{"id":63668,"date":"2019-09-06T16:02:19","date_gmt":"2019-09-06T20:02:19","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.wework.com\/ideas\/?p=63668"},"modified":"2020-09-03T05:53:10","modified_gmt":"2020-09-03T09:53:10","slug":"finding-connection-at-work-with-irl-posts","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.wework.com\/ideas\/community-stories\/employee-spotlight\/finding-connection-at-work-with-irl-posts","title":{"rendered":"Finding connection at work with IRL posts"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

WeWork\u2019s community team members are the soul of the We community. Heart of We<\/a><\/strong> highlights how their hard work and passion improves the daily lives of WeWork members across the globe.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

At the beginning of this year, community leads Melisa Calero and Teresa Mastrogiacomo sat down to plan a calendar of events. They noticed that May was Mental Health Awareness Month, and it loomed large. It felt personal. It also felt fraught.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Calero, 23, and Mastrogiacomo, 39, felt it was important to draw attention to mental health<\/a> concerns, even if they were unsure how to do it; they were worried about triggering anyone in the workplace by being too intense, but also did not want to make light of such an important issue. \u201cIn the world we live in, it\u2019s not easy for people to reach out for help from others,\u201d says Calero, who works alongside Mastrogiacomo at WeWork 3 Place Ville Marie<\/a> in Montreal. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cIn some ways we are more connected than ever,\u201d Mastrogiacomo says, \u201cand online profiles are a place for sharing thoughts and feelings.\u201d But there are obvious barriers to sharing personal thoughts or concerns online, \u201cespecially since we\u2019re in a time where the line between your professional life and personal life is blurred.\u201d <\/p>\n\n\n\n

So Calero and Mastrogiacomo set out to help people feel comfortable opening up to each other in their building.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

A compulsive journal-writer, Calero considered pouring out thoughts in an analog way. \u201cI\u2019ve always found the act of writing my feelings down can be a relief,\u201d she says, noting that simple pen and paper are a refreshing change from our overly digital world. Calero and Mastrogiacomo decided to leave pens and Post-Its in the bathrooms. They got the ball rolling by writing a few messages and sticking them to the mirrors.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cTeresa started with kind words like \u2018You\u2019re beautiful\u2019 and \u2018You\u2019re capable,\u2019\u201d Calero says. As the days went on, building members joined in, anonymously posting messages like “We got this\u201d and \u201cNever give up.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cYou couldn\u2019t miss them, because the second you looked in the mirror, they were there,\u201d says Mastrogiacomo. She said that over the next few days, the messages started spreading over the walls, the paper-towel dispenser, and the door. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Mastrogiacomo started her project by writing words of encouragement; soon the whole building joined in.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

The notes also became more personal, and people began to reply to each other. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThings deepened as time went on,\u201d says Calero. \u201cWhen someone shared they were having a hard time or facing a difficult issue, other notes would pop up in reply.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

For Mastrogiacomo and Calero, the project\u2019s success was encouraging. Mental-health issues are personal for both of them: A number of people in Mastrogiacomo\u2019s family suffer from depression. \u201cI grew up in a place that was emotionally charged a lot of the time,\u201d she says. \u201cI know from this experience what it is like for people who experience mental health struggles.\u201d <\/p>\n\n\n\n

And Calero says she has experienced her own challenges with mental health. \u201cGrowing up, my parents weren\u2019t comfortable with my emotions,\u201d she says. She often felt like she didn\u2019t have anyone to talk to or an outlet for her feelings, which resulted in negative thoughts and feelings of isolation. But as she\u2019s grown, she\u2019s found that \u201cmeeting and making connections with others shows you there are people out there willing to help you, to listen.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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\u201cThere\u2019s a stigma around mental health, but I sense that it\u2019s been lifting in recent years,\u201d says Mastrogiacomo (right). <\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

The bathroom Post-It sharing started anonymously, but after a while, people began to share their contact information with others who had posted that they were having a hard time. Members and employees began talking about what they were going through outside the bathroom. The Post-Its made people aware of kindred spirits in the building.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThere\u2019s a stigma around mental health, but I sense that it\u2019s been lifting in recent years,\u201d says Mastrogiacomo. \u201cWe\u2019re people, and this is life, and sometimes it gets tough.\u201d <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cSometimes, even a Post-It note can make a difference,\u201d Calero adds.<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n

We spoke to Mastrogiacomo and Calero about what their friendship has taught them and how companies big and small in their building inspire them: <\/p>\n\n\n\n

What Mastrogiacomo and Calero have learned from each other:<\/strong> \u201cBecause of the age difference between us, I learn a lot from Teresa about how to handle things and how to control my emotions,\u201d says Calero. She says that Mastrogiacomo has taught her how to take a step back, which gives her different, useful perspectives in her personal and professional life.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Mastrogiacomo says that Calero is a unique woman because \u201cshe is so young, and her Filipino family is more traditional and from another culture, which makes her very well-rounded.\u201d She admires the way Calero can have empathy across generational lines and notices things that other people don\u2019t.  <\/p>\n\n\n\n

How WeWork inspires each of them:<\/strong> \u201cWeWork has inspired me to start my own business, eventually,\u201d says Calero. \u201cSometimes I get too many ideas, working here,\u201d she says, laughing. \u201cI\u2019m so inspired.\u201d <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Mastrogiacomo says that \u201cbeing surrounded by so many people doing so many things and being exposed to things you\u2019ve never been exposed to before opens your mind to potential you may have never even considered.\u201d She feels that \u201cas long as I\u2019m tuned into where I want to grow and how I want to grow, I will find ways to apply my skills, whatever may come.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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\u201cSometimes I get too many ideas, working here,\u201d Calero (right) says about the inspiring work environment.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

The WeWork member who has affected Calero the most:<\/strong> Calero fondly remembers Goalcast<\/a>, a content company whose aim is to motivate people to reach their potential. \u201cWhen I first started at WeWork, whenever I would say something that was a complaint or a frustration, Kevin Visser, a Goalcasat an employee, would say, \u2018Take a step back and, if you need to, take a breath.\u2019\u201d Calero says she realized that she never took time for herself. \u201cHe was working at this company that was helping people be the better version of themselves, and here he was, living it. And it changed me. It made me put the human first. It impacted how I work on a daily basis.\u201d <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Interested in joining the WeWork community? Visit our <\/em>community jobs page<\/em><\/a>. <\/em><\/p>\n\n\n