2011 Wrap Up

As 2011 comes to a close there's one thing I can tell you with utmost certainty: the flexible workplace works. Four years in a row, in a company that was born at the beginning of the Great Recession, we've seen more than 2x growth year-over-year putting professionals to work in part-time and flexible full-time roles.

2011 was a year that had Momentum Resources reach new clients in terms of job family, industry and scope. We're working with larger, Fortune 100 companies that realize that this is the best way to attract passive job seekers and lure top talent from other firms in an ever-tightening labor market. And we're working with very small start-ups that have discovered that our model is the most risk-averse, cost-effective way to add key resources. And pretty much every company shape and size in between!

And what are the key success factors in making this work? Our most successful clients begin with a culture of trust, have open communication styles and leverage technology to keep everyone working towards a common goal. As workplaces become more results-driven, face time is out the window and employees are free to work when and how they want to achieve their objectives. This means lower turnover, greater productivity. Win-win on both sides of the equation for sure.

But perhaps the thing that stands out in our minds as we look back on 2011, and forward to 2012, is that we get to work with smart, interesting, nice people. Our clients are engaging and helpful to the process; in short, they "get us" and our people. And our people, the Momentum Resources candidates? Awesome. Super-smart all-stars in their field, appreciative of the work we do on their behalf to place them in jobs that are great for their careers and work for their families.

So thank you all for making 2011 our most successful year yet, we can't wait to see what 2012 has in store!

Thankful for a Job I Love

Last week my youngest son's teacher asked me to speak to their PreK class as part of the "Community Helpers" section. Basically, bring your Mom or Dad to work to talk about what the heck they do all day. I practically jumped for joy.

See, the last time I did this I realized I needed to quit my job. The twins were the same age as my youngest is now - 4- and when asked to do this little talk I couldn't thing of a single redeeming thing about my job, particularly as it relates to the PreK crowd.

Sure I had a nice title at a fancy management consulting firm, but when asked about what I did all day I had no response. Professional meeting attender? Power Point slide builder? Oh wait, I know, I know, Conference Call expert! Although I had fair pay and a modicum of schedule flexibility, there was just no passion in the work I was doing. But even before the Great Recession that felt like such a high class problem. Was having a job you love that pays the bills and allows you to have time with your family even possible?

Four years later, we can unequivocally say yes. For the first time in my life I'm so passionate about the work we're doing I sometimes find myself working ALL the time (despite owning my own schedule and all of the flexibility in the world) because I just love it so much. Call it an occupational hazard.

We didn't get here overnight, there are some pieces of the job that I love less than others and there have certainly been some lean quarters and rough patches, but this year I'm thankful to know that yes, it's possible to have a job you love, that pays the bills and gives you time with your family.