Leaders are humans too: Katie Ballantyne of Cornerstone OnDemand

People Matters caught up with Katie to understand the success rate of leaders setting examples of a healthy work-life balance by leveraging the wellness policies to the fullest. 

While explaining the status of balance between work and life of the leaders, Katie noted that leaders are actually expected to be multi-taskers. According to the expectations of people, the functions of the leaders encompass mentoring the workforce to being their role models. Still, Katie said, “It is leaders’ responsibility to set examples of striking the right balance between work and life and give rise to such a culture wherever required.”

Further adding to this, Katie said, “We are no longer leading people simply for the work that they produce. We are leading people to make sure that we as leaders are showing compassion and grace and dignity towards the entire identity of our teams.”

According to Katie, the pandemic has been a great teacher for all. It has decreased constraints and taught us that emotional aspects need to be paid attention to, no matter what. As work has travelled all the way from office spaces to kitchens and playrooms of children, it's very difficult to say that there is now this strict barrier between work and home. Thus, unlike the pre-pandemic period, emotions can’t be kept at the doorstep of the offices before entering those. 

Sharing an example of how Cornerstone OnDemand is looking at the work-life balance needs of the leaders, Katie noted, “One of the biggest things that I love about Cornerstone is that the company really provides us with a framework where we can do the right thing for our teams.” She highlighted that during the challenging weather conditions of North America, the company asked its employees to try shifting to comfortable locations such as hotels in order to be safe, and the cost of which was to be borne by the company. For Cornerstone OnDemand, Katie stated, employee safety is the topmost priority. 

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