Happy New Year! – A Letter from CEO, Danielle McCormick

Happy New Year! While I’ve never been a believer in New Year’s resolutions, I have always appreciated the opportunity to reflect on the past and set intentions for what’s ahead. As I take a moment to look in the rear-view mirror and reflect on 2022, my observation is that the working experience for most of us improved as we were still recalibrating from the difficulties experienced through the pandemic. Firms are finding their groove as they adjust to remote and hybrid working environments, and most team members are experiencing more flexibility and autonomy as a result. Client-facing professionals are back to advising clients and supporting their growth, and our client firms continue to invest in innovation to streamline internal processes to make work easier and more efficient for all.

What’s curious to me is that while the employee experience in our industry continues to dramatically improve, the commentary in the news and social media tells us that instead of celebrating this progress, we should be distancing ourselves from work in order to find fulfillment in our lives. Headlines touting “The Great Resignation”, “Quiet Quitting”, and TikTok videos portraying people regaining control in their lives by dramatically quitting their jobs became the norm, and in recent months “The Four Day Workweek” is being positioned as the next short-term fix to solve the trend of burnout being experienced by so many American workers. These messages tell us work is bad, and if you did less of it you would finally be happy.

As a result of the negative chatter about the current employee/employer relationship, many of us are left questioning if we are “missing out” on something if we aren’t looking for another job, or that we are gullible if we actually like our work and the company we work for. I suggest the primary issue in workplace enjoyment is less about external motivators like where you work or even the number of hours you work, and instead is much more grounded in our connection to the work we do.

Don’t get me wrong, I’m a believer in reasonable working hours, wages, and benefits, and don’t subscribe to the belief that personal fulfillment is found solely in our professional contributions. That being said, I’ve found tremendous joy and personal satisfaction in my life because of the work I do and I’m deeply passionate about helping others enjoy a similar experience.

As I look to the coming year, my intention in 2023 is to make it cool to love your job again. Throughout the next several months you will find insights in this newsletter to help make this a reality in your life. I hope you will join me….

Stay boundless,

Danielle