Joy Works

Foreword

By Charlene Thomas, Executive Vice President and Chief Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Officer, UPS.

Joy. It's as specific as a fingerprint, as common as a garden rose. At times, for some, it's as elusive as a four‐leaf clover.

But we keep reaching toward joy. It's the pinnacle. The manifestation of happiness. The reward at the end of the rainbow.

And joy at work? To me, joy at work should be an everyday lived experience. Something we sow throughout our careers, not a reward that is delivered through paychecks, promotions, or the final reward of retirement.

For leaders at every level, the defining question each day should be: How do we create the conditions for joy to exist, for ourselves and those around us?

Let's back up for a minute. I'm Charlene Thomas. I'm a leader, a Peloton superfan, a scuba diver, a mother, a college football enthusiast (Roll Tide!), and a 33‐year (and counting) employee of UPS. My tenure at UPS has taken me around the United States, from a part‐time job in college to driving a UPS truck outside Philadelphia to leading operations and package delivery teams in Maryland, Alabama, Arizona, and California. Now I'm a corporate leader at our headquarters in Atlanta, focused on diversity and inclusion for our 500,000‐plus employees worldwide.

I have moved around a lot, and done a lot of different jobs, but most of my career experiences have followed ...