Why joining WORK180 was a no brainer for me?

Mainly for the following reasons:

  • I completely align with WORK180’s vision and the work you are doing to create more inclusive and diverse workplaces. As a mum, migrant, millennial and holistic HR practitioner, I want to foster inclusive and diverse cultures/workplaces where there is space for everybody to fulfil their professional and personal aspirations

  • I quickly realized WORK180 practices what they preach. From the very beginning of the recruitment process, I felt respected, valued, understood, heard and confident. I was able to be myself at every stage of the process and quickly felt that sense of belonging rather than the need to fit in. It has been one of the most positive experiences I’ve had in a recruitment process (if not the most positive one)

  • Flexibility: I was spending 2 hours a day commuting to work. Joining WORK180 means I was able to increase my working days from 4 (in my last employment) to 5 without having to sacrifice the time I spend with my 3.5 years old boy

  • Transparency: I really valued the fact I was able to learn more about WORK180’s policies and practices before even applying for the job. Also, hearing what the salary was for the job in the very first interview without me even having to ask, that was the cherry on top of the ice-cream

Why working flexibly means the world to me and my family?

I live in the Western Suburbs of Melbourne and the commute to the city every day was not working for me. I did it, and I was struggling to find the right balance.

How my morning/evening routine looked like before WORK180:

  • Every morning I woke up at 5.15am to leave home before 6.30am so I could avoid peak-hour traffic and find all-day parking near my office. At that time my little one was still asleep (as everyone else in the house) and it was still dark, so I did not get to see him until 5.30pm/6.00pm when I returned from work
  • In the evenings, I tried to leave the office at around 4.30pm and got home between 5.30pm/6.00pm (depending on traffic). My mum is currently visiting us from overseas so she was able to help out with dinner prep most days which was a massive help. However, as my son is usually in bed by 8.00pm every night, both my husband and I were really spending just a couple of hours with our son every day (that in-between dinner, shower and sleeping routine), even less than that to be honest, because by 7.00pm I was already exhausted and had no energy left for my family. In my head and my heart, I could not really call that balance!

How my morning/evening routine looked this week (after joining WORK180):

  • I wake up at around 7.00am with morning cuddles. I am able to have breakfast with my son, get him ready for childcare, have a cuppa with my mum and kiss my husband before he goes to work. This means I am getting two hours extra sleep every day and one hour or so to spend with my family in the morning that I did not have before

  • In the evenings, I do my best to log off by 5.30pm so I can do childcare pick up and spend a couple a few hours with my son before he goes to bed. Maybe not much difference in terms of the number of hours we get to spend as a family in the evenings but the fact I did not need to commute and replaced two hours in traffic with two hours of extra sleep means that I am a happier mum/daughter/wife in the evenings. I even have a couple of extra hours to spend with my husband after Andy goes to bed as I am not falling asleep standing (if that makes sense)

I know it is too early for me to tell what routine will best work for me as this is only my first week. However, knowing "I have permission" and the flexibility to create my own schedule around my other commitments and the routines that work for me, it is priceless not just for me but also for my family.

What does the first week look like for an Inclusion Strategist at WORK180?

For someone that is connection driven and like to be around people, working from home may sound very isolated. However, I think that like everything in life, it is what we make it.

If you asked me: have I felt disconnected or isolated when compared with my office work before? My answer would be: NOT AT ALL

This first week I have:

  • joined around 7 client meetings shadowing other Inclusion Strategists
  • met most members of the team Australia wide located in different cities across Australia
  • spent 4-5 hours with Sarah on Zoom going through induction
  • spent around 1 hour having a virtual cuppa with other Inclusion Strategists

There is no way I would have been able to do that if I had to travel to see every client + going back and forth to the office.

Have I faced any challenges in my first week?

Sure I have, here there are a few examples:

  • Finding the right office setup. I have changed my office setup 3 times this week but I think I have now found the one that works ?
  • Finding time to have lunch. The day flies by so it is easy to skip lunch. I have now blocked time in my calendar to ensure I take my lunch break ?
  • I still don’t have a clear picture of what my schedule looks like or the routine that suits me as I am pretty much relying on everyone’s calendar for training. I am sure once I get into the flow of things, I will be able to organize my days and workload better ?
  • My internet was going on and off the second day because of the heavy rain and winds. I now know how to use my business’ mobile hotspot if that ever happens again ?
  • I did not know I was able to download Office 365 on my desktop and was working on the App (the layout was not as good as the desktop app). I now have the desktop app installed on my computer ?
  • I was relying on emails while internally we don’t use emails much. I am now getting better at communicating via Slack and I love it !!!! ? I do not doubt that like everything in life, there are pros and cons of working from home/flexibly. However, from my own experience, I have gained much more than what I have lost. That’s for sure!

If any doubt, ask:

• my 3.5 years old son that is now seeing his mum every morning before he goes to childcare #priceless

• my mum that is having breakfast with her only daughter every morning before we start our day #superdaughterdayeveryday

• my husband that doesn’t need to hear the complaints about traffic and commute anymore #happywifehappylife