A Fresh Start at SevenRooms

The “Great Resignation’, ‘Great Reshuffle’ or whatever it’s being called these days, has dominated my news feeds every morning for the last several months. I’m fascinated by the shift that’s happening -- mostly because I believe people want to change their lives and make choices that create more meaning for themselves and their families, versus making choices out of necessity around when and where they work.

When I look back years from now, will I be happy with the professional choices that I’ve made in my life?  Will I smile when I think about the places I’ve worked that understood me and my quirky personality? That they understood what it meant for me to be an authentic, whole person?  I think so. And if I couldn’t, I know I would look back at this time period as a moment of truth.

Because of the world today, work is a necessity to a means of living the life you want to live.

So how do we balance the time we need to be present and authentic with friends and family, while also growing and learning in our careers? Prior to the pandemic, I think we forgot that the experiences in our lives with the people who matter – are what bring us the most joy and reward in how we’ve lived our lives, professionally and personally.

The pandemic is a good wake up call for many who now realize that they do in fact have the ability to choose: 

1) What they do for work

2) When they work

3) Where it makes sense for them to do so  

Our choices around time and where we spend it are perhaps the single most important decisions we can be making right now. Time is precious and has real value, whether you earn it or you give it away.

In mid-October 2021, the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics announced that 4.3 million Americans, or 2.9% of the entire workforce, quit their jobs in August -- a record-breaking month for resignations. People are choosing change and they want their time to mean something.

It can be really stressful to change jobs, especially soon after finishing an old one. You don’t have time to decompress and come into a new role rested, renewed and energized. Yet, most people can’t even afford to take time off between jobs, with 54 percent of U.S. consumers living paycheck-to-paycheck. This statistic isn’t surprising to me and it just feels bad knowing about it.  We need to change the way the world works and we need to start somewhere.

So how and where could we start?

Beginning in 2022, we are going to offer every new hire at SevenRooms their first two weeks of employment as paid time off to do whatever they feel is meaningful to them. I want people to be able to take the time they need before embarking on a new journey with us -- if that means self care to reset, spending time with family and friends, or reconnecting with those who have influenced their lives for the better. Create memories and experiences. Work can wait, your personal life shouldn’t. 

I was told that if we do this, that we might be the only company in the world to offer this benefit. I hope not and if so, I hope others will want to join us to change the way the world works and how we experience it. And hopefully in the future, people will look back on this moment and smile.

And if you're interested in checking us out and what we do, please connect with me or visit our website to learn more about SevenRooms.