By Melissa Montero and Amanda Weedman 

Two members of the Goodwin Recruiting team are each in the midst of a 2-week vacation this summer and have taken very different approaches to their time off! In this blog, Melissa and Amanda discuss what their time off has in common and how they define Work-Life Balance.  

Melissa’s story

I spent 11 years working in hospitality operations and can’t remember having a vacation where my job didn’t creep into my “time off.” Paid time off is just that; your employer pays you to NOT be at work, get refreshed, and remember why you are passionate about what you do. I have rarely felt fully recharged when returning to work after vacation time, and part of this is my fault. I answered the phone call or email while I was away. I felt responsible for ensuring my team was supported to the best of my ability.  

This year is different. We’ve survived a pandemic, and our family had a major move from New Orleans to Nashville last summer. We need to unplug, see and experience new things and new places, and just spend time together without “regular life” distractions. I started my new job with Goodwin in June of 2021 and really haven’t taken vacation time, which was my choice. I wanted to get my business off the ground and healthy before trying to step away.  

My husband and I are celebrating our 20th wedding anniversary in Ireland and Scotland, and since my husband is leaving his work phone and computer home while we’re out of the country, I am doing the same.

Being a Goodwin Recruiting Partner allows me to do this because we value “Extensive Support.” I can hand off my active candidates and clients to my fellow Recruiting Partners and know that they will be well cared for while I’m away. I won’t need to check email or voicemail like I did in the old days.

I have a real work-life balance here at Goodwin Recruiting. I rarely work more than 40-45 hours per week, have a stable income, work from home on a Monday through Friday schedule, and can step away for doctor’s appointments and family events within reason. I work hard, and I live my life. This job has absolutely been everything I hoped it would be and then some! 

Amanda’s Story 

After four years as a full-desk recruiter, I accepted an opportunity here at Goodwin that allowed me to maintain my recruiting business and work in Client Relations. The hybrid role came along at the perfect time: I was ready to learn something new and shake up my workday. Four months in, my husband was presented with an opportunity to play with an orchestra in Europe, so we jumped at the chance to spend a couple of weeks touring parts of the world I had only read about in books. 

Although my Director of Marketing fully supported my time off request, I chose to work remotely from Germany for one week and take the following as a vacation. To many, it doesn’t fit their definition of true work-life balance, but I had just stepped into a brand-new role and didn’t want to lose momentum or be absent for too long mid-project. I’m writing this blog from sunny (and humid) Munich, Germany, while my husband is in rehearsal. I’m not bitter about working with jet lag because 1) I was given the choice and 2) part of work-life balance is…well, work.

Remote work has given me the freedom I could never have imagined. I spend more time with those I love, my efficiency has improved dramatically, and I’m more willing to give additional time to Goodwin Recruiting because they have given me so much in return. I’ll be honest, listening to Beethoven’s 9th Symphony while I write blogs isn’t the worst day I’ve had on the job. 

You may be #TeamMelissa or #TeamAmanda in how you approach your time off, but when you join the Goodwin Recruiting team, you’ll find yourself with the freedom to decide what’s best for you. We are excited to meet you and help you find where you belong. Contact us today at ir@goodwinrecruiting.com!