'I Love My Job’: I’m a Senior Director in the ‘Emerging Field of Belonging’ at the World’s #1 CRM

Welcome to I Love My Job, the series where we hear from real women who really love their jobs. In this edition, we sat down with Jacalyn Chapman, the Senior Director of Employee Advocacy & Belonging at Salesforce. “I have the pleasure of helping individuals from our underrepresented groups navigate careers and belonging at Salesforce,” Chapman explains.

In her nearly 11 years at the company, Chapman reflects that she’s probably been in six different teams, all of which involved “doing something that’s exciting” in a great culture. Elaborating on this, Chapman describes the culture at Salesforce as not only dynamic but full of what she calls “radical transparency.” In it, “people feel very empowered to share their perspective and share their ideas,” says Chapman. This culture “is one of the things that keeps me here,” she continues. “We show up for our coworkers in a way that I've never seen before.”

Even in an environment that is evolving with the pandemic, Chapman notes that the hallmarks of their culture — like caring for others and the freedom to be themselves — are unchanged, and continue to drive innovation at the company.

Watch the video below to find out more about why Chapman loves working with the Salesforce team. We also share lightly edited highlights from this video discussion in the following article.

Tell us what you find most exciting about your work.

One of the things I find most exciting about my work is that it's a green field. So, there's this emerging field of belonging that my team lives in and thrives in, and we're creating new things for Salesforce based on what the data from our signature program tells us. So, I am excited about the fact that we're in a new space and really doubling down on this emerging field of belonging.

What is your favorite thing about Salesforce?

My favorite thing about Salesforce is that this company has a soul[…] We're not perfect, we have challenges just like other companies, and many of the things that you see other companies go through, we go through, too. But the way we handle it as an organization speaks to carrying a desire to do the right thing by others. 

What is Salesforce’s Executive Team like?

The executives at Salesforce are dynamic and different. In a typical tech company, you have a prototype, and I think our executives don't exist in that way. They're a cast of characters, in the best way. You have individuals who are visionaries, individuals who are progressive, but, most of all, you have executives that are human. And I love when we get the opportunities to see the human side of our executives, because it creates a relatability that you don't usually see in the hierarchy.

How does Salesforce support you in managing work-life balance?

The benefits that Salesforce has around managing work-life balance really goes down to your individual team. We decide together what that looks like in terms of how we work, when we work and what our needs are for boundaries…

There's great benefits that the company has for parents, for adoption, for leaves, if you get COVID-19, a wellness benefit — thank you for the Peloton bike, Salesforce — and more. But I think that balance really comes from the boundaries that you set, that you establish for yourself as an individual and that you set with your manager and team.

What advice would you give to other women who are thinking about working at Salesforce?

Do your research, understand not only the team that you're working with, but the culture that they might have… That will help you identify the value that you'll bring to the organization, because that will make the work that you do fun. I want you to be excited about coming to work and the work that you do, as well as the people who you work with. So, understanding those individual cultures is just as important as understanding the larger organization. Salesforce, as a company, has great benefits and amenities!

Interested in joining the Salesforce team? They’re hiring! Click the link below to browse opportunities.

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Check out other posts in the ‘I Love My Job’ series:

• 'I Love My Job’: A Talent Expert on Why This Leading Finance Company Should Be on Your Radar

• 'I Love My Job’: Why This Director’s Favorite Aspect of Her Job ‘Is Hands Down the People

• 'I Love My Job’: I’m Building an Inclusive, Fun and Empowering Culture at My Mission-Based Company

• 'I Love My Job’: How My Company Supported My Career Pivot From Finance to Technology