Rosenverse

This video is only accessible to Gold members. Log in or register for a free Gold Trial Account to watch.

Log in Register

Most conference talks are accessible to Gold members, while community videos are generally available to all logged-in members.

Healing Toxic Stress

Gold
Monday, September 23, 2024 • DesignOps Summit 2024
Share the love for this talk
Healing Toxic Stress
Speakers: Alla Weinberg
Link:

Summary

From the pandemic to mass layoffs to burnout, designers have been enduring years of crisis and toxic stress. For some people, living through these kinds of events can be traumatic. Resmaa Menakem defines trauma as "anything that is too much, too soon, too fast, or for too long without being attended to by something reparative or healing." DesignOps professionals and people managers are perfectly positioned to learn about trauma and re-shape their organizations to be spaces for healing, instead of harm. In this talk, participants will understand the prevalence of toxic stress in the workplace, be able to start identifying signs of trauma within themselves, and walk away with three practical ways to create an environment of healing.

Key Insights

  • Mala frames workplace stress as a biological survival response, not just a mental state.

  • Stress triggers release of cortisol and adrenaline preparing the body for survival.

  • Fear is the emotional component of stress, meaning daily stress equals frequent fear.

  • Toxic stress occurs when stress is too intense, too fast, and prolonged without healing.

  • Common toxic workplace stressors include abusive relationships, layoffs, glorified workaholism, and ambiguous priorities.

  • Up to 79% of global employees experience significant stress and up to 19% may develop PTSD from workplace trauma.

  • Toxic stress impairs cognitive functioning, cutting operating IQ by half and preventing great work.

  • Healing toxic stress requires changing workplace conditions, not only individual coping strategies.

  • Polyvagal theory identifies context, choice, and connection as key biological needs for healing in workplaces.

  • Simple interventions like explaining the 'why' behind decisions and auditing meetings reduce stress and increase psychological safety.

Notable Quotes

"Resilience doesn’t come from enduring or tolerating suffering. It comes from healing it and changing the conditions that cause it."

"Our biological bodies are hardwired to prioritize survival above everything else."

"Stress is our nervous system going into a state of mobilization, preparing us to fight or flee a perceived threat."

"The workplaces conditions and expectations to perform faster forever are biologically impossible to sustain."

"Toxic stress is experiencing too much too fast for too long without healing."

"If you’re feeling medium stress, maybe you’ve just gotten used to a high level of stress over time."

"Toxic stress makes people dumb, reducing their cognitive ability by half."

"Workplace trauma is real and much more common than we acknowledge, causing symptoms like sleep disturbances and emotional flashbacks."

"Changing how we operate and relate to each other is the only thing in our control, regardless of organizational position."

"Admiration is the antidote for contempt and vital to creating healing work environments."

Ask the Rosenbot
Gretchen Anderson
Scaling the Human Center
2017 • Enterprise Experience 2017
Gold
Josh Clark
Sentient Scenes and Radically Adaptive Experiences
2025 • Designing with AI 2025
Gold
Alberto Ferreira
Making it Count: Developing a custom digital metric framework that works
2021 • QuantQual Interest Group
Kit Unger
Theme 2: Introduction
2021 • Design at Scale 2021
Gold
Ricardo Martins
Unlocking the power of advanced quantitative methods
2025 • Advancing Research 2025
Gold
Nalini Kotamraju
Research After UX
2024 • Advancing Research 2024
Gold
Katie Hansen
Finding the unknown in the known: Harnessing meta-analysis and literature review
2025 • Advancing Research 2025
Gold
Adam Cutler
Discussion
2016 • Enterprise UX 2016
Gold
Mike Brzozowski
UX in everyday products: Empowering climate conscious choices
2024 • Climate UX Interest Group
Anat Fintzi
Delivering at Scale: Making Traction with Resistant Partners
2022 • Design at Scale 2022
Gold
Gonzalo Goyanes
Design ROI: Cover a Little, Get a Lot
2022 • DesignOps Summit 2022
Gold
Miles Orkin
Creativity and Culture
2018 • DesignOps Summit 2018
Gold
Billy Carlson
Tips to Utilize Wireframes to Tell an Effective Product Story
2023 • Enterprise UX 2023
Gold
Sam Proulx
Accessibility: An Opportunity to Innovate
2022 • Design at Scale 2022
Gold
Sofia Quintero
The Product Philosophy Behind EnjoyHQ
2021 • Advancing Research 2021
Gold
Iulia Cornigeanu
QuantQual Book Club: Small Data
2024 • QuantQual Interest Group

More Videos

Renee Reid

"Having those tough conversations with C-Suite execs, delivering findings with unwavering voice because you know the customer."

Renee Reid

Becoming a ResearchH.E.R (Highly Enterprise Ready)

June 3, 2019

Cara Maritz

"We should challenge our definition of secondary research and elevate it as a standard in our industry."

Cara Maritz Rachel Ny

The Art of Extrapolation

March 29, 2023

Bria Alexander

"Use your phone camera to scan the QR code on screen and access the digital swag bag."

Bria Alexander

Opening Remarks

January 8, 2024

Sean Fitzell

"Mapping jobs gives a view into behaviors and needs that may or may not include your solution."

Sean Fitzell Sarah Han Kayla Farrell

Craft of User Research: Building Out Jobs to be Done Maps

March 12, 2021

Mike Davidson

"At Twitter, I learned how much we were failing users globally despite thinking we were doing excellent work."

Mike Davidson

Fireside Chat

March 11, 2022

Erin Malone

"Learning the fundamentals will be like learning the classics. You learn them once but may not use them every day."

Erin Malone

Understanding the past to prepare for the future

July 19, 2024

Catherine Dubut

"Physical prototyping is a tool to explore interaction modalities and physically connected environments beyond all things digital."

Catherine Dubut

Bridging Physical and Digital Spaces: Approaches to Retail Service Design

March 18, 2021

Laine Riley Prokay

"Preparation is critical to set up new practitioners for success, including equipment, access, expectations, and introductions."

Laine Riley Prokay Lisa Gordon

Carving a Path for Early Career DesignOps Practitioners

September 9, 2022

Kavana Ramesh

"You’re really there to learn because the person with assistive technology is the expert of their setup."

Kavana Ramesh

Meaningful inclusion: Practicing accessibility research with confidence

September 24, 2024