Leading a People team—while going through a divorce

Claire’s friends know they can count on her to keep a level head. So when her relationship faltered, Claire retreated inside her unphased shell, worried that people would think she was weak if she shared how she really felt—especially at work.

When a teammate noticed something was off, they gave her the space to open up. The moment was pivotal. A week later, Claire was formalising a divorce—all while part of the HR team at the dating app, Bumble. To her surprise, it made the team stronger.

You’ll hear how Claire opened up to her team, why asking people how best to support them builds trust, and how leaders can strengthen company culture by communicating with employees in the best way.

Claire Samson is a veteran People & Operations leader. With 15 years’ experience across culture, international operations, and finance, she understands businesses inside out. Claire has worked in Director positions at Beam, Bumble, and S&P Global.

Oliva is the UK & Europe's #1 rated employee mental wellbeing benefit.

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