most of that paycheck.
And when he got to a point, like in his 40s, so this is kind of the regret piece,
(18:32):
when he got to a point in his 40s, he's like, I don't have anything to show
for where I'm at in my life.
He's at that executive level making six figure salary.
And he's looking back and saying, why don't I have anything to show for this?
And, and he's, so he makes it a point now for all of his employees that he wants
to talk to them about kind of that financial piece.
(18:54):
Like, Hey, look, you know, like this is, you don't have to do this,
but I wish somebody would have been telling me these things at,
you know, at your age. And so he talks about that, like, basically financial
planning piece that a lot of us don't, I don't know.
I mean, I wasn't that aware of it or really into it in my 20s.
I certainly wish I'd started saving in my 20s, not now. 100% agree. Same.
(19:18):
Same. If I knew then what I know now, it's real.
Same thing. I wish somebody would have told me to start investing a little bit earlier into my 401k.
And now every chance I get, you same.
You better believe it. I say it. I speak it. This is there. It's free.
And then plus all the other resources. If you don't know how to do it,
(19:42):
here's some resources on how yeah and just having
knowledge of power and and i and
i mean it's great that there are organizations out there really kind of helping
kind of bridge that gap of all right you know we want everybody to be at this
place and understand this and have this information i think that's awesome all
right on that note let's take a short break for the hr hot sauce and we'll be right back.
(20:10):
We're back with the HR hot sauce. Vanessa, are you ready?
I am ready to go. First one of the year.
What is the best job you've ever had?
Well, I've been fortunate enough to have the opportunity to work in several
roles in the hospitality industry.
And I can say that by far, one of my favorites was a training manager manager
(20:35):
for several, several hotels in one area.
So favorite job, training and development for sure.
Love it. What's the one phrase at work that drives you nuts?
We've always done it this way.
Do you like working on rainy or sunny days?
(20:57):
You know, both. There's advantages to both. So rainy days, they can be cozy.
They can, you know, help you be focused and more productive.
But then again, a good sunny day brings a lot of energy and like happy,
happy mood. So depends on the day.
That's fair. How can someone make your day at work?
(21:19):
A compliment. A simple compliment can go a very long way and make a lasting
impression. discussion. Yeah, I love that.
Best useless skill?
I can move my ears without touching them.
Mild, medium, hot, or nuclear? Medium all the way.
(21:43):
We need to, you know, keep things interesting and have a surprise here or there,
but still maintaining, you know, that comfortable balance and,
you know, how very HR of me to say that.
Favorite interview question to ask or be asked?
What keeps you here? You can learn a lot about a person and an organization
(22:07):
just by asking that simple question.
Song to bring you out of a funk? Well, let's see.
The song that they played in the Beetlejuice movie, that at the end there it's
called Jump in the Line and it's that shake, shake, shake sonora and oh it's just,
it's the beat you can just get up and move around stretch, makes me happy,
(22:33):
It's such a good song Harry Belafonte, love him Alright,
you made it Vanessa that's it for the HR Hot Sauce back to the show.
We're back. That was the HR hot sauce. Welcome back.
All right. So we've talked a little bit about well-being. We've heard some really
(22:53):
amazing, powerful stories around that.
I'm curious, so maybe part of our next piece about what you want to share,
Vanessa, what are you most passionate about regarding supporting today's workforce?
Well, I feel that I'm passionate about promoting inclusivity,
obviously mental health awareness,
(23:15):
as we've talked about, and work-life balance in today's workforce,
ensuring that individuals feel valued, supported,
empowered to thrive in their professional and personal lives.
And it's I think it's crucial for building a healthy and productive work environment.
And I've seen it firsthand. People who are happy stay and they're loyal and
(23:39):
the company's loyal to you. You're loyal to them.
It's going to make for a better work environment. Absolutely.
Absolutely. I mean, I have some experience in the hospitality industry,
and I've had jobs that do a really good job of work-life balance and making
sure that you're feeling taken care of.
(24:00):
What do you feel are some of the positive things that your organization has
done to support that work-life balance for your employees?
Well, I think that at different levels of the organization or at any company,
I've seen, I've heard the work-life balance piece, one aspect of it could be
(24:21):
a flexible work arrangement.
Oh, yeah. You know, they're trending and maybe a reduced work week,
like a reduced hours or one size doesn't fit all.
And so really sitting down
having conversations sharing this is what's
available to you employee and what does that look like for you somebody may
(24:44):
be completely cool oh no i want to work this and this many hours or another
person you know for me it works better if i come in in the evenings or once
again in the hospitality industry we have all shifts so you know it's easy to to to plug and play.
But having that open dialogue and the communication of this is available to
(25:05):
you is extremely helpful.
And it shows people you care for them. And once again, builds that loyalty.
Yeah. So it sounds like, I know it feels like kind of a basic concept or something
that I remember learning, taking some business classes, but treat your people
like people, it sounds like, Like understand,
(25:26):
ask them questions that like those communication pieces sound like it is. I mean, it is important.
And I know it back to basics. And I know we hear that, that catchphrase.
But sometimes it's just the simple things that that'll that'll help you be successful
and foster that type of environment.
(25:47):
Yeah, love that. Love it. What changes do you want to see in the workplace this year?
Well, I'm going to stay on my train here and say that I want to continue to
focus on mental health support and flexibility in the workplace,
whatever that looks like for a company and for an individual.
I think that companies in general should prioritize creating environments where
(26:12):
employees feel comfortable discussing mental health and where they have resources
available and support systems and that they're readily available to them.
And additionally, promoting this flexibility in a work arrangement or that could
look like maybe remote work in some organizations or flexible hours or,
(26:35):
you know, the hybrid model that we hear happening out there now.
I think this can really enhance the work-life balance and contribute to overall well-being.
And so that's what I'd like to see the focus on continue throughout the year. Yeah.
Do you think that is there is there either however you want to think about it?
(26:55):
Is there like a low hanging fruit for making mental health more accessible or more embraced or more?
Because I think, you know, we're talking when we're talking a little bit about
it earlier, I heard what I heard in there was it's still it's still a stigma, right? Right.
So what are some things that either your organization or that you've seen or
(27:17):
read about of what what can be done to help overcome that?
And or is that the lowest hanging fruit? Is there something else?
Talking about it. Yeah. And and showing that it's OK.
I don't know if there's I get I'm not counseling.
Right. But I can't speak to it from a clinical perspective. But the stigma of
(27:39):
I'm weak or, you know, I have anxiety or I can't identify that.
But if you are in a work environment where that comfort is there and then the
resources are there to back you and support you, it's a win-win.
And it can only grow awareness.
(28:00):
And honestly, if senior leaders of your organization start to the top,
promote it, speak to it, tell their personal stories about it,
then there's more empathy that you build.
And I think that's a good step in the right direction to build that awareness
and take away the stigma. Yeah, absolutely.
(28:21):
I mean, for me personally, I encourage people to take, in effect, mental health days.
If one of my employees, for whatever reason, it doesn't have to be like,
I'm coughing really hard, I have a sore throat, of course, take a day off, right?
Yeah, because for us, we talk all day. So that goes without saying,
(28:43):
if you can't talk, you absolutely should take the day off. Yeah.
It is not a requirement that that is the reason to take a day off because yeah,
maybe, maybe something happened, anything.
It doesn't, it doesn't even matter. Maybe you slept wrong. Cause I don't,
I don't know about anybody else, but it, you know, not having a good night's
sleep can be very souring for a day. Right.
(29:04):
And so if, if somebody isn't kind of feeling tip top and especially,
you know, depending on the job function and, and for us, some things that we
do can be be very emotional in our jobs.
And so you need to be, you really need to be 100%, you know, for the day.
And if somebody is not feeling that, I want them to do whatever they need to
(29:25):
do, whether it's take that nap or go on a walk or get a massage or make a cake, whatever.
It doesn't matter. Just do what you need to do. Get a new moment. Yeah, yeah, yeah.
Binge watch some TV, do what you need to do to kind of get back to that spot, spot.
And so one of my employees actually said to me once, she said,
(29:46):
I really like that you tell us, hey, I did not sleep well last night.
I need a mental health day today. Because it does.
I think what you said before is almost giving that permission that it's okay.
Hey, I'm doing it as your manager leader.
And then it's setting the example to say it's absolutely okay.
(30:07):
Even if I I just say it, it's not enough. I have to do it too, right?
Absolutely. Absolutely. And back to walking the walk and talking the talk. Yeah.
Yeah. And paving the road for others. It's so important.
It feels like it's another one of those back to basics, but it's so important
to do that. It really, really is. People do take notice.
(30:31):
What is the biggest untruth in work today, you think?
Well, I think that one of the biggest untruths in work today is the notion that
success and productivity are solely measured by the number of hours that you work.
Ooh, I like that. Yeah.
Rather than the quality and the output or results that you're achieving.
(30:56):
So this belief, in my opinion, perpetuates a culture of overwork and burnout. Yeah.
And And overlooking the importance of, I'm going to say it again, work-life balance.
It'll hinder creativity and overall well-being and health.
It can hurt in achieving that sustainable success that you're looking for.
(31:17):
So, yeah, love that. I love that.
I completely forgot to ask you our question that we like to ask at the beginning
of our podcast. So I'm going to ask it now.
What are you listening to right now? You listen to anything. What's in your ears?
Well, I like to listen to Brene Brown from time to time. Okay.
(31:41):
And right now I've recently got into reading, not reading, well,
I read the book too, the show that Ramit Sethi, it's Making a Rich Life or How to Make a Rich Life.
Okay. It's a show on YouTube.
He wrote a book. He has a Netflix show now, Making a Rich Life.
And it kind of helped build my financial literacy a little bit more.
(32:03):
And he speaks to people who are in extreme debt and circumstances of debt and
helps them develop plans to get out of it.
And then a whole other list of options, advice of being financially in a place
where you're comfortable and growing that financial literacy.
(32:27):
So I recommend it. He's funny, too. Awesome.
Yeah, I will definitely check it out. And it was Ramit Sethi?
I enjoy it. That's kind of, I mean, I kind of think that's fun too, right?
(32:51):
All right, Vanessa, it's been a pleasure talking to you.
I'm wondering, I heard a tease from before, maybe about a story that you could
share with us about funny, interesting that you've gone through or experienced
or seen or heard in your HR life.
I have a ridiculous story to share, but you'll see it brought people together. her.
(33:16):
And so we, in one of the offices I worked in, in human resources,
we had put on a week appreciating our employees.
And we had games and activities and food and all this fun stuff going on.
And we in HR were thinking, what's something we've never done?
And somebody on the team said, said, let's get a fish. Let's get an HR fish.
(33:42):
Like in an aquarium fish. Yeah. Okay. Okay. Like a fish.
A beta fish. A beta fish. Okay. Yeah, it's a beta fish. A little beta from,
you know, the... So we brought a beta fish in and we were going to have a contest to name him or her.
And employees really got into it. And everybody came by and put their suggested name on the list.
(34:09):
And my direct team then narrowed it down to three names that we liked because
we were going to be the parents of this fish, our office fish, and drew a name.
And their name was Tugboat.
So Tugboat the betta fish was
now our little mascot in human resources and connected us to the people.
(34:33):
They'd come in and say hi to Tugboat or see how this fish was was doing.
They all felt, you know, I was part of this. And the person who named him or
her, tugboat some creator there, they would come by extra for extra visits. This is ridiculous. I.
We're a Monday through Friday office and like, who's going to take care of this fish on the weekends.
(34:56):
And so every Friday night, the last person to leave the office had to walk the
tank over to our security office who was a 24 hour service.
So we shared custody of this fish with our security department.
And we also didn't think of, well, who's going to go buy the food or who's going
to clean the tank every week in a little bowl.
(35:17):
So we all took turns and it became a task. And tugboat lived for three years. Oh, wow.
Yes, we sustained this for three years, our sweet little tugboat.
And one weekend, I got that terrible text message from our security team.
Tugboat had finally passed, and they showed me a picture and had drawn a little
(35:38):
rest in peace headstone in the picture for him and had a little funeral.
And as ridiculous as it sounds, everybody mourned the loss of our HR fish.
Yeah. There's your funny story for the day. Oh, and heartwarming.
And that's endearing. I love that. What a great note to end on.
(35:58):
All right. Speaking of endings.
All right. Yes. All right, Vanessa. It was an absolute pleasure talking with you. Thank you so much.
Hopefully you might consider joining us again if you have another story in the
future that you would be able to share.
I would be delighted to. Thank you so much.
Thank you so much for tuning in to today's episode of All About HR with Vanessa.
(36:24):
I'd like to take a moment to thank our producers, Kristen Romero and Sam Cortez,
as well as Kevin McDonald, who wrote our theme music.
Stay tuned for more engaging conversations and expert insights.
Until next time, this is Laura Hummel signing off. Take care,
stay inspired, and keep innovating in the world of HR.
Welcome to All About HR, the podcast dedicated to unraveling the mysteries of
human resources and empowering you with the knowledge to navigate the modern
workplace successfully.
I'm your host, Laura Hundley, and I'm thrilled to embark on this HR journey with you. Let's go.
Welcome to All About HR, our first episode of 2024.
(00:25):
I'm really excited to be taking over as as host.
Today, I have a really amazing person to talk to, Vanessa Sosueta.
She is an HR professional.
She's been an HR professional in the hospitality industry for over 20 years. Welcome, Vanessa.
Thank you, Laura. It's a pleasure to be here. Thank you for joining us.
(00:47):
I'm really excited to talk to you and hear about what you do and some of the
experiences that you've had.
It would be my pleasure. Absolutely. I know you're an HR professional,
so you've probably seen quite a bit, like quite the range of things in your time.
So maybe I'll start with what would you like to share or start off with today?
(01:08):
Well, right now, I have a big focus and interest in employee wellness and overall wellness.
And I think that's a good topic to start on.
I chose a profession in the hospitality industry, industry, like the service
industry, and to be of service to others, whether it's a guest or an employee, it's serving, right?
(01:30):
And I'm very connected to wellness programs in the workplace and,
you know, taking a holistic approach of what's offered to employees.
And there's various aspects of what well-being is. And I can dive right in if
you'd like me to. Yeah, sure. Yeah. Yeah.
Maybe you share for those of us that maybe don't know exactly what well-being
(01:53):
is or maybe even how it's defined.
How would you how would you define that?
Having something, a successful program in place that looks at a person holistically
and offers different topics,
options to them to help them grow as a person, as an individual, employee,
(02:14):
outside of work, inside of work, overall in their life.
Oh, I love that. All right. Yeah. So, yeah, dive right in.
What do you want to share about the programs that you have experience with?
Well, I've seen great success when you structure a program and,
you know, address the individual as a whole.
Having programs or resources that connect to maybe three pillars,
(02:37):
we can call them physical well-being, mental well-being, even financial well-being,
and helping individuals grow in different ways.
You know, I'm a product of a wellness program that had, you know,
good intentions in an organization.
If I may share a story. Yeah. When I worked in training and development,
one of the courses that was facilitated to all of our employees was on the topic
(03:00):
of physical well-being.
We covered everything from, you know, building awareness around your sugar intake
to healthy foods and exercise routines.
And at that time, I didn't feel like I was specifically in the best,
you know, optimal level of health for me. Wait, and I'm sorry,
(03:20):
I don't want to interrupt.
But are you saying that you because you'd mentioned that you were you did training and development?
And were you you were you the person that was put in charge of facilitating the content?
Absolutely. And this is one of the first goes at the organization I work for
of let's train others on these topics.
(03:42):
And because I was a training person, here's the curriculum and partnered with
senior leaders to give the course.
But I had to be right up there doing it. Yes, I was one of the implementers.
Oh, wow. Okay. All right. Not the creator, but the facilitator. Yeah.
And I mean, like for an odd, you know, the audience that you're delivering it to.
(04:03):
So the the team members and the employees, they're they're kind of looking to
you then as, you know, intentionally or unintentionally, they're looking to you as the expert.
Right. They're looking to you. You're delivering the content.
They're looking to you as the person. Oh, you know, if they have questions about it. Right. Yeah.
Right. Right. It's it's it's the person. And yeah. And being in front of,
(04:23):
you know, one audience after another.
And this was all, you know, walks of life and employees from entry level to,
you know, see more senior leaders, managers, you know, of the organization.
And so it was everyone was mixed. It was a mixed audience, per se. Yeah.
And here I am standing up there as the subject matter expert because it's the teacher, right?
(04:44):
I'd studied my guide and I did not feel like I was in my tip top shape for me.
Oh, and so I want I want you to elaborate on that.
Like when you say you didn't feel like you were in tip top shape. What do you mean by that?
I could have had healthier eating habits and exercise, different lifestyle.
(05:05):
It wasn't, you know, on my radar at that time as much as maybe now.
But and everybody's health journey is very different. So, you know,
I'm cautious in how how I say things or approach things, because what's tip
top health for me may not be that for somebody else.
Oh, yeah. Yeah. Oh, yeah. And I mean, that's like, I think it's interesting,
(05:26):
too, that you bring that up.
Like, how do you how do you navigate that as an
organization where how do they choose
the content to deliver and you know it has to be
it has to be good information right but then
not so much so that you cross the line with
not everybody can maybe partake in certain things is there an approach that's
a best practice for that i think is it's finding a balance and setting the intention
(05:51):
of what the the the course is going to be about you know this one One was specifically
like a 35 to 40 minute class course session, whatever we want to call it.
And it was very broad and it targeted these different subjects or topics so
that maybe somebody wouldn't connect to all of them, but maybe something would stick.
(06:11):
So it was intended to be broad.
Awesome. So, okay. So you're up there, you're delivering content,
and you're feeling maybe as not the example, I think.
That's what I am trying to say. Okay. All right. Okay. Yes.
And so I, you know, I have to be the subject matter expert.
(06:32):
I said, what authority do I have standing up here when maybe physically I was,
for me, overweight or I felt like that.
And I'm now having to tell people to eat vegetables or to, you know, go out on a walk.
And because of that i i
(06:52):
that really kick-started a weight loss journey for me
and 120 pounds later here i
am today i i feel physically in a
completely different place well wellness for me and it's all because of an awareness
class that i had to teach and share with others and and to that i'm very grateful
(07:13):
and to this day in in in you know in passing when i see people that that I know from,
you know, that time in life,
they, they joke or they're like, oh, remember the class about sugar?
And, you know, it's still stuck for, for, for, for individuals.
So that was very impactful.
Yeah, that, that is really, that is really powerful. And, and.
(07:34):
And, and if you, if you felt like maybe you weren't the, the example before,
you have a great story to share with people and to talk about.
And if, I don't know, do you, do you still deliver this kind of coursework?
This one specifically, no. In my current role, I have stepped away from training
and facilitating, but I have seen these courses grow from topic to topic, right?
(07:59):
So at that time, this was a good eight years ago, probably, where this class started.
And then I've seen others along the way grow.
And so I know I was talking about the different pillars, per se,
of a wellness program, in my opinion, that physical well-being and the focus on it, very important.
(08:22):
And then mental health, it's a huge topic.
I think it's not discussed enough. And I really believe that implementing initiatives
that support mental health, offering resources from counseling services,
having them readily available, giving stress management workshops,
(08:42):
hosting mindfulness mindfulness sessions or yoga classes.
I've seen those be successful. And truly promoting a,
stigma-free work environment or environment where employees feel comfortable
seeking help when needed and be truly listened to and be given those resources.
(09:03):
And I, you know, I'm a storyteller, Laura. I have another story, if you'd like.
Oh, yes. Absolutely. Around this topic.
Yeah. You know, being in HR, you process leaves of absence and,
you know, they run the gamut.
And I've I've processed more lately.
I have done some around mental health and just burnout or I need a break and
(09:26):
I'm going to go work on changing some things.
And I love that I can do this now, that the stigma is starting to very slowly be removed.
It could still be there, but I like that it can work.
So you're saying that it's something too that the company and maybe maybe even
companies in general, I don't know if you're, if that's some, that,
(09:50):
is it a trend that you're starting to see more that organizations are saying,
okay, we understand burnout is a real, very real thing,
or it's okay to take a step back for mental health to say, okay,
I can't, you know, like I have to take a day, a day or 10 or a month,
whatever it is just for myself. So you are seeing that. I've seen it in practice.
(10:13):
I have seen it in practice. I have participated and helping individuals get
to where they need to go and giving them the resources.
And even for me, it's a small example, but it shows like the impact of connecting
with your people, knowing your people.
And there is a time kind of like, I think post pandemic ish,
(10:35):
but still, you know, freshly coming out of it.
That was a very hard time for everyone, obviously. Yeah.
And, you know, organizations face all kinds of challenges, especially in the hospitality industry.
Right. And there was a point where I was on a team and we were stressed out.
We were getting thrown things for left and right, trying to help.
(10:58):
And it was just it was a high, high stress time.
And there I'm not going to say people were melting down, but we were vocalizing like, oh, it's a lot.
Yeah. And I was on a call. We had our weekly team call.
And it's a smaller group. It wasn't that big of a group, less than 10.
(11:19):
But we're on the call. And our leaders knew that we were kind of being, we're leaders.
And then our leaders were being new. We were being kind of pushed.
And there was just so much going on. And we were screaming help in certain ways.
And that day, one of our leaders came on and said, enough.
We are, no job is worth this or feeling this way.
(11:42):
We are going to work this out. We're going to find ways to get through this moment.
But right now, in this moment, we're going to box breathe.
And somebody on the team happened to know or be certified in it.
And we sat there and did box breathing exercises.
What is box breathing?
(12:03):
I might have to start doing this.
Please google this box breathing is
it's okay so i am not an expert i don't know
i'll just share my experience yeah it's breathing
and holding your breath in certain patterns so like you take a deep breath count
to four and exhale okay and then you keep doing it over and over but there's
(12:24):
different patterns your facilitator teacher will do and it's supposed to bring
you know that sense of well-being or calmness.
I think it's done in combination with meditating or yoga in those practices.
And so, yeah, we sat there on a virtual call and box-breathed.
And then we were told, we're done with the meeting and we're done with the day.
(12:48):
You log off and you leave for the day. The rest of the day is mental health day.
So they said, take a walk, go out into to nature and just, we want you to be well.
That was very meaningful. It showed me that I was on the right team.
And then it gives me permission to do that for others if the time comes, right?
(13:15):
Or if I have to. Or advise others, hey, you can do this.
It's important. Yeah, I agree.
I'm wondering, or something that just occurred to me, and I'm curious if you
have experience with it.
So it's one thing to say, say, okay, team, go and take the rest of today,
like take care of yourself, go on a walk, do something for you,
(13:36):
right? Whatever that is, do something for you.
How hard or easy is it? Like think mild, medium, hot, nuclear.
How hard or easy is it to do that thing and not say like, take that time as
like, oh, I want to get caught up now.
I have this like free, quote unquote, quote, free time or extra time, whatever that is.
(13:59):
Maybe like, what would you say your experience is with that?
Well, you know, the pressure of do I really do this? Yes.
Yeah. Well, you know, sometimes this is going to sound silly,
but just getting permission.
Yeah. And being told you can go do this. We want you to go do this.
We're going to check to see that your light is not lit up in the platform that
(14:23):
you were truly disconnected, put your out of office on.
And I took it serious that specific day.
I'm going to do this. I'm just, I am going to disconnect. I've been asked to
do it. I've been given this gift of time back for me.
And I walked the dogs and I didn't come back to work that day because I knew I didn't have to.
(14:47):
And it felt good and it felt like I was cared for. And...
You know, that builds loyalty. Yeah. And yeah, that's awesome energy. Yeah, I love that.
All right. I'm going to ask you one more question before the break.
It's because you mentioned another pillar of well-being that I had not always
(15:08):
associated with maybe well-being and financial.
Did I hear that right? You said financial well-being. I said that.
What and What does that mean?
What is it? I have seen success when there is a focus on financial literacy.
And let me pause for a second. Yeah, yeah. Pause over again.
(15:32):
I need to find my place here. Okay. Okay. So I've seen great success when having
a focus on financial health or financial well-being, where you implement an
initiative that supports this topic,
offering resources like a counseling or a,
I would call it budgeting courses.
(15:53):
Like financial planning, that kind of thing?
Yes. Financial planning, making training sessions available for maybe investing
or bringing in an expert and having financial counseling services available.
I once took a course through our employee assistance program.
Some companies have those. It's just an added resource that you can go to and
(16:16):
there's a pick list of services you can tap into.
And I talked to a financial planner about writing a budget and they work for
free and they work with me and I gave them all my business. They gave it back
to me and they said, you know, this is where you're at.
This is where you should be. And this is how to get there.
And it was free through my employer.
(16:37):
And for me, that was valuable.
So, you know, I'm here walking a little walking example, but I love being able
to share an experience to show, hey, this does work.
And then from there, and I know not all companies can do this, but if you can,
you know, 401k match or stock purchase or anything that's going to grow that
(17:02):
that employee financially is going to be beneficial in one way or another. Oh, yeah.
I think, I mean, we can't, we can't try to pretend that that's not some fast,
it holds some importance in our lives, right?
And I think for everybody, it has to meet a threshold. old.
So I'm listening to this audio book by Dan Pink, or his new book,
(17:25):
but I'm listening to it on Audible.
It's The Power of Regret. And it kind of is reminding me a little bit about,
there's a vignette in there that he's talking about this individual who,
when he was a go-getter, really, you know.
You know, started off as kind of in sales at Best Buy and then worked his way
(17:47):
up to like sales leader, sales manager, district manager, and,
you know, up to the executive level.
And, and then that allowed him to work in other, at other organizations at like
the higher executive level.
And all throughout, he was, he was really concerned about his paycheck and how
much he was making and and that he hadn't really had money before. He grew up kind of poor.
(18:10):
And he eventually, so as he started to make more and more money,
he just kind of wanted to buy things with it to sort of show off.
He bought clothes, he bought a car. I mean, nothing really extravagant,
but things that could potentially, say, take most of that paycheck.
And when he got to a point, like in his 40s, so this is kind of the regret piece,
(18:32):
when he got to a point in his 40s, he's like, I don't have anything to show
for where I'm at in my life.
He's at that executive level making six figure salary.
And he's looking back and saying, why don't I have anything to show for this?
And, and he's, so he makes it a point now for all of his employees that he wants
to talk to them about kind of that financial piece.
(18:54):
Like, Hey, look, you know, like this is, you don't have to do this,
but I wish somebody would have been telling me these things at,
you know, at your age. And so he talks about that, like, basically financial
planning piece that a lot of us don't, I don't know.
I mean, I wasn't that aware of it or really into it in my 20s.
I certainly wish I'd started saving in my 20s, not now. 100% agree. Same.
(19:18):
Same. If I knew then what I know now, it's real.
Same thing. I wish somebody would have told me to start investing a little bit earlier into my 401k.
And now every chance I get, you same.
You better believe it. I say it. I speak it. This is there. It's free.
And then plus all the other resources. If you don't know how to do it,
(19:42):
here's some resources on how yeah and just having
knowledge of power and and i and
i mean it's great that there are organizations out there really kind of helping
kind of bridge that gap of all right you know we want everybody to be at this
place and understand this and have this information i think that's awesome all
right on that note let's take a short break for the hr hot sauce and we'll be right back.
(20:10):
We're back with the HR hot sauce. Vanessa, are you ready?
I am ready to go. First one of the year.
What is the best job you've ever had?
Well, I've been fortunate enough to have the opportunity to work in several
roles in the hospitality industry.
And I can say that by far, one of my favorites was a training manager manager
(20:35):
for several, several hotels in one area.
So favorite job, training and development for sure.
Love it. What's the one phrase at work that drives you nuts?
We've always done it this way.
Do you like working on rainy or sunny days?
(20:57):
You know, both. There's advantages to both. So rainy days, they can be cozy.
They can, you know, help you be focused and more productive.
But then again, a good sunny day brings a lot of energy and like happy,
happy mood. So depends on the day.
That's fair. How can someone make your day at work?
(21:19):
A compliment. A simple compliment can go a very long way and make a lasting
impression. discussion. Yeah, I love that.
Best useless skill?
I can move my ears without touching them.
Mild, medium, hot, or nuclear? Medium all the way.
(21:43):
We need to, you know, keep things interesting and have a surprise here or there,
but still maintaining, you know, that comfortable balance and,
you know, how very HR of me to say that.
Favorite interview question to ask or be asked?
What keeps you here? You can learn a lot about a person and an organization
(22:07):
just by asking that simple question.
Song to bring you out of a funk? Well, let's see.
The song that they played in the Beetlejuice movie, that at the end there it's
called Jump in the Line and it's that shake, shake, shake sonora and oh it's just,
it's the beat you can just get up and move around stretch, makes me happy,
(22:33):
It's such a good song Harry Belafonte, love him Alright,
you made it Vanessa that's it for the HR Hot Sauce back to the show.
We're back. That was the HR hot sauce. Welcome back.
All right. So we've talked a little bit about well-being. We've heard some really
(22:53):
amazing, powerful stories around that.
I'm curious, so maybe part of our next piece about what you want to share,
Vanessa, what are you most passionate about regarding supporting today's workforce?
Well, I feel that I'm passionate about promoting inclusivity,
obviously mental health awareness,
(23:15):
as we've talked about, and work-life balance in today's workforce,
ensuring that individuals feel valued, supported,
empowered to thrive in their professional and personal lives.
And it's I think it's crucial for building a healthy and productive work environment.
And I've seen it firsthand. People who are happy stay and they're loyal and
(23:39):
the company's loyal to you. You're loyal to them.
It's going to make for a better work environment. Absolutely.
Absolutely. I mean, I have some experience in the hospitality industry,
and I've had jobs that do a really good job of work-life balance and making
sure that you're feeling taken care of.
(24:00):
What do you feel are some of the positive things that your organization has
done to support that work-life balance for your employees?
Well, I think that at different levels of the organization or at any company,
I've seen, I've heard the work-life balance piece, one aspect of it could be
(24:21):
a flexible work arrangement.
Oh, yeah. You know, they're trending and maybe a reduced work week,
like a reduced hours or one size doesn't fit all.
And so really sitting down
having conversations sharing this is what's
available to you employee and what does that look like for you somebody may
(24:44):
be completely cool oh no i want to work this and this many hours or another
person you know for me it works better if i come in in the evenings or once
again in the hospitality industry we have all shifts so you know it's easy to to to plug and play.
But having that open dialogue and the communication of this is available to
(25:05):
you is extremely helpful.
And it shows people you care for them. And once again, builds that loyalty.
Yeah. So it sounds like, I know it feels like kind of a basic concept or something
that I remember learning, taking some business classes, but treat your people
like people, it sounds like, Like understand,
(25:26):
ask them questions that like those communication pieces sound like it is. I mean, it is important.
And I know it back to basics. And I know we hear that, that catchphrase.
But sometimes it's just the simple things that that'll that'll help you be successful
and foster that type of environment.
(25:47):
Yeah, love that. Love it. What changes do you want to see in the workplace this year?
Well, I'm going to stay on my train here and say that I want to continue to
focus on mental health support and flexibility in the workplace,
whatever that looks like for a company and for an individual.
I think that companies in general should prioritize creating environments where
(26:12):
employees feel comfortable discussing mental health and where they have resources
available and support systems and that they're readily available to them.
And additionally, promoting this flexibility in a work arrangement or that could
look like maybe remote work in some organizations or flexible hours or,
(26:35):
you know, the hybrid model that we hear happening out there now.
I think this can really enhance the work-life balance and contribute to overall well-being.
And so that's what I'd like to see the focus on continue throughout the year. Yeah.
Do you think that is there is there either however you want to think about it?
(26:55):
Is there like a low hanging fruit for making mental health more accessible or more embraced or more?
Because I think, you know, we're talking when we're talking a little bit about
it earlier, I heard what I heard in there was it's still it's still a stigma, right? Right.
So what are some things that either your organization or that you've seen or
(27:17):
read about of what what can be done to help overcome that?
And or is that the lowest hanging fruit? Is there something else?
Talking about it. Yeah. And and showing that it's OK.
I don't know if there's I get I'm not counseling.
Right. But I can't speak to it from a clinical perspective. But the stigma of
(27:39):
I'm weak or, you know, I have anxiety or I can't identify that.
But if you are in a work environment where that comfort is there and then the
resources are there to back you and support you, it's a win-win.
And it can only grow awareness.
(28:00):
And honestly, if senior leaders of your organization start to the top,
promote it, speak to it, tell their personal stories about it,
then there's more empathy that you build.
And I think that's a good step in the right direction to build that awareness
and take away the stigma. Yeah, absolutely.
(28:21):
I mean, for me personally, I encourage people to take, in effect, mental health days.
If one of my employees, for whatever reason, it doesn't have to be like,
I'm coughing really hard, I have a sore throat, of course, take a day off, right?
Yeah, because for us, we talk all day. So that goes without saying,
(28:43):
if you can't talk, you absolutely should take the day off. Yeah.
It is not a requirement that that is the reason to take a day off because yeah,
maybe, maybe something happened, anything.
It doesn't, it doesn't even matter. Maybe you slept wrong. Cause I don't,
I don't know about anybody else, but it, you know, not having a good night's
sleep can be very souring for a day. Right.
(29:04):
And so if, if somebody isn't kind of feeling tip top and especially,
you know, depending on the job function and, and for us, some things that we
do can be be very emotional in our jobs.
And so you need to be, you really need to be 100%, you know, for the day.
And if somebody is not feeling that, I want them to do whatever they need to
(29:25):
do, whether it's take that nap or go on a walk or get a massage or make a cake, whatever.
It doesn't matter. Just do what you need to do. Get a new moment. Yeah, yeah, yeah.
Binge watch some TV, do what you need to do to kind of get back to that spot, spot.
And so one of my employees actually said to me once, she said,
(29:46):
I really like that you tell us, hey, I did not sleep well last night.
I need a mental health day today. Because it does.
I think what you said before is almost giving that permission that it's okay.
Hey, I'm doing it as your manager leader.
And then it's setting the example to say it's absolutely okay.
(30:07):
Even if I I just say it, it's not enough. I have to do it too, right?
Absolutely. Absolutely. And back to walking the walk and talking the talk. Yeah.
Yeah. And paving the road for others. It's so important.
It feels like it's another one of those back to basics, but it's so important
to do that. It really, really is. People do take notice.
(30:31):
What is the biggest untruth in work today, you think?
Well, I think that one of the biggest untruths in work today is the notion that
success and productivity are solely measured by the number of hours that you work.
Ooh, I like that. Yeah.
Rather than the quality and the output or results that you're achieving.
(30:56):
So this belief, in my opinion, perpetuates a culture of overwork and burnout. Yeah.
And And overlooking the importance of, I'm going to say it again, work-life balance.
It'll hinder creativity and overall well-being and health.
It can hurt in achieving that sustainable success that you're looking for.
(31:17):
So, yeah, love that. I love that.
I completely forgot to ask you our question that we like to ask at the beginning
of our podcast. So I'm going to ask it now.
What are you listening to right now? You listen to anything. What's in your ears?
Well, I like to listen to Brene Brown from time to time. Okay.
(31:41):
And right now I've recently got into reading, not reading, well,
I read the book too, the show that Ramit Sethi, it's Making a Rich Life or How to Make a Rich Life.
Okay. It's a show on YouTube.
He wrote a book. He has a Netflix show now, Making a Rich Life.
And it kind of helped build my financial literacy a little bit more.
(32:03):
And he speaks to people who are in extreme debt and circumstances of debt and
helps them develop plans to get out of it.
And then a whole other list of options, advice of being financially in a place
where you're comfortable and growing that financial literacy.
(32:27):
So I recommend it. He's funny, too. Awesome.
Yeah, I will definitely check it out. And it was Ramit Sethi?
I enjoy it. That's kind of, I mean, I kind of think that's fun too, right?
(32:51):
All right, Vanessa, it's been a pleasure talking to you.
I'm wondering, I heard a tease from before, maybe about a story that you could
share with us about funny, interesting that you've gone through or experienced
or seen or heard in your HR life.
I have a ridiculous story to share, but you'll see it brought people together. her.
(33:16):
And so we, in one of the offices I worked in, in human resources,
we had put on a week appreciating our employees.
And we had games and activities and food and all this fun stuff going on.
And we in HR were thinking, what's something we've never done?
And somebody on the team said, said, let's get a fish. Let's get an HR fish.
(33:42):
Like in an aquarium fish. Yeah. Okay. Okay. Like a fish.
A beta fish. A beta fish. Okay. Yeah, it's a beta fish. A little beta from,
you know, the... So we brought a beta fish in and we were going to have a contest to name him or her.
And employees really got into it. And everybody came by and put their suggested name on the list.
(34:09):
And my direct team then narrowed it down to three names that we liked because
we were going to be the parents of this fish, our office fish, and drew a name.
And their name was Tugboat.
So Tugboat the betta fish was
now our little mascot in human resources and connected us to the people.
(34:33):
They'd come in and say hi to Tugboat or see how this fish was was doing.
They all felt, you know, I was part of this. And the person who named him or
her, tugboat some creator there, they would come by extra for extra visits. This is ridiculous. I.
We're a Monday through Friday office and like, who's going to take care of this fish on the weekends.
(34:56):
And so every Friday night, the last person to leave the office had to walk the
tank over to our security office who was a 24 hour service.
So we shared custody of this fish with our security department.
And we also didn't think of, well, who's going to go buy the food or who's going
to clean the tank every week in a little bowl.
(35:17):
So we all took turns and it became a task. And tugboat lived for three years. Oh, wow.
Yes, we sustained this for three years, our sweet little tugboat.
And one weekend, I got that terrible text message from our security team.
Tugboat had finally passed, and they showed me a picture and had drawn a little
(35:38):
rest in peace headstone in the picture for him and had a little funeral.
And as ridiculous as it sounds, everybody mourned the loss of our HR fish.
Yeah. There's your funny story for the day. Oh, and heartwarming.
And that's endearing. I love that. What a great note to end on.
(35:58):
All right. Speaking of endings.
All right. Yes. All right, Vanessa. It was an absolute pleasure talking with you. Thank you so much.
Hopefully you might consider joining us again if you have another story in the
future that you would be able to share.
I would be delighted to. Thank you so much.
Thank you so much for tuning in to today's episode of All About HR with Vanessa.
(36:24):
I'd like to take a moment to thank our producers, Kristen Romero and Sam Cortez,
as well as Kevin McDonald, who wrote our theme music.
Stay tuned for more engaging conversations and expert insights.
Until next time, this is Laura Hummel signing off. Take care,
stay inspired, and keep innovating in the world of HR.
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