Why Work Feels Better Together
3/26/202626 min
From a worker-owned restaurant in Oakland to a nonprofit built on shared leadership, we explore how collective work models can help people feel heard, valued, and more invested in their work.
Summary: In this episode of The Science of Happiness, we examine how people can build cultures of care, accountability, and belonging together. Through stories from a worker-owned restaurant and insights from a leader in collective nonprofits, we share what research reveals about why collective decision-making can help teams thrive and organizations succeed.
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First 90 secondsFlorencio Esquivel· Soundbite0:01
Collective leadership really opens doors, really opens portals.
Ruby Tran· Soundbite0:05
From the hospitality to the care put into the food and, like, just how we work as a team, I feel like, is so special and different from working at any other restaurant.
Speaker 30:18
Everyone has some kind of skill or expertise or passion that deserves to be lifted up and centered.
Sunshine Velasco· Soundbite0:27
Every person I know that works here is just so happy to be here, which I don't think you always hear from, like, restaurant workers or just people who often have to work in customer service.
Ruby Tran· Soundbite0:41
We feel supported at all times.
Florencio Esquivel· Soundbite0:43
Why would you do this work any other way?
Shuka Kalantari· Host0:46
Welcome to The Science of Happiness. I'm Shuka Kalantari. For many of us, the idea that everyone deserves a seat at the table is a core value. We all want to have a voice, but in reality, that's not always how things play out. Leadership tends to be top-down, especially in our workplaces, but what if it wasn't?
Ruby Tran· Soundbite1:11
It doesn't feel like work, like, being here. It feels like chilling with your family or hanging out with your family, kind of, in a way, you know?
Shuka Kalantari· Host1:18
[laughs] In this episode, we're joined by the founders of Understory, a collectively run restaurant in Oakland, California. We hear about how mutual respect and shared values led them