Bringing Your Whole Self at Splunk with Dave Johnson

Dave Johnson (he/him/his) seems like a great dinner party host. He describes himself as “a huge foodie and wine connoisseur” with a wine collection of around 200 bottles, who collects abstract art. “Nothing fancy or expensive by any means, just small, random prints that invoke some sort of emotion for me.” He and his partner also travel extensively (they’ve recently gone to Italy and Costa Rica, with five more trips planned for the year).

Dave is a senior sales compensation analyst at Splunk working remotely in Austin, TX. He and his team have no casual task, as they have to ensure “the sales compensation plan and policy is applied appropriately throughout.” They strive to minimize disruptions that could impact sales performance and accuracy.

He also recently became one of the co-leads of Pride, our LGBTQ+ Employee Resource Group. When he shared the news with his team, right after congratulating him, they started asking, “What can we do to support you?” Their support was “very promising and very refreshing” for Dave. That support means he is “not afraid to be me and can freely show my rainbow of colors… Splunk shows me love in many ways, but the most important is by allowing me to come to work and be my authentic self every day. I don’t feel the need to code-switch when talking about my life.”

Because of the support and freedom to be himself without worry, Dave is able to do his best work and drive impact within the Finance team and beyond. We can only achieve our purpose by harnessing the power of our collective identities. In his own words, “Being a part of an inclusive organization, such as Splunk and their ERGs, allows for enhanced collaboration, innovation, and new approaches to problem solving, catering to diverse employee needs, and contributing to overall business success.”