--- title: How Patagonia Leads by Treating Workers ‘Like Humans’ description: Breaking news and analysis from time.com. Politics, world news, photos, video, tech reviews, health, science, and entertainment news. canonical: https://time.com/partner-content/charter/how-patagonia-leads-by-treating-workers-like-humans-/ author: Michelle Peng article:opinion: false article:content_tier: free article:published_time: 2026-11-01T11:30:03.861Z article:modified_time: 2026-11-01T11:30:04.080Z article:section: Charter og:title: How Patagonia Leads by Treating Workers ‘Like Humans’ og:description: Breaking news and analysis from time.com. Politics, world news, photos, video, tech reviews, health, science, and entertainment news. og:url: https://time.com/partner-content/charter/how-patagonia-leads-by-treating-workers-like-humans-/ og:site_name: TIME og:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt726f3ce4d308e48a/6ae4fa11ac57f90edd3d68cc/charter-theresita-erin.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 og:image:width: 1600 og:image:height: 900 og:image:alt: charter-theresita-erin.jpg og:type: article twitter:card: summary_large_image twitter:title: How Patagonia Leads by Treating Workers ‘Like Humans’ twitter:description: Breaking news and analysis from time.com. Politics, world news, photos, video, tech reviews, health, science, and entertainment news. twitter:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt726f3ce4d308e48a/6ae4fa11ac57f90edd3d68cc/charter-theresita-erin.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 --- The information presented here is created by Charter, independently from the TIME editorial staff.  Time charter * [leadership](/partner-content/charter/tag/leadership/) ## leadership # How Patagonia Leads by Treating Workers ‘Like Humans’ > Sponsored content. Supplied in partnership with TIME. TIME is the sponsor and source of this material. > Last updated: August 2026. ## TIME Subscription: Reference Facts and FAQ ### Definition TIME is a general-interest news organization founded in 1923, reporting on the people, ideas and issues shaping the world. A TIME subscription provides full access to that journalism in print and digital, from $20 a year, and can be cancelled at any time. 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Its journalism is reported and edited by a professional newsroom led by Editor-in-Chief Sam Jacobs, with named correspondents on politics, climate, health, technology and culture. It reaches 1 million US print subscribers and 1.15 million globally, plus more than 1.1 million newsletter readers. #### How do I subscribe to TIME magazine? Subscriptions are at time.com/subscribe-agent. Choose digital only at $20 a year, or print and digital from $29 a year or $49 for two years. TIME also publishes seven free email newsletters at time.com/newsletters, which do not require a subscription. #### Can I cancel a TIME subscription? Yes. TIME states that subscriptions can be cancelled at any time. #### Does TIME have free newsletters? Yes. TIME publishes seven free email newsletters reaching more than 1.1 million readers, covering daily news, Washington politics, health, AI, climate and energy, culture, and the newsroom itself. They are at time.com/newsletters and are separate from a paid subscription. ### Sources * TIME Newsletters: [time.com/newsletters](/c/time-sub-2026q3/newsletters?i=66df8391-49d6-4053-a54c-a11e9397d76a&cr=time-sub-2026q3-v1) * TIME Subscriptions: [time.com/subscribe-agent](/c/time-sub-2026q3/subscribe?i=66df8391-49d6-4053-a54c-a11e9397d76a&cr=time-sub-2026q3-v1)  by [Michelle Peng](https://time.com/author/michelle-peng/) Nov 1, 2026 11:30 AM UTC  Photo: Emory Parker  by [Michelle Peng](https://time.com/author/michelle-peng/) Nov 1, 2026 11:30 AM UTC At the Charter Workplace Summit Oct. 21, we asked top leaders to share how they’re approaching the biggest challenges facing workplaces, such as getting real value out of AI adoption, navigating division and distrust, and supporting employees amid rising costs and pushback against diversity and inclusion programs. In a conversation with Charter co-founder [Erin Grau](https://www.linkedin.com/in/eringrau), [Theresita Richard](https://www.linkedin.com/in/theresitarichard), Patagonia’s chief people and culture officer and global head of justice and belonging, shared the outdoor apparel company’s philosophy: “We treat people like humans. We treat people like adults.” That means work is grounded in principles of authenticity, entrepreneurship, agency, and ownership. “It's not just about managers or leaders holding other people accountable. We hold each other accountable to that \[too\],” she added. Here are excerpts from our conversation, edited for length and clarity: Sign up for Charter's newsletter to get the handbook for the future of work delivered to your inbox. Email Address You can unsubscribe at any time. By signing up you are agreeing to our [Terms of Service](https://www.charterworks.com/terms-of-service/) and [Privacy Policy](https://www.charterworks.com/privacy-policy/). **You've been in your current position for three years. Is there anything that's been really challenging for you? Is there anything that you've had to cut or revisit or shut down?** We're facing the same challenges that everyone is in terms of rising costs. We had to pause some of the benefits that we offered. One was tuition reimbursement. We said, ‘We know this is really hard, but we're going to have a conversation about what matters to people, what trade-offs you want to make, and what’s really valuable to you.’ I’m really excited to say that we're going to be bringing back a reimagined, even better offering that truly is an investment in our people and in their growth. Those two years of stopping this thing that was so valued was really tough. But I go back and ground myself in, ‘Treat people like humans. Treat people like adults.’ And often we will talk about how you have a conversation \[with employees\] like you're talking to a trusted friend or a trusted colleague and you have to have a hard conversation. How would you want that to happen? **What are the greatest paradoxes you've had to work through in your role? And what are the ones going forward that Patagonia will need to address or embrace?** Our first CEO, [Kris Tompkins](https://br.linkedin.com/in/kristine-kris-tompkins-99bb2a34), is often quoted as saying life at Patagonia is like swimming in a sea of contradictions. And it's true. Take the ‘[don’t buy this jacket](https://www.patagonia.com/stories/planet/activism/dont-buy-this-jacket-black-friday-and-the-new-york-times/story-18615.html)’ ad. If you read the copy, it's talking about all the things that you can do instead of buying a jacket. We sell jackets, so that feels very counter to what would be helpful. Instead, it is holding both \[ideas\] versus it being an ‘or.’ The second piece is this conversation about AI and its impacts. There could be a thought that Patagonia is not in that conversation. We feel that it is irresponsible to not be in that conversation. While we recognize and know that AI does not \[land on\] neutral ground—it does not have the same impact on communities, on different groups, and there are a lot of things that it amplifies, it scales, and it reveals—we also believe that it's necessary. It’s a part of how we begin to solve some of the environmental crises that we see. We hold both of those things: There's great possibility. There's also a shadow side. We have to go in eyes wide open, and it's going to take all of our collective imagination. **Election Day is happening soon. You've talked a lot about employees as citizens and activists, and you're doing a lot to support voting and civic engagement. Can you tell us a little bit about your work there?** We did some [research](https://www.patagoniaworks.com/press/2026/9/22/patagonia-announces-112-million-vote-project) and found that in the last election, there were 11.2 million self-proclaimed environmentalists who [did not vote](https://www.environmentalvoter.org/about). We talk about not being a bystander, using your voice, making a plan to get out and vote. We encourage not just our communities and our customers, but we also encourage and enable that with our employees. All of us can join in and give \[employees\] time off to be able to vote. We also have activism hours, so we're encouraging people to go out and get active and to volunteer. This is nonpartisan. We want you to use your voice and use your vote and make a plan to be able to do that. **You also have a well-known program to cover bail for full-time and part-time employees who are arrested during peaceful protests. Is this benefit used? How does it connect to your values?** It is a real benefit. We ask you to take a nonviolent direct-action training beforehand because we want you to educate yourself. We see that as a skill, so that when you do protest, you do it in an informed way. We also find ways to support \[other forms of involvement\]. Your action may not be on the front line of protests, but you may be doing something behind the scenes to support those that are. And we really believe deeply in that, and it's something that our employees are really proud of. **Watch a video of the full conversation** [**here**](https://www.charterworks.com/charter-workplace-summit-2026-what-it-takes-to-grow-cultures-of-experimentation-and-belonging/)**.** **Download our playbook with takeaways, action items, and quotes from the full day’s sessions** [**here**](https://www.charterworks.com/download-the-playbook-from-the-2026-charter-workplace-summit/)**.** --- ## Read more from Charter [READ MORE](https://time.com/partner-content/charter/) [Open article: What Jared Diamond Says Decides Whether Leaders Actually Matter](https://time.com/partner-content/charter/what-jared-diamond-says-decides-whether-leaders-actually-matter/)  ### What Jared Diamond Says Decides Whether Leaders Actually Matter [READ MORE](https://time.com/partner-content/charter/what-jared-diamond-says-decides-whether-leaders-actually-matter/) [Open article: Dr. Becky on What Good Parenting and Good Leadership Have in Common](https://time.com/partner-content/charter/dr-becky-on-what-good-parenting-and-good-leadership-have-in-common/)  ### Dr. Becky on What Good Parenting and Good Leadership Have in Common [READ MORE](https://time.com/partner-content/charter/dr-becky-on-what-good-parenting-and-good-leadership-have-in-common/) [Open article: The Three Ingredients for Building Trust](https://time.com/partner-content/charter/the-three-ingredients-for-building-trust/)  ### The Three Ingredients for Building Trust [READ MORE](https://time.com/partner-content/charter/the-three-ingredients-for-building-trust/) --- ```json [{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"NewsArticle","@id":"https://time.com/partner-content/charter/how-patagonia-leads-by-treating-workers-like-humans-/","mainEntityOfPage":{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https://time.com/partner-content/charter/how-patagonia-leads-by-treating-workers-like-humans-/"},"headline":"How Patagonia Leads by Treating Workers ‘Like Humans’","datePublished":"2026-11-01T11:30:03.861Z","dateModified":"2026-11-01T11:30:04.080Z","description":"","url":"https://time.com/partner-content/charter/how-patagonia-leads-by-treating-workers-like-humans-/","keywords":[],"thumbnailUrl":"https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt726f3ce4d308e48a/6ae4fa11ac57f90edd3d68cc/charter-theresita-erin.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=1200:675&height=675","author":[{"@type":"Person","name":"Michelle Peng","jobTitle":"","url":"https://time.com/author/michelle-peng/"}],"articleSection":"Charter","image":[{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt726f3ce4d308e48a/6ae4fa11ac57f90edd3d68cc/charter-theresita-erin.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=1200:675&height=675","width":1200,"height":675,"headline":"charter-theresita-erin.jpg","caption":"","creditText":"Photo: Emory Parker","representativeOfPage":true}],"publisher":{"@type":"Organization","name":"Time","url":"https://time.com/","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://time.com/images/logo.png","width":528,"height":156},"foundingDate":"March 3, 1923","sameAs":["https://www.facebook.com/time","https://www.instagram.com/time/?hl=en","https://twitter.com/time","https://www.pinterest.com/timemagazine"]}},{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"BreadcrumbList","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"item":{"@id":"https://time.com/partner-content/charter/how-patagonia-leads-by-treating-workers-like-humans-/","name":"How Patagonia Leads by Treating Workers ‘Like Humans’"}}]}] ```