Can you Really Make a Difference in Corporate America?
By: Jillian Rachal
Tags: Belonging, Life At Chegg, Diversity And Inclusion, Human Resources, Diversity

Why tough conversations are important and how we all have a part to play

Starting out my career, like many young professionals fresh out of college, I had this ideological belief that I could make a difference. I was determined to make an impact on so many people. I believed working in government was the way to do that. What I didn’t expect was that there would be so much red tape. After some time, I got disheartened that I couldn’t effect true change.

Fast forward a few years, I moved to Oregon for family reasons and took the opportunity to start over. I was working for a startup as an Human Resources professional, responsible for creating programs and procedures for more than 400 employees in three different locations. As the workload was starting to take its toll, I heard about Chegg, the direct-to-student learning platform. Chegg’s mission of ‘helping students save time, save money, and get smarter’ was compelling to me. I didn’t apply to any other companies! I wanted to work for Chegg to help students on their path from learning to earning. The mission also resonated with me personally because I have school age children.

In May 2019, I walked into the Portland office for an interview and straight away I was struck by people like me. I scanned the office floor and I saw right away faces from all backgrounds and people groups. I was interviewed by a black woman in a leadership role. I met two or three other people on the interviewing panel who were people of color, women, and, ranged in diverse ages and experience. This hadn’t happened before during job interviews. (Most of the time I was the only female of color.) Chegg had me sold by the interview panel alone.

Shortly after, I was hired at Chegg as the HR manager, supporting Chegg’s Portland office. The team comprised mostly of the Student Advocacy Team (SAT), our student support representatives. Most of them are young professionals at the start of their careers. I gain so much satisfaction from seeing them grow, and I am so proud to help them on their own journeys from learning to earning.

As soon as I joined Chegg, I expressed a passion to make a difference. Every time I raise my hand, I feel my desire to contribute is heard. I love all the avenues that Chegg has — Chegg Chats, development workshops, Employee Resource Groups (ERGs), etc. I’ve been involved with Chegg’s ERGs from the beginning. Being a part of these groups is welcomed even if you don’t specifically identify with them. We learn and we have difficult, supportive conversations. I had never experienced the power of an ERG and the sense of community that it brings to the workplace is powerful — until now!

I truly feel at Chegg that I can drive change. Even if it’s not part of my job description, I feel I can help and I have been encouraged to make my voice heard. For instance, I’m an avid reader. I read about 30 books a year. As this pandemic began and everyone started working from home, it was important for us at Chegg, to remain connected with one another. I wanted to help reduce the feeling of isolation, so I started a Chegg book club. My goal was to get to know people beyond Portland, across the offices.

For our first book club meeting, we chose two books: Why Are All the Black Kids Sitting Together in the Cafeteria? and Multipliers: How the Best Leaders Make Everyone Smarter. We wanted to have the tough conversations, but also be mindful and inclusive to those that might not be ready to have those conversations. We got a fabulous turnout at each meeting with people from all different backgrounds and the true value of those conversations was hearing people’s real stories and experiences. They were so powerful.

We’re just wrapping up our third book this year, having read More Than Enough by Elaine Welteroth. The book touches on topics about race, standing up for yourself as a female, and many more. It built upon a workshop we hosted last year with the CheggHer ERG to discuss compensation negotiation, a topic that’s difficult for many to talk about.

These are just some of the examples of where I think I am making a difference. And with Chegg’s ongoing support of me and our diverse employees, we can continue to grow and support our employees and students.