Future of the Employee Experience

Lisa Reeves: Good afternoon. We saved the best for last today. Joining me today to talk about the future of the employee experience is Domonique Revere, the global head of HR at Adjaye Associates, which has offices based in New York, in London and also the main office in Ghana. Adjaye Associates is a world-renowned architectural firm and Domonique is also the founder of an HR consultancy named HRemedy. So with that, I’d like to welcome Domonique. Welcome, Domonique.

Domonique Revere: Hey Lisa. How are you?

Lisa: Great! Please have a seat.

Domonique: Absolutely. Thank you.

Lisa: So thank you so much for joining us today at PeopleForce. It’s a pleasure to meet you. I think maybe it would be great if we started with you telling us a little bit about yourself and your role at Adjaye as well as HRemedy.

Domonique: Yeah. No, absolutely. So I’ve got about 20 years of experience in the human resources field. I always say that I wanted to be the person that I needed as an employee. So at Adjaye, it’s really about creating these magnificent buildings with these brilliant minds and while they’re doing the architecture work out in the field, then I say that I’m an architect of people and really an architect of community and culture and being able to build relationships amongst each other that really speak to the dynamics of the personalities, but then also the unique needs of each individual.

Same thing with HRemedy. I always say that I journey alongside leaders as they find their voice in the space of diversity, equity, inclusion and belonging. And really, it’s about the authenticity of it all. People want to feel welcome. They want to be able to come to work as their authentic and true selves and really see their humanity in each other, but then also in policies and procedures, in literature, in the pictures that we see in our offices and have that reflected all around them.

Lisa: Yeah. It is so interesting. When I took a look at Adjaye Associates, the body of work is unbelievable in terms of the projects. It’s so impressive and also just the nature of the team. Incredibly diverse team, located around the globe and I was so impressed. And so, I was just curious, what attracted you to Adjaye, joining the company?

Domonique: Well, I think you said it, right? It’s exquisite work with amazing people. But the thing about Adjaye is, it’s unique in the architecture world. So, we don’t see a lot of architecture firms that taps human resources on the shoulder and say, “I need you.” First and foremost, I love a leader that knows what they don’t know. So I’m going to position people in positions as the expert and I’m going to lean into them and lean into their advice and give them the green light to do that.

So a lot of it was that. A lot of it was sitting down with David Adjaye and him saying, “Hey, you know what? We’ve grown exponentially over the last three years. Help me. Help me retain people. Help me build the culture that I want and build for a future.” Because we know that as the generations change, as we get new people into the organization, we’re going to have to be nimble. We’re going to have to shift and we’re going to need processes. We’re going to need policies and programs that we can speak to those people’s needs.

Lisa: That’s great. So let’s shift now the conversation over to the future of the employee experience.

Domonique: Sure.

Lisa: And I think a couple of big topics, some driven by the pandemic, all the changes that you just talked about as well. And if we look at a macro level, I’ll start with what’s been referred to in the publications and a lot of conversations, the “great resignation.” So just recently, I mean, we’ve all heard about it. There’s been much published, many discussions. I think most recently, I read something from McKinsey that described an environment still very, very competitive to get talent and a little bit over, I think 11 million open positions and a quit rate, a voluntary quit rate that is still 25% higher than pre-pandemic levels. So I’m curious, what’s your take on this? Are employees still in the driver’s seat? Will we continue to see this? What are your thoughts on that?

Domonique: Well, the first thing that I’ll say is, this is a beautiful time to be a leader, because there’s so many opportunities to grow. There’s so many opportunities to listen to what employees want. Absolutely, employees are in the driver’s seat, but it’s about us listening. It’s about us asking the questions. It’s about us making certain that we are doing the work and being intentional in that space so that we’re meeting people where they are.

Gone are the days that we can just have this cookie cutter programs or culture. Now, we have to make sure that we are, again, meeting people where they are, but that we’re customizing and tailoring the experience for each individual employee. Now, again, that’s within the scope of what we have in our organizations, but we have to be mindful and thoughtful about where we’re putting our time, our money, our resources—and being thoughtful from the onboarding all the way through to the offboarding of those employees. But yeah, they’re driving. Now it’s a matter of us just kind of getting on board.

Lisa: I love that you mentioned offboarding. Could you talk a little bit about that? I mean, I think often, we think about the onboarding of the employee. What are your thoughts around the offboarding?

Domonique: That it’s not all bad. Sometimes when people leave organizations, it’s for good things. I would like to think that if an employee comes into an organization, we do the work to make sure that when they leave and they go out into the world, they’re a better human. They have some different skill set. We always talk about those tactical skills, but what about those transferrable skills, those soft skills, those people skills, the way that we interact with each other? So when we go out into the world, we want to make sure that we are leaving things better than what we found it in.

Lisa: Found it. I love that.

Domonique: Right? So when we’re offboarding employees, it should be an experience. It’s sitting down. It’s tapping into, “What was your experience? What are some things that you really enjoyed here? What are some things that you would like to see change? What’s some advice that maybe you can give to the leader as you transition out of the organization?” But then it’s about taking that information, learning from it and then doing something with it.

Lisa: …with it.

Domonique: Right? We can’t just sit on the information and say, “Okay, we check that box.” But no, what are we going to do with that information to now make the culture, the organization better for the next person?

Lisa: Love that. Love that.

Domonique: Yeah. And I think the other thing, too, that we have to recognize is that as generations change, so too does how long people stay within the organization, that tenure. I don’t know that people are staying in organizations for 10, 15 years. They’re staying in organizations for three to five years. So while they’re there, how can we make their experience the best that it can be? How can we build a relationship quickly? How can we really lean into their expertise to not only enhance what it is that they have, but then also what we’re doing as an organization and who I am as a leader?

Lisa: Interesting. I know when we spoke prior to the event today, you talked a little bit about the “great awakening.”

Domonique: Yeah.

Lisa: Yeah. Would you like to share some thoughts on that?

Domonique: Yeah. So everybody’s talking about the “great resignation.” People are leaving organizations. Well, that kind of happens, right?

Lisa: Mm-hmm.

Domonique: But I also see it as the “great awakening” in that people are finding their voice. They’re finding their voice, they’re finding their passion. And for once, we’re seeing people have the courage to stand up and say, “I want more. Not only do I want more, but I deserve more.” And again, if we listen to our employees, they’ll tell us how to do it. They’ll help us get to where we want to be. But what it is and what we’ve seen in the past, is that leaders have all the answers. And when you have all the answers and you don’t want to listen to anybody, there isn’t an opportunity for you to be a humble servant in that space.

But as a leader, we’re always learning. We’re always learning so that we can leave things, again, better than what we found them, so we can pour into our people, so that we can be intentional with our efforts, all of those things. So absolutely, I would say that it’s a “great awakening.” And we see it more now with Black females in particular. We’re taking that expertise. We’re starting consulting firms. We’re really making our own path in this world, being able to create generational wealth, which are things that haven’t been afforded to us in the past. So I think we’re absolutely seeing that, but it doesn’t mean that people don’t want the protection and the stability of working for other organizations. It’s just a matter of listening and really implementing what it is that they’re asking for.

Lisa: Great. Yeah, I love the way that you put the employee at the center and we’ll get to that in just a minute. One other trend that I recently saw just maybe two weeks ago and now it’s popping up everywhere, are quiet quitters. And so basically, these are folks that continue in their positions. They’re not quitting. They’re just giving kind of enough. That’s how it’s been characterized in a number of publications that I’ve seen. And there was actually a Gallup poll recently that said, “At least 50% of the U.S. workforce is made up of quiet quitters.” And so I’m curious what your thoughts are in this area. What’s going on?

Domonique: Yeah. So I think it’s interesting as far as quiet quitters are concerned. The first thing that I’ll say is that my thoughts is that it’s reserved for the privileged. As Black and brown people, we don’t have the opportunity. We don’t have that leeway to say, “I’m not going to come to work and do a good job.” We, myself, we’ve always been told by our parents, by our grandparents, “You’ve got to work twice as hard as your white counterpart in order to even be seen as equal in this space. So smack your hand if you think that you’re going to not do what it is that you need to do.”

But I’ll take a step back and say that I commend people for saying that, “Hey, you know what? I am going to prioritize me. I’m going to prioritize my health. I’m going to prioritize my needs. And I need for you, leader, organization, to make sure that you meet me where I am so that I can reactivate and do what it is that you need me to do.” So I mean, I think that we see it, but again, I go back to we need to lean into that. So the data is there, but what are we doing with that? And a lot of that is, how are we, or if we’re having the conversations, and doing it on a consistent basis. Just having that one sit-down, stay conversation probably isn’t enough.

Lisa: Right.

Domonique: Right? But we do it with our customers. You talked about putting the employee at the center. I always say that our employee is our customer. They’re an internal customer. So just like we go out and we have polls and round table discussions and pilot programs and all of these things, we need to do that for our employees.

**Lisa:**Right.

**Domonique:**Right? We need to ask employees what they want, right?

Lisa: Right.

Domonique: We need to make sure that we are engaging frequently, consistently, so that we don’t get the quiet quitter or we don’t get somebody who’s a part of the Great Resignation or the “great awakening” to say, “Hey, you know what? I’ll take my skill sets and talents elsewhere.”

Lisa: I agree. I think so many of these trends and topics that we’re talking about, they’re grouped together and everyone’s situation is different. And so, we really need to take the time to understand that and, as you said, lean into it.

**Domonique:**Yeah. Listen, Lisa, I love data. I love data. I can geek out on data. Numbers don’t lie. I get all of that. But there is something to be said about having a conversation, because my lived experience is certainly different than someone else’s lived experiences. And you’re not going to get that in a poll. You’re not going to get that on a survey. But if we can sit down and really have an authentic conversation, you might learn a lot about me. You might learn a lot about yourself.

**Lisa:**Right. So just picking up on that, putting the employee at the center of everything, I completely agree. If you don’t have happy employees, it’s hard to have happy customers. And many of the techniques that we use with customers I think are applicable also to employees. And so, I’d love to hear some of the things that you do at Adjaye and in the consulting firm and how you think about that.

Domonique: Yeah. So you’ve heard me say it. I ask people what they want. So I’m not assuming that what works for you, works for me, works for the next person. So we’re not in the boardroom as a leadership team just kind of throwing things at the wall and hoping something sticks. That’s first and foremost. The other thing, too, is that people are prioritizing their mental health. So with that, it’s about, how are we implementing benefits that allow them to do just that, access to mental health professionals, insurance that covers it? Gone are the days that it’s like this luxury. It’s a necessity. We need to come up for air. We need to breathe. The other thing, too, is mandating PTO days. Right?

Lisa: Mm-hmm.

Domonique: You got to take time off. We’re going to shut this place down for an extended period. Is it a week between Christmas and Thanksgiving? Whatever the case may be, so people can actually take time. The other thing that we’ve been really intentional about is parental leave. So it’s not just maternity and paternity, but people are building families differently. The way in the traditional structure of the family looks different, so really recognizing that and make sure that we’re supporting our employees in that space, whether it be funds for adoption or surrogacy, whatever that looks like. But again, I go back to, it’s about listening to the employees and creating a space and an atmosphere. Not only will they feel comfortable having the conversation, but then also, we act on it. We act on it. We implement it. And then we communicate transparently throughout the process.

Lisa: What are some other expectations that you see in the workforce? I know programs around DE&I, many programs have been implemented recently. You mentioned benefits. Certainly, it’s a much different landscape than just a few years ago. What are some other areas that you think are priorities and that we should lean into when we’re working with our employee base?

Domonique: Yeah. So I think definitely DE&I. I think around environmental responsibility. Those are things that we see using sustainable resources in and it’s something that our firm is very intentional about when we’re going out and we’re actually bidding on projects or we have projects come into our office. You said it around DE&I. So DE&I, and then I add the B, and some people may even add a J for justice. And how are we the voice for the people? And really, again, kind of creating this culture, this space where people feel safe. Because it’s not just about, “You know what? We’ve checked that box,” but this is the forever work. So it’s about, how do we create this environment of safety, psychological safety, physical safety, mental safety, so you can come to work and feel like you can be innovative and creative and think outside the box and give all of you to the employer because you know that they’re going to give their all to you, too.

Lisa: What about generational? I mean, you look at the workforce now. It’s so diverse. I have a 20-year-old and I have a 25-year-old, and just the differences... And we were talking backstage about your children as well. There’s different expectations and all of that factors into the Great Resignation, the quiet quitters.

Domonique: Sure.

Lisa: Yeah. How do you think about managing such a workforce and leaning into it when there’s so many diverse folks from an age perspective and generational perspective?

Domonique: Yeah. It’s hard.

Lisa: Yeah.

Domonique: Right? It’s definitely hard, so let’s check that box. But then the other thing, too, is it’s exciting. Because I think that sometimes as leaders, owners of organizations, we give our managers the keys to the bus and then we say, “Just go. Tell me how you do. I’ll be here if you need me.” So what I’m finding to be very exciting in that space is, now we’ve got to go back to the drawing board to say, “Well, Mr. or Ms. Manager, what do you need? How can we help you to change your language? How can we help you to lean into this idea of cultural competency? What are the things that you need in order to be a great leader so that you can now carry out the mission of the organization and do so in a way that feels right, that feels good not only for you, but then also translates well to the employee population?”

So I think it’s tough. I certainly think it’s tough. It’s challenging, but it’s exciting. You’ve got all of this enthusiasm. You’ve got this energy coming into the workforce. You’ve got these fantastic, amazing ideas. People are thinking outside of the box and it’s about giving people the platform to do that and really being open about or open to those different ideas, even though we’re making decisions really quickly. In this workforce, we’ve got to make snapshot decisions sometimes, but we need to slow down so that we can speed up.

Lisa: Right. I’m curious, when you think about tools and technology, you mentioned data, do you feel that that has a place from a productivity perspective and leaning into your folks and giving them what they need to be successful? You just talked about managers. What’s your perspective on that?

Domonique: Yeah. Listen, numbers don’t lie. I think it’s a good starting point. Right?

Lisa: Mm-hmm.

Domonique:
So I do think that it’s a great starting point to kind of gauge where we are when you look at the analytics. And there’s so many wonderful tools at our disposal now, but I do think that we need to go beyond just the numbers.

Lisa: Absolutely.

Domonique: Right? When we’re looking at sales quotas, when we’re looking at productivity numbers, those are all great benchmarks, because that’s the reason why we start a business. We want to make profits. We want to do a fantastic job. We want to make sure that we’re servicing our customers. So those are great benchmarks, but those are only starting points.

Lisa: For sure. For sure. What about development, employee development? I know that that’s a topic that’s always top of mind for me. Employees, managers, everyone, they’re hungry to learn more. And I’m curious, how do you think about development of the employee? Any programs that you have? Any thoughts there?

Domonique: Yeah. It’s continuous, it’s continuous. And not only for your internal employee, but then also, how do you build a bench around succession planning? How are you going out and are you going to those underserved communities and organizations to say, “Hey, these are the opportunities that are available to you. Let me show you the way”? Because when you do that, then you have, and you’ve built, this bench of talent that is really going to lean into what it is that you’re doing.

They’re going to come and bring their innovation and creativity to that organization once they have finished at the university, the college, the high school, even. So I think continuous development is important. People are thirsty, they’re hungry for knowledge and if we don’t, then somebody else will.

Lisa: Exactly.

Domonique: So sometimes that’s bringing in the outside consultant for a workshop. That’s doing the lunch and learn. That’s having the panel discussion, whatever that may be. Sometimes it’s not just about getting behind the computer, because we’re on our devices all the time. It’s about the human connection and learning from each other and really being able to pour into one another.

Lisa: Yeah, definitely for culture and engagement, just a brown bag, a brown bag of the product team. It’s just wonderful. It’s a great venue for sharing ideas and connecting on so many levels.

Domonique: Oh, yeah. Listen, I love a good lunch and learn. Love a good lunch and learn.

Lisa: Yeah. So you mentioned... well, one of your comments made me think about remote, just in the environment we’re in right now and getting that culture, that connection, when so many of our meetings are now remote. You’re on Zoom or you’re on Teams. How do you deal with that? What are your thoughts on keeping that connection, building that culture when we’re actually in a remote environment? And I know you have multiple offices. You have employees all over. Is that a challenge?

Domonique: Oh, absolutely, it’s a challenge. And for our offices in particular, we’ve got cultural differences. So the way that we operate in the UK is certainly different than Ghana, is certainly different than here in New York. So it certainly has its challenges. Again, it’s about being intentional with our efforts. So a lot of our meetings, yes, are remote, and they’re group settings, but I am not opposed to picking up the phone and saying, “Hey, you know what? The energy was off a little bit in that meeting. Is everything okay? Everything’s all right at home? Is there anything that you need from me? How can I help and support you differently today going forward? Hey, just know that I’m here.”

Sometimes that opens up that window to have that conversation on a more personal level. And sometimes it’s, “Hey, Dom, you know what? Actually, I do need a little bit of support. Hey, this is happening at home. My kid’s having trouble with this. What resources do we have available?” So now we can say, “Hey, let me get you with the EAP. Let me connect you to the employee assistance program where there are some resources that are available in that space.” The other thing that we like to do is we send out care packages to our employees. If they’re onboarding…

Lisa: Love that.

Domonique: ...in the remote space, now you get a little bit of swag. Maybe it’s a T-shirt or a pin or a cup, but you feel a part of the team because you have those items to say, “Hey, I’m a part of the team. I’m special. This is something that you sent especially for me.” When people also have milestones that happen in their life, kid graduates, you have a baby, whatever the case may be, we want to be there. We want to be present. We want to know. We want you to know that we support you through whatever it is that you’re going through. We want to celebrate you. We want to celebrate with you. So being there to do that means a lot.

Lisa: Sure, making those connections.

Domonique: Oh, absolutely.

Lisa: Especially unexpected.

Domonique: Oh, goodness.

Lisa: It’s just fantastic.

Domonique: Oh, listen, who doesn’t like getting free gifts in the mail?

Lisa: Yeah.

Domonique: Right? It’s like my birthday all the time.

Lisa: Wonderful. Any other advice that maybe we didn’t touch on regarding employee expectations or tips or tricks that you have? Anything?

Domonique: For me, it’s really just about consistency, being consistent, having conversations, being transparent in that space. But also being empathetic, seeing the humanity in us all and knowing that we are so connected that we all really want to do a good job.

Lisa: Good job. Yeah.

Domonique: We all really want to do a good job. We want to be a part of the team. We want you to trust us. So giving us the autonomy and the space and the voice to do that is super, super important as we continue to move forward. And I think that that’s going to be a part of that employee experience as we continue to see the generations change and industry changes in that space. It’s really about, “Do you trust me? And when you trust me, what does that feel like to me so that I can be the best possible version of myself?”

Lisa: I think you said it. Empathy, just really that level of empathy.

**Domonique:**Yeah. Because it’s about harmonization. We talked about work-life balance, but is it? It’s really about the harmony of it all, because so much of who I am is who I bring into the workplace. That’s my superpower.

Lisa: Oh.

Domonique: Right? I don’t want to shut it off when I come to the door. I’m cheating you and I’m certainly cheating me. So how do I find that harmony and that balance in this space so that I can be all things? Because we all want to do that. We all want to make sure that we’re killing it at home, that we’re killing it at work and that we’re being recognized in those spaces.

Lisa: Great. Well, we have a couple of questions that have come in from the audience, so maybe I’ll just run through a few of those?

Domonique: Sure.

Lisa: All right. Great. So what do you think is the difference between quiet quitting and setting healthy boundaries?

Domonique: So that’s an interesting question. I would say quiet quitting is hands-off. I’m not willing to have the conversation. It takes courage to set boundaries, because when you set boundaries, not only do you have to set them once, but you have to set them multiple times.

Lisa: Correct.

Domonique: Right? And it’s not just about setting boundaries for you, but it’s also for me. So if you send me that Slack message at midnight and I answer, and I’m like, “I’m not supposed to be on here past 6:00,” now I’ve kind of stepped over that, and now I’ve given you full rein to now disregard that boundary that I’ve set. So I think that it takes a lot of courage to set boundaries. It takes voice and empowerment in that space, too. And I think that that’s the difference. When we have a quiet quitter, this is somebody, I’m just going to kind of sit back and coast through. Maybe I’m a little bit defensive. If somebody brings it to my attention, I’ll promise that I’ll get better. But when I set that boundary, usually it’s upfront. It’s right at the beginning and it’s something that I do on a consistent basis.

Lisa: Right. I love that example, the Slack example.

Domonique: Yeah.

Lisa: Yeah.

Domonique: Yeah. Listen.

Lisa: That’s great.

Domonique: The notification’s ping and I’m like, “Nope, not today.”

Lisa: “No.” That’s right. Yeah.

Domonique: Yeah.

Lisa: That’s excellent. I love this question. Definitely someone who checked out Adjaye Associates. So the question is, as an HR leader, how do you work with a celebrity leader like David Adjaye?

Domonique: You just do the work. You just do the work. Listen, David is amazing. We have an amazing team of phenomenal architects in our office. But you just do the work. The thing that makes David so fantastic is that he understands that in order for him to be a fantastic starchitect, is what he’s been coined, is that he needs to surround himself with great people. And when I surround myself with great people, it gives them the opportunity to do their best work. And I lean on them, lean into their expertise and let them flourish and shine too. So whenever you hear David speak, it’s never about me, me, me, me, me, but it’s about we and what we the collective have done in order to make this project come to fruition. And then aside from that, I always think, “Listen. He puts his pants on the same way I do in the morning, so let’s just do this thing together and we’re a part of the team.”

Lisa: I just have to ask you, what’s your favorite project in the portfolio? There’s so many wonderful things that they’ve worked on. Is there one in particular?

Domonique: Well, for me, it’s the African American Museum down in D.C. It’s such great, rich history. It’s about me, it’s about me. It’s about my culture. It’s about my community. It’s about people that look like me, the struggle, but then it’s also about the resilience and how you come out on top. So for me, that’s definitely the one that speaks to my heart, makes me sing and one of the reasons that I was amazed when the opportunity came about.

Lisa: Right. It’s beautiful.

Domonique: Yes.

Lisa: Oh, it’s gorgeous

Domonique: It’s amazing. It’s amazing.

Lisa: Wonderful. So this has been great. You’ve shared so many insights and best practices. I would just say that it’s a really complicated time right now. I mean, I think you’re dealing with a lot. We’re all dealing with a lot, but for sure in the HR organization, there’s so many considerations now, so many different people, generations, expectations, remote, et cetera. Are there any last pieces of advice you’d like to leave the audience with, parting thoughts? We’d welcome it.

Domonique: Yeah. I’d say don’t do it alone. Don’t do it alone. Lean into your community. Lean into your community of HR folks or whomever, your trusted advisors, your mentors, your sponsors. Whatever that looks like for you, lean into your community. Don’t feel like you have to go at it alone. So many times, we feel like we have to be a jack of all trades and I’ve got to know all of these things because I’m jockeying for a position and I’ve got to win, win, win, win, win. Let’s win together. Doesn’t it feel so much better when we win together versus, I’m at the mountaintop and I’m all alone? And when you get to the mountaintop, it’s about reaching back and pulling that other person forward, pulling that other person up to say, “Hey, now that I’m in the room. Let me pull out a chair for you.”

Lisa: I love that. We didn’t talk about succession and planning, but that’s so applicable to how you build your org and I love the collaboration and the dependency. That’s wonderful.

Domonique: Yeah. Listen. If it doesn’t work, flip the table over and start a new one.

Lisa: Yeah.

Domonique: Right?

Lisa: Awesome. Well, thank you so much.

Domonique: Absolutely.

Lisa: It’s been a pleasure to meet you, learn more about you, as well as the firm and the consulting organization.

Domonique: Thank you.

Lisa: Thanks.