A love of animals draws many zoo and aquarium employees to their careers. But in reality, working with—and around—people often makes up the bulk of the work. That’s why it’s important to contribute to a culture that draws people to their workplace, and offers value beyond the paycheck, said Misha Body, who is San Diego Zoo’s director of wildlife care and former chair of AZA’s Professional Development Committee.

“Culture is a little bit intangible, but it’s so critical that we’re doing the best we can,” she said.

Workplace culture has been a growing topic of discussion among AZA staff and members. So much so that the 2022 Annual Conference included a new Workplace Culture track, which had sessions focusing on topics such as diversity, equity, inclusion, and access (DEIA); conservation culture; supporting mental health, and networking.

Those areas are all different “spokes” on the wheel of workplace culture, said Body, who moderated Annual Conference panels on networking and mental health topics. These kinds of conversations can be challenging—more so than, say, chatting with one another about what substrate people are liking for lizards—but they’re incredibly important. Because when a workplace culture is open, inviting, and accepting; when people feel valued and safe, supported and fulfilled; when work feels meaningful, people are more likely to want to come to work and build upon that culture.

“I think the more we talk about it, the more it feels OK to talk about it,” said Body, who describes her own job as “taking care of the people who take care of the animals.”

To explore a few of the different “spokes” that make up workplace culture, we talked with three other conference participants who led sessions on conservation culture, mental health and DEIA. They all agreed that in order for zoos and aquariums to best care for animals, they must also take good care of their people, so that every person feels good about their job, and understands how they fit into the greater mission of their organization.     

Creating a Culture of Conservation

Conservation is expected among AZA members—it’s a part of the accreditation process. But messages about those efforts don’t always trickle across the entire organization.

“It’s often something that’s very departmentalized,” said Jeff Vanek, who is director of human resources at Utah’s Hogle Zoo and moderated a Conference session called Does Your Zoo or Aquarium Have a Culture of Conservation? Vanek, himself, only recently became familiar with Hogle Zoo’s conservation role in certain initiatives, such as AZA SAFE: Saving Animals from Extinction, despite working there since 2018.

To better understand how to drive those kinds of conservation-related messages across an organization, Vanek started working with an AZA pilot program called the Culture of Conservation. “What AZA was looking for was how do we get it so everybody who’s at an institution is aware and involved?” said Vanek. “For example, does the accountant know and understand how their job function contributes to the overall mission of conservation?”

A conservation mindset can start as early as the hiring process, said Vanek. When job listings and interviews delve into traits that relate to a conservation ethic, that can attract conservation-minded employees. To support a conservation culture among existing employees, facilities can create opportunities for conservation work. At Hogle Zoo, for example, employees are given up to eight paid hours a year to volunteer in conservation-related activities.

Ultimately, when a zoo or aquarium has a culture of conservation, the effects can ripple across the facility and throughout the entire community, empowering guests to make an impact and help wildlife in their own backyards.

“They learn that there’s a bigger purpose to coming here, beyond having a great day,” said Vanek.   

Learning to Lead with Empathy

While much joy and satisfaction can come from working with and around animals, professionals at zoos and aquariums also encounter enormous on-the-job stresses. Often, the work entails loss, whether it’s related to death, animal transfers, or broader population and conservation challenges, said Gina Woods, conservation program manager at Disney’s Animals, Science and Environment, and a member of the AZA Diversity Committee. That, on top of whatever is happening in a person’s personal life, can feel overwhelming and take an enormous toll.

“Through the years, many have lost family members or even colleagues in our profession as a result of a mental health crisis,” said Woods, who moderated a Conference panel called Leading with Empathy Through Mental Health Resources for Zoo and Aquarium Professionals. “I feel like our work family is an extension of our real family. And that it’s so important to take care of each other.”

About a year ago, Woods and others at Disney went through mental health first-aid training via a non-profit called Growing Resiliency for Aquarium and Zoo Employees (GRAZE), so that they could become advocates and support their colleagues. She said the training taught her to notice signs that someone might be struggling; to listen non-judgmentally; and how to offer reassurance, information, and resources. Now, she said, team members know that the advocates are there for them and are never too busy to listen.

“Knowing that we have designated people that they can talk to, who know what folks in the zoo and aquarium fields deal with, has been an added support that has been appreciated,” said Woods. “Even for folks that haven’t needed to take advantage of it yet.” 

Woods is relieved that today, people in zoos and aquariums can talk more openly about the compassion fatigue, stress, and burnout they’re feeling.

“I feel like over the last two years, that stigma around mental health has really been lifted,” she said. “Now, people feel that they can come forward and talk about it and get the help they need.” It’s important that their workplaces are ready and willing to support them when they do.

Improving Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Practices

Discussions about diversity are nothing new for zoos and aquariums. But in the years following the racial reckoning of 2020, those talks have become more pressing, said Lori Perkins, who is vice president with Canopy Strategic Partners. “We’re starting to recognize the urgency of actually trying to make a difference.”

Perkins, who moderated a session at the 2022 Annual Conference called Good Intentions, Setbacks, and Success: The DEIA Journey, helps guide conversations around improving diversity, equity, inclusion, and accessibility practices at zoos and aquariums. Having worked at a number of institutions in her own career, prior to her consulting role, she knows it’s no simple task: every zoo and aquarium must devise a strategy that’s as unique as the community it’s a part of.

“It's going to look different in Birmingham, Alabama, than it’s going to look in Boise, Idaho,” she said.

Generally speaking, Perkins said, these kinds of cultural changes begin with leadership, who must be invested and determined to make an impact. “They have to be modeling and leading with a sincere desire to diversify, broaden and welcome in their institutions.”

Further, she said, zoos and aquariums must continue to find ways to appeal to up-and-coming generations, who tend to be more racially diverse and environmentally focused.

“I have seen a number of zoos and aquariums build programs around teen or very young adult audiences focused on minority communities, because those are the people that we need to be speaking to if we hope to increase our community relevance, as well as the diversity of the people that we employ,” said Perkins. She adds that when guests and program participants see people who look like themselves working at zoos and aquariums, they’re more likely to envision their own future career there.

While there’s no universal playbook on DEIA, and no “how to” guide for zoos and aquariums, the end-goal is clear for Perkins: she envisions a future where everyone feels like they belong.

“The more our institutions become recognizably diverse, the more comfortable it becomes for everybody to be there. When you start feeling comfortable to be there, then maybe you want to be a part of our mission and our message, whether that’s joining us through employment, or just evangelizing for us,” she said. “You have to feel like you belong before you’re going to really get on board with that.” 

Perkins said she’s proud of AZA and AZA members for their ongoing commitments to advance diversity, equity, inclusion, and access practices, and for leading these challenging conversations at the Annual Conference and throughout the year. Because as zoos and aquariums continue to evolve 10, 20, 50 years into the future, they must continually find ways to be relevant to the communities they serve, and respond to the social and cultural factors and forces shaping them.

“Our profession is changing,” she said. “If we are not working actively to lead that change then we’re at risk of extinction.”

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