400 Hours with My Family to Balance Work and Life
As a software engineer in Silicon Valley and then the greater Boston area, I had come to accept that commuting two hours a day was normal. I adapted to this “normal” by listening to a variety of podcasts on my commute and by waiting out traffic with evening runs or frisbee games around work. Then I was expecting my first kid and found myself easily exhausted from a late work day (having to cut down on caffeine probably didn’t help 😉). I found myself occasionally having to nap in the car before heading home. On a couple of occasions when I faced an hour plus commute in a snowstorm, I stayed overnight in a hotel near work.
It only became more challenging when my son arrived. He was sick frequently, and it wasn’t uncommon for me to drop my kids off at childcare, arrive at the office after an hour commute, then get a phone call that I had to come back and pick him up because he was sick. While I felt like I was “managing,” I didn’t feel like I was bringing my full self to work or to being a mother. Knowing the two hours I was spending commuting was two hours extra I’d be apart from my young kids made commuting more frustrating than ever.
Too good to be true?
Then a recruiter from Hudl reached out to me. I could work remotely 100 percent from the start, and they had an unlimited vacation policy. That was 400 hours a year of commute time that I could replace with evening strolls with my family, helping my kids build an elevator from slime blocks in Minecraft, dedicating the effort to making somewhat edible food for my kids, and teaching my kids how to tie their shoes. That was being able to go on an adventure with my family on every school break. It sounded too good to be true.
Balance restored.
Having been at Hudl for almost six years now, I can affirm that it’s very real. In addition to allowing me to truly balance work and family, the autonomy Hudl provides has also ramped up my motivation and productivity in ways I never even expected. Because Hudl trusts me to get my work done on my terms and gives me room to experiment with project ideas, I find myself self-driven to meet the goals and timelines I helped set for projects I helped define.
With Covid-19 accelerating the acceptance of full-time remote work, I’m hopeful that this will be a game changer for those parents requiring flexibility to effectively balance work and family. I believe it’ll take some time for many companies to work out the kinks though, and I’m glad I work for a company that has had it figured out for years. Who knew working for a company in sports and technology was the key to overcoming my biggest challenges as a working mother? I guess Hudl, whose values include “Play to Win” and “Win Together,” did!
Looking to bring balance to your work and life? Hudl is hiring and many positions are remote!
